1997 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Racing or Other Competitive Driving
See your Warranty Book before using your Corvette for
racing or other competitive driving.
NOTICE:
If you use your Corvette for racing or other
competitive driving, your engine may use more
oil than it would with normal use. Low oil levels
can damage the engine. Be sure to check the oil
level often during racing or other competitive
driving and keep the level at or near the upper
mark on the engine oil dipstick.
You may need
to add oil. See “Adding Oil” under “Engine” in
the Index.
Engine Coolant Heater
(Canada Only)
The engine coolant heater is located on the driver’s side
of the engine under the manifold. The electrical cord is
attached to the generator bracket assembly, between the
generator and the windshield washer fluid tank.
In very cold weather,
0 OF (- 18 O C) or colder, the engine
coolant heater can help. You’ll get easier starting and
better fuel economy during engine warm-up.
Usually,
the coolant heater should be plugged in a minimum of
four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine To Use the Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord. With
headlamps closed, route the cord in the opening
between the left-hand headlamp door and the fender
panel.
Do not pinch the cord when closing the hood.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
I
,A CAUTION:
-
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock.
Also, the wrong
kind of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire.
You could be seriously injured. Plug the
cord into a properly grounded three-prong 110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord won’t reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least
15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and
store the cord as it was before
to keep it away
fiom moving engine parts. If you don’t, it could
be damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature,
the kind of oil you have, and some other things.
Instead
of trying to list everything here, we ask that
you contact your Chevrolet dealer in the area where
you’ll be parking your vehicle. The dealer can give
you the best advice for that particular area.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ~ Automatic Transmission Operation
There are several different positions for your shift lever.
PARK (P): This locks your rear wheels. It’s the best
position to use when you start your engine because your
vehicle can’t move easily.
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the
shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to.
If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured.
To be sure your
vehicle won’t move, even when you’re on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake
and move the shift lever to
PARK (P).
See “Shifting Into PARK (P)” in the Index.
Be sure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) range
before starting the engine. Your Corvette has a
brake-transmission shift interlock. You have to
fully
apply your regular brakes before you can shift from
PARK (P) when the ignition key is in the
ON position.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever
-- push the shift lever all the way into
PARK
(P) and release the shift lever button as you
maintain brake application. Then press the shift lever
button and move the shift lever into the gear you wish.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine (If you do not apply the brake after 15 seconds once the
ignition is turned
on, you will receive a PRESS BRAKE! I
BEFORE SHIFT message in the Driver Information
Center.) See “Shifting Out of PARK (P)” in the Index.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
I NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your
transmission. Shift to REVERSE (R) only after
your vehicle is stopped.
I I
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transmission, see
“Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow” in the Index.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels. To restart when you’re
already moving, use NEUTRAL
(N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle
is being towed.
Shifting out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N)
while your engine is “racing” (running at high
speed) is dangerous. Unless your foot
is firmly
on the brake pedal, your vehicle could move very
rapidly. You could lose control and hit people or
objects. Don’t shift out of PARK
(P) or
NEUTRAL
(N) while your engine is racing.
1 NOTICE:
Damage to your transmission caused by shifting
out of PARK
(P) or NEUTRAL (N) with the
engine racing isn’t covered by your warranty.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (0): This position is
for normal driving.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, however, it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(@).
Here are some times you might choose THIRD (3)
instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (0):
0 When driving on hilly, winding roads.
0 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.
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
(l), the transmission
won’t shift into first gear until the vehicle is going
slowly enough.
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Manual Transmission Operation
6-Speed
1 3 5 R
2 4 6
This is your shift pattern.
Here’s how to operate
your transmission:
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
40 mph (64 km/h).’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) 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 the brake pedal, and shift to
NEUTRAL
(N).
NEUTRAL (N): Use this position when you start or idle
your engine. Your shift lever is in NEUTRAL
(N) when
it is centered in
the shift pattern, not in any other gear.
REVERSE (R): To back up, press down the clutch
pedal and shift into REVERSE (R). Just apply pressure
to get the lever past FIFTH
(5) and SIXTH (6) into
REVERSE (R). Let up on the clutch pedal slowly while
pressing the accelerator pedal.
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)). You
will be locked out if you try to shift into REVERSE (R)
while your vehicle is moving faster than
5 mph
(8 km/h). If you have turned your ignition off and
wish to park your car in REVERSE
(R), you will have
to move the shift lever quickly to the right, and
immediately forward into gear.
2-29

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ' Shift Speeds (Manual Transmission)
This chart shows when to shift to the next higher gear
for best fuel economy. Manual Transmission Recommended
Shift Speeds in
mph (km/h)
Acceleration Shift Speed
1to2 5to6 4to5
3to4 2to3
Engine
All
(80) (72) (64) (40) (24) Engines
50 45 40 25 15
If your engine speed drops below 900 rpm, 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:
When you are shifting gears, don't move the
gear shift lever around needlessly. This can
damage parts
of the transmission and may
require costly repair. Shift directly into the next
appropriate gear.
One to Four Light (Manual Transmission)
IT04
SHIFT
When this light comes on, you can only shift from
FIRST
(1) to FOURTH (4)
instead of FIRST (1) to
SECOND (2). You must
complete the shift into
FOURTH
(4) to deactivate
this feature. This helps
you get the best possible
fuel economy.
2-30

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine After shifting to FOURTH (4), you may downshift to a
lower gear if you prefer.
b I
NOTICE:
~~
Do not try to force the shift lever into SECOND
(2) or THIRD (3) when the ONE TO FOUR light
comes on.
Do not try to re-engage FIRST (1)
after starting to shift into FOURTH (4). You
will damage your transmission. Shift only
from FIRST
(1) to FOURTH (4) when the light
comes on.
This light will come on when:
0 The engine coolant temperature is higher than
0 You are going 15 to 19 mph (24 to 31 km/h) and
You are at 21 percent throttle or less.
120°F (49"C), and
Downshifting (Manual Transmission)
Do not downshift into the gear shown below at a speed
greater than shown in the table:
FIRST
(1) .................... 50 mph (80 km/h)
SECOND (2) ................ 74 mph (119 km/h)
THIRD (3) ................. 101 mph (163 km/h)
FOURTH (4) ............... 130 mph (209 km/h)
[ 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, driveshaft
or transmission.
2-31