1973 CHEVROLET CAMARO Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A starter safety switch prevents
starter operation while the trans­
mission selector
is in any drive
position.
(If it is necessary to
re-start the engine with the car
moving, place the selector lever
in
"N".)
3. Depress accelerator pedal and
activate starter as outlined be­
low for different conditions.
• Cold Engine -Fully depress
accelerator pedal and slowly
release.
With foot off the
pedal,
crank the engine by
turning the ignition key to the
Start position -release when
engine starts.
If engine starts, but fails to
run, repeat this procedure.
When engine is running
smoothly (approximately 30
seconds), the idle speed may
be reduced by slightly depress­
ing the accelerator pedal and
then slowly releasing.
• Warm Engine -Depress ac­
celerator
pedal about halfway
and hold while cranking the
engine.
• Extremely Cold Weather
(Below
ODF.) Or After Car
14
Has Been Standing Idle
Several Days-
Fully depress and release ac­
celerator pedal two
or three
times before cranking the en­
gine.
With foot off the accel­
erator pedal,
crank the engine
by turning the key to the
Start position and release
when engine starts .
Manual Transmission Models
1. Apply parking brake and shift
transmission to neutral.
2.
Hold clutch pedal to floor
throughout the starting proce­
dure. A starter interlock prevents
starter operation when clutch
is
not fully depressed. (Select the

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine proper gear position before re­
leasing the clutch pedal.)
3.
Operate accelerator pedal and
starter
as outlined in step 3
(under Automatic Transmission
Models).
Engine Flooded
Depress accelerator pedal and
hold to floor while starting until
engine
is cleared of excess fuel and
is
running smoothly. Never
"pump" the accelerator pedal.
Warm-Up
Always let the engine idle for 20
to 30 seconds after starting and
drive at moderate speeds for several
miles, especially during cold
weather.
Driving with the Chevrolet Automatic Transmissions
The Turbo Hydra-Matic 350
and 400 are completely automatic
transmISSIons. All replace the
standard clutch and transmission.
Turbo Hydra-Malic 350
and 400
After starting the engine with the
selector lever in N (Neutral) or P
(Park) position select the range de­
sired (see table) and depress the accelerator.
A gradual start with a
steady increase in accelerator pres­
sure will result in best possible fuel
economy. Rapid acceleration for
fast starts will result in greater
fuel consumption.
Automatic transmission shift
quadrants of all GM cars continue
the uniform sequence of selector
positions. This particularly benefits
multicar families and those who
occasionally drive other cars. Shift
15
indicators are arranged with "Park"
position at one end, followed in se­
quence by "Reverse", "Neutral"
and the forward driving ranges.
All automatic transmissions are
equipped with a starter safety
switch designed to permit starting
the engine only when the trans­
mission
is in the "Park" or "Neu­
tral"
position. For additional
engine braking effect,
as sometimes
needed in mountainous driving,

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine place the transmission in an inter­
mediate or low range.
Column Shift Lever
The heavy line in the illustrations
indicates the movement of the shift
lever
as it is lifted to shift into Re­
verse or L2 and into or out of
Park position.
Floor Console Shift Lever
The floor console shift lever may
be moved freely between Neutral
and Drive and between
Ll and L2.
Depress shift lever button (located
on top of shift lever)
as you shift
into Reverse or
L2• Depress
the
button on top of the handle fully
when shifting into or out of the
Park position. Exercise care when
depressing button to prevent
un­
intentional shifts to Park, L2 or
Reverse.
NOTE: Shift quadrant for all
Automatic Transmissions
is located
on the instrument cluster.
Turbo Hydra-Matic 350 and 400
P-PARK
R-REVERSE
N-NEUTRAl
D-DRIVE
L.--lOW.
Use only when car is stopped.
For backing
car-from stop.
For
standing (Brakes Applied)
For forward dri ving. Depress accelerator to floor for extra accelerator below 65 mph; depress accelerator
half-way at speeds below 30 mph.
For
driving in heavy traffic or on hilly terrain. Shift into l , or 2 at any vehicle speed.
For hard
pulling through sand, snow or mud, for climb­ing or descending steep grades.
16

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving with Manual Transmissions
The 3-speed manual transmis­
sion shift positions follow the stan­
dard pattern shown on the illustra­
tion. The 4-speed transmission shift
lever, extending from the floor, has
its special shift pattern diagram lo­
cated on the knob or floor plate.
Depress the clutch pedal fully be­
fore attempting to shift to a differ­
ent gear, then release the pedal to
move in that gear.
For normal
accelerations shift into second gear
at 20 mph; into third gear at 30
mph; and on 4-speed models into
fourth gear at
40 mph.
Both transmissions , being fully
synchronized, may be downshifted
into 1 st gear at any speed below
20
m.p.h. Shift into Reverse gear only
after the car has stopped. Always
depress and release the clutch pedal
fully when shifting. Also,
shift into
"Reverse" before
shutting off engine. This will permit
the ignition key to be turned to the
"Lock" position.
Good Driving Practice: On cars
equipped with manual transmis­
sions, use second gear at slow
speeds (less than
30 m.p.h.) when
driving in stop-and-go traffic; for
improved vehicle performance dur­
ing acceleration; and when de­
scending steep hills.
17
Turn Signals and Lane
Change Feature
The turn signal lever is located
on the left side of the steering col­
umn immediately under the steer-

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ing wheel. The lever is moved up­
ward to signal a right turn and
downward
to signal a left turn.
Lamps on the front and rear of the
car transmit this signal to other
motorists and pedestrians. The
ig­
nition switch must be in the "ON"
position in order for the turn sig­
nals to be operational. This feature
prevents battery drain
if the lever
is left in an "ON" position when
your car
is not in use.
In a normal turning situation
such
as turning a corner, the turn
signal
is cancelled automatically
after the turn
is completed. How­
ever, in some driving maneuvers
such as changing lanes
on an ex­
pressway, the steering wheel
is not
turned back sufficiently after com­
pleting the turn to automatically
cancel the turn signal. For con­
venience in such maneuvers, the
driver can flash the
tum signals by moving
the turn signal lever part
way (to the first stop) and holding
it there. The lever returns to the
neutral
or cancelled position when
the driver releases his hold on the
lever.
A green light on the instrument
cluster flashes to indicate proper
operation of the front and rear turn
signal lamps.
If the indicator lamp
18
remains on and does not flash,
check for a defective lamp bulb.
If
the indicator fails to light when the
lever
is moved, check the fuse and
indicator bulb.
Power Steering
If the steering system power as­
sist fails due to some malfunction,
or because the engine has stalled,
the car can still be steered.
How­
ever, much greater effort is re­
quired, particularly in sharp turns.
Holding Car on an Upgrade
When stopped on an upgrade,
maintain your position by applying
the brakes. Never hold the car in
place
by accelerating engine with
transmission in gear. This could
cause damage by overheating the
transmission (automatic) or clutch
(manual).

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Parking Your Car
Always engage the parking brake
and place the automatic transmis­
sion selector lever in
"Park" posi­
tion when leaving your
car unat­
tended. Also with automatic trans­
missions, never park for prolonged
periods with engine idling and
transmission in gear, especially if
your car
is equipped with air con­
ditioning. This practice
is detri­
mental to the transmission, due to
overheating.
Horn
The horn on your Camaro is
actuated by firmly pressing on the
horn button in the center of the
steering wheel.
Tilt Steering Wheel
The optional tilt steering wheel
can be tilted up above normal posi­
tion to provide additional room for
entrance and exit as well as selected
driving positions below normal
height. This permits individual
se­
lection of the most natural position
for all driving conditions.
On long
trips the steering wheel position can
be changed to minimize tension and
fatigue.
The
tilt mechanism is operated
by lifting up on the small control
As a good motorist, use of the
horn should be kept at a minimum.
However, acquaint yourself as soon
as possible with this function of lever
on the left side of the steering
column just below the directional
signal, moving the steering wheel to
the selected position, and releasing
the lever.
your car, should it ever become
necessary to give a warning to a
pedestrian or another motorist.
NOTE: For operation of hazard flasher, see page 36 in, Section "In Case of Emergency."
19

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine FLOOR CONTROLS
Braking System
The service brake system is de­
signed for braking performance
under a wide range of driving con­
ditions even when the vehicle
is
loaded to its full rated vehicle load.
Power Brakes
On cars with power brakes if
power assist to the brakes
is inter­
rupted due to a stalled engine
or
some malfunction, two or more
brake applications can be made
using reserve power.
• If the brake pedal is held down.
the system
is designed to bring
the
car to a full stop on reserve
power. However, the reserve
power
is partially depleted each
time the brake pedal
is applied
and released.
• When reserve power is exhausted,
vehicle
can still be stopped by ap­
plying greater force to the pedal.
Parking Brake
• To set parking brake, fully de­
press foot pedal
at far left side.
• For maximum holding power.
depress regular brake pedal with
the other foot at the same time.
• To release parking brake, pull
"BRAKE RELEASE" lever on
lower left instrument panel.
• As a reminder, the brake system
warning light
is designed to glow
whenever the parking brake con­
trol ·
is not fully released , and the
ignition
is on.
• Never drive car with parking
20
brake set as this may overheat or
otherwise damage rear brakes.
NOTE: "Riding the brake" by rest­
ing your foot on the brake pedal
when not intending to brake can
cause abnormally high brake tem­
peratures, excessive lining wear
and possible damage to the brakes.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine REMINDER: Brake linings should
be inspected for wear by a qualified
mechanic at least once a year
or
every 12,000 miles, whichever oc­
curs first (disc brake pads should
be visually inspected for wear each
time the wheels and tires are ro­
tated at
6,000 mile intervals).
More frequent inspections should
be made if driving conditions in
your area, such as traffic or terrain
or techniques of individual
driver~
result in frequent brake applica­
tions. Your Chevrolet dealer
is best
qualified to advise you
as to how
often this inspection should be per­
formed. When brakes require re­
lining, use those Genuine General
Motors
Parts specified for your car,
and Delco, brake fluid
as required.
Automatic Brake Adjusters
• Brakes on this car (except for
the parking brake) are self- adjusting,
designed to eliminate
periodic brake adjustments.
• Drum brake adjustment is made
automatically
as the brakes are
applied while car
is moving
backwards.
• Disc brake adjustment is made
automatically with each brake
application.
• If excess brake pedal travel de­
velops, drive alternately back­
ward and forward several times
and apply brakes firmly in each
direction.
• See your dealer if normal pedal
travel
is not restored, or if there
is a rapid increase in pedal travel,
which could be a sign of other
brake trouble.
Clutch Adjustment
Clutch adjustment should be
checked and adjusted periodically
as necessary to compensate for
21
clutch facing wear. To check, de­
press pedal by hand until resistance
is felt. Free travel of pedal should
~e approximately one inch; if very
httle
or no free travel is evident
clutch adjustment
is required. '
Headlight Beam Switch
"High" and "low" headlight
beams are controlled by the floor
button at your left foot. The indi­
cator, located in the speedometer
dial, will light up when the high
beams are in use.
I