1997 CHEVROLET CAMARO Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@):
This position is for normal driving. If you need more
power for passing, and you’re:
- Going less than about 35 mph (56 km/h), push your
- Going about 35 mph (56 km/h) or more, push the
You’ll shift down
to the next gear and have more power.
DRIVE (D): This position is also used for normal
driving, however, it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(a).
Here are some times you might choose DRIVE (D)
instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (a):
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
accelerator all the way down.
- When driving on hilly, winding roads.
- When towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
between gears.
- When going down a steep hill.
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy.
You can use SECOND (2) on hills.
It can help control your speed as
you go down steep
mountain roads, but then you would also want
to use
your brakes off and on.
NOTICE:
Don’t drive in SECOND (2) for more than 25 miles
(40 km), or at speeds over 55 mph (88 km/h),
or you can damage your transmission. Use
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@) or DRIVE (D)
as much as possible.
Don’t shift into SECOND
(2) unless you are going
slower than
65 mph (105 kd), or you can
damage your engine.
FIRST
(1): This position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy) than
SECOND (2). You
can use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud.
If the selector lever
is put in first gear, the transmission
won’t shift into FIRST
(1) until the vehicle is going
slowly enough.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
If your rear wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you were stuck in
very deep sand
or mud or were up against a solid
object.
You could damage your transmission.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transmission. Use your brakes or shift into
PARK (P) to hold your vehicle in position
on
a hill.
Maximum engine speed is limited to protect driveline
components from improper operation.
Manual Transmission
5-Speed
1 3 5
This is your shift pattern.
Here’s how to operate
your transmission:
2 4 R
First (1): Press the clutch and shift into FIRST (1).
Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal as you press the
accelerator pedal.
You can shift into FIRST (1) when you’re going less
than
20 mph (32 kmh). If you’ve come to a complete
stop and it’s hard
to shift into FIRST (l), put the shift
lever in
NEUTRAL (N) and let up on the clutch. Press
the clutch pedal back down. then shift into FIRST
(1).
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine SECOND (2): Press the clutch pedal to the floor as you
let
up on the accelerator pedal and shift into SECOND (2).
Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal as you press the
accelerator pedal.
THIRD (3), FOURTH (4) AND FIFTH (5): Shift into
THIRD
(3), FOURTH (4) and FIFTH (5) the same way
you do for SECOND
(2). Slowly let up on the clutch as
you press the accelerator pedal.
To Stop, let up on the accelerator pedal and press the
brake pedal.
Just before the vehicle stops, press the clutch
pedal and brake pedal, and
shift to NEUTRAL (N).
NEUTRAL (N): Use this position when you start or
idle your engine.
REVERSE (R): To back up, press down the clutch
pedal and shift into REVERSE
(R). Let up on the clutch
pedal slowly while pressing the accelerator pedal.
NOTICE:
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped. Shifting to REVERSE
(R) while your
vehicle
is moving could damage your
transmission.
Also use REVERSE (R), along with the parking brake,
for parking your vehicle.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 6-Speed
This is your shift pattern.
Here’s how to operate
your transmission:
1 3 5 R
2 4 6
FIRST (1): Press the clutch pedal and shift into
FIRST (1). Then, slowly
let up on the clutch pedal as
you press
the accelerator pedal.
You can shift into FIRST (1) when you’re going less
than
20 mph (30 kmh). If you’ve come to a complete
stop and it’s hard to shift into FIRST (l), put the shift
lever in NEUTRAL
(N) and let up on the clutch. Press
the clutch pedal back down. Then shift into FIRST (1).
SECOND (2): Press the clutch pedal as you let up on
the accelerator pedal and shift into SECOND
(2). Then,
slowly let up on the clutch pedal as you press the
accelerator pedal.
THIRD (3), FOURTH (4), FIFTH (5) AND
SIXTH (6): Shift into THIRD (3), FOURTH (4),
FIFTH (5) AND SIXTH (6) gear the same way you do
for SECOND (2). Slowly let up on the clutch pedal as
you press the accelerator pedal.
To Stop, let up on the accelerator pedal and press the
brake pedal. Just before the vehicle stops, press the clutch
pedal and brake pedal, and shift to NEUTRAL (N).
NEUTRAL (N): Use this position when you start or
idle your engine.
REVERSE (R): To back up, press down the clutch
pedal and shift into REVERSE
(R). Let up on the clutch
pedal slowly while pressing the accelerator pedal. If you
shift from SIXTH
(6) into REVERSE (R), the shift lever
must be first placed in the NEUTRAL
(N) position
centered between SECOND
(2) and THIRD (3) prior to
shifting into REVERSE
(R).
Your six-speed manual transmission has a feature that
allows you to safely shift into REVERSE
(R) while the
vehicle is rolling (at less than
5 mph (8 km/h).
If you have turned your ignition off and want to park
your car
in REVERSE (R), you will have to move the
shift lever quickly to the right, then forward into gear.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine f’ iff lpeeds
A CAUTION:
If you skip more than one gear when you
downshift, you could lose control of your vehicle.
And you could injure yourself or others. Don’t
shift from SIXTH
(6) to THIRD (3), or FIFTH (5)
to SECOND (2) or FOURTH (4) to FIRST (1).
MANUAL TRANSMISSION RECOMMENDED SHIFT SPEEDS, IN MPH (kmlh) I I
Engine Acceleration Shift Speed
It02 I 2to3 I 3to4 I 4105 I 5to6
This chart shows when to shift to the next higher gear
for best fuel economy.
If your speed drops below 20 mph (30 km/h), or if the
engine is not running smoothly, you should downshift
to
the next lower gear. You may have to downshift two or
more gears to keep the engine running smoothly
or for
good performance.
NOTICE:
If you skip more than one gear when you
downshift, or if you race the engine when you
downshift, you can damage
the clutch
or transmission.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Skip Shift Light (5.7L Engine)
When this light comes on,
you can only shift from
FIRST (1) to FOURTH (4)
instead
of FIRST (1) to
SECOND (2). This helps
you to get the best possible
fuel economy.
This light will come on under these conditions:
The engine coolant temperature is greater than
170°F (77°C).
You are going 15 to 20 mph (24 to 32 km/h) and
You are at 35 percent throttle or less.
When this light is on, the gear shift lever
will rer you
shift from FIRST (1) to FOURTH (4) only. Once you
are in
FOURTH (4), you can press the clutch again and
shift into another gear. Follow
the shift speeds
on this chart when the SKIP
SHIFT light is on.
Computer Aided Manual Transmission Shift Speeds:
1st to 4th 15 mph (24 km/h)
4th to 5th 25 mph (40 km/h)*
5th to 6th 49 mph (64 km/h)**
Each time you come to a stop, the engine's Powertrain
Control Module (PCM) determines when to activate the
SKIP SHIFT upshift system. Use
SECOND (2) gear
only when you accelerate very quickly from a stop.
You
can then follow the full gear shift pattern.
"30 mph (48 km/h) when accelerating to
highway speeds.
**45 mph (72 km/h) when accelerating to
highway speeds.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Second-Gear Start (If Equipped)
Your vehicle may be equipped with a Second-Gear Start
feature. Press the 2ND GEAR START switch to provide
more traction when you
are starting on ice or other
slippery surfaces. A light on the switch will illuminate when 2nd gear start
is selected. The transmission will
be in SECOND (2) gear when the vehicle begins to
move. After starting in SECOND
(2), the vehicle will
upshift normally.
This feature is only for improved traction when the road
surface
is slippery and is not intended for continuous
use. Always use NORMAL for normal road conditions.
You may press the 2ND GEAR START switch again to
turn off this feature, and the light on the switch will go
out. Whenever you start your vehicle, the transmission is
in the NORMAL mode.
Limited-Slip Rear Axle
If you have this feature, your rear axle can give you
additional traction on snow, mud,
ice, sand or gravel. It
works like a standard axle most of the time, but when
one of the rear wheels has no traction and the other does,
the limited-slip feature will allow the wheel with
traction to move the vehicle.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Parking Brake
To set the parking brake, hold the brake pedal down and
pull up on the parking brake lever.
If the ignition is on,
the brake system warning light will come
on.
To release the parking brake, hold the brake pedal down.
Pull
the parking brake lever up until you can push in the
release button. Hold the release button in as
you move
the brake lever all the way down.
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