engine oil CHEVROLET CORVETTE 1997 5.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,\I/,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BATTERY
L
These symbols are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
n
UNLOCK w
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
These symbols
have to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS e
TURN
RUNNING
* . 0
DAYTIME -0
LAMPS ***
FOG LAMPS $0
These symbols are on some
of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT
TEMP
-
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(0)
ENGINE OIL w,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(a)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols you may see:
FUSE -%-
LIGHTER m
HORN )a(
SPEAKER
b
FUEL B

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Racing or Other Competitive Driving
See your Warranty Book before using your Corvette for
racing or other competitive driving.
NOTICE:
If you use your Corvette for racing or other
competitive driving, your engine may use more
oil than it would with normal use. Low oil levels
can damage the engine. Be sure to check the oil
level often during racing or other competitive
driving and keep the level at or near the upper
mark on the engine oil dipstick.
You may need
to add oil. See “Adding Oil” under “Engine” in
the Index.
Engine Coolant Heater
(Canada Only)
The engine coolant heater is located on the driver’s side
of the engine under the manifold. The electrical cord is
attached to the generator bracket assembly, between the
generator and the windshield washer fluid tank.
In very cold weather,
0 OF (- 18 O C) or colder, the engine
coolant heater can help. You’ll get easier starting and
better fuel economy during engine warm-up.
Usually,
the coolant heater should be plugged in a minimum of
four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
2-24

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine To Use the Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord. With
headlamps closed, route the cord in the opening
between the left-hand headlamp door and the fender
panel.
Do not pinch the cord when closing the hood.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
I
,A CAUTION:
-
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet
could cause an electrical shock.
Also, the wrong
kind of extension cord could overheat and cause
a fire.
You could be seriously injured. Plug the
cord into a properly grounded three-prong 110-volt
AC outlet. If the cord won’t reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension cord rated for
at least
15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and
store the cord as it was before
to keep it away
fiom moving engine parts. If you don’t, it could
be damaged.
How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature,
the kind of oil you have, and some other things.
Instead
of trying to list everything here, we ask that
you contact your Chevrolet dealer in the area where
you’ll be parking your vehicle. The dealer can give
you the best advice for that particular area.
2-25

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Engine Oil Pressure Gage
The engine oil pressure
gage shows the engine oil
pressure in psi (pounds
per square inch) or
Wa (kilopascals) when
the engine
is running.
Oil pressure should be
20 to 80 psi (140 to 550 Wa).
(In certain situations such as long, extended idles on
hot days, it could read as low as
6 psi (40 kPa) and still
be considered normal.) 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. See “Engine Oil” in the Index.
2-78
The engine oil pressure can also be displayed using the
GAGES button on the DIC. See “Driver Information
Center” in the Index.
I
/A CAUTION:
Don’t keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches fire. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
I NOTICE:
Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and is not covered
by
your warranty.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Security Light
SECURITY
This light comes on to
remind you
to arm your
theft-deterrent system. If it
comes
on and stays on when
your ignition
is on, there
may be a problem with your
theft-deterrent system.
Check Gages Light
CHECK
GAGES
This light will come on
briefly when you
are
starting the engine. If the
light comes on and stays on
while you are driving, check
your gages to see if they are
in the warning areas.
See “Universal Theft-Deterrent” and “PASS-Key
System” in the Index. This light can
come
on for the following reasons:
0 Low Oil Pressure
0 High Coolant Temperature
0 High or Low Battery Voltage
0 Low Fuel Level
2-79

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driver Information Center (DIC)
The Driver Information Center (DIC) will display
information about how your vehicle is functioning, as
well as warning messages if a system problem is
detected. The DIC display area is located in the
instrument cluster below the speedometer and
tachometer, directly above the steering column.
The following buttons are on the DIC control panel
which is located to the right of the cluster:
1 FUEL: Press this button to display fuel information
such as fuel economy and range.
2 GAGES: Use this button to display gage information
like oil pressure and temperature, coolant temperature,
transmission fluid temperature, battery voltage and
fronurear tire pressures.
3 TRIP: Use this button to display your total and trip
miles, the elapsed time function, your average speed and
the oil life.
4 OPTIONS: This button allows you to choose personal
options available with your vehicle such as security,
door locks, easy entry seats and language.
5 EM: Use this button to change the display between
English and metric units.
RESET: This button, used along with the other buttons,
will reset system functions and turn off or acknowledge
messages on the DIC.
At the top
of the DIC control buttons is a light sensor.
Be sure not to block the sensor or your lighting
functions may be disrupted.
2-81

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Press FUEL again to display instantaneous fuel
economy, such as:
INST. 20.1 MPG or
INST. 5.3 WlOO km
Press FUEL again to display the range, such as:
RANGE 20 MI or
RANGE 32 km
The range calculates the remaining distance you can
drive without refueling. It's based on fuel economy
and the fuel remaining in the tank.
If the range is lower than 30 miles (48
km) miles, the
display will read RANGE
LOW.
The fuel economy data used to determine fuel range
is an average of recent driving conditions. As your
driving conditions change, this data is gradually
updated. Resetting the fuel range causes the fuel
economy data to be updated immediately. Press
RESET to reset the fuel range.
2 GAGES
The GAGES button allows you to scroll through the
functions listed below when you press it.
IOIL PRESSURE 40 PSI I
I OILTEMP. 2340 F 1
I COOLANT TEMP 123 OF]
MNS FLUID 123"FI
I BATTERY VOLTS 13.5 I
I
FRONT L 34 R 33 PSI I
REAR L 34 R 33 PSI I
7
Press the GAGE button to display the oil pressure,
such as:
0 OIL PRESSURE 40 PSI or
0 OIL PRESSURE 276 kPa
Press the GAGE button again to display the
oil
temperature, such as:
0 OIL TEMP 234 O F or
OIL TEMP 112 O C
2-83

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Press the GAGE button again to display the coolant
temperature, such as:
0 COOLANT TEMP 123 O F or
COOLANT TEMP 51 O C or
Press the GAGE button again to display the transmission fluid temperature (automatics only), such as:
0 TRANS FLUID 123 O F or
0 TRANS FLUID 51 O C
Press the GAGE button again to display the battery
voltage, such as:
BATTERY 13.5 VOLTS
Press the GAGE button again to display the tire pressure
for the front tires (left and right), such as:
0 FRONT L34 R33 PSI
0 FRONT L 234 R228 kPa
Press the GAGE button again to display the tire pressure
for the rear tires (left and right), such as:
REAR L34 R33 PSI
0 REAR L234 R228 kPa
3 TRIP
The TRIP button allows you to scroll through the
functions listed below when you press it.
ODOMETER 12345 MI
TRIP A 123.4 MI
ti
1
TRIP B 123.4 MI1
IELAP.
TIME 0O:OO.O I
t I AVG. SPEED 000.0 MPH I
t
I OIL LIFE REMAIN 89% I
-
2-84

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Average Speed
Press the TRIP button until the average speed is
displayed, such as:
AVERAGE SPEED 62 MPH or
AVERAGE SPEED 100 km/h
Press reset in this mode to start calculating the average
speed. Press and hold RESET to clear.
Engine Oil Life
Press the TRIP button until the engine oil life is
displayed, such as OIL LIFE REMAIN
89%.
This is an estimate of the engine oil’s remaining useful
life. It will show
99% when the system is reset after
an oil change. It will alert you to change your oil
on
a schedule consistent with your driving conditions.
When the remaining oil life is low, the system will
alert you with a message CHANGE
OIL SOON.
When the oil life is down to zero, you will receive the
message CHANGE OIL NOW. To
reset the OIL LIFE reminder after an oil change:
1. With the ignition on, press the TRIP button so the
OIL LIFE percentage is displayed.
2. Press RESET and hold for two seconds. The word
RESET will appear, then
OIL LIFE 99%.
Remember, you must reset the OIL LIFE yourself after
each oil change. It will not reset itself. Also, be careful
not to reset the
OIL LIFE accidentally at any time other
than when the oil has just been changed. It can’t be reset
accurately until the next oil change.
The DIC does not replace the need to maintain your
vehicle as recommended in the Maintenance Schedule
in this manual. Also, the oil change reminder will not
detect dusty conditions or engine malfunctions that may
affect the oil. If you drive in dusty areas, change your
oil after every
3,000 miles (5 000 km) or three months,
whichever occurs first, unless the DIC instructs you to
do
so sooner. Also, the oil change reminder does not
measure how much
oil you have in your engine, so be
sure to check your oil level often. See “Engine Oil” in
the Index.
2-86

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ABS ACTIVE (Anti-Lock Brake System Active):
When your anti-lock system is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid, the ABS ACTIVE message
will be displayed.
Slippery road conditions may exist
if this message is
displayed,
so adjust your driving accordingly. The
message will stay on for a few seconds after the system
stops adjusting brake pressure.
SERVICE ABS (Anti-Lock Brake System): If the
SERVICE ABS message is displayed when you are
driving, stop as soon as possible and turn the ignition
off. Then start the engine again to reset the system. If
the message stays on, or comes back on again while you
are driving, your vehicle is in need of service.
If the
regular brake system warning light isn’t on, you still
have brakes, but don’t have anti-lock brakes. If the
regular brake system light is also on, you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there is a problem with your
brakes. See “Brake System Warning Light” earlier in
this section.
SERVICE COLUMN LOCK: The system that
controls the locking and unlocking of the steering
column may
not work properly. Have the vehicle
towed to a dealer for service.
LOW OIL PRESSURE: You will hear four chimes
and the CHECK GAGES telltale will come
on when
this message is displayed. To acknowledge the warning,
press the RESET button. After you press the RESET
button, a message will be displayed and you will hear a
chime every minute until the vehicle
is serviced. If you
do not press RESET, the message will remain on the
digital display until the vehicle
is serviced.
Low oil pressure may be the result of a combination
of low oil level and abrupt changes in the vehicle’s
direction. When this warning
is displayed, you should
not operate
the engine at high RPM or make fast abrupt
moves. When convenient, you should check the oil
level. See “Engine Oil” in the Index.
LOW OIL LEVEL: Press RESET to acknowledge that
you have read the message and to remove it from the
display. The message will reappear every
10 minutes
until this condition changes.
You will hear two chimes when this message is
displayed.
If this message appears after starting your
engine, your engine oil level may be too low. You may
need to add oil. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
2-91