1998 CHEVROLET CORVETTE tow

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When should an air bag inflate?
An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal crash. The
air bag will inflate
only
if the impact speed is above the system’s designed
“threshold level.” If your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that doesn’t move or deform, the threshold level is
about
9 to 15 mph (14 to 24 km/h). The threshold level
can vary, however, with specific vehicle design,
so that
it can be somewhat above or below this range.
If your
vehicle strikes something that will move or deform, such
as a parked car, the threshold level will be higher. The
air bag is not designed to inflate in rollovers, side
impacts or rear impacts, because inflation would not
help the occupant.
It
is possible that in a crash only one of the two air bags in
your Corvette will deploy. This is rare, but can happen in a
crash just severe enough to make an
air bag inflate.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because
of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact and
how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or
near-frontal impacts.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in
a crash. The sensing
system triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which
inflates the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related
hardware are all part
of the air bag modules inside the
steering wheel and in the instrument panel in front of
the passenger.
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 fi-ontal or near-frontal collisions.
1-22

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Child Restraints
Every time infants and young children ride in
vehicles, they should have protection provided by
appropriate restraints.
@ What are the different types of add-on child
A: Add-on child restraints are available in four basic
types. When selecting a child restraint, take into
consideration not only the child’s weight and size,
but also whether or not the restraint will be
compatible with the motor vehicle in which it
will be used.
restraints?
An infant car bed (A) is a special bed made for use
in a
motor vehicle. It’s an infant restraint system
designed to restrain
or position a child an a
continuous flat surface. With an infant car bed,
make sure that the infant’s head rests toward the
center
of the vehicle.
1-27

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt. The
belt can't properly spread the impact forces. In a
crash, the two children can be crushed together
and seriously injured.
A belt must be used by
only one person at a time. What
if a child is wearing a
lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is
so small that the shoulder belt is
very close to the child's face or neck?
A: Move the child toward the center of the vehicle, but
be sure that the shoulder belt still is
on the child's
shoulder,
so that in a crash the child's upper body
would have the restraint that belts provide.
1-35

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Operation
You don’t have to do anything for the RFA to work
when the passive feature is on.
You can turn on the passive feature by moving the
transmitter’s slider switch to
ON. Now, when you move
toward your vehicle with the key fob transmitter, the
system will automatically disarm your theft-deterrent
system and unlock the driver’s door or both depending
on how the system is programmed. If it’s dark enough
outside,
your interior lamps will come on.
You can also use the buttons on the transmitter to
actively unlock your vehicle. Press UNLOCK once to
unlock the driver’s door, or press UNLOCK again
within 10 seconds to unlock both doors.
The hatchltrunk lid will unlock when the button with the
trunk symbol is pressed, as long as the ignition is turned
to the
OFF position.
If you move out of range with the slider switch set to
ON, the key fob transmitter will:
Lock the doors after five seconds.
0 Arm the theft-deterrent system.
Sound the horn to let you know the doors are locked
(if you have set your options to
do so). (See “Driver
Information Center Controls and Displays” in
the Index.)
0 Turn off the interior lamps.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 2. If it doesn’t start within 10 seconds, push the
accelerator pedal
all the way to the floor, while you
hold the ignition key in STmT. When the engine
starts, let go of the key and let up on the accelerator
pedal. Wait about
15 seconds between each try to help
avoid draining your battery or damaging your starter.
When starting your engine in very cold weather (below
0°F or -18”C), do this:
1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, turn the
ignition key to START and hold it there. When the
engine starts, let go of the key. Use the accelerator
pedal to maintain engine speed,
if you have to, until
your engine has run for a while.
2. If your engine still won’t start (or starts but then
stops), it could be flooded with too much gasoline.
Try pushing your accelerator pedal all the way to the
floor and holding it there as you hold the key in
START for about three seconds. If the vehicle starts
briefly but then stops again, do the same thing, but
this time keep the pedal down for five or six seconds.
This clears the extra gasoline from the engine.
NOTICE:
Your engine is designed to work with the
electronics in your vehicle.
If you add electrical
parts or accessories, you could change the way
the engine operates. Before adding electrical equipment, check with your dealer. If you don’t,
your engine might not perform properly.
If you ever have to have your vehicle towed, see
the part of this manual that tells how to do it
without damaging your vehicle. See “Towing
Your Vehicle” in the Index.
Starter Interlock Feature
For your convenience and to avoid damage to your
starter, your vehicle is equipped with a starter interlock
feature. This feature will not allow you to crank the
engine when the vehicle is already running.
2-23

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Be sure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) range
before starting the engine. Your vehicle 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.
(If you do not apply the brake after
15 seconds once the
ignition is turned on, you will receive a
PRESS BRAKE
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 1
I NOTICE:
r
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle
is moving forward could damage your
transmission. Shift to REVERSE (R) only
after your vehicle is stopped.
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.
2-27

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The six-speed transmission has a spring that centers the - Parking Brake
shift lever near THIRD (3) and FOURTH (4). This
spring helps you know which gear you are
in when you
are shifting. Be careful when shifting from FIRST
(1) to
SECOND (2) or downshifting from SIXTH (6) to
FIFTH
(5). The springs will try to pull the gearshift
lever toward FOURTH
(4) and THIRD (3). Make sure
you move the lever into
SECOND (2) or FIFTH (5). If
you let the lever move in the direction of the pulling,
you may end up shifting from FIRST
(1) to
FOURTH
(4) or from SIXTH (6) to THIRD (3).
..
If you skip more than one gear when you
downshift, you could lose control of your vehicle.
And you could injure yourself or others. Don’t shift from
SIXTH (6) to THIRD (3), FIFTH (5) to
SECOND (2) or FOURTH (4) to FIRST (1).
1
To set the parking brake, hold the brake pedal down.
Pull the parking brake lever. This sets your parking
brake.
If the ignition is on, the brake system warning
light will come on.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Shifting Into PARK (P) (Automatic Transmission Only)
I A CAUTION: I
It can be 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.
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, use the steps
that follow.
0 Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
Move the shift lever into the PARK (P) position by
holding in the button on the lever and pushing the
lever all the way toward the front of your vehicle.
0 Turn the ignition key to OFF.
0 Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
remove the key from your ignition, your vehicle
is in
PARK (P).