1997 CHEVROLET CORVETTE brake

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A. Turn SignalNultifunction Lever
B. Driver Information Center (DIC)
C. Instrument Panel Cluster
D. Windshield WiperNVasher Lever
E. DIC Buttons
F. Hazard Warning Flasher Button
G. Center Air Vent
H. Audio System
I. Comfort Controls
J. Fog Lamp Button (Option)
K. Remote Hatch Release Button
L. Ignition Switch
M. Shift Lever (Automatic Shown)
N. Traction Control System (TCS) Switch
0. Selective Real Time Damping (Option)
P. Instrument Panel Cupholder
Q. Ashtray & Cigarette Lighter
R. Remote Fuel Door Release Button
S. Parking Brake
T. Glove Box
U. Instrument Panel Fuse Block
V. Power Accessory Outlet
2-69

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Voltmeter
When the key is in the ON
position with the engine not
running, the voltmeter
shows the voltage output of
your battery. When the engine is running, it shows
the voltage output of the
charging system.
the rate of charge changes
J
The reading will change as
(with engine speed, for example), but if the voltmeter
reads at
9 volts or below, your instrument panel and
other systems may shut down. The DIC will read LOW
VOLTAGE when your Corvette is at
10 volts or below.
Have it checked right away. Driving with the voltmeter
reading at
10 volts or below could drain your battery
and disable your vehicle.
Brake System Warning Light
Your Corvette’s hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part isn’t working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
BRAKE
This light should come on when you turn the ignition
key to START.
If it doesn’t
come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you
if there’s a problem.
If this warning light stays on after you start the engine,
the parking brake may be set or there may be a brake
problem. Refer to “Parking Brake” in the Index to see
if it is set.
If the parking brake is not set, have your
brake system inspected right away.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If the light comes on while you are driving, and you
have a LOW BRAKE FLUID message showing on the
DIC, pull off the road and stop carefully. You may
notice that the pedal is harder to push. Or, the pedal may
go closer to the floor. It may take longer to stop. If the
light
is still on, have the vehicle towed for service. (See
“Towing Your Vehicle” in the Index.)
A C WTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake warning light is on. Driving with the
brake warning light
on can lead to an accident.
If the light is still on after you’ve pulled off the
road and stopped carefully, have the vehicle
towed for service.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, the light will come
on when you start your
engine and may stay on
for several seconds.
That’s normal.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to
OFF. Or, if the
light comes on when you’re driving, stop as soon as
possible and turn the ignition off. Then start the engine
again to reset the system.
If the light still stays on, or
comes on again while you’re driving, your Corvette
needs service.
If the regular brake system warning light
isn’t on, you still have brakes, but you don’t have
anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system warning
light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes and
there’s a problem with your regular brakes. See “Brake
System Warning Light” earlier in this section.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to
ON. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be
ready to warn you if there is a problem.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ABS ACTIVE (Anti-Lock Brake System Active):
When your anti-lock system is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid, the ABS ACTIVE message
will be displayed.
Slippery road conditions may exist
if this message is
displayed,
so adjust your driving accordingly. The
message will stay on for a few seconds after the system
stops adjusting brake pressure.
SERVICE ABS (Anti-Lock Brake System): If the
SERVICE ABS message is displayed when you are
driving, stop as soon as possible and turn the ignition
off. Then start the engine again to reset the system. If
the message stays on, or comes back on again while you
are driving, your vehicle is in need of service.
If the
regular brake system warning light isn’t on, you still
have brakes, but don’t have anti-lock brakes. If the
regular brake system light is also on, you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there is a problem with your
brakes. See “Brake System Warning Light” earlier in
this section.
SERVICE COLUMN LOCK: The system that
controls the locking and unlocking of the steering
column may
not work properly. Have the vehicle
towed to a dealer for service.
LOW OIL PRESSURE: You will hear four chimes
and the CHECK GAGES telltale will come
on when
this message is displayed. To acknowledge the warning,
press the RESET button. After you press the RESET
button, a message will be displayed and you will hear a
chime every minute until the vehicle
is serviced. If you
do not press RESET, the message will remain on the
digital display until the vehicle
is serviced.
Low oil pressure may be the result of a combination
of low oil level and abrupt changes in the vehicle’s
direction. When this warning
is displayed, you should
not operate
the engine at high RPM or make fast abrupt
moves. When convenient, you should check the oil
level. See “Engine Oil” in the Index.
LOW OIL LEVEL: Press RESET to acknowledge that
you have read the message and to remove it from the
display. The message will reappear every
10 minutes
until this condition changes.
You will hear two chimes when this message is
displayed.
If this message appears after starting your
engine, your engine oil level may be too low. You may
need to add oil. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine SERVICE TIRE MON SYS: If this message comes on,
a part on the Tire Pressure Monitor (TPM) is not
working properly. If you drive your vehicle while any
of
the four sensors are missing or inoperable, the warning
will come on in approximately
10 minutes. If all four
sensors are missing, the warning will come on in
approximately
15 - 20 minutes. (All the sensors would
be missing, for example, if you put different wheels on
your vehicle without transferring the sensors. If the
warning comes on and stays on, there may be a problem
with the TPM. See your dealer.
Other Messages
Here are more messages that you can receive on your
Driver Information Center. To acknowledge a message
and read another message that may have come
on at the
same time, press the RESET button.
BRAKE BEFORE SHIFT
(Automatic Transmissions Only)
0 CHANGE OIL NOW
CHANGE OIL SOON
0 CRUISE DISENGAGED
0 CRUISE SET - MPH (- kmh)
0 DOOR AJAR
0 ENGINE PROTECTION REDUCE ENGINE RPM
0 HATCH AJAR
0 HIGH VOLTAGE
LOW BRAKE FLUID (See “Brake Fluid” in
0 LOW COOLANT (See “Engine Overheating” in
0 LOW FUEL (fuel range is less than 50 miles (80 km))
0 LOW VOLTAGE
the Index)
the Index)
0 LOW
WASHER FLUID
0 PULL KEY - WAIT 10 SEC
0 RESERVE FUEL
UPSHIFT NOW
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
Corvette: Buckle up. (See “Safety Belts” in the Index.) Assume that pedestrians
or other drivers are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable
of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough
following distance. It’s the best defensive driving
maneuver, in both city and rural driving. You never
know when the vehicle in front
of you is going to brake
or turn suddenly.
Drunken Driving
I Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It’s the number one contributor to
the highway death toll, claiming thousands
of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive
a vehicle:
0 Judgment
Muscular Coordination
0 Vision
0 Attentiveness.
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.”
4-2

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They
are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 314 of a second. But
that’s only an average. It might
be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in 3/4
of a second, a vehicle
moving at
60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and others
is important.
And,
of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface
of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight
of the
vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving
on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more
of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
4-6

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if you
do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes. If you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist
is
used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You may
hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while this test
is going on, and you may even notice that your brake
pedal moves a little. This
is normal.
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay on.
See “Anti-Lock Brake
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