1997 CHEVROLET CORVETTE service

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The 1997 Chevrolet Corvette Owner’s Manual
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Seats and Restraint Systems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts\
properly. It also explains the air bag system.
Features and Controls
This section explains how to start and operate your Corvette.
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio \
system.
Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road\
and how to drive under different conditions.
Problems on the Road
This section tells what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc.
Service and Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep your Corvette running p\
roperly and looking good.
Maintenance Schedule
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to u\
se.
Customer Assistance Information
This section tells you how to contact Chevrolet for assistance \
and how to get service and owner publications.
It also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page
8- 10.
Index
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem,
CHEVROLET, the CHEVROLET Emblem and the
name CORVETTE are registered trademarks of
General Motors Corporation.
This manual includes the latest information at the time it
was printed. We reserve the right to make changes
in the
product after that time without further notice. For
vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name
“General Motors of Canada Limited” for Chevrolet
Motor Division whenever it appears in this manual.
Please keep this manual in your Chevrolet,
so it will be
there
if you ever need it when you’re on the road. If you
sell the vehicle, please leave this manual in it
so the new
owner can use it.
Litho
in U.S.A.
Part
No. 10406716 A First Edition
WE SUPPORT VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION THROUGH
National Institute for AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
We support voluntary
technician certification.
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux propriktaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous
procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en frangais chez
votre concessionaire
ou au:
DGN Marketing Services Ltd.
1500 Bonhill Rd.
Mississauga, Ontario L5T IC7
@Copyright General Motors Corporation 1997
All Rights Reserved
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or the
instrument panel.
Air bags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts.
Air bags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But air bags would
not help you in many types of collisions, including
rollovers, rear impacts and side impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion is not toward those air bags. Air
bags should never be regarded as anything more
than a
supplement to safety belts, and then only in moderate to
severe frontal or near-frontal collisions.
What will you see after an air bag inflates?
After an air bag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the air bag
inflated. Some components of the air bag module
-- the
steering wheel hub for the driver’s air bag, or the
instrument panel for the passenger’s bag
-- will be hot
for a short time. The parts of the bag that come into
contact with
you may be warm, but not too hot to touch.
There will be some smoke and dust coming from vents
in the deflated air bags. Air bag inflation doesn’t prevent
the driver from seeing or from being able to steer the
vehicle, nor does it stop people from leaving the vehicle.
When an air bag inflates, there is dust in the air.
This dust could cause breathing problems for
people with a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as it
is safe to do so.
If you have breathing problems but can’t get out
of the vehicle after an air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the
passenger air bag.
Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After they
inflate, you’ll need some new parts for your air bag
system.
If you don’t get them, the air bag system
won’t be there to help protect you in another crash.
A new system will include air bag modules and
possibly other parts. The service manual for your
vehicle covers the need
to replace other parts.
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Your vehicle is equipped with a diagnostic module,
which records information about the air bag system.
The module records information about the readiness
of the system, when the sensors are activated and
driver’s safety belt usage at deployment.
Let only qualified technicians work on your
air bag system. Improper service can mean that your
air bag system won’t work properly. See your dealer
for service.
NOTICE:
If you damage the covering for the driver’s or the
passenger’s air bag, the bag may not work
properly. You may have to replace the air bag
module in the steering wheel or both the air bag
module and the instrument panel for the
passenger’s air bag.
Do not open or break the air
bag coverings.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Corvette
Air bags affect how your Corvette should be serviced.
There are parts of the air bag system in several places
around your vehicle. You don’t want the system to
inflate while someone is working on your vehicle. Your
Corvette dealer and the Corvette Service Manual have
information about servicing your vehicle and the air bag
system. To purchase a service manual, see “Service and
Owner Publications” in the Index.
For up to 10 minutes after the ignition key is
turned off and the battery
is disconnected, an air
bag can still inflate during improper service. You
can be injured
if you are close to an air bag when
it inflates. Avoid yellow wires, wires wrapped
with yellow tape or yellow connectors. They are
probably part of the air bag system. Be sure to
follow proper service procedures, and make sure
the person performing work
for you is qualified
to do
so.
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your RFA system operates on a radio frequency subject
to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Rules
and with Industry Canada.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired
operation.
This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry Canada.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) this device may not cause interference, and (2)
this device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired
operation of the device.
If you ever notice
a decrease in the key fob transmitter
range, try doing one of the following:
0 Check to determine if battery replacement is
necessary. See the instructions that follow.
Check the distance. You may be too far from your
vehicle. You may need to stand closer during rainy
or snowy weather.
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Check the location. Other vehicles or objects may be
blocking the signal. Take a few steps to the left or
right, hold the transmitter higher, and try again.
Check to make sure that an electronic device such as
a cellular phone, lap top computer or garage door
opener is not causing interference.
Try to resynchronize the transmitter by pressing and
holding the LOCK and UNLOCK buttons for seven
seconds when standing next to the vehicle.
If you’re still having trouble, see your Chevrolet
dealer or a qualified technician for service.
Changes or modifications to this system by other than an
authorized service facility could void authorization to
use this equipment.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine PASS-Key@
Your vehicle is equipped
with the PASS-Key
(Personalized Automotive
Security System)
theft-deterrent system. PASS-Key is a passive
theft-deterrent system.
It works when you insert
or remove the key from
the ignition. When the
PASS-Key system senses that someone
is using the wrong key, it shuts down the vehicle’s
starter and fuel systems. For about three minutes, the
starter won’t work and fuel won’t go to the engine.
If someone tries to start your vehicle again or uses
another key during this time, the shutdown period
will start over again. This discourages someone from
randomly trying different keys with different resistor
pellets in an attempt to make a match.
The key must be clean and dry before it’s inserted in the
ignition or the engine may not start. If the SECURITY
light comes on, the key may be dirty or wet.
’ PASS-Key uses a resistor pellet in the ignition key that
matches a decoder in your vehicle. If
this happens and the starter won’t work, turn the
ignition off. Clean and dry the key, wait three minutes
and try again. If the starter still won’t work, wait three
minutes and try the other ignition key. At this time, you
may also want to check the fuses
(see “Fuses and Circuit
Breakers” in the Index). If the starter won’t work with
the other key, your vehicle needs service.
If your vehicle
does start, the first ignition key may be faulty. See your
Chevrolet dealer or a locksmith who can service the
PASS-Key.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine However, if you accidentally use a key that has a
damaged or missing resistor pellet, you will see no
SECURITY light. You don’t have to wait three
minutes before trying the proper key.
If the resistor pellet is damaged or missing, the starter
won’t work. Use the other ignition key, and see your
Chevrolet dealer or a locksmith who can service the
PASS-Key to have a new key made.
If the SECURITY light comes on while driving, have
your vehicle serviced as soon as possible.
If
you lose or damage a PASS-Key ignition key, see
your Chevrolet dealer or a locksmith who can service
PASS-Key. In an emergency, call the Chevrolet
Roadside Assistance Center at
1 -800-CHEV-USA
(1-800-243-8872). In Canada, call 1-800-268-6800.
New Vehicle “Break-In”
NOTICE:
Your modern Corvette doesn’t need an elaborate
“break-in.” But it will perform better in the long
run
if you follow these guidelines:
0 Keep your speed at 55 mph (88 km/h) or
less for the first
500 miles (805 km).
0 Don’t drive at any one speed -- fast or
slow
-- for the first 500 miles (805 km).
Don’t make full-throttle starts.
200 miles (322 km) or so. During this time
your new brake linings aren’t yet broken
in. Hard stops with new linings can mean
premature wear and earlier replacement.
Follow this breaking-in guideline every
time you get new brake linings.
0 Avoid making hard stops for the first
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine START Starts the engine. When the engine starts,
release the key. The ignition switch will return to
ON
for normal driving.
When the engine is not running, ACC and
ON allow you
to operate your electrical accessories, such as the radio.
A warning tone will sound if you open the driver’s
door when the ignition is in
OFF or ACC and the key
is in the ignition.
I A CAUTION:
Removing the key from the ignition switch will
lock the steering column and result in a loss of
ability to steer the vehicle. This could cause a
collision.
If you need to turn the engine off while
the vehicle is moving, turn the key to ACC.
NOTICE:
If your key seems stuck in OFF and you can’t
turn
it, be sure you are using the correct key; if
so, is it all the way in? If it is, then turn the
steering wheel left and right while you turn the
key hard. But turn the key only with your hand.
Using a tool to force it could break the key or the
ignition switch.
If none of this works, then your
vehicle needs service.
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
With RAP, your power windows and the audio system
will continue to work for up to
15 minutes after the
ignition key is turned to
OFT and neither door is opened.
If a door is opened, the audio system and power
windows will shut off.
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