1997 CHEVROLET CORVETTE light

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
0 Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
0 You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your vehicle. Include
an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply
of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter outer
clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight, a red cloth and a
couple of reflective warning triangles. And,
if you will
be driving under severe conditions, include a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items in your vehicle.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle.
This can cause deadly
CO (carbon monoxide) gas
to get inside.
CO could overcome you and kill
you. You can’t see it or smell it, so you might not
know it
is in your vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base of your vehicle, especially any
that
is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check
around again from time to time to be sure
snow
doesn’t collect there.
Open a window just
a little on the side of the
vehicle that’s away from the wind. This will help
keep
CO out.
I Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it
go a little faster
than just idle. That is, push the accelerator slightly. This
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps the
battery charged. You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine again
and repeat this only when you feel really uncomfortable
from the cold. But do
it as little as possible. Preserve the
fuel as long
as you can. To help keep warm, you can get
out of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour
or so until help comes.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren’t touching
each other.
If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don’t want. You wouldn’t be able to
start your Corvette, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or accessory plug.
Turn off all lamps that
aren’t needed as well as radios. This will avoid
sparks and help save both batteries. In addition, it
could save your radio!
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
NOTICE:
If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by
your warranty.
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. Find the
positive
(+) and negative (-) terminals on each.
A CAUTION:
An electric fan can start up even when the engine
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools away from any underhood electric fan.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ’ Using a match near a battery can cause battery
gas to explode. People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded. Use a flashlight if
you need more light.
Be sure the battery has enough water.
You don’t
need to add water
to the Delco Freedom’ battery
installed in every new
GM vehicle. But if a
battery has filler caps, be sure the right amount
of fluid is there.
If it is low, add water to take care
of that first.
If you don’t, explosive gas could
be present.
Battery fluid contains acid that can burn you.
Don’t get it on you.
If you accidentally get it in
your eyes or on your skin, flush the place with
water and get medical help immediately.
5. Check that the jumper cables don’t have loose or
missing insulation. If they do, you could get a shock.
The vehicles could be damaged, too.
Before you connect the cables, here are some basic
things you should know. Positive
(+) will go to
positive
(+) and negative (-) will go to an unpainted
metal engine part or a body metal surface. Don’t
connect positive
(+) to negative (-) or you will get a
short that would damage the battery and maybe other
parts, too. And don’t connect negative
(-) to
negative
(-) on the dead battery, as this can cause
sparks. Follow Step
9 carefully.
Fans or other moving engine parts can injure you
badly. Keep your hands away from moving parts
once the engine is running.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Overheating
You will find an engine coolant temperature gage on the
instrument cluster and a COOLANT OVER TEMP
message on the Driver Information Center.
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating
Mode
Should a low coolant condition exist and the messages
COOLANT OVERTEMP and REDUCED ENGINE
POWER
are displayed, along with the CHECK
ENGINE light, an overheat protection mode which alternates firing groups of four cylinders helps prevent
engine damage. In this mode, you will notice a loss in
power and engine performance. This operating mode allows your vehicle to be driven to a safe place in an
emergency; you may drive up to
50 miles (80 km).
NOTICE:
After driving in the overheated engine protection
operating mode, to avoid engine damage, allow
the engine to cool before attempting any repair.
The engine
oil will be severely degraded. Repair
the cause of coolant
loss, change the oil and reset
the oil life monitor. See “Engine Oil, When to
Change” in the Index.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of your
vehicle
as well as the tires. If you spin the wheels
too fast while shifting your transmission back
and forth, you can destroy your transmission.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see “Tire Chains” in the Index.
Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels. You should
turn your TCS
off. (See “Traction Control System”
in the Index.) Then shift back and forth between
REVERSE (R) and a forward gear, spinning the wheels
as little as possible. For a manual transmission, shift
slowly between either FIRST
(1) or SECOND (2) and
REVERSE (R), allowing the wheels to stop before
shifting into gear. Release the accelerator pedal while
you shift, and press lightly
on the accelerator pedal
when the transmission is in gear.
If that doesn’t get you
out after a few tries, you may need to be towed out.
If you do need to be towed out, see “Towing Your
Vehicle”
in the Index.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your Corvette engine is filled at the factory with a
Mobil
l@ synthetic oil, which meets all requirements for
your vehicle.
Substitute Oil: When adding oil to maintain engine oil
level, oil meeting GM Standard GM4718M may not be
available. You can add substitute oil designated SAE
5W-30 with the “Starburst” symbol at all temperatures.
If temperatures are above 0°F
(- 18 O C), you may
substitute SAE 1OW-30 with the “Starburst” symbol.
Substitute oil not meeting GM Standard GM4718M
should not be used for an oil change.
Engine Oil Additives
Don’t add anything to your oil. Your Chevrolet dealer is
ready to advise
if you think something should be added.
When to Change Engine Oil
Your Corvette has an Engine Oil Life Monitor. This
feature will let you know when to change your oil and
filter
-- usually between 3,000 miles (5 000 km) and
10,000 miles (1 6 000 km) since your last oil change.
Under severe conditions, the indicator may come on
before
3,000 miles (5 000 km). Never drive your vehicle
more than 10,000 miles
(1 6 000 km) or 12 months
(whichever occurs first) without an oil change. Use
engine oil meeting the GM Standard GM4718M. The
system won’t detect dust in the
oil. So, if you
drive in a dusty area, be sure to change your oil every
3,000 miles (5 000 km) or sooner if the CHANGE OIL
light comes on. Remember to reset the Engine Oil Life
Monitor when the oil has been changed. For more
information, see “Engine Oil Life Monitor” in the Index.
When Changing the Engine Oil
There is a special procedure for changing engine oil.
Contact your Chevrolet dealer for additional information
or the procedure can be found in a Corvette Service
Manual. To purchase a service manual, see “Service and
Owner Publications”
in the Index.
How to Reset the Engine Oil Life Monitor
Press RESET to acknowledge the CHANGE OIL SOON
warning. The oil page on the DIC will then show a
message such as OIL LIFE 0%. To reset the monitor,
press and hold RESET for two seconds.
You will then
receive a message such as OIL LIFE
99%.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A 50/50 mixture of water and DEX-COOL@
coolant will:
Give freezing protection down to -34°F (-37°C).
Give boiling protection up to 265 "F (129" C).
Protect against rust and corrosion.
Help keep the proper engine temperature,
Let the warning lights and gages work as
they should.
NOTICE:
When adding coolant, it is important that you use
only
DEX-COOL@ (silicate-free) coolant.
If coolant other than DEX-COOL@ is added to
the system, premature engine, heater core or
radiator corrosion
may result. In addition, the
engine coolant will require change sooner
-- at
30,000 miles (50 000 km) or 24 months,
whichever occurs first. Damage caused
by the use
of coolant other than DEX-COOL@ is not
covered by your new vehicle warranty.
What to Use
Use a mixture of one-half clean water (preferably
distilled) and one-half
DEX-COOL' coolant which
won't damage aluminum parts.
If you use this mixture,
you don't need to add anything else.
Adding only plain water to your cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid like alcohol, can boil before the proper
coolant mix will. Your vehicle's coolant warning
system
is set for the proper coolant mix. With
plain water or the wrong mix, your engine could
get too hot but you wouldn't get the overheat
warning. Your engine could catch fire and
you or
others could be burned. Use
a 50/50 mix of clean
water and DEX-COOL@ coolant.
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