1974 CHEVROLET CAMARO manual transmission

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving with Manual Transmissions
The 3-and 4-speed transmission
shift levers, extending from the
fioor, have their special shift pat­
tern diagram located on the knob.
Depress the clutch pedal fully be­
fore attempting to shift
toa 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.
18
Turn Signals and Lane
Change Feature
The tum signal lever is located
on the left side of the steering col­
umn immediately under the steer­
ing wheel. The lever
is moved up­
,ward to signal a right
tum and
downward to signal a left
tum.
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 tum 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 turn 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 tum
> signal lamps. If the indicator lamp
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.
Powe'r Steering
If
the'-~[~~ring system power as­
sist fails due to some malfunction,
or because the engine has stalled,
19
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).
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

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine transmiSSIOn in gear, especially if
your car
is equipped with air con­
ditioning. This practice
is detri­
mental to the transmission, due to
overheating.
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
Horn
The horn on your Camara is
actuated by firmly pressing on the
horn button in the center of the
steering wheel. 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 minimi ze tension and
fatigue.
The
tilt mechanism is operated
by lifting up on the .small control
lever on the left side of the
steering
column just below the directional
signal, moving the steering wheel to
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 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. "
20

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLS
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
SHIFT QUADRANT
HEATER ,-,.., ... ,T,,,,",'
OPTIONAL
CLOCK
(OPTIONAL
AIR CONDITIONING CONTROLS)
LIGHTER
OPTIONAL REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER AIR CONDITIONING SWITCH CENTER OUTLET
ASH TRAY
RADIO
CONTROLS
23
SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHT
GLOVE BOX
RIGHT
OUTLET

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Generator Indicator Light
The red light will go on when
the ignition key
is in the "on" posi ­
tion, but before the engine
is
started. After the engine starts, the
light should
go out and remain out.
If the light remains on when engine
is running, have your Authorized
Chevrolet Dealer locate and correct
the trouble
as soon as possible.
Engine Temperature
Indicator Light
This indicator light is provided
in the instrument cluster to quickly
warn of an overheated engine. With
the ignition switch in the START
position, the red
TEMP indicator
will light to let you know that it
is
operating properly.
When the engine
is started, the
red light will go out immediately.
It will light up at no other time
unless for some reason the engine
reaches a dangerously high oper­
ating temperature.
If the light comes on
during extreme driving condi­
tions, such as an extended idle, turn
off the air conditioner (if used) and
run the engine slightly faster than
idle speed with the transmission in
neutral gear.
If the light does not
go off within a short period of time
(1-2 minutes), then turn the engine
off until the cause of the overheat­
ing
is corrected. Glance at the in­
strument cluster frequently
as you
drive to see
if this light is on.
Brake System Warning
Light
The service brake system is de­
signed so that half of the brake
system will provide some braking
action in the event of a hydraulic
leak in the other half of the sys­
tem .
If the warning light labeled
"BRAKE, " located at lower left of
instrument cluster (speedometer
face), glows continuously when the
ignition
is on and after the brakes
have been firmly applied it may in-
25
dicate that there is a malfunction
in one half of the brake hydraulic
system .
On cars equipped with
front drum brakes, the light will
go out when foot is removed from
brake pedal.
• As a check on bulb condition
the light should glow with the
parking brake applied and the
ignition on. (Light
is also a
reminder to release parking
brake).
• The light should glow during
engine starting to verify that the
bulb
is operating properly.
• Have system repaired if light
does not come on during check.
• This warning light is not a sub­
stitute for the visual check of
brake fluid level required as part
of normal maintenance.
If the light glows red:
• The parking brake control is not
fully released or,
• The service brake system is par­
tially inoperative.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I n Case of Emergency
Four-Way Hazard
Warning
Flasher
• Use the warning flasher to warn
other drivers any time your
vehicle becomes a traffic hazard,
day
or night.
• Avoid stopping on the roadway
if possible.
• Turn on the hazard warning
flasher by pushing in on the but- ton
located on the column just
below the steering wheel. Flasher
can be actuated with engine
ignition either off
or on.
• If the brake pedal is depressed,
the lights will not flash but glow
continuously instead.
• To cancel the flasher, pull the
button out.
Freeing Car From Sand, etc.
If it becomes necessary to rock
the car to free it from sand, mud
or snow, move the selector lever
·on automatic transmission models
from
"D" to "R" in a repeat pat­
tern while simultaneously applying
36
moderate pressure to the accelera­
tor.
(On standard transmission
models, move gear shift lever from
second to reverse
gear.)' Do not
race engine.
For best possible trac­
tion, avoid spinning wheels when
trying to free the car. The use of
AC Liquid Tire Chain
is recom­
mended for temporary assistance
when traction
is lost on ice or snow.
Towing
Proper lifting and towing equip­
ment
is necessary to prevent dam­
age to
the vehicle during any
towing operation. State (Provincial
in Canada) and local laws appli­
cable to vehicles in tow must be
followed. Detailed towing instruc­
tions are available at your Chevro­
let dealer.
Your Camaro may be towed on
all four wheels, at speeds of less

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine than 35 mph, for distances up to
50 miles, provided the drive-line,
axle, transmission, and steering
system are otherwise normally op­
erable.
Use only towing equipment
specifically designed for this pur­
pose following the instructions of
the towing equipment manufac­
turer. A separate safety chain sys­
tem must be used.
For such towing
the steering must be unlocked,
transmission in neutral and the
parking brake released. Attach­
ments must be made to main struc­
tural members of the car. Do not
attach to bumpers
or associated
brackets. Remember that power
brake and power steering assists
will not be available when engine
is inoperative.
Emergency Starting
• Engines in vehicles with auto­
matic transmissions cannot be started
by pushing
or towing the
car.
• Never tow a manual transmis­
sion-equipped
car to start be­
cause the surge forward when
the engine starts could cause a
collision with the tow vehicle.
• A car with a discharged battery
may be started by transferring
electrical power from a battery
in another car -called
"jump
starting."
Jump Starting
37
• The battery in the other vehicle
must be of the
same nominal
voltage
(12 volts), and must be
negatively grounded. (All Gen­
eral Motors cars, light trucks
(10,000 GVWR and under),
and motor homes use 12-volt,
negatively grounded electrical
systems and
can be used to jump
start one another.) The nominal
voltage and grounding of the
other vehicle's battery may be
determined by checking the spec­
ifications
in its owner's manual.
Use of a booster battery of a
higher nominal voltage,
or which
is positively grounded may re­
sult
in serious personal injury or
property damage.
• The battery in your car must be a
Delco battery (the original,
or a
replacement) which
is equipped
with flame arrestor type filler/
vent caps
on all filler openings, or
a sealed-type battery which does

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine not have filler openings or caps.
Each flame arrestor cap contains
a grey disc rather than a small
hole-see illustration. To help
avoid serious personal injury or
property damage, this jump start
procedure should not
be used if
one or more of the flame arrestor
caps
is missing, or if they are not
present on a replacement battery.
(If your car contains a replace­
ment battery other than a Delco,
refer to jump starting instructions
provided by the manufacturer of
the other battery.)
Jump Start Procedure:
1. Position the two vehicles so they
are
NOT touching. Set parking
brake firmly and place automatic
transmission in
"PARK" (neutral
for manual transmission) in each
vehicle. Also turn
off lights,
38
heater and all other unnecessary
electrical loads.
2. Remove the vent caps from the
battery in the other car (unless it
also
is equipped with Delco flame
arrestor caps). Lay a cloth over
the open vent wells. These two
actions help reduce the explosion
hazard always present in a bat­
tery when connecting
"live"
booster batteries to "dead" bat­
teries.
For safety's sake, do not
remove any of the flame arrestor
vent caps from a Delco battery.
3. Attach one end of one jumper
cable to the positive terminal
(identified by a red color,
"+"
or "P" on the battery case, post or
clamp) of the battery in the other
vehicle, and the other end of the
same cable to the positive termi­
nal of your battery.
- 4. Attach one end of the remaining
jumper cable FIRST to the nega-