2002 CHEVROLET CORVETTE check engine light

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Warning Lights, Gages and Messages
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause an
expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you or
others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle's functions. As you
will see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briefly when you start the
engine just to let you know they're working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle's functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together to let you know when
there's a problem with your vehicle.When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells you
what to do about it. Please follow this manual's advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
-- and even
dangerous. So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They're a big help.
Your vehicle may also have a driver information center
that works along with the warning lights and gages.
See ªDriver Information Centerº in the Index.
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to ON or START, a chime will
come on for about eight seconds to remind people to
fasten their safety belts, unless the driver's safety belt is
already buckled.
The safety belt light will
also come on and stay
on until the driver's belt
is buckled.

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CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light ever comes on when
you have turned off the air bag, it means that
something may be wrong with the air bag system.
The passenger's air bag could inflate even though
the switch is off. If this ever happens, don't let
anyone whom the national government has
identified as a member of a passenger air bag
risk group sit in the passenger's position
(for example, don't secure a rear
-facing child
restraint in your vehicle) until you have your
vehicle serviced.
Voltmeter
When the key is in ON with
the engine not running, the
voltmeter shows the voltage
output of your battery.
When the engine is running,
it shows the voltage output
of the charging system.
The reading will change as the rate of charge changes
(with engine speed, for example), but if the voltmeter
reads at 9 volts or below, your instrument panel
cluster and other systems may shut down. The Driver
Information Center (DIC) will read LOW VOLTAGE
when your vehicle is at 10 volts or below. Have it
checked right away. Driving with the voltmeter reading
at 10 volts or below could drain your battery and disable
your vehicle.

2-87 Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
United States Canada
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves into the shaded area, your engine
is too hot.
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
below
220
F (104
C) and in increments of 10
above
220
F (104
C).)
See ªEngine Overheatingº in the Index for
more information.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Check Engine Light)
Your vehicle is equipped
with a computer which
monitors operation of the
fuel, ignition and emission
control systems.
This system is called OBD II (On
-Board
Diagnostics
-Second Generation) and is intended
to assure that emissions are at acceptable levels for
the life of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment. The CHECK ENGINE light comes on to
indicate that there is a problem and service is required.
Malfunctions often will be indicated by the system
before any problem is apparent. This may prevent
more serious damage to your vehicle. This system
is also designed to assist your service technician in
correctly diagnosing any malfunction.

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NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light
on, after a while, your emission controls may not
work as well, your fuel economy may not be as
good and your engine may not run as smoothly.
This could lead to costly repairs that may not be
covered by your warranty.
NOTICE:
Modifications made to the engine, transmission,
exhaust, intake or fuel system of your vehicle or
the replacement of the original tires with other
than those of the same Tire Performance Criteria
(TPC) can affect your vehicle's emission controls
and may cause the CHECK ENGINE light to
come on. Modifications to these systems could
lead to costly repairs not covered by your
warranty. This may also result in a failure to pass
a required Emission Inspection/Maintenance test.
This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is not
running. If the light doesn't come on, have it repaired.
This light will also come on during a malfunction in one
of two ways:

Light Flashing
-- A misfire condition has been
detected. A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service may be required.

Light On Steady
-- An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis and
service may be required.

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Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel.
See ªFuelº in the Index. Poor fuel quality will
cause your engine not to run as efficiently as designed.
You may notice this as stalling after start
-up,
stalling when you put the vehicle into gear, misfiring,
hesitation on acceleration or stumbling on acceleration.
(These conditions may go away once the engine is
warmed up.) This will be detected by the system and
cause the light to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.Emissions Inspection and Maintenance Programs
Some state/provincial and local governments have or may
begin programs to inspect the emission control equipment
on your vehicle. Failure to pass this inspection could
prevent you from getting a vehicle registration.
Here are some things you need to know in order to help
your vehicle pass an inspection:
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the
CHECK ENGINE light is on or not working properly.
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the
OBD (on
-board diagnostic) system determines
that critical emission control systems have not been
completely diagnosed by the system. The vehicle would
be considered not ready for inspection. This can happen
if you have recently replaced your battery or if your
battery has run down. The diagnostic system is designed
to evaluate critical emission control systems during
normal driving. This may take several days of routine
driving. If you have done this and your vehicle still
does not pass the inspection for lack of OBD system
readiness, see your dealer or qualified service center to
prepare the vehicle for inspection.

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Security Light
This light comes on to
remind you to arm your
theft
-deterrent system. If it
comes on and stays on when
your ignition is on, there
may be a problem with your
theft
-deterrent system.
See ªTheft
-Deterrent Systemº and ªPASS-Key Systemº
in the Index.
Check Gages Warning Light
This light will come on
briefly when you are
starting the engine. If the
light comes on and stays on
while you are driving, check
your gages to see if they are
in the warning areas.
This light can come on for the following reasons:

Low Oil Pressure

High Coolant Temperature

High or Low Battery Voltage

Low Fuel Level
Fuel Gage
Your fuel gage tells you
about how much fuel
you have left when the
ignition is on.
When the needle approaches the red zone, RESERVE
FUEL will appear on the Driver Information Center
(DIC) display. When the needle approaches the E, LOW
FUEL will appear on the display. At this time, you still
have a little fuel left, but you should get more soon.
Press RESET to acknowledge a DIC message(s).
Pressing RESET will also turn off a DIC message
but the LOW FUEL message will come on again in
10 minutes if you have not added fuel to the vehicle.

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SERVICE COLUMN LOCK (Manual Transmission
Only): If the system that controls the locking and
unlocking of the steering column does not work
properly, have the vehicle towed to a dealer for service.
PULL KEY
- WAIT 10 SEC (Manual Transmission
Only): If this message comes on, the steering column
lock system has detected a problem while engaging the
steering column lock. This message may occur when
the ignition key is removed and reinserted before the
steering column lock system fully locks or unlocks the
steering column. To acknowledge that you have read
this message, and to clear it from the display, remove
the ignition key and wait 10 seconds before reinserting
the key into the ignition. If you attempt to operate
your vehicle without removing the key for 10 seconds,
the vehicle's fuel system will shut off when you reach
1.5 mph (2.4 km/h). If the message stays on after
removing the key and waiting 10 seconds, have your
vehicle taken to an authorized dealer as soon as possible
for diagnosis and repair.LOW OIL PRESSURE: You will hear four chimes
and the CHECK GAGES telltale will come on when
this message is displayed. To acknowledge the warning,
press the RESET button. After you press the RESET
button, a message will be displayed and you will hear a
chime every minute until the vehicle is serviced. If you
do not press RESET, the message will remain on the
digital display until the vehicle is serviced.
Low oil pressure may be the result of a combination
of low oil level and abrupt changes in the vehicle's
direction. When this warning is displayed, you should
not operate the engine at high rpm or make fast abrupt
moves. As soon as possible, you should check the oil
level. See ªEngine Oilº in the Index.
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. Once the vehicle senses
a temperature change in the engine oil, the light will
remain off.
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 ªEngine Overheatingº in the Index.

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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 (DIC) 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 ªMalfunction Indicator Lampº (Check
Engine Light) in the Index. If the REDUCED ENGINE
POWER message is displayed in combination with the
COOLANT OVER TEMP message, see ªEngine
Overheatingº 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.
If this message comes on while you are driving, you
may have a problem with the electrical charging system.
It could indicate that you have a loose or broken drive
belt or another electrical problem. Have it checked
right away. Driving while this light is on could drain
your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the message on,
be certain to turn off your accessories, such as the radio
and air conditioner.
TRACTION SYS ACTIVE: When your Traction
Control System is limiting wheel spin, the TRACTION
SYS ACTIVE message will be displayed. Slippery road
conditions may exist if this message is displayed, so
adjust your driving accordingly. The message will stay
on for a few seconds after the traction control system
stops limiting wheel spin.