CHEVROLET CAMARO 1974 2.G Owner's Manual
Manufacturer: CHEVROLET, Model Year: 1974, Model line: CAMARO, Model: CHEVROLET CAMARO 1974 2.GPages: 85, PDF Size: 32.84 MB
Page 21 of 85
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving with Manual Transmissions
The 3-and 4-speed transmission
shift levers, extending from the
fioor, have their special shift pat
tern diagram located on the knob.
Depress the clutch pedal fully be
fore attempting to shift
toa differ
ent gear, then release the pedal to
move in that gear.
For normal
accelerations shift into second gear
at
20 mph; into third gear at 30
mph; and on 4-speed models into
fourth gear at
40 mph.
Both transmissions, being fully
synchronized, may be downshifted
into 1 st gear at any speed below
20
m. p.h. Shift into Reverse gear only
after the car has stopped. Always
depress and release the clutch pedal
fully when shifting.
Also, shift into
"Reverse" before
shutting
off engine. This will permit the
ignition key to be turned to the
"Lock" position.
Good Driving Practice: On cars
equipped with manual transmis
sions , use second gear at slow
speeds (less than
30 m.p.h.) when
driving in stop-and-go traffic; for
improved vehicle performance dur
ing acceleration; and when de
scending steep hills.
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Turn Signals and Lane
Change Feature
The tum signal lever is located
on the left side of the steering col
umn immediately under the steer
ing wheel. The lever
is moved up
,ward to signal a right
tum and
downward to signal a left
tum.
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 tum 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.
Page 22 of 85
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 turn 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 tum
> signal lamps. If the indicator lamp
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.
Powe'r Steering
If
the'-~[~~ring system power as
sist fails due to some malfunction,
or because the engine has stalled,
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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).
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
Page 23 of 85
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine transmiSSIOn in gear, especially if
your car
is equipped with air con
ditioning. This practice
is detri
mental to the transmission, due to
overheating.
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
Horn
The horn on your Camara is
actuated by firmly pressing on the
horn button in the center of the
steering wheel. 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 minimi ze tension and
fatigue.
The
tilt mechanism is operated
by lifting up on the .small control
lever on the left side of the
steering
column just below the directional
signal, moving the steering wheel to
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 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. "
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Page 24 of 85
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 in
terrupted due to a stalled engine
or some malfunction, two or
more brake applications nor
mally 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. Do not pump
brakes when brake power assist
has been interrupted.
• When reserve power is ex
hausted, the vehicle can still be
stopped by applying 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-
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trol is not fully released, and the
ignition
is on.
• Never drive car with parking
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.
Page 25 of 85
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine REMINDER: Cars equipped with
front disc brakes have a built-in
wear indicator that
is designed to
make a high frequency, squealing,
or cricket-like warning sound when
the linings are worn to where re
placement
is required. The sound
will occur intermittently or con
tinuously when wheels are rolling,
but will change or cease completely
when the brake pedal
is applied
firmly.
See also the various brake
checks listed in the Chevrolet main
tenance schedule folder.
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
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clutch facing wear. To check, de
press pedal by hand until resistance
is felt. Free travel of pedal should
be approximately one inch; if very
little 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.
Page 26 of 85
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLS
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
SHIFT QUADRANT
HEATER ,-,.., ... ,T,,,,",'
OPTIONAL
CLOCK
(OPTIONAL
AIR CONDITIONING CONTROLS)
LIGHTER
OPTIONAL REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER AIR CONDITIONING SWITCH CENTER OUTLET
ASH TRAY
RADIO
CONTROLS
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SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHT
GLOVE BOX
RIGHT
OUTLET
Page 27 of 85
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Instruments
The instruments, gauges and in
dicator lights conveniently grouped
in the instrument cluster are de
signed to tell you
at a glance many
important things about the per
formance of your car. The follow
ing information will enable you to
more quickly understand and prop
erly interpret these instruments.
FuelGauge
This electrically operated gauge
registers correctly when the igni
tion switch
is in the "on" position.
When the ignition switch
is turned
8RAI(E WARNIN G LIGHT
"off", the needle will not necessar
ily return to the empty mark but
may stop at any point on the dial.
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Oil Pressure Indicator Light
This light will be on when the
ignition switch
is turned on and
should go out after the engine
is
started. Occasionally the light may
be seen to flicker momentarily, but
this will do no harm. However , if
the light remains on during normal
driving speeds the engine should be
stopped until the cause of the trou
ble can be located and corrected .
Driving the car with low oil pres
sure can cause serious engine
damage.
Page 28 of 85
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Generator Indicator Light
The red light will go on when
the ignition key
is in the "on" posi
tion, but before the engine
is
started. After the engine starts, the
light should
go out and remain out.
If the light remains on when engine
is running, have your Authorized
Chevrolet Dealer locate and correct
the trouble
as soon as possible.
Engine Temperature
Indicator Light
This indicator light is provided
in the instrument cluster to quickly
warn of an overheated engine. With
the ignition switch in the START
position, the red
TEMP indicator
will light to let you know that it
is
operating properly.
When the engine
is started, the
red light will go out immediately.
It will light up at no other time
unless for some reason the engine
reaches a dangerously high oper
ating temperature.
If the light comes on
during extreme driving condi
tions, such as an extended idle, turn
off the air conditioner (if used) and
run the engine slightly faster than
idle speed with the transmission in
neutral gear.
If the light does not
go off within a short period of time
(1-2 minutes), then turn the engine
off until the cause of the overheat
ing
is corrected. Glance at the in
strument cluster frequently
as you
drive to see
if this light is on.
Brake System Warning
Light
The service brake system is de
signed so that half of the brake
system will provide some braking
action in the event of a hydraulic
leak in the other half of the sys
tem .
If the warning light labeled
"BRAKE, " located at lower left of
instrument cluster (speedometer
face), glows continuously when the
ignition
is on and after the brakes
have been firmly applied it may in-
25
dicate that there is a malfunction
in one half of the brake hydraulic
system .
On cars equipped with
front drum brakes, the light will
go out when foot is removed from
brake pedal.
• As a check on bulb condition
the light should glow with the
parking brake applied and the
ignition on. (Light
is also a
reminder to release parking
brake).
• The light should glow during
engine starting to verify that the
bulb
is operating properly.
• Have system repaired if light
does not come on during check.
• This warning light is not a sub
stitute for the visual check of
brake fluid level required as part
of normal maintenance.
If the light glows red:
• The parking brake control is not
fully released or,
• The service brake system is par
tially inoperative.
Page 29 of 85
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine What to do:
1. Check that the parking brake is
released. If it is ...
2. Pull off the road and stop, care
fully-remembering that:
• Stopping distances may be
greater.
• Greater pedal effort may be re
quired.
• Pedal travel may be greater.
3.
Tryout brake operation by
starting and stopping on road
shoulder-then:
• If you judge such operation to
be safe, proceed cautiously at a
safe speed to nearest dealer for
repair.
• Or have car towed to dealer for
repair.
Continued operation of the car
in this condition
is dangerous .
. Headlight Beam Indicator
Light
The headlights of your car have
high and low beams to provide you with
proper night-time visibility
for most driving conditions. The
"low" beams are used during most
city driving. The
"high" beams are
especially useful when driving on
dark roads since they provide ex
cellent long range illumination.
The headlight beam indicator will
be on whenever the high beams or
"brights" are in use. The Headlight
Beam
Switch controls the headlight
beams (see Page 22) .
Light Switch
The three position light switch
controls the headlights, taillights,
parking lights, side marker lights,
instrument lights and dome lights
as shown. The headlamp circuit is
protected by a circuit breaker in the
light switch. An overload on the
breaker will cause the lamps
to
"flicker" on and off. If this condi
tion develops, have your headlamp
wiring checked immediately.
PARKING LAMPS
MARKER LAMPS
TURN KNOB TO
VARY INSTRUMENT LIGHTS
FULL Y COUNTER CLOCKWISE FOR DOME LIGHTS
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HEADLIGHTS PARKING LAMI'S
MARKER LAMPS
Page 30 of 85
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Optional Instruments and Gauges
Tachometer and Oil Pressure Indicator Light
The optional Tachometer indicates the speed of the engine in revolutions per
minute. The yellow area on the face of the tachometer indicates the highest recom
mended engine rpm. Engine operation causing tachometer indications in or above
the red area can lead to serious engine damage.
Function of the .oil pressure
'light is described on page 24.
Engine Temperature Gauge
This optional gauge indicates coolant temperature which will vary with air tem
perature and operating conditions. The ignition switch must be on for accurate
readings. Hard driving
or prolonged idling in very hot weather will cause the pointer
to move beyond the center of the band.
Should pointer move to the line at the "H"
end of the band, stop engine or reduce speed to permit engine to cool. A neutral
idle speed of
1500 RPM or driving in high gear at 34-40 miles per hour will achieve
best cooling.
Ammeter
The optional ammeter indicates whether the battery is being charged or discharged.
The De1cotron charging system
is equipped with a regulator which controls the charge
according to battery requirements. When the De1cotron generator
is supplying more
than the current demand, the ammeter will indicate a charging rate. If the current
demand
is more than the De1cotron output, a discharge will be indicated. With the
battery fully charged, the charging rate will be low, thus giving an indication of
battery condition.
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