2000 CHEVROLET CORVETTE coolant

3-11 Heating
The heater works best if you keep the windows closed.
Maximum heating will occur when airflow direction is
in the lower mode and the temperature control knob
(on a manual climate control system) is all the way in
the red area. These settings will be selected by the
automatic electronic dual climate control system if
operating in AUTO when maximum heating is required.
The BI
-LEVEL setting is designed for use on sunny
days when the air is only moderately warm or cool.
On days like these, the sun may adequately warm your
upper body, but your lower body may not be warm
enough. The BI
-LEVEL setting will direct cooler
airflow to your upper body and warmer air to the
floor area.
If you have the optional engine coolant heater and use it
during cold weather 0
F (
-18
C) or lower, the
heating system will provide heat more quickly because
the coolant is already warmed. See ªEngine Coolant
Heaterº in the Index.
Defogging and Defrosting
To rapidly defrost the windshield, the FRONT defrost
mode (automatic electronic dual climate control system)
or defrost mode (manual control system) should be used
and the fan speed should be adjusted to the highest
speed. With the manual control system, turn the
temperature control knob all the way to the red area.
To keep the windshield clear and provide heated air to
the floor area of the vehicle, use the DEFOG setting.
Your vehicle is equipped with side window defogger
vents located near the side rearview mirrors.
Rear Window Defogger
REAR: This button turns the rear defogger and
the heated outside mirrors on. The light on the button
will come on when operating. The system automatically
shuts off after approximately 15 minutes. If further
defogging is desired, press the button again and it will
operate for about seven and a half more minutes.
The rear window defogger operates only when the
engine is running.

5-8
Towing Your Vehicle
CAUTION:
To help avoid serious personal injury to you
or others:

Never let passengers ride in a vehicle that is
being towed.

Never tow faster than safe or posted speeds.

Never tow with damaged parts not
fully secured.

Never get under your vehicle after it has
been lifted by the tow truck.

Always secure the vehicle on each side with
separate safety chains when towing it.

Use only the correct hooks.
NOTICE:
Use the proper towing equipment to avoid
damage to the bumper, fascia or fog lamp areas
of the vehicle.
With current trends in automotive styles and design, it is
essential that the correct towing equipment is used to
tow a vehicle. Your vehicle can be towed with wheel
-lift
or car
-carrier equipment.
Consult your dealer or a professional towing service if
you need to have your vehicle towed. See ªRoadside
Assistanceº in the Index.
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 (DIC).
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode
Should an overheated engine condition exist and the
messages COOLANT OVER TEMP and REDUCED
ENGINE POWER are displayed, along with the
Check Engine light, an overheat protection mode which
alternates firing groups of 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).

5-9
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 ªEngine Oilº in the Index.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
CAUTION:
Steam from an overheated engine can burn you
badly, even if you just open the hood. Stay away
from the engine if you see or hear steam coming
from it. Just turn it off and get everyone away
from the vehicle until it cools down. Wait until
there is no sign of steam or coolant before you
open the hood.
If you keep driving when your engine is
overheated, the liquids in it can catch fire. You or
others could be badly burned. Stop your engine
if it overheats, and get out of the vehicle until the
engine is cool. See ªOverheated Engine Protection
Operating Modeº in the Index.

5-10
NOTICE:
If your engine catches fire because you keep
driving with no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. See ªOverheated
Engine Protection Operating Modeº in the Index.
If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If you get an engine overheat warning but see or hear no
steam, the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too hot when you:

Climb a long hill on a hot day.

Stop after high
-speed driving.

Idle for long periods in traffic.If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or so:
1. If your air conditioner is on, turn it off.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you're in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving
-- AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (
) or
THIRD (3) for automatic transmissions.
If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes.
If the warning doesn't come back on, you can
drive normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there's still no sign of steam, idle the engine for
three minutes while you're parked. If you still have the
warning, turn off the engine and get everyone out of
the vehicle until it cools down. Also, see ªOverheated
Engine Protection Operating Modeº listed previously in
this section.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.

5-11
Cooling System
When you decide it's safe to lift the hood, here's what
you'll see:
A. Electric Engine Cooling Fans
B. Coolant Surge Tank
CAUTION:
An electric engine cooling fan under the hood 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.
If the coolant inside the coolant surge tank is boiling,
don't do anything else until it cools down.

5-12
When the engine is cold, the coolant level should be at
or above the FULL COLD mark. If it isn't, you may
have a leak in the radiator hoses, heater hoses, radiator,
water pump or somewhere else in the cooling system.
CAUTION:
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Don't touch them. If you
do, you can be burned.
Don't run the engine if there is a leak. If you run
the engine, it could lose all coolant. That could
cause an engine fire, and you could be burned.
Get any leak fixed before you drive the vehicle.
NOTICE:
Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant isn't covered by your warranty.
See ªOverheated Engine Protection Operating
Modeº in the Index.
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.
If there seems to be no leak, with the engine on, check to
see if the electric engine cooling fans are running. If the
engine is overheating, both fans should be running.
If they aren't, your vehicle needs service.

5-13 How to Add Coolant to the Coolant
Surge Tank
If you haven't found a problem yet, but the coolant level
isn't at the FULL COLD mark on the coolant surge
tank, add a 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and
DEX
-COOL
coolant at the coolant surge tank, but be
sure the cooling system, including the coolant surge tank
pressure cap, is cool before you do it. (See ªEngine
Coolantº in the Index for more information.)
CAUTION:
Steam and scalding liquids from a hot cooling
system can blow out and burn you badly. They are
under pressure, and if you turn the coolant surge
tank pressure cap
-- even a little -- they can come
out at high speed. Never turn the cap when the
cooling system, including the coolant surge tank
pressure cap, is hot. Wait for the cooling system
and coolant surge tank pressure cap to cool if you
ever have to turn the pressure cap.

5-14
CAUTION:
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 mixture will. Your vehicle's coolant
warning system is set for the proper coolant
mixture. With plain water or the wrong mixture,
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 mixture of clean, drinkable water
and DEX
-COOL
coolant.
NOTICE:
In cold weather, water can freeze and crack the
engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
So use the recommended coolant.
CAUTION:
You can be burned if you spill coolant on hot
engine parts. Coolant contains ethylene glycol
and it will burn if the engine parts are hot
enough. Don't spill coolant on a hot engine.