light CHEVROLET BLAZER 2002 2.G Manual Online

4-34
Hydroplaning doesn't happen often. But it can if your
tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in one or
more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing on
the road. If you can see reflections from trees, telephone
poles or other vehicles, and raindrops ªdimpleº the
water's surface, there could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just isn't a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The
best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
NOTICE:
If you drive too quickly through deep puddles or
standing water, water can come in through your
engine's air intake and badly damage your
engine. Never drive through water that is slightly
lower than the underbody of your vehicle. If you
can't avoid deep puddles or standing water, drive
through them very slowly.
Driving Through Flowing Water
CAUTION:
Flowing or rushing water creates strong forces.
If you try to drive through flowing water, as you
might at a low water crossing, your vehicle can be
carried away. As little as six inches of flowing
water can carry away a smaller vehicle. If this
happens, you and the other vehicle occupants
could drown. Don't ignore police warning signs,
and otherwise be very cautious about trying to
drive through flowing water.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips

Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room
ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted
by road spray.

Have good tires with proper tread depth. See ªTiresº
in the Index.

4-35
City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You'll want to watch out for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention to
traffic signals.Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving:

Know the best way to get to where you are
going. Get a city map and plan your trip into an
unknown part of the city just as you would for a
cross
-country trip.

Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most
large cities. You'll save time and energy. See the
next part, ªFreeway Driving.º

Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic
light is there because the corner is busy enough to
need it. When a light turns green, and just before
you start to move, check both ways for vehicles that
have not cleared the intersection or may be running
the red light.

4-36
Freeway Driving
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways,
expressways, turnpikes or superhighways) are the safest
of all roads. But they have their own special rules.
The most important advice on freeway driving is: Keep
up with traffic and keep to the right. Drive at the same
speed most of the other drivers are driving. Too
-fast or
too
-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic flow. Treat the
left lane on a freeway as a passing lane.At the entrance, there is usually a ramp that leads to the
freeway. If you have a clear view of the freeway as you
drive along the entrance ramp, you should begin to
check traffic. Try to determine where you expect to
blend with the flow. Try to merge into the gap at close to
the prevailing speed. Switch on your turn signal, check
your mirrors and glance over your shoulder as often as
necessary. Try to blend smoothly with the traffic flow.
Once you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the
posted limit or to the prevailing rate if it's slower. Stay
in the right lane unless you want to pass.
Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use
your turn signal.
Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your
shoulder to make sure there isn't another vehicle in your
ªblindº spot.
Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you
allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to move
slightly slower at night.
When you want to leave the freeway, move to the proper
lane well in advance. If you miss your exit, do not,
under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive on to
the next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.

4-40
Winter DrivingHere are some tips for winter driving:

Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.

You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your vehicle.
Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight, a red cloth and
reflective warning triangles. And, if you will be driving
under severe conditions, include a small bag of sand, a
piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags to help
provide traction. Be sure you properly secure these
items in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where your tires meet the
road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between your tires and
the road, you can have a very slippery situation. You'll
have a lot less traction or ªgripº and will need to be
very careful.

4-43
CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle.
This can cause deadly CO (carbon monoxide) gas
to get inside. CO could overcome you and kill
you. You can't see it or smell it, so you might not
know it is in your vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base of your vehicle, especially any
that is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check
around again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn't collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that's away from the wind. This will help
keep CO out.
Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little faster
than just idle. That is, push the accelerator slightly. This
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps the
battery charged. You will need a well
-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine again
and repeat this only when you feel really uncomfortable
from the cold. But do it as little as possible. Preserve the
fuel as long as you can. To help keep warm, you can get
out of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or so until help comes.
Recreational Vehicle Towing
Recreational vehicle towing means towing your vehicle
behind another vehicle
-- such as behind a motorhome.
The two most common types of recreational vehicle
towing are known as ªdinghy towingº (towing your
vehicle with all four wheels on the ground) and ªdolly
towingº (towing your vehicle with two wheels on
the ground and two wheels up on a device known
as a ªdollyº).
With the proper preparation and equipment, many
vehicles can be towed in these ways. See ªDinghy
Towingº and ªDolly Towing,º following.

4-52
Tow/Haul Mode (V6 Engine, Automatic
Transmission Equipped Models) (If Equipped)
The tow/haul mode is a feature that assists when pulling
a heavy trailer. The purpose of the tow/haul mode is:

Reduce the frequency of shifts when pulling a
heavy trailer,

provide the same shift feel when pulling a heavy
trailer as when the vehicle is unloaded, and

reduce the need to change throttle position when
pulling a heavy trailer.
This feature is turned on or off by pressing a button
on the floor console or the shift knob. When the feature
is on, a light located on the instrument panel cluster
will illuminate to indicate that the tow/haul mode has
been selected.
See ªTow/Haul Mode Lightº in the Index. The tow/haul
mode is automatically turned off each time the vehicle
is started.The tow/haul mode is most effective when the vehicle
and trailer combined weight is at least 75% of the Gross
Combination Weight Rating (GCWR).
The tow/haul mode for hauling a heavy trailer is most
useful under the following conditions:

When driving through hilly terrain at speeds below
55 mph (88 km/h),

when driving in low speed or stop and go traffic
below 55 mph (88 km/h), and

when driving in parking lots.
Operating in the tow/haul mode when not pulling a
heavy trailer will not cause damage to the vehicle, but
you may experience reduced fuel economy and
undesirable performance from the engine and
transmission. The tow/haul mode should be used only
when pulling a heavy trailer.

4-63 Trailer Wiring Harness
The light-duty trailer wiring is a six-wire harness
assembly. The optional 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 rear crossmember on four
-door
vehicles. The heavy
-duty trailer wiring is fused in the
engine compartment fuse block. See ªFuses and
Circuit Breakersº 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.
Dark Blue: Use for electric trailer brakes or auxiliary
wiring (eight
-wire harness only).

Red: Use for battery charging; it connects to the
starter solenoid (eight
-wire harness only).

Light Green: Back
-up lamps.

Brown: Taillamps and parking lamps.

Yellow: Driver's side stoplamp and turn signal.

Dark Green: Passenger's side stoplamp and
turn signal.

White: Ground wire.

Light Blue: 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.

5-3
Jump Starting
If your battery has run down, you may want to use
another vehicle and some jumper cables to start your
vehicle. Be sure to the follow the steps below to do
it safely.
CAUTION:
Batteries can hurt you. They can be
dangerous because:

They contain acid that can burn you.

They contain gas that can explode or ignite.

They contain enough electricity to
burn you.
If you don't follow these steps exactly, some or all
of these things can hurt you.
NOTICE:
Ignoring these steps could result in costly damage
to your vehicle that wouldn't be covered by
your warranty.
The ACDelco battery in your vehicle has a
built
-in hydrometer. Do not charge, test or jump
start the battery if the hydrometer looks clear
or light yellow. Replace the battery when there
is a clear or light yellow hydrometer and a
cranking complaint.
Trying to start your vehicle by pushing or pulling
it won't work, and it could damage your vehicle.

5-4
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with a negative ground system.
NOTICE:
If the other system isn't a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles can be damaged.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren't touching
each other. If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don't want. You wouldn't be able to
start your vehicle, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake firmly on both vehicles involved in
the jump start procedure. Put an automatic
transmission in PARK (P) or a manual transmission
in NEUTRAL before setting the parking brake. If
you have a four
-wheel-drive vehicle, be sure the
transfer case is not in NEUTRAL (N).
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn't be covered by
your warranty.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or in the accessory power outlets. Turn off the
radio and all lamps that aren't needed. This will
avoid sparks and help save both batteries. And it
could save your radio!
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. Find the
positive (+) and negative (
-) terminal locations on
each vehicle. See ªEngine Compartment Overviewº
in the Index for more information on location of
the battery.

5-5
CAUTION:
Using a match near a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded. Use a flashlight if
you need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough water. You don't
need to add water to the ACDelco
battery
(or batteries) installed in every new GM vehicle.
But if a battery has filler caps, be sure the right
amount of fluid is there. If it is low, add water to
take care of that first. If you don't, explosive gas
could be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don't get it on you. If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately.
CAUTION:
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engine is running.
5. Check that the jumper cables don't have loose or
missing insulation. If they do, you could get a shock.
The vehicles could be damaged too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some basic
things you should know. Positive (+) will go to
positive (+) or to a remote positive (+) terminal if
the vehicle has one. Negative (
-) will go to a heavy,
unpainted metal engine part or to a remote
negative (
-) terminal if the vehicle has one.
Don't connect positive (+) to negative (
-) or you'll
get a short that would damage the battery and maybe
other parts too. And don't connect the negative (
-)
cable to the negative (
-) terminal on the dead battery
because this can cause sparks.