2012 CHEVROLET CORVETTE service

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Lifting the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your Own Service Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-8
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-22 Automatic Transmission
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Manual Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-25
Cooling System (Engine) . . . 10-28
Cooling System
(Intercooler) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-34
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . 10-36
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-45 Automatic Transmission
Shift Lock Control
Function Check . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-46
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Windshield Replacement . . . 10-47
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal and Parking
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
Taillamps, Turn Signal, and Stoplamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-50

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-3
General Information
For service and parts needs,
visit your dealer. You will receive
genuine GM parts and GM-trained
and supported service people.
Genuine GM parts have one of
these marks:
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 Entry transmitters,
may contain perchlorate materials.
Special handling may be necessary.
For additional information, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
perchlorate.

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-5
{WARNING
Getting under a vehicle when it is
jacked up is dangerous. If the
vehicle slips off the jack, you
could be badly injured or killed.
Never get under a vehicle when it
is supported only by a jack.
{WARNING
Raising the vehicle with the jack
improperly positioned can
damage the vehicle or the vehicle
may fall and cause you or others
injury.
If you ever use a jack to lift your
vehicle, follow the instructions that
came with the jack, and be sure to
use the correct lifting points to avoid
damaging your vehicle. Notice:
Lifting your vehicle
improperly can damage your
vehicle and result in costly
repairs not covered by your
warranty. To lift your vehicle
properly, follow the advice in
this part.
To help prevent vehicle damage:
.Be sure to place a block or
pad between the jack and the
vehicle.
.Make sure the jack you are
using spans at least two
crossmember ribs.
.Lift only in the areas shown
in the following pictures.
For additional information,
see your dealer and the
Chevrolet Corvette service
manual.

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-7
Lifting From the Rear
The rear lifting points can be
accessed from the rear of the
vehicle, on either the driver's or
passenger's side.
1. Locate the rear lifting points (A),according to the illustration
shown.
2. Be sure to place a block or pad between the jack and the
vehicle.3. Lift the vehicle with the jack,making sure the jack spans at
least two of the crossmember
ribs (B).
For more information, see Doing
Your Own Service Work on
page 10‑8.

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.

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-17
When to Add Engine Oil
(Except Z06, ZR1, and Grand
Sport)
If the oil is below the cross-hatched
area at the tip of the dipstick, add
1 L (1 qt) of the recommended oil
and then recheck the level. See
“Selecting the Right Engine Oil”in
this section for an explanation of
what kind of oil to use. For engine
oil crankcase capacity, see
Capacities and Specifications on
page 12‑2.
See Racing or Other Competitive
Driving on page 9‑6 for additional
information on engine oil. Notice:
Do not add too much oil.
Oil levels above or below the
acceptable operating range
shown on the dipstick are harmful
to the engine. If you find that you
have an oil level above the
operating range, i.e., the engine
has so much oil that the oil level
gets above the cross-hatched
area that shows the proper
operating range, the engine could
be damaged. You should drain
out the excess oil or limit driving
of the vehicle and seek a service
professional to remove the
excess amount of oil.
See Engine Compartment Overview
on page 10‑10 for the location of the
engine oil fill cap.
Add enough oil to put the level
somewhere in the proper operating
range . Push the dipstick all the way
back in when through.
Checking Engine Oil
(Z06, ZR1, and Grand Sport)
A. Engine Oil Dipstick
B. Engine Oil Fill Cap
It is a good idea to check the engine
oil level at each fuel fill. In order to
get an accurate reading, the vehicle
must be on level ground.

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-19
4. Remove the dipstick from theexternal engine oil tank and
clean it with a lint‐free paper
towel or a cloth. Re‐insert the
dipstick into the external oil tank,
pushing it all the way in until it
stops.
5. Remove the dipstick from the oil tank and read the level on the
cross‐hatched area. Oil levels
that fall in the cross‐hatched
area are normal.When to Add Engine Oil
(Z06, ZR1, and Grand Sport)
If the oil is below the cross-hatched
area at the tip of the dipstick, add
1 L (1 qt) of the recommended oil
through the oil fill cap opening in the
oil tank and then recheck the level.
See “Selecting the Right Engine Oil”
for an explanation of what kind of oil
to use. For engine oil crankcase
capacity, see Capacities and
Specifications on page 12‑2.
See Racing or Other Competitive
Driving on page 9‑6 for additional
information on engine oil. Notice:
Do not add too much oil.
Oil levels above or below the
acceptable operating range
shown on the dipstick are harmful
to the engine. If you find that you
have an oil level above the
operating range, i.e., the engine
has so much oil that the oil level
gets above the cross-hatched
area that shows the proper
operating range, the engine could
be damaged. You should drain
out the excess oil or limit driving
of the vehicle and seek a service
professional to remove the
excess amount of oil.
See Engine Compartment Overview
on page 10‑10 for the location of the
external engine oil tank and fill cap.
Add enough oil to put the level
somewhere in the proper operating
range. Push the dipstick all the way
back into the oil tank when through.

Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-21
8. Start the engine and let it run atidle for at least 15 seconds. This
will circulate the fresh engine oil
through the lubrication system.
9. Shut off the engine and check the oil level as described under
“Checking Engine Oil (Z06, ZR1,
and Grand Sport).”
Selecting the Right Engine Oil
Selecting the right engine oil
depends on both the proper oil
specification and viscosity grade.
See Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 11‑12.
Specification
Use and ask for licensed engine
oils with the dexos1™ approved
certification mark. Engine oils
meeting the requirements for the
vehicle should have the dexos1
approved certification mark. This
certification mark indicates that the
oil has been approved to the dexos1
specification. Corvette recommends Mobil 1
®engine oils that meet
the requirements of the dexos1
specification for its dry‐sump
equipped engines.
Notice: Failure to use the
recommended engine oil or
equivalent can result in engine
damage not covered by the
vehicle warranty. Check with your
dealer or service provider on
whether the oil is approved to the
dexos1 specification.
Viscosity Grade
SAE 5W‐30 is the best viscosity
grade for the vehicle. Do not use
other viscosity grade oils such as
SAE 10W‐30, 10W‐40, or 20W‐50. If in an area of extreme cold,
where the temperature falls below
−20°F (−29°C), an SAE 0W‐30 oil
should be used. An oil of this
viscosity grade will provide easier
cold starting for the engine at
extremely low temperatures.
When selecting an oil of the
appropriate viscosity grade,
always select an oil that meets the
dexos1 specification or equivalent.
See
“Specification” for more
information.
Engine Oil Additives/Engine
Oil Flushes
Do not add anything to the oil.
The recommended oils with the
dexos specification and displaying
the dexos certification mark are all
that is needed for good performance
and engine protection.
Engine oil system flushes are not
recommended and could cause
engine damage not covered by the
vehicle warranty.