2010 CHEVROLET CORVETTE engine

Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
California Proposition 65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Doing Your Own Service Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Adding Equipment to the Outside of the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Gasoline Octane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
California Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Checking Things Under the Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Hood Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-19
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-25
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-27
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-31
Manual Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-31
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-31
Cooling System (Engine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-32 Cooling System (Intercooler) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-33
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-34
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-38
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-41
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-41
Windshield Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-42
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-43
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-49
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-50
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-55
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-55
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-56
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . 6-56
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-56
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, and Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-56
Taillamps, Turn Signal, and Stoplamps . . . . . . . . 6-58
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-58
Windshield Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-59
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . 6-59
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-62
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-63
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-64
Tire Terminology and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-66
6-1

Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Run-Flat Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-69
Inflation - Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-70
High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-72
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-72
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-74
Tire Inspection and Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-76
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-76
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-77
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-79
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-79
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-81
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-81
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-84
Lifting the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-84
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-89
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-90
Interior Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-90
Fabric/Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-91
Coated Moldings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-92
Leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-92
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and Other Plastic Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-93
Cargo Cover and Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-93
Care of Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-93
Weatherstrips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-93
Washing Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-94 Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-94
Finish Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-95
Windshield and Wiper Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-96
Removable Roof Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-96
Convertible Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-97
Aluminum or Chrome-Plated Wheels
and Trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-97
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-98
Finish Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-98
Underbody Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-98
Fiberglass Springs (Composite Springs) . . . . . . . 6-99
Chemical Paint Spotting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-99
Vehicle Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-99
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-99
Service Parts Identification Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-100
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-100
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-100
Headlamp Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-100
Windshield Wiper Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-100
Power Windows and Other Power Options . . . 6-100
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-101
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-101
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-104
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-108
6-2

Damage to vehicle components resulting from the
installation or use of non‐GM certified parts, including
control module modifications, is not covered under the
terms of the vehicle warranty and may affect remaining
warranty coverage for affected parts.
GM Accessories are designed to complement and
function with other systems on the vehicle. Your GM
dealer/retailer can accessorize the vehicle using
genuine GM Accessories. When you go to your
GM dealer/retailer and ask for GM Accessories,
you will know that GM-trained and supported service
technicians will perform the work using genuine GM
Accessories.
Also, see Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle on page 2‑59.California Proposition 65 Warning
Most motor vehicles, including this one, contain and/or
emit chemicals known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive
harm. Engine exhaust, many parts and systems, many
fluids, and some component wear by-products contain
and/or emit these chemicals.
California Perchlorate Materials
Requirements
Certain types of automotive applications, such as
airbag initiators, seat belt pretensioners, and lithium
batteries contained in remote keyless transmitters,
may contain perchlorate materials. Special handling
may be necessary. For additional information, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate.
6-4

Fuel
Use of the recommended fuel is an important part
of the proper maintenance of this vehicle. To help
keep the engine clean and maintain optimum vehicle
performance, we recommend the use of gasoline
advertised as TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline.
Look for the TOP TIER label on the fuel pump to
ensure gasoline meets enhanced detergency standards
developed by auto companies. A list of marketers
providing TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline can be found
at www.toptiergas.com.
The 8th digit of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
shows the code letter or number that identifies the
vehicle's engine. The VIN is at the top left of the
instrument panel. See Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN) on page 6‑99.
6-6

Gasoline Octane
If the vehicle has the 6.2L V8 engine (VIN Code W), use
premium unleaded gasoline with a posted octane rating
of 91 or higher. You can also use regular unleaded
gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher, but the vehicle's
acceleration could be slightly reduced, and a slight
audible knocking noise, commonly referred to as spark
knock, might be heard. If the octane is less than 87,
a heavy knocking noise might be heard when driving.
If this occurs, use a gasoline rated at 87 octane or
higher as soon as possible. Otherwise, you could
damage the engine. If heavy knocking is heard when
using gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher, the engine
needs service.
If the vehicle has the 6.2L V8 engine (VIN Code T)
or the 7.0L V8 engine (VIN Code E), use premium
unleaded gasoline with a posted octane rating of 91
or higher. For best performance, use premium unleaded
gasoline with a posted octane rating of 93. In an
emergency, you can use regular unleaded gasoline
with an octane rating of 87 or higher. If 87 octane fuel is
used, do not perform any aggressive driving maneuvers
such as wide open throttle applications. You might also
hear audible spark knock during acceleration. Refill the
tank with premium fuel as soon as possible to avoid
damaging the engine. If heavy knocking is heard when
using gasoline rated at 91 octane or higher, the engine
needs service.
Gasoline Specifications
At a minimum, gasoline should meet ASTM
specification D 4814 in the United States or
CAN/CGSB‐3.5 or 3.511 in Canada. Some gasolines
contain an octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT).
We recommend against the use of gasolines containing
MMT. See Additives
on page 6‑8for additional
information.
California Fuel
If the vehicle is certified to meet California Emissions
Standards, it is designed to operate on fuels that
meet California specifications. See the underhood
emission control label. If this fuel is not available in
states adopting California emissions standards, the
vehicle will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission control system
performance might be affected. The malfunction
indicator lamp could turn on and the vehicle might fail
a smog‐check test. See Malfunction Indicator Lamp
on
page 4‑41. If this occurs, return to your authorized
dealer/retailer for diagnosis. If it is determined that the
condition is caused by the type of fuel used, repairs
might not be covered by the vehicle warranty.
6-7

Additives
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines in the United States
are now required to contain additives that help prevent
engine and fuel system deposits from forming, allowing
the emission control system to work properly. In most
cases, nothing should have to be added to the fuel.
However, some gasolines contain only the minimum
amount of additive required to meet U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency regulations. To help keep fuel
injectors and intake valves clean, or if the vehicle
experiences problems due to dirty injectors or valves,
look for gasoline that is advertised as TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline.
For customers who do not use TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline regularly, one bottle of GM Fuel System
Treatment PLUS, added to the fuel tank at every engine
oil change, can help clean deposits from fuel injectors
and intake valves. GM Fuel System Treatment PLUS
is the only gasoline additive recommended by General
Motors.
Also, your dealer/retailer has additives that will help
correct and prevent most deposit‐related problems. Gasolines containing oxygenates, such as ethers
and ethanol, and reformulated gasolines might be
available in your area. We recommend that you use
these gasolines, if they comply with the specifications
described earlier. However, E85 (85% ethanol) and
other fuels containing more than 10% ethanol must
not be used in vehicles that were not designed for
those fuels.
Notice:
This vehicle was not designed for fuel
that contains methanol. Do not use fuel containing
methanol. It can corrode metal parts in the fuel
system and also damage plastic and rubber parts.
That damage would not be covered under the
vehicle warranty.
Some gasolines that are not reformulated for low
emissions can contain an octane-enhancing additive
called methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT); ask the attendant where you buy gasoline
whether the fuel contains MMT. We recommend against
the use of such gasolines. Fuels containing MMT can
reduce the life of spark plugs and the performance
of the emission control system could be affected.
The malfunction indicator lamp might turn on. If this
occurs, return to your dealer/retailer for service.
6-8

Fuels in Foreign Countries
If you plan on driving in another country outside the
United States or Canada, the proper fuel might be hard
to find. Never use leaded gasoline or any other fuel
not recommended in the previous text on fuel. Costly
repairs caused by use of improper fuel would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
To check the fuel availability, ask an auto club,
or contact a major oil company that does business
in the country where you will be driving.
Filling the Tank
{WARNING:
Fuel vapor burns violently and a fuel fire can
cause bad injuries. To help avoid injuries to you
and others, read and follow all the instructions
on the fuel pump island. Turn off the engine
when refueling. Do not smoke near fuel or when
refueling the vehicle. Do not use cellular phones.
Keep sparks, flames, and smoking materials away
from fuel. Do not leave the fuel pump unattended
when refueling the vehicle. This is against the law (Continued)
WARNING: (Continued)
in some places. Do not re-enter the vehicle while
pumping fuel. Keep children away from the fuel
pump; never let children pump fuel.
The tethered fuel cap is located behind a hinged fuel
door on the driver side of the vehicle.
6-9

Filling a Portable Fuel Container
{WARNING:
Never fill a portable fuel container while it is in
the vehicle. Static electricity discharge from the
container can ignite the fuel vapor. You can be
badly burned and the vehicle damaged if this
occurs. To help avoid injury to you and others:
.Dispense fuel only into approved containers.
.Do not fill a container while it is inside a
vehicle, in a vehicle's trunk, pickup bed,
or on any surface other than the ground.
.Bring the fill nozzle in contact with the inside
of the fill opening before operating the nozzle.
Contact should be maintained until the filling is
complete.
.Do not smoke while pumping fuel.
.Do not use a cellular phone while
pumping fuel.
Checking Things Under
the Hood
{WARNING:
An electric fan under the hood can start up and
injure you even when the engine is not running.
Keep hands, clothing, and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
{WARNING:
Things that burn can get on hot engine parts and
start a fire. These include liquids like fuel, oil,
coolant, brake fluid, windshield washer and other
fluids, and plastic or rubber. You or others could
be burned. Be careful not to drop or spill things
that will burn onto a hot engine.
6-12