1997 Chevrolet Blazer Owner's Manual - Page 213

When towing a trailer, the arrows on your instrument panel will flash 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 surethe trailer bulbs are still working. Driving On Grades Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear byfilw you 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. On a long uphill grade. shift down and reduce your speed to around 45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the possibility of engine and transmission overheating. if you have an automatic transmission. you should use DRIVE (D) when towing a trailer. Operating your vehicle in DRIVE ( D ) when towing a trailer will minimize heat buildup and extend the life of your transmission. Or. if you have a manual transmission. it's better not to use FIFTH ( 5j gear. just drive i n FOURTH (4) gear (or. as you need to. a lower gear). 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) w i t h the automatic transmission in PARK (P) (or the rnanual transmission out of gear and the parking brake applied) for afew minutes before turning the engine off. If you do get the overheat warning, see "Engine Overheating" in the Index. Parking on Hills You really should not park your vehicle. with a trailer attached. on ; hill. I f something goes wrong, your ris I could start to move. People can be injured, and both your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged. 4-52