5-8
To disconnect the jumper cables from both vehicles, do
the following:
1. Disconnect the black negative (
-) cable from the
heavy, unpainted metal engine part on the vehicle
that had the dead battery.
2. Disconnect the black negative (
-) cable from
the negative terminal on the vehicle with the
good battery.
3. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the
vehicle with the good battery.
4. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the
other vehicle.
Towing Your Vehicle
Consult your dealer or a professional towing service if
you need to have your vehicle towed. See ªRoadside
Assistanceº and ªRecreational Vehicle Towingº 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).
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.
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.
6-4
Be sure the posted octane for premium is at least 91 (at
least 87 for regular). If the octane is less than 87, you
may get a heavy knocking noise when you drive. If it's
bad enough, it can damage your engine.
If you're using fuel rated at the recommended octane or
higher and you hear heavy knocking, your engine needs
service. But don't worry if you hear a little pinging
noise when you're accelerating or driving up a hill.
That's normal, and you don't have to buy a higher
octane fuel to get rid of pinging. It's the heavy, constant
knock that means you have a problem.
If your vehicle is certified to meet California Emission
Standards (indicated on the underhood emission control
label), it is designed to operate on fuels that meet
California specifications. If such fuels are not available
in states adopting California emissions standards, your
vehicle will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission control system
performance may be affected. The malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel may turn on and/or your
vehicle may fail a smog
-check test. See ªMalfunction
Indicator Lampº in the Index. If this occurs, return to
your authorized Chevrolet dealer for diagnosis to
determine the cause of failure. In the event it is
determined that the cause of the condition is the type of
fuels used, repairs may not be covered by your warranty.Some gasolines that are not reformulated for low
emissions may contain an octane
-enhancing additive
called methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT); ask your service station operator whether or not
the fuel contains MMT. General Motors does not
recommend the use of such gasolines. If fuels containing
MMT are used, spark plug life may be reduced and your
emission control system performance may be affected.
The malfunction indicator lamp on your instrument
panel may turn on. If this occurs, return to your
authorized Chevrolet dealer for service.
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives that will help
prevent deposits from forming in your engine and fuel
system, allowing your emission control system to
function properly. Therefore, you should not have to add
anything to the fuel. In addition, gasolines containing
oxygenates, such as ethers and ethanol, and
reformulated gasolines may be available in your area to
contribute to clean air. General Motors recommends that
you use these gasolines, particularly if they comply with
the specifications described earlier.
6-19
Automatic Transmission Fluid
How to Check
It is not necessary to check the transmission fluid level.
A transmission fluid leak is the only reason for fluid
loss. If a leak occurs, take the vehicle to your dealer
service department and have it repaired as soon
as possible.
There is a special procedure for checking and changing
the transmission fluid. Because this procedure is
difficult, you should have this done at your dealer
service department. Contact your dealer for additional
information or the procedure can be found in the service
manual. To purchase a service manual, see ªService and
Owner Publicationsº in the Index.
NOTICE:
We recommend that only fluid labeled
DEXRON-III be used, because fluid with that
label is made specially for your automatic
transmission. Damage caused by fluid other than
DEXRON
-III is not covered by your new
vehicle warranty.
Change both the fluid and filter every 50,000 miles
(80 000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one of
these conditions:
In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches 90F (32C) or higher.
In hilly or mountainous terrain.
High performance operation.
If you do not use your vehicle under one of these
conditions, change the fluid and filter every
100,000 miles (166 000 km).
See ªScheduled Maintenance Servicesº in the Index for
the proper service intervals for the transmission fluid
and filter.
Manual Transmission Fluid
When to Check
A good time to have it checked is when the engine oil is
changed. However, the fluid in your manual
transmission doesn't require changing.
6-31 Brake Wear
Your vehicle has four-wheel disc brakes.
Disc brake pads have built
-in wear indicators that
make a high
-pitched warning sound when the brake
pads are worn and new pads are needed. The sound
may come and go or be heard all the time your vehicle
is moving (except when you are pushing on the brake
pedal firmly).
CAUTION:
The brake wear warning sound means that soon
your brakes won't work well. That could lead to
an accident. When you hear the brake wear
warning sound, have your vehicle serviced.
NOTICE:
Continuing to drive with worn-out brake pads
could result in costly brake repair.
Some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are first applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean something is wrong with
your brakes.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.
See ªBrake System Inspectionº in Section 7 of this
manual under Part C ªPeriodic Maintenance Inspections.º
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal does not return to
normal height, or if there is a rapid increase in pedal
travel. This could be a sign of brake trouble.
6-41
CAUTION: (Continued)
Overinflated tires are more likely to be
cut, punctured or broken by a sudden
impact
-- such as when you hit a pothole.
Keep tires at the recommended pressure.
Worn, old tires can cause accidents. If your
tread is badly worn, or if your tires have
been damaged, replace them.
Extended Mobility Tires
(Except ZO6 Models)
Your vehicle, when new, had Goodyear Extended
Mobility Tires (EMT). There's no spare tire, no tire
changing equipment and no place to store a tire in the
vehicle. Extended Mobility Tires perform so well
without any air that a Tire Pressure Monitor (TPM) is
used to alert you if a tire has lost pressure.
If a tire goes flat, you won't need to stop on the side of
the road to change the tire. You can just keep on driving.
The shorter the distance you drive and the slower the
speed, the greater the chance that the tire will not have
to be replaced. If you drive on a deflated EMT for
50 miles (80 km) or less and at speeds of 55 mph(90 km/h) or less, there is a good chance that the tire can
be repaired. The tire can operate effectively with no air
pressure for up to 200 miles (320 km) at speeds up to
55 mph (90 km/h), but the tire would then have to be
replaced. When a tire is filled with air, it provides a
cushion between the road and the wheel. Because you
won't have this cushion when driving on a deflated tire,
try to avoid potholes that could damage your wheel and
require replacement of it.
Some road hazards can damage a tire beyond repair.
This damage could occur even before you've driven on
the tire in a deflated condition. When a tire has been
damaged, or if you've driven any distance on a deflated
EMT, check with an authorized Goodyear EMT Service
Center to determine whether the tire can be repaired or
should be replaced. To maintain your vehicle's extended
mobility feature, all replacement tires must be Extended
Mobility Tires. As soon as possible, contact the nearest
authorized Chevrolet or Goodyear EMT servicing
facility for inspection and repair or replacement. To
locate the nearest Chevrolet or Goodyear EMT servicing
facility, call Roadside Assistance. For phone numbers
and Roadside Assistance details, see ªRoadside
Assistanceº or ªCanadian Roadside Assistanceº in
the Index. You may also contact Goodyear, for the
nearest authorized EMT servicing facility, by
calling 1
-800-789-9878.
6-42
CAUTION:
Extended mobility tires are constructed
differently than other tires and could explode
during improper service. You or others could be
injured or killed if you attempt to repair, replace,
dismount, or mount an extended mobility tire.
Let only an authorized Goodyear EMT Service
Center repair, replace, dismount and mount
extended mobility tires.
The valve stems on your extended mobility tires have
sensors that are part of the Tire Pressure Monitor
(TPM). See ªTire Pressure Monitorº in the Index. These
sensors contain batteries which are designed to last for
10 years under normal driving conditions. See your
dealer if you ever need to have a wheel replaced, or if
the sensors ever need replacement.
NOTICE:
Using liquid sealants can damage the tire valves
and tire pressure monitor sensors in your
extended mobility tires. This damage would not
be covered by warranty. Don't use liquid sealants
in your extended mobility tires.
If you feel that winter tires are needed for your driving
conditions, Goodyear Eagle M+S EMT tires are
available in your original equipment sizes from an
authorized Goodyear EMT retailer. These tires will
improve snow traction while maintaining your
Corvette's extended mobility feature. When using winter
tires on your vehicle, be sure to use them on all
four wheels. See ªBuying New Tiresº in the Index.
6-50 Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent, cracked, or badly rusted
or corroded. If wheel nuts keep coming loose, the wheel,
wheel bolts and wheel nuts should be replaced. If the
wheel leaks air, replace it (except some aluminum
wheels, which can sometimes be repaired). See your
dealer if any of these conditions exist.
Your dealer will know the kind of wheel you need.
Each new wheel should have the same load
-carrying
capacity, diameter, width, offset and be mounted the
same way as the one it replaces.
If you need to replace any of your wheels, wheel bolts
or wheel nuts, replace them only with new GM original
equipment parts. This way, you will be sure to have the
right wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts for your vehicle.
CAUTION:
Using the wrong replacement wheels, wheel bolts
or wheel nuts on your vehicle can be dangerous.
It could affect the braking and handling of your
vehicle, make your tires lose air and make you
lose control. You could have a collision in which
you or others could be injured. Always use
the correct wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts
for replacement.
NOTICE:
The wrong wheel can also cause problems with
bearing life, brake cooling, speedometer or
odometer calibration, headlamp aim, bumper
height, vehicle ground clearance and tire
clearance to the body and chassis.