coolant temperature CHEVROLET BLAZER 2003 2.G Owners Manual

When starting your engine in very cold weather (below
0ÉF or (±18ÉC), do this:
1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, turn the
ignition key to START and hold it there up to
15 seconds. When the engine starts, let go of
the key.
2. If your engine still won't start (or starts but then
stops), it could be ¯ooded with too much gasoline.
Try pushing your accelerator pedal all the way to the
¯oor and holding it there as you hold the key in
START for about three seconds. When the engine
starts, let go of the key and accelerator. If the
vehicle starts brie¯y but then stops again, do the
same thing, but this time keep the pedal down
for ®ve or six seconds. This clears the extra
gasoline from the engine.
Notice:Your engine is designed to work with the
electronics in your vehicle. If you add electrical
parts or accessories, you could change the way the
engine operates. Before adding electrical equipment,
check with your dealer. If you don't, your engine
might not perform properly.
Engine Coolant Heater
Your vehicle may be equipped with this feature.
In very cold weather, 0ÉF (±18ÉC) or colder, the engine
coolant heater can help. You'll get easier starting
and better fuel economy during engine warm-up.
Usually, the coolant heater should be plugged in a
minimum of four hours prior to starting your vehicle. At
temperatures above 32ÉF (0ÉC), use of the coolant
heater is not required.
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord. The
cord is located in the engine compartment behind
the underhood fuse block on the driver's side of the
vehicle.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110±volt AC outlet.
2-22

{CAUTION:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock. Also, the
wrong kind of extension cord could overheat
and cause a ®re. You could be seriously
injured. Plug the cord into a properly grounded
three-prong 110-volt AC outlet. If the cord
won't reach, use a heavy-duty three-prong
extension cord rated for at least 15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and
store the cord as it was before to keep it away
from moving engine parts. If you don't, it could be
damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind of oil you have, and some other things. Instead
of trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your dealer in the area where you'll be parking your
vehicle. The dealer can give you the best advice for that
particular area.
Automatic Transmission Operation
Your automatic transmission may have a shift lever
located on the console between the seats or on
the steering column.
There are several different positions for your shift lever.
If your vehicle is equipped with a column shift lever,
it features an electronic shift position indicator within the
instrument panel cluster. This display must be powered
anytime the shift lever is capable of being moved
out of PARK (P). This means that if your key is in OFF,
but not locked, there will be a small current drain on
your battery which could discharge your battery over a
period of time. If you need to leave your key in the
ignition in OFF for an extended period, it is
recommended that you disconnect the battery cable
from the battery to prevent discharging your battery.
2-23

Instrument Panel Overview...............................3-2
Hazard Warning Flashers................................3-3
Other Warning Devices...................................3-4
Horn.............................................................3-4
Tilt Wheel.....................................................3-4
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever.........................3-5
Exterior Lamps.............................................3-11
Interior Lamps..............................................3-14
Accessory Power Outlets...............................3-15
Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter........................3-16
Climate Controls............................................3-17
Climate Control System.................................3-17
Outlet Adjustment.........................................3-20
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators.............3-21
Instrument Panel Cluster................................3-22
Speedometer and Odometer...........................3-24
Trip Odometer..............................................3-24
Tachometer.................................................3-24
Safety Belt Reminder Light.............................3-25
Air Bag Readiness Light................................3-25
Charging System Light..................................3-26
Voltmeter Gage............................................3-27
Up-Shift Light...............................................3-27
Brake System Warning Light..........................3-28
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light.............3-29
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage..................3-29Malfunction Indicator Lamp.............................3-30
Oil Pressure Gage........................................3-33
Security Light...............................................3-34
Service Four-Wheel Drive Warning Light..........3-34
Tow/Haul Mode Light....................................3-35
Check Gages Warning Light...........................3-35
Gate Ajar Light.............................................3-35
Fuel Gage...................................................3-35
Low Fuel Warning Light.................................3-36
Audio System(s).............................................3-37
Setting the Time for Radios without Radio
Data Systems (RDS)..................................3-37
Setting the Time for Radios with Radio Data
Systems (RDS).........................................3-38
AM-FM Radio...............................................3-38
Radio with CD..............................................3-41
Radio with Cassette and CD..........................3-48
Radio with Six-Disc CD.................................3-58
Theft-Deterrent Feature (Non-RDS Radios).......3-68
Theft-Deterrent Feature (RDS Radios).............3-68
Understanding Radio Reception......................3-69
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player.................3-69
Care of Your CDs.........................................3-70
Care of Your CD Player................................3-70
Fixed Mast Antenna......................................3-70
Section 3 Instrument Panel
3-1

Heating
Turn the center knob clockwise or counterclockwise to
raise or lower the temperature on the inside of your
vehicle.
When it's cold outside 0ÉF (-18ÉC) or lower, use the
engine coolant heater, if equipped, to provide warmer air
faster to your vehicle. An engine coolant heater warms
the coolant that the engine uses to provide heat to
warm the inside of your vehicle. For more information,
see
Engine Coolant Heater on page 2-22.
Cooling
On hot days, open the windows to let hot inside air
escape; then close them. This helps to reduce the time
it takes for your vehicle to cool down. It also helps
the system to operate more efficiently.
A/C (Air Conditioning):Turn the knob to the A/C
position to turn the air-conditioning system on or
off. When the system is on, this setting cools and
dehumidi®es the air entering your vehicle and directs it
through the ¯oor outlets as well as the instrument
panel outlets.MAX A/C (Maximum Air Conditioning):This mode
recirculates much of the air inside your vehicle so
it cools quickly. It directs most of the air through the
instrument panel vents and a small amount through the
¯oor vents.
You may notice a slight change in engine performance
when the air-conditioning compressor shuts off and
turns on again. This is normal. The system is designed
to make adjustments to help with fuel economy while
still maintaining the selected temperature.
For quick cool down on hot days, do the following:
1. Select A/C.
2. Select the coolest temperature.
3. Select the highest fan speed.
On cool, but sunny days, the sun may warm the upper
part of your body, but the lower part may not be
warm enough. To remedy this, do the following:
1. Select the bi-level mode.
2. Select the temperature.
3. Select the fan speed.
The air-conditioning system removes moisture from the
air, so you may sometimes notice a small amount of
water dripping underneath your vehicle while idling
or after turning off the engine. This is normal.
3-18

Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when you start your
engine and may stay on for
several seconds. That's
normal.
If the light stays on, or comes on when you're driving,
your vehicle needs service. If the regular brake
system warning light isn't on, you still have brakes, but
you don't have anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake
system warning light is also on, you don't have anti-lock
brakes and there's a problem with your regular
brakes. See
Brake System Warning Light on page 3-28.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on brie¯y when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If
the light doesn't come on then, have it ®xed so it will be
ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves into the red area, your engine is
too hot!
It means that your engine coolant has overheated. If
you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
See
Engine Overheating on page 5-25for more
information.
United StatesCanada
3-29

Tow/Haul Mode Light
This light should come on
when the tow/haul mode
has been selected.
For more information, see ªTow/Haul Modeº under
Towing a Trailer on page 4-54.
Check Gages Warning Light
The CHECK GAGES light
will come on brie¯y when
you are starting the
engine.
If this light comes and stays on while you are driving,
check your coolant temperature and engine oil pressure
gages to see if they are in the warning zones.
Gate Ajar Light
If this light comes on, your
endgate or liftglass is ajar.
Try closing the tailgate
or liftglass again. Never
drive with the tailgate
or liftglass even
partially open.
Fuel Gage
When the ignition is on, the fuel gage tells you about
how much fuel you have remaining.
United StatesCanada
3-35

Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has to have extra
wiring and a heavy-duty turn signal ¯asher (included
in the optional trailering package).
The arrows on your instrument panel will ¯ash whenever
you signal a turn or lane change. Properly hooked up,
the trailer lamps will also ¯ash, telling other drivers
you're about to turn, change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the arrows on your instrument
panel will ¯ash for turns even if the bulbs on the trailer
are burned out. Thus, you may think drivers behind
you are seeing your signal when they are not. It's
important to check occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gearbeforeyou start
down a long or steep downgrade. If you don't shift
down, you might have to use your brakes so much that
they would get hot and no longer work well.If you have an automatic transmission, you can tow in
DRIVE (D). You may want to shift the transmission
to THIRD (3) or, if necessary, a lower gear selection if
the transmission shifts too often (e.g., under heavy loads
and/or hilly conditions). Or, if you have a manual
transmission and you are towing a trailer, it's better not
to use FIFTH (5) gear. Just drive in FOURTH (4)
gear (or, as you need to, a lower gear). See
Tow/Haul
Mode Light on page 3-35.
When towing at high altitude on steep uphill grades,
consider the following: Engine coolant will boil at a lower
temperature than at normal altitudes. If you turn your
engine off immediately after towing at high altitude
on steep uphill grades, your vehicle may show signs
similar to engine overheating. To avoid this, let the
engine run while parked (preferably on level ground)
with the automatic transmission in PARK (P) (or
the manual transmission out of gear and the parking
brake applied) for a few minutes before turning the
engine off. If you do get the overheat warning,
see
Engine Overheating on page 5-25.
4-62

How to Check and Add Fluid
The proper ¯uid should be added if the level does not
reach the bottom of the diaphragm when it's in place in
the reservoir. See the instructions on the reservoir cap.
Engine Coolant
The cooling system in your vehicle is ®lled with
DEX-COOLžengine coolant. This coolant is designed
to remain in your vehicle for 5 years or 150,000 miles
(240 000 km), whichever occurs ®rst, if you add
only DEX-COOL
žextended life coolant.
The following explains your cooling system and how to
add coolant when it is low. If you have a problem
with engine overheating, see
Engine Overheating on
page 5-25.A 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and
DEX-COOL
žcoolant will:
·Give freezing protection down to-34ÉF (-37ÉC).
·Give boiling protection up to 265ÉF (129ÉC).
·Protect against rust and corrosion.
·Help keep the proper engine temperature.
·Let the warning lights and gages work as they
should.
Notice:When adding coolant, it is important that
you use only DEX-COOLž(silicate-free) coolant.
If coolant other than DEX-COOLžis added to
the system, premature engine, heater core or
radiator corrosion may result. In addition, the engine
coolant will require change sooner -- at 30,000 miles
(50,000 km) or 24 months, whichever occurs ®rst.
Damage caused by the use of coolant other
than DEX-COOL
žis not covered by your new vehicle
warranty.
5-22

Add coolant mixture at the recovery tank, but be careful
not to spill it.
{CAUTION:
You can be burned if you spill coolant on hot
engine parts. Coolant contains ethylene glycol,
and it will burn if the engine parts are hot
enough. Don't spill coolant on a hot engine.
Occasionally check the coolant level in the radiator. For
information on how to add coolant to the radiator,
see
Cooling System on page 5-27.
Radiator Pressure Cap
Notice:Your radiator pressure cap is a 15 psi
(105 kPa) pressure-type cap and must be tightly
installed to prevent coolant loss and possible engine
damage from overheating. Be sure the arrows on
the cap line up with the over¯ow tube on the radiator
®ller neck.
Engine Overheating
You will ®nd a coolant temperature gage on your
vehicle's instrument panel. SeeEngine Coolant
Temperature Gage on page 3-29.
5-25

8. Then replace the pressure cap. At any time during
this procedure if coolant begins to ¯ow out of the
®ller neck, reinstall the pressure cap. Be sure
the arrow on the pressure cap lines up like this.
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 everyday 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.
5-34