Chevrolet 1996 Blazer User manual

Supplementtothe 1996 GMC Jimmy, Chevrolet Blazer, GMC Sonoma and
Chevrolet S-Series Truck Owner’s Manuals
This supplement includesthe latest information at the time of printing.
We reservethe righttomake changes in theproduct after that timewithoutfirther notice.
@Copyright 1996 General Motors Corporation. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. GENERAL MOTORS,GMC,
CHEVROLET,JIMMY, BLAZER andSONOMA are registered trademarks
of General Motors Corporation.
15026635
1

This informationreplaces the “Recreational Vehicle
Towing”
portion located in Section 4 in your
owner’s manual.
Recreational Vehicle Towing
(Four-wheelDrive with the Manual
Transfer Case
Only)
1. Set the parking brake fiily.
2. Place an automatic transmission in PARK (P) or a
manual transmission
in FIRST (1).
3. Firmly attach the vehicle being towed to the tow
vehicle.
Do not tow the vehicle by the rear bumper
bar. Referto the hitchmanufacturer’sinstructions.
4. Place the manual shift transfer case shift lever in
NEUTRAL (N).
Shifting the transfer case into NEUTRAL (N) can
cause your vehicle to
roll evenif the transmission
is in PARK (P), for an automatictransmission,
or if your vehicle is in gear,for a manual
transmission.You
or otherscould be injured.
Make
sure the parking brakeis firmly set before
you
shift the transfer case into NEUTRAL (N).
5. Release the parking brake only after the vehicle
being towed is firmly attached to the tow vehicle.
6. Insert the ignition key into the ignition switch and
turn it one notch forward of the LOCK position. This
places the key in the
OFF position, which unlocks
the steering column while preventing battery drain.
Unlocking the steering column will allow
for proper
movement of the front wheelskires during towing.
2

Recreational Vehicle Towing (Except
Four-wheelDrive with the Manual
Transfer Case)
Vehicles with two-wheel drive or the optional electronic
shift transfer caserequire special modifications before
they can
be towed in this manner.
Please contact your dealer forthe towing information
that is appropriate foryour particular vehicle.
Vehicles withall-wheel drive
(AWD) cannot be towed
in this manner.
3

NOTES
4

The 1996 Chevrolet Blazer Owner’s Manual
Seatsand Restraint Systems ............................................................. 1-1
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the “SIR” system.
FeaturesandControls .................................................................. 2-1
This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.
ComfortControlsandAudioSystems ..................................................... 3-1
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your
audio system.
Here
you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
This section tells you what
to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated
engine, etc.
Here the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking
good,
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
This section
tells you how to contact Chevrolet for assistance and how to get service publications.
It also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 8-8.
YourDrivingandtheRoad .............................................................. 4-1
ProblemsontheRoad .................................................................. 5-1
ServiceandAppearanceCare ............................................................ 6-1
Maintenanceschedule .................................................................. 7-1
CustomerAssistanceInformation ........................................................ 8-1
Index ............................................................................
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something
you want to read.
- - 9-1
i

GENERAL MOTORS, GM and the GMEmblem,
CHEVROLET, theCHEVROLET Emblem and the
name BLAZER are registered trademarks
of General
Motors Corporation.
This manual includes the latest information at the time
it
was printed.We reserve the rightto make changes in the
product after that time without further notice. For
vehicles first sold inCanada, substitute the name
“General Motors
of Canada Limited” for Chevrolet
Division wheneverit appears in this manual.
Please keep this manual in your vehicle,
so it will be
there if you ever needit when you’re on the road.
If you
sell
the vehicle, please leave this manual in it so the new
owner can use it.
Litho in U.S.A.
C9611
B First Edition
WE SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION THROUGH
National Institute for
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
We support voluntary
technician certification.
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux propribtaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous
procurer
un exemplaire de ce guide en franc;aischez
votre concessionaire ou au:
DGN Marketing ServicesLtd.
1500 Bonhill Rd.
Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1C7
@Copyright General Motors Corporation 1995
All Rights Reserved
ii

About DrivingYour Vehicle
As withother vehicles of this type, failure to operate this
vehicle correctly may result in lossof control or an
accident. Be sure to read
the “on-pavement” and
“off-road” driving guidelines in this manual. (See
“Driving Guidelines” and “Off-Road Driving with your
Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle” in the Index.)
How to Use this Manual
Many people read theirowner’s manual from beginning
to end when theyfirst receive their new vehicle. If you
do this, it will help
you learn about the features and
controls for your vehicle. In this manual,
you’ll find
that pictures and words worktogether to explain
things quickly.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index
in the back
of the manual. It’s analphabetical list of
all that’s in the manual, and
the page number where
you’ll find
it.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will finda number of safety cautions in this book.
We use a box and the wordCAUTION to tell
you
about things thatcould hurt you if you were to ignore
the warning.
I A CAUTION:
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
In the caution area, we tell you what the hazardis. Then
we
tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce the
hazard. Please read thesecautions.
If you don’t, you or
others could be hurt.
iii

You will also find a circle
with a slash through
it in
this book. This safety
symbol means “Don’t,”
“Don’t dothis,” or “Don’t
let this happen.”
Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these notices:
I NOTICE:
These mean there is something that could
damage
your vehicle.
In the notice area, we tell you about something that can
damage
your vehicle. Many times, this damage would
not be covered by your warranty, and
it could be costly.
But the notice will tell you what todo to help avoid
the damage.
When you read other manuals,
you might see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings
in different colors or
in different words.
You’ll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTIONor NOTICE.
iv

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT
EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS OR
FLAMES
SPARK OR ,\I/,
COULD pq
FLAME
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
These symbols
have to do
with
your lights:
SIGNALS e
TURN
FOG LAMPS # 0
These symbols
are on some
of
yo11r controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE (0)
COOLANT
a
ENGINE OIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK (a)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you
may see:
FUSE -%-
I
LIGHTER I
HORN )cr
SPEAKER
b
FUEL siE3
V

Model Reference
This manual covers these models:
Two-Door Utility
Four-Door Utility
vi

Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
Here you’ll find information about the seats in your
vehicle and how
to use your safety belts properly. You
can also learn about some things you should not do with
air bags and safety belts.
Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them, and fold them up and down.
Manual Front Seat
You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to
adjust a manual driver’sseat while the vehicle is
moving. The sudden movement could startle and
confuse you,or make you push a pedal when you
don’t want
to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
the vehicle
is not moving.
Move the lever under the
front of the standard seat
toward the driver’sdoor to
unlock
it. Slide the seatto
where
you want it. Then
release the lever and try to
move the seat with your
body,tomake sure the seat
is locked intoplace.
1-1

I
Move the lever under the
front of the easy entry seat
up to unlock it.Slide the
seat to where you wantit.
Then release thelever and
try to move the seat with
your bodyto make sure the
'seat
is locked into place.
I
Manual Lumbar Support
If youhave this feature,
there will'bea knob on the
outside of the driver and
passenger bucket seats.
Turn the knob
counterclockwise to
increase lumbar support
and clockwise to decrease
lumbar support.
Power Driver's Seat (Option)
If you have this feature, there will be a control pad on
your driver's seat.
To make the front of the seat move upor down,.use
control
A.
To make the rear of the seat move upor down, use
control C.
Use control
B to move the whole seat up, down, forward
orbackward.
1-2

Power Lumbar Control (Option)
If you have this control, it is
locatedon the side of the
driver's seat.
Reclining Front Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback,lift
the leveron the outer side
of the seat.
Press and hold'thefront
of the controluntil you have the
desired lumbarsupport.
To decreaselumbar support,
press the rear
of the control.
Release the lever to lock the seatback where
you
want it. Pull up on the lever and the seat will go to
an upright position.

But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
‘-
Sitting in a reclined position whenyour vehicle is
~ in motion can be dangerous. Evenif you buckle
up, your safety belts can’t do their jobwhen
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job becauseit
won’t be against yourbody. Instead, itwill be in
front of you.
In a crashyou could go into it,
receiving neckor otherinjuries.
The lap belt can’t do its job either. In
a crash the
belt could
go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, notat yourpelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle isin
motion, have the seatback upright. Thensit well
back in the seat and wear yoursafety belt properly.
1-4

Head Restraints
Head restraints are fixed on some models and adjustable
on others. Slide an adjustable head restraint upor down
so that the top of the restraint isclosest to the top of
your ears. This position reduces the chance of a neck
injury in
a crash.
Your adjustable head restraint mayalso be tiltedforward
for greater comfort.
Seatback Latches
The front seatback folds
forward to
let people get
into the back seator
to
access the storage area
behind
the seat.
To fold the front seatback
~ forward, lift the latch and
push the seat forward.
To return the seatback to the upright position, push the
seatback all the way back until the latchcatches. If the
seatback was reclined before being folded forward, it
will return to
the reclined position.
I
If the seatback isn't locked, it could move forward
in a sudden stop or crash. That could cause injury
to the person sitting there. Always press rearward
on the seatback to be sure it
is locked.
1-5

Easy Entry Seat (2-Door Models)
The right front seat of your vehicle makes it easy to get
in
and out of the rear seat.
Tilt the right front seatback completely forward and
Move the seatback to its original position after
the whole seat
will slide forward,
someone gets into the rear seatarea. Then move the
seat rearward
until it locks.
If an easy entry right front seat isn’t locked, it
can move. In a suddenstopor crash,the person
sitting there could be injured. After you’ve used
it, be sureto push rearward onan easy entry seat
to be sure it
is locked.
Rear Seats
Your vehicle has a folding rear seat which lets you fold
the seatbacks downfor more cargo space.
Tilt the seatback completely forward again to get out.
The rear seat release handlesare
in the uppercenter of
the rear
of the seatbacks. Push back on the seatbacks as
you pull up on the handles.
To raise theseatbacks,just
lift up the seatbacks and push
until they lock in the upright position.
Push and pull on the seatbacks to check that
the latches
have locked
in the upright position. If they haven’t, have
them fixed immediately.
1-6

Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly.
It also tells you some things you should not do
with safety belts.
And
it explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
(SIR), or a‘
; sq :m.
-
I A CAUTION:
Don’t let anyone ride where heor she can’t wear
a safety belt properly.If you arein a crash and
you’re not wearing a safety belt, your injuries
can be muchworse.
You can hit things inside the
vehicle
or be ejected fromit. You can be seriously
injured orkilled. In the same crash,you might
not be
if you are buckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properly too.
1
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a reminder
to buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light”
in
the Index.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the lawsays to
wear safety belts. Here’s
why: They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash,
you don’t know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are
in between. In many of them, people
who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk away.
Without belts they could have been badly
hurt or killed.
After more than
25 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear.
In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
1-7

Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
, .,
:
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat
on wheels.
Put someone
on it.
1-8