2012 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Owners Manual

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-11
ZR1–English Shown, Metric Similar

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
5-12 Instruments and Controls
Speedometer
The speedometer shows the speed
in either kilometers per hour (km/h)
or miles per hour (mph). For more
information see“Personal Options”
under Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑55.
Odometer
To read the odometer with the
ignition off, turn on the parking
lamps.
If the vehicle needs a new odometer
installed, the mileage total of the
new odometer will be set to the
original kilometers (miles) of the
old odometer. See your dealer if
the odometer must be replaced in
the vehicle.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine
speed in thousands of revolutions
per minute (rpm).
Notice: Fuel shuts off at about
6500 rpm for the base model,
7000 rpm for the Z06 model, and
6600 rpm for the ZR1 model. If the
vehicle continues to be driven at
the fuel shut off rpm, the engine
could be damaged. Be sure to
operate the vehicle below the
fuel shut off rpm or reduce the
vehicle's rpm quickly when the
fuel shuts off.

Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-13
Fuel Gauge
The fuel gauge shows how much
fuel the vehicle has left while the
engine is on.
An arrow on the fuel gauge
indicates the side of the vehicle the
fuel door is on.
When the needle approaches the
low fuel symbol, a chime sounds
and LOW FUEL appears on the
Driver Information Center (DIC)
display. There is still a little fuel left,
but the vehicle's fuel tank should
be filled soon.Press the RESET button to
acknowledge a DIC message(s).
Pressing the RESET button also
turns off a DIC message but the
LOW FUEL message comes on
again in 10 minutes if fuel is not
added to the vehicle.
Here are five things that some
owners ask about. All these things
are normal and do not indicate
that anything is wrong with the
fuel gauge.
.At the service station, the gas
pump shuts off before the gauge
reads the full.
.It takes a little more or less fuel
to fill up than the gauge
indicated. For example, the
gauge may have indicated half
full, but it took a little more or
less than half of the tank's
capacity to fill the tank.
.The gauge pointer may move
while cornering, braking or
speeding up.
.The gauge may not indicate the
tank is empty when the ignition
is turned off.
.The gauge reading may change
slightly within the first several
minutes after starting the
vehicle.
See “DIC Operation and Displays”
in Driver Information Center (DIC)
on page 5‑28 for more information.

Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
5-14 Instruments and Controls
Boost Gauge (ZR1)
Metric
EnglishThis gauge indicates vacuum during
light to moderate throttle and boost
under heavier throttle.
It displays the air pressure level in
the intake manifold before it enters
the engine's combustion chamber.
The gauge is automatically centered
at zero every time the engine is
started. Actual vacuum or boost is
displayed from this zero point.
Changes in ambient pressure, such
as driving in mountains and
changing weather, will slightly
change the zero reading.
Engine Oil Pressure
Gauge
Metric

Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-15
Metric—Z06 and ZR1 ModelsEnglish
English— Z06 and ZR1 Models
{WARNING
Do not keep driving if the oil
pressure is low. The engine can
become so hot that it catches fire.
Someone could be burned. Check
the oil as soon as possible and
have the vehicle serviced.
Notice: Lack of proper engine oil
maintenance can damage the
engine. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always follow the maintenance
schedule for changing engine oil.
The engine oil pressure gauge
shows the engine oil pressure
in kPa (kilopascals) or psi (pounds
per square inch) when the engine
is running.
Oil pressure should be 140 to
550 kPa (20 to 80 psi). In certain
situations such as long, extended
idles on hot days, it could read as
low as 40 kPa (6 psi) and still be
considered normal.

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
5-16 Instruments and Controls
Oil pressure may exceed 689 kPa
(100 psi) when first started or when
accelerating. It may vary with
engine speed, outside temperature
and oil viscosity, but readings above
the shaded area show the normal
operating range. Readings in the
shaded area tell you that the engine
is low on oil, or that you might have
some other oil problem. SeeEngine
Oil on page 10‑16.
The engine oil pressure can also be
displayed using the GAGES button
on the Driver Information
Center (DIC). See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑28.Engine Coolant
Temperature Gauge
Metric
English
This gauge shows the engine
coolant temperature. If the gauge
pointer moves into the shaded area,
the engine is too hot.
This means that the engine coolant
has overheated. If the vehicle has
been operating under normal driving
conditions, pull off the road, stop the
vehicle and turn off the engine as
soon as possible.
See Engine Overheating on
page 10‑34 for more information.

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-17
Voltmeter Gauge
Base and Z06, Metric and English
The voltmeter shows the voltage
output of the battery. It shows the
voltage output of the charging
system while the engine is running. The reading changes as the rate of
charge changes (with engine speed,
for example), but if the voltmeter
reads at 9 volts or below, the
instrument panel cluster and other
systems may shut down. The Driver
Information Center (DIC) reads
BATTERY VOLTAGE LOW when
the vehicle is at 10 volts or below.
Have it checked right away. Driving
with the voltmeter reading at
10 volts or below could drain the
battery and disable the vehicle.
Safety Belt Reminders
When the engine is started, this light
flashes and a chime may come on
to remind the driver to fasten their
safety belt. Then the light stays on
solid until the belt is buckled.
This cycle may continue several
times if the driver remains or
becomes unbuckled while the
vehicle is moving.
If the driver safety belt is buckled,
neither the light nor the chime
comes on.

Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
5-18 Instruments and Controls
Airbag Readiness Light
The system checks the airbag's
electrical system for possible
malfunctions. If the light stays on
it indicates there is an electrical
problem. The system check
includes the airbag sensor(s),
the passenger sensing system, the
pretensioners, the airbag modules,
the wiring, and the crash sensing
and diagnostic module. For more
information on the airbag system,
seeAirbag System on page 3‑15.
The airbag readiness light flashes
for a few seconds when the engine
is started. If the light does not come
on then, have it fixed immediately.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light stays
on after the vehicle is started or
comes on while driving, it means
the airbag system might not be
working properly. The airbags in
the vehicle might not inflate in a
crash, or they could even inflate
without a crash. To help avoid
injury, have the vehicle serviced
right away.
If there is a problem with the airbag
system, an airbag Driver Information
Center (DIC) message can also
come on. See Vehicle Messages on
page 5‑36 for more information.
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator
The vehicle has the passenger
sensing system. See Passenger
Sensing System on page 3‑21 for
important safety information. The
rearview mirror has a passenger
airbag status indicator.
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