towing CHEVROLET BLAZER 1996 2.G Owner's Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling
a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transmission fluid (don’t
overfill), engine oil, axle lubricant, belt, cooling system
and brake adjustment. Each of these is covered
in this
manual, and the Index will help you find them quickly.
If you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to review these
sections before you start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
Trailer Wiring Harness
The light duty trailer wiring is a six-wire harness
assembly. The heavy duty trailer wiring is an eight-wire
harness assembly. The harnesses are stored under
the
vehicle, along the passenger-side frame crossmember on
two-door vehicles or on the driver’s side corner frame
crossmember
on four-door vehicles. The heavy duty
trailer wiring has a 30-amp feed wire with an inline fuse
located by the junction block. See “Fuses and Circuit
Breakers” in
the Index. Both harnesses have no
connector and should be wired
by a qualified electrical technician. The technician can
use the following color code chart when connecting the
wiring harness
to your trailer.
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
DARK BLUE: Use for electric trailer brakes or
auxiliary wiring.
RED: Use for battery charging; it connects to the
starter solenoid (eight-wire harness
only).
LIGHT GREEN: Back-up lamps (eight-wire
harness only).
BROWN: Taillamps and parking lamps.
YELLOW Left stoplamp and turn signal.
DARK GREEN: Right stoplamp and turn signal.
WHITE (Heavy Gage): Ground wire.
WHITE (Light Gage): Auxiliary stoplamp.
Securely attach the harness
to the trailer, then tape or
strap it to your vehicle’s frame rail. Be sure you leave
it loose enough
so the wiring doesn’t bend or break,
but
not so loose that it drags on the ground. Store the
harness in its original place. Wrap the harness together
and
tie it neatly so it won’t be damaged.
4-56

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Towing Your Vehicle
Try to have a GM dealer or a professional towing
service tow your vehicle. See “Roadside Assistance” in
the Index.
If your vehicle has been changed since it was
factory-new by adding things like fog lamps, aero
skirting, or special tires and wheels, these instructions
may not be correct.
,Before you do anything, turn on the hazard
warning flashers.
When
you call, tell the towing service:
Whether your vehicle has rear-wheel drive,
The make, model and year of your vehicle.
Whether you can move the shift lever for the
four-wheel drive
or all-wheel drive.
transmission and shift the transfer case,
if you
have one.
If there was an accident, what was damaged.
When the towing service arrives, let the tow operator
know that this manual contains these towing instructions. The operator may want to see them.
I A CAUTION:
-
To help avoid injury to you or others:
0 Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is
0 Never tow faster than safe or posted speeds.
0 Never tow with damaged parts not fully secured.
0 Never get under your vehicle after it has
0 Always use separate safety chains on each
0 Never use J-hooks. Use T-hooks instead.
being
towed.
been lifted by the tow truck.
side when towing a vehicle.
5-7

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A vehicle can fall from a car carrier if it isn't
adequately secured. This can cause
a collision,
serious personal injury and vehicle damage. The
vehicle should be tightly secured with chains or
steel cables before it is transported.
Don't use substitutes (ropes, leather straps, canvas webbing, etc.) that can be cut
by sharp
edges underneath the towed vehicle. Always use
T-hooks inserted in the T-hook slots. Never use
J-hooks. They will damage drivetrain and
suspension components. When your vehicle
is being towed, have the ignition
key turned to the
OFF position. The steering wheel
should be clamped
in a straight-ahead position with a
clamping device designed for towing service. Do not
use the vehicle's steering column lock for this. The
transmission should be in
NEUTRAL (N) and the
transfer case, if you have one, should be
in 2HI. The
parking brake should be released.
Don't have
your vehicle towed on the drive wheels
unless
you must. If the vehicle must be towed on the
drive wheels, be sure to follow the speed and distance
restrictions later
in this section or your transmission will
be damaged.
If these limitations must be exceeded, then
the drive wheels have to be supported on a dolly.
5-8

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Front Towing
Tow Limits -- 35 mph (56 kd?), 50 miles (80 kin)
Vehicles with the all-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive
option must use
a towing dolly under the rear wheels
when towing
from the front.
I
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or
fascia/fog lamp damage will occur, Use wheel lift
or car carrier equipment. Additional ramping
may be required for car carrier equipment. Use
safety chains and wheel straps.
Towing
a vehicle over rough surfaces could
damage
a vehicle. Damage can occur from vehicle
to ground or vehicle to wheel-lift equipment,
To
help avoid damage, install a towing dolly and raise
the vehicle until adequate clearance is obtained
between the ground and/or wheel-lift equipment.
Do not attach winch cables or J-hooks to
suspension components when using car carrier
equipment, Always use T-hooks inserted in the
T-hook
slots.
- 5-9

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Rear Towing
Tow Limits -- 35 mph (56 kh), 50 miles (80 km)
Vehicles with the all-wheel-drive or four- wheel-drive
option must use a towing dolly under the front
wheels
when towing from the real:
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or rear
bumper valance damage will occur. Use wheel lift
or car carrier equipment. Additional ramping may be required for car carrier equipment. Use
safety chains and wheel straps.
Towing a vehicle over rough surfaces could
damage
a vehicle. Damage can occur from vehicle
to ground or vehicle to wheel-lift equipment. To
help avoid damage, install a towing dolly and raise
the vehicle until adequate clearance is obtained
between the ground and/or wheel-lift equipment.
Do not attach winch cables or J-hooks
to
suspension components when using car' carrier
equipment. Always use ,T-hooks inserted in the
T-hook slots.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Fan Noise
This vehicle has a clutched engine cooling fan. When
the
clutch is engaged, the fan spins faster to provide
more air to cool the engine. In most every day driving
conditions, the clutch is
not engaged. This improves
fuel economy and reduces fan noise. Under heavy
vehicle loading, trailer towing and/or high outside
temperatures, the’ fan speed increases when
the clutch
engages.
So you may hear an increase in fan noise.
This is normal and should not be mistaken as
the
transmission slipping or making extra shifts. It is
merely the cooling system functioning properly. The
fan will slow down when additional cooling
is not
required and the clutch disengages.
You may also hear this fan noise when you start the
engine. It will go away as the fan clutch disengages.
If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially
if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it’s much more likely
to leak out slowly.
But
if you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about what to expect and what
to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls
the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip
the steering wheel firmly.
Steer
to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like
a skid and may require the same correction you’d use in
a skid. In any rear blowout, remove your
foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get
the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle
to go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can
still steer. Gently
brake to a stop
-- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment
to change a flat tire safely.
5-20

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The jacking equipment you'll need is stored along the
driver's rear wall. In some cases, you may have to
remove the spare tire
in order to reach the jack. Your
vehicle is also equipped with work gloves and
a plastic
ground mat to assist in the changing
of a flat tire.
To remove your jack cover,
pull up on the latch at the
end of
the cover, near the
endgate and the latch on the
top
of the cover. Remove
the wheel blocks, jack and
wheel wrench.
*
The following instructions explain how to remove
the spare tire, depending
on where it is mounted on
your vehicle.
NOTICE:
I
Never remove or restow a tire frodto a
stowage position under the vehicle while the
vehicle is supported by a
jack. Always tighten
the tire fully against the underside of the vehicle when restowing.
To remove the
underbody-mounted spare,
insert the chisel end
of the
wheel wrench, on an angle, into the hole in
the rear
bumper.
Be sure the chisel
end
of the wheel wrench
connects into the hoist shaft.
5-22

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Rocking your vehicle to get it out:
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around
your front wheels. Then shift back
and forth between REVERSE (R) and a forward gear (or
with a manual transmission, between FIRST
(1) or
SECOND (2) and REVERSE(R)), spinning the wheels
as little as possible. Release the accelerator pedal while
you shift, and press lightly on the accelerator pedal
when the transmission is in gear.
If that doesn’t get you
out after a few tries, you may need to be towed out. Or,
you can use your recovery hooks if your vehicle has
them. If you do need
to be towed out, see “Towing Your
Vehicle” in the Index.
Using the Recovery Hooks
.“ .
Your vehicle may be equipped with recovery hooks.
The recovery hooks are provided at the front of your
vehicle.
You may need to use them if you’re stuck
off-road and need
to be pulled to some place where
you can continue driving.
i
5-34

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine .. Automatic Transmission Fluid
When to Check and Change
A good time to check your automatic transmission fluid
level
is when the engine oil is changed.
Change both
the fluid and filter every 50,000 miles
(83 000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or
more
of these conditions:
In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches
90°F (32°C) or higher.
0 In hilly or mountainous terrain.
When doing frequent trailer towing.
0 Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery service.
If you do not use your vehicle under any of these
conditions, the fluid and filter
do not require changing.
See “Scheduled Maintenance Services” in the Index.
How to Check
Because this operation can be a little difficult, you
may choose to have this done at your GM dealer
Service Department.
If you do it yourself, be sure to follow all the instructions
here, or you could get
a false reading on the dipstick.
I NOTICE:
Too much or too little fluid can damage your
transmission.
Too much can mean that some of
the fluid could come out and fall on hot engine
parts or exhaust system parts, starting a fire. Be
sure to get an accurate reading if you check your
transmission fluid.
Wait at least 30 minutes before checking the
transmission fluid level
if you have been driving:
When outside temperatures are above 90°F (32°C).
At high speed for quite a while.
In heavy traffic -- especially in hot weather.
While pulling a trailer.
To get the right reading, the fluid should be at normal
operating temperature, which is
180°F to 200°F
(82°C to 93°C).
. 6-14

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Short TripKity Maintenance Schedule
The services shown in this schedule up to 100,000 miles
(1 66 000 km) should be performed after 100,000 miles
(166
000 km) at the same intervals:
Footnotes
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the
California Air Resources Board
has determined that the
failure to perform this maintenance item will not nullify
the emission warranty or limit recall liability prior to the
completion
of the vehicle’s useful life. We, however,
urge that all recommended maintenance services be
performed at the indicated intervals and the maintenance
be recorded.
** Drive axle servic e:
e
e
0
Locking Differential -- Drain fluid and refill at first
engine oil change. At subsequent
oil changes, check
fluid level and add fluid as needed.
If driving in
dusty areas or towing a trailer, drain fluid and refill
every
15,000 miles (25 000 km).
Standard Differential
-- Check fluid level and add
fluid as needed
at every oil change. If driving in
dusty areas or towing a trailer, drain fluid and refill
every
15,000 miles (25 000 km).
More frequent lubrication may
be required for
heavy-duty or off-road use.
7-6