Page 276 of 434

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
10-2 Vehicle Care
Electrical System
Electrical SystemOverload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-51
Engine Compartment
Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-55
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Run-Flat Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Low-Profile Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
Sport Cup Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-62
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66 Tire Pressure for
High-Speed Operation . . . . 10-68
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
Tire Pressure Monitor
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-70
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-72
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-72
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-73
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-76
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-76
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-78
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-78
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-80
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-81
Jump Starting
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-82
Towing
Towing the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Appearance Care
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-90
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-93
Page 282 of 434

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
10-8 Vehicle Care
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your Own
Service Work
{WARNING
You can be injured and the
vehicle could be damaged if you
try to do service work on a vehicle
without knowing enough about it.
.Be sure you have sufficient
knowledge, experience,
the proper replacement
parts, and tools before
attempting any vehicle
maintenance task.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Be sure to use the proper
nuts, bolts, and other
fasteners. Metric and English
fasteners can be easily
confused. If the wrong
fasteners are used,
parts can later break or fall
off. You could be hurt.
If doing some of your own service
work, use the proper service
manual. It tells you much more
about how to service the vehicle
than this manual can. To order the
proper service manual, see Service
Publications Ordering Information
on page 13‑17. This vehicle has an airbag system.
Before attempting to do your own
service work, see
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑25.
Keep a record with all parts
receipts and list the mileage and the
date of any service work performed.
See Maintenance Records on
page 11‑15.
Page 285 of 434

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-11
A. Clutch Master CylinderReservoir (If Equipped).
See Hydraulic Clutch on
page 10‑24.
B. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See “Adding Washer
Fluid” under Washer Fluid on
page 10‑38.
C. Brake Fluid Reservoir. See “Brake Fluid” under
Brakes on page 10‑38.
D. Coolant Surge Tank and Pressure Cap. See Engine
Coolant on page 10‑30. E.
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter on
page 10‑25.
F. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir. See Power Steering Fluid on
page 10‑36.
G. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See “When
to Add Engine Oil” underBrake
Fluid on page 10‑42.
H. Engine Oil Dipstick. See “Checking Engine Oil” under
Engine Oil on page 10‑16.
I. Engine Compartment Fuse
Block on page 10‑52. J. Passenger Compartment
Air Filter (Out of View).
See Passenger Compartment
Air Filter on page 8‑6.
K. Battery on page 10‑43.
If the vehicle has the 6.2 L LS3
V8 engine (without the dry sump
engine oil tank) and you are facing
the front of the vehicle.
Page 287 of 434

Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-13
A. Intercooler. SeeCooling System
(Engine) on page 10‑28 or
Cooling System (Intercooler) on
page 10‑29.
B. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter on
page 10‑25.
C. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir and Cap. See Power Steering
Fluid on page 10‑36.
D. Coolant Surge Tank and Pressure Cap. See Engine
Coolant on page 10‑30.
E. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See “Adding Washer
Fluid” under Washer Fluid on
page 10‑38. F. Clutch Master Cylinder
Reservoir (If Equipped).
See Hydraulic Clutch on
page 10‑24.
G. Brake Fluid Reservoir. See “Brake Fluid” under
Brakes on page 10‑38.
H. Passenger Compartment Air Filter (Out of View).
See Passenger Compartment
Air Filter on page 8‑6.
I. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See “When
to Add Engine Oil” under
Engine Oil on page 10‑16.
J. Dry Sump Engine Oil Tank. See “Changing Engine Oil
and Filter” Brake Fluid on
page 10‑42. K. Engine Oil Dipstick. See
“Checking Engine Oil” under
Engine Oil on page 10‑16.
L. Remote Positive (+) Terminal (Out of View). See Jump
Starting on page 10‑82.
M. Engine Compartment Fuse
Block on page 10‑52.
If the vehicle has the 6.2 L LS9
Supercharged V8 engine and you
are facing the front of the vehicle.
Page 289 of 434

Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-15
A.Engine Air Cleaner/Filter on
page 10‑25.
B. Power Steering Fluid Reservoir. See Power Steering Fluid on
page 10‑36.
C. Engine Compartment Fuse
Block on page 10‑52.
D. Remote Positive (+) Terminal (Out of View). See Jump
Starting on page 10‑82.
E. Engine Oil Dipstick. See “Checking Engine Oil” under
Engine Oil on page 10‑16. F. Dry Sump Engine Oil Tank.
See “Changing Engine Oil and
Filter” under Engine Oil on
page 10‑16.
G. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See “When
to Add Engine Oil” under
Engine Oil on page 10‑16.
H. Coolant Surge Tank and Pressure Cap. See Engine
Coolant on page 10‑30.
I. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See “Adding Washer
Fluid” under Washer Fluid on
page 10‑38. J. Brake Fluid Reservoir.
See “Brake Fluid” under
Brake Fluid on page 10‑42.
K. Clutch Master Cylinder Reservoir. See Hydraulic Clutch
on page 10‑24.
If the vehicle has the 6.2 L LS3
V8 engine with the manual
transmission (with the dry sump
engine oil tank) or the 7.0 L LS7
V8 engine and you are facing the
driver side of the vehicle.
Page 324 of 434

Black plate (50,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
10-50 Vehicle Care
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
and Stoplamps
To replace a stoplamp, taillamp/turn
signal bulb:
1. Remove the screw from the topof the lamp assembly.
2. Tilt the lamp assemblytoward you.
3. Turn the bulb socket one-quarter turn counterclockwise and pull
it out.
4. Pull the bulb straight out to remove it from the socket. 5. Push the new bulb in the bulb
socket until it snaps into place.
6. Reinstall the lamp assembly by first lining up the tabs on the
bottom of the lamp assembly
with the tabs in the vehicle, then
slide it in.
7. Replace the screw at the top of the lamp assembly.
Replacement Bulbs
Exterior Lamp Bulb Number
Front Parking/Turn
Signal 5702KA
Headlamp,
High‐Beam Lamp H9
Sidemarker Lamp 194LL (W3W)
Stoplamp/Taillamp/
Turn Signal Lamp 3047K
For replacement bulbs not listed
here, contact your dealer.
Electrical System
Electrical System
Overload
The vehicle has fuses and circuit
breakers to protect against an
electrical system overload.
When the current electrical load is
too heavy, the circuit breaker opens
and closes, protecting the circuit
until the current load returns to
normal or the problem is fixed.
This greatly reduces the chance of
circuit overload and fire caused by
electrical problems.
Fuses and circuit breakers protect
power devices in the vehicle.
Replace a bad fuse with a new one
of the identical size and rating.
If there is a problem on the road
and a fuse needs to be replaced,
the same amperage fuse can be
borrowed. Choose some feature of
the vehicle that is not needed to use
and replace it as soon as possible.
Page 325 of 434

Black plate (51,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-51
Headlamp Wiring
An electrical overload may cause
the lamps to go on and off, or in
some cases to remain off. Have the
headlamp wiring checked right away
if the lamps go on and off or
remain off.
Windshield Wipers
If the wiper motor overheats due to
heavy snow or ice, the windshield
wipers will stop until the motor cools
and will then restart.
Although the circuit is protected
from electrical overload, overload
due to heavy snow or ice may
cause wiper linkage damage.
Always clear ice and heavy snow
from the windshield before using the
windshield wipers.
If the overload is caused by an
electrical problem and not snow or
ice, be sure to get it fixed.
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers
The wiring circuits in the vehicle are
protected from short circuits by a
combination of J-Case fuses,
mini-fuses and circuit breakers.
This greatly reduces the chance of
fires caused by electrical problems.
Look at the silver-colored band
inside the fuse. If the band is broken
or melted, replace the fuse. Be sure
you replace a bad fuse with a new
one of the identical size and rating.
If you ever have a problem on the
road and do not have a spare fuse,
you can borrow one that has the
same amperage. Just pick somefeature of the vehicle that you can
get along without
—like the radio or
cigarette lighter —and use its fuse,
if it is the correct amperage.
Replace it as soon as you can.
Vehicles with the ZR1 package have
an intercooler relay located on the
fan shroud. See your dealer.
Vehicles with the ZR1 package
also have a fuel system mini-fuse.
It is located near the battery in the
battery storage compartment in the
rear of the vehicle.
Page 326 of 434
Black plate (52,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
10-52 Vehicle Care
Engine Compartment
Fuse Block
There is one fuse block in the
engine compartment located on
the passenger side of the vehicle.
SeeEngine Compartment Overview
on page 10‑10 for more information
on location.
Notice: Spilling liquid on any
electrical component on the
vehicle may damage it. Always
keep the covers on any electrical
component.
For ZR1 models, the Fuel System
fuse is located at the battery.
The vehicle may not be equipped
with all of the fuses, relays, and
features shown. Fuse Usage
1 Transmission
Control Module/
Transmission
2 Horn, Alternator
Sense