brake CHEVROLET CAMARO 1973 2.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine YOUR CAR'S FIRST
FEW HUNDRED MILES OF DRIVING
You can operate your new car from
its very first mile without adhering
to a formal
"break-in" schedule.
However, during the first
few hun­
dred miles of driving you can, by
observing a few simple precautions,
add to the future performance and
economy of your car.
It is recommended that your speed
during the first
500 miles
be confined to a maximum of
60
M.P.H., but do not drive for ex­
tended periods at
anyone constant
speed, either fast
or slow. Dur­
ing this period, avoid full throttle
starts and, if possible, avoid hard
stops especially during the first
200
miles of operation since brake mis-
2 use
during this period will destroy
much future brake efficiency.
Always drive
at moderate speed
until the engine has completely
warmed up.
If you plan to use your new car
for trailer hauling see additional
information on page
10.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine BEFORE DRIVING YOUR CAMAR 0
DRIVER CHECKLIST
Before Entering Car
1. See that windows, mirrors and
lights are clean.
2. Visually note inflation condition
of tires.
3. Check that area to rear is clear
if about to back up.
Before Driving Off
1. Lock all doors.
2. Position seat.
3 . Adjust inside and outside mirrors.
4. Fasten seat belts.
5. Check that warning bulbs light
when key
is turned to start
position.
6. Release parking brake (and
see
that brake warning light turns
off) .
7. Be sure you understand your car
and how to operate it safely.
Keys
Two separate keys are provided
for your car. Each key has a differ­
ent cross section
so that it can be
inserted only in certain locks.
• Key with square head
(stamped "E") -for ignition
switch and door locks.
• Key with oval head (stamped
"H")-for all other locks.
3
The code number of each key is
stamped on the "knock out" plug
in the key head. Your Chevrolet
dealer removed these plugs and
placed them with the spare set of
keys in the special key envelope
that was given to you at time of
delivery. For your protection:
• Record the numbers on the key
envelope and discard the key
plugs.
• Keep the key envelope in a safe
place such
as your wallet, Not
In The Car.
In the event the original keys are
lost, duplicates can be made by
your dealer
or a locksmith using
the key code information.
Be sure
to lock the glove box or
console compartments and remove
the key from the car whenever it
is
necessary to leave the ignition key
with an attendant.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine (those next to side windows)
are linked to a buzzer and light
which remind occupants to fas­
ten seat belts.
• On cars with automatic trans­
missions, or manual transmis­
sions with steering column­
mounted shift levers, the buzzer
and light are designed to come
on when the ignition switch
is
on, the transmission selector is
in a forward drive position, and
the driver's or right front pas­
senger's lap belt
is not fastened.
• On manual transmission cars
with floor mounted shift con­
trols the reminders are designed
to come on when the ignition
switch
is on, the driver's or
right front passenger's lap belt
is not fastened and the transmis­
sion
is in any gear position, ex­
cept that they do not come
on
when the parking brake is en­
gaged.
NOTE: The right front seat con­
tains a weight detector which
is
designed to activate the buzzer
and light whenever
a. nominal
weight
is placed on the seat. The
weight detector cannot distinguish
between a passenger and any item
of luggage or cargo, therefore such
items should be placed elsewhere
in the car, preferably
in the trunk.
If seat belt system or reminder
system does not work
as described,
see your dealer for information
and assistance.
Shoulder Belts
• When properly worn with a lap
belt, a shoulder belt can provide
important additional protection
against impact with the car in­
terior by restraining forward
motion of the upper torso in a
collision. This
is particularly
true in the case of a frontal im­
pact, which
is the most frequent
7 type
of accident.
• To fasten the shoulder belt, un­
stow it and place the knob on
the shoulder belt end in the key-

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine STEERING COLUMN CONTROLS
Anti-Theft Steering
Column Lock
The anti-theft lock, located on the
right side of the steering column,
has
five positions:
• Accessory -Permits operation
of electrical accessories when en­
gine
is not running. To engage,
push key in and turn toward you
( counterclockwise) .
• Lock-Normal parking position.
Locks ignition and provides
added theft protection by pre­
venting normal operation of
steering wheel and shift controls.
Key cannot be returned to
"lock"
position and removed until trans­
mission is placed in "park"
(automatic transmission models)
or in reverse on manual trans­
mission models.
• Off-Permits turning engine off
without locking steering wheel
and shift controls.
13
• Run -Normal operating posi­
tion.
• Start -Permits engagement of
starter.
NOTE: The anti-theft steering column lock Is not a substitute lor the parking brake.
Always set the parking brake when leav­ing the car unattended.
PARKING
When leaving your car unattended,
• Place automatic transmission se­
lector in Park (Reverse for man­
ual transmission).
• Turn key to LOCK position.
• Set Parking brake.
• Remove key (the buzzer will re­
mind you).
• Lock all doors.
Starting Engine
Automatic Transmission
Models
1. Apply the foot brake.
2. Place transmission selector
in "P" or "N" (UP" preferred).

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A starter safety switch prevents
starter operation while the trans­
mission selector
is in any drive
position.
(If it is necessary to
re-start the engine with the car
moving, place the selector lever
in
"N".)
3. Depress accelerator pedal and
activate starter as outlined be­
low for different conditions.
• Cold Engine -Fully depress
accelerator pedal and slowly
release.
With foot off the
pedal,
crank the engine by
turning the ignition key to the
Start position -release when
engine starts.
If engine starts, but fails to
run, repeat this procedure.
When engine is running
smoothly (approximately 30
seconds), the idle speed may
be reduced by slightly depress­
ing the accelerator pedal and
then slowly releasing.
• Warm Engine -Depress ac­
celerator
pedal about halfway
and hold while cranking the
engine.
• Extremely Cold Weather
(Below
ODF.) Or After Car
14
Has Been Standing Idle
Several Days-
Fully depress and release ac­
celerator pedal two
or three
times before cranking the en­
gine.
With foot off the accel­
erator pedal,
crank the engine
by turning the key to the
Start position and release
when engine starts .
Manual Transmission Models
1. Apply parking brake and shift
transmission to neutral.
2.
Hold clutch pedal to floor
throughout the starting proce­
dure. A starter interlock prevents
starter operation when clutch
is
not fully depressed. (Select the

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine place the transmission in an inter­
mediate or low range.
Column Shift Lever
The heavy line in the illustrations
indicates the movement of the shift
lever
as it is lifted to shift into Re­
verse or L2 and into or out of
Park position.
Floor Console Shift Lever
The floor console shift lever may
be moved freely between Neutral
and Drive and between
Ll and L2.
Depress shift lever button (located
on top of shift lever)
as you shift
into Reverse or
L2• Depress
the
button on top of the handle fully
when shifting into or out of the
Park position. Exercise care when
depressing button to prevent
un­
intentional shifts to Park, L2 or
Reverse.
NOTE: Shift quadrant for all
Automatic Transmissions
is located
on the instrument cluster.
Turbo Hydra-Matic 350 and 400
P-PARK
R-REVERSE
N-NEUTRAl
D-DRIVE
L.--lOW.
Use only when car is stopped.
For backing
car-from stop.
For
standing (Brakes Applied)
For forward dri ving. Depress accelerator to floor for extra accelerator below 65 mph; depress accelerator
half-way at speeds below 30 mph.
For
driving in heavy traffic or on hilly terrain. Shift into l , or 2 at any vehicle speed.
For hard
pulling through sand, snow or mud, for climb­ing or descending steep grades.
16

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ing wheel. The lever is moved up­
ward to signal a right turn and
downward
to signal a left turn.
Lamps on the front and rear of the
car transmit this signal to other
motorists and pedestrians. The
ig­
nition switch must be in the "ON"
position in order for the turn sig­
nals to be operational. This feature
prevents battery drain
if the lever
is left in an "ON" position when
your car
is not in use.
In a normal turning situation
such
as turning a corner, the turn
signal
is cancelled automatically
after the turn
is completed. How­
ever, in some driving maneuvers
such as changing lanes
on an ex­
pressway, the steering wheel
is not
turned back sufficiently after com­
pleting the turn to automatically
cancel the turn signal. For con­
venience in such maneuvers, the
driver can flash the
tum signals by moving
the turn signal lever part
way (to the first stop) and holding
it there. The lever returns to the
neutral
or cancelled position when
the driver releases his hold on the
lever.
A green light on the instrument
cluster flashes to indicate proper
operation of the front and rear turn
signal lamps.
If the indicator lamp
18
remains on and does not flash,
check for a defective lamp bulb.
If
the indicator fails to light when the
lever
is moved, check the fuse and
indicator bulb.
Power Steering
If the steering system power as­
sist fails due to some malfunction,
or because the engine has stalled,
the car can still be steered.
How­
ever, much greater effort is re­
quired, particularly in sharp turns.
Holding Car on an Upgrade
When stopped on an upgrade,
maintain your position by applying
the brakes. Never hold the car in
place
by accelerating engine with
transmission in gear. This could
cause damage by overheating the
transmission (automatic) or clutch
(manual).

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Parking Your Car
Always engage the parking brake
and place the automatic transmis­
sion selector lever in
"Park" posi­
tion when leaving your
car unat­
tended. Also with automatic trans­
missions, never park for prolonged
periods with engine idling and
transmission in gear, especially if
your car
is equipped with air con­
ditioning. This practice
is detri­
mental to the transmission, due to
overheating.
Horn
The horn on your Camaro is
actuated by firmly pressing on the
horn button in the center of the
steering wheel.
Tilt Steering Wheel
The optional tilt steering wheel
can be tilted up above normal posi­
tion to provide additional room for
entrance and exit as well as selected
driving positions below normal
height. This permits individual
se­
lection of the most natural position
for all driving conditions.
On long
trips the steering wheel position can
be changed to minimize tension and
fatigue.
The
tilt mechanism is operated
by lifting up on the small control
As a good motorist, use of the
horn should be kept at a minimum.
However, acquaint yourself as soon
as possible with this function of lever
on the left side of the steering
column just below the directional
signal, moving the steering wheel to
the selected position, and releasing
the lever.
your car, should it ever become
necessary to give a warning to a
pedestrian or another motorist.
NOTE: For operation of hazard flasher, see page 36 in, Section "In Case of Emergency."
19

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine FLOOR CONTROLS
Braking System
The service brake system is de­
signed for braking performance
under a wide range of driving con­
ditions even when the vehicle
is
loaded to its full rated vehicle load.
Power Brakes
On cars with power brakes if
power assist to the brakes
is inter­
rupted due to a stalled engine
or
some malfunction, two or more
brake applications can be made
using reserve power.
• If the brake pedal is held down.
the system
is designed to bring
the
car to a full stop on reserve
power. However, the reserve
power
is partially depleted each
time the brake pedal
is applied
and released.
• When reserve power is exhausted,
vehicle
can still be stopped by ap­
plying greater force to the pedal.
Parking Brake
• To set parking brake, fully de­
press foot pedal
at far left side.
• For maximum holding power.
depress regular brake pedal with
the other foot at the same time.
• To release parking brake, pull
"BRAKE RELEASE" lever on
lower left instrument panel.
• As a reminder, the brake system
warning light
is designed to glow
whenever the parking brake con­
trol ·
is not fully released , and the
ignition
is on.
• Never drive car with parking
20
brake set as this may overheat or
otherwise damage rear brakes.
NOTE: "Riding the brake" by rest­
ing your foot on the brake pedal
when not intending to brake can
cause abnormally high brake tem­
peratures, excessive lining wear
and possible damage to the brakes.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine REMINDER: Brake linings should
be inspected for wear by a qualified
mechanic at least once a year
or
every 12,000 miles, whichever oc­
curs first (disc brake pads should
be visually inspected for wear each
time the wheels and tires are ro­
tated at
6,000 mile intervals).
More frequent inspections should
be made if driving conditions in
your area, such as traffic or terrain
or techniques of individual
driver~
result in frequent brake applica­
tions. Your Chevrolet dealer
is best
qualified to advise you
as to how
often this inspection should be per­
formed. When brakes require re­
lining, use those Genuine General
Motors
Parts specified for your car,
and Delco, brake fluid
as required.
Automatic Brake Adjusters
• Brakes on this car (except for
the parking brake) are self- adjusting,
designed to eliminate
periodic brake adjustments.
• Drum brake adjustment is made
automatically
as the brakes are
applied while car
is moving
backwards.
• Disc brake adjustment is made
automatically with each brake
application.
• If excess brake pedal travel de­
velops, drive alternately back­
ward and forward several times
and apply brakes firmly in each
direction.
• See your dealer if normal pedal
travel
is not restored, or if there
is a rapid increase in pedal travel,
which could be a sign of other
brake trouble.
Clutch Adjustment
Clutch adjustment should be
checked and adjusted periodically
as necessary to compensate for
21
clutch facing wear. To check, de­
press pedal by hand until resistance
is felt. Free travel of pedal should
~e approximately one inch; if very
httle
or no free travel is evident
clutch adjustment
is required. '
Headlight Beam Switch
"High" and "low" headlight
beams are controlled by the floor
button at your left foot. The indi­
cator, located in the speedometer
dial, will light up when the high
beams are in use.
I