
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The 1998 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 vehicle.
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 vehicle running properly and looking good.
Maintenance Schedule
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
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 To Use the Engine 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 1 10-volt AC outlet.
A CAUTIO
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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 from
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 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 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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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 (0).
Here are some times you might choose THIRD (3)
instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (a):
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 NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and
you could also damage other
parts of your vehicle. Make sure the brake warning light is not on before driving.
To release the parking brake, hold the brake pedal down.
Hold the release button in as
you move the brake lever
all the
way down.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running (Automatic Transmission Only)
A CAUTION:
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It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with the
engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever
is not fully in PARK (P)
with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you
leave the vehicle with the engine running,
it could
overheat and even catch fire. You
or others could
be injured. Don’t leave your vehicle with the
engine running unless you have to.
Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transmission into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transmission. You may find it difficult to pull the
shift lever out of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then
shift into PARK (P) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat.
To find out how, see “Shifting Into
PARK
(P)” in the Index.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P)
before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours
a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transmission,
so
you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Ashtray and Cigarette Lighter
The ashtray is located on the instrument panel, next to
the lighter.
To use the ashtray, lift up on the bottom of
the door.
To use the lighter, push it in all the way and let go.
When it’s ready, it will pop back by itself.
I NOTICE:
NOTICE:
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Don’t hold a cigarette lighter in with your hand
while
it is heating. If you do, it won’t be able to I
Don’t put papers and other things that burn into
your ashtray.
If you do, cigarettes or other
smoking materials could set them on fire,
causing damage.
I NOTICE:
Loose objects (such as paper clips) can lodge
behind and beneath the ashtray lid and prevent
movement of the lid. Avoid putting small loose
objects near the ashtray. back away
from the heating element when it’s
ready. That can make it overheat, damaging the
lighter and the heating element.
Sun Visors
To block out glare, you can swing down the visors. You
can also swing them to the side.
Visor Vanity Mirror
hll down the sun visor and lift the cover to expose the
vanity
mirror. When the cover is lifted, the lamps will
come on automatically, even if the ignition is off.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Traction Control System (TCS) Light
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
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This light should come on
briefly as you start the
engine. If the light doesn’t
come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you if there’s a problem. This gage shows
the engine
coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves into the
shaded area, your engine is
too hot!
If it stays on, or comes on and the DIC shows a
SERVICE TRACTION SYSTEM message when you’re
driving, there’s a problem with your TCS system and
your vehicle needs service. When this light is on, the
system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving
accordingly. If the driver
turns off the Traction Control
System by pressing the button on the console, the TCS
system light will come on and the TRACTION
SYSTEM
OFF message will show on the DIC. This means that your engine coolant has overheated.
If
you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull
off the road, stop
your vehicle and turn
off the engine as soon as possible.
(The larger tic marks are in increments
of 30 O below
220°F (104°C) and in increments of 10 Oabove 220 OF
(104”C).)
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows what to do. See “Engine Overheating’’ in the Index.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
REDUCED ENGINE POWER: You will hear chimes
continuously when this message is displayed. To
acknowledge that you have read the message and to
remove it from the display, press RESET. The message
will reappear every
15 seconds until this
condition changes.
If the Driver Information Center displays the
REDUCED ENGINE POWER message and the
CHECK ENGINE light comes on, a noticeable
reduction in the vehicle’s performance may occur.
If the
REDUCED ENGINE POWER message is displayed but
there is no reduction
in performance, proceed to your
destination. The performance may be reduced the next
time the vehicle is driven. The
vehicle may be driven at a reduced speed while the
REDUCED ENGINE POWER message is displayed,
but acceleration and speed may be reduced. Anytime the
CHECK ENGINE light stays on, the vehicle should be
taken to an authorized Chevrolet dealer as soon as
possible for diagnosis and repair.
Also, refer to “Malfunction Indicator Lamp” (Check
Engine Light) in the Index.
If the REDUCED ENGINE
POWER message is displayed in combination with the
COOLANT OVER TEMP message, see “Engine
Overheating” in the Index.
SERVICE VEHICLE SOON: If this message appears
on the DIC, there may be an electrical or another system
problem with your vehicle. Have your vehicle checked
by your dealer if this message keeps appearing.
CHARGE SYSTEM FAULT 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.
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