brake CHEVROLET CORVETTE 1998 5.G Owner's Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A. Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
B. Driver Information Center (DIC)
C. Instrument Panel Cluster
D. Windshield Wipermasher Lever
E. DIC Buttons
E Hazard Warning Flasher Button
G. Center Air Vent
H. Audio System
I. Comfort Controls
J. Fog Lamp Button (Option)
K. Remote Hatch Release Button (Coupe) or Remote
Trunk Release Button (Convertible)
L. Ignition Switch
M. Shift Lever (Automatic Shown)
N. Traction Control System (TCS) Switch
0. Selective Real Time Damping (Option)
P. Instrument Panel Cupholder
Q. Remote Fuel Door Release Button
R. Ashtray
& Cigarette Lighter
S. Parking Brake
T. Glove Box
U. Instrument Panel Fuse Block
V. Power Accessory Outlet
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Voltmeter
I When the key is in the ON
position with the engine not
running, the voltmeter
shows the voltage output of
your battery. When the
engine is running, it shows
the voltage output of the
charging system.
The reading will change as the rate of charge changes
(with engine speed, for example), but
if the voltmeter
reads at
9 volts or below, your instrument panel and
other systems may shut down. The Driver Information
Center (DIC) will read LOW
VOLTAGE when your
vehicle is at
10 volts or below. Have it checked right
away. Driving with the voltmeter reading at
10 volts or
below could drain your battery and disable your vehicle.
Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part isn’t working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
BRAKE
This light should come on
when you turn the ignition
key to
START. If it doesn’t
come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn
you
if there’s a problem.
If this warning light stays on after you start the engine,
the parking brake may not be set or there could be a
brake problem. Refer to “Parking Brake” in the Index to
see if it is set. If the parking brake is not set, have your
brake system inspected right away.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If the light comes on while you are driving and you have Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
a LOW -BRAKE FLUID message showing on the DIC,
pull
off the road and stop carefully. You may notice that
engine and may stay on for
on, have the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing on
when you
start your
to the
floor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still system,
the light will come
the pedal is, harder to push. Or, the pedal may
go closer With
the anti-lock brake
several seconds.
Your Vel le” in the Index.)
w v v
That’s’normal.
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake warning light is on. Driving with the
brake warning light on can lead to an accident.
If
the light is still on after you’ve pulled off the road
and stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed
for service.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to OFF. Or, if the
light comes on when you’re driving, stop as soon as
possible and turn the ignition
off. Then start the engine
again to reset the system.
If the light still stays on, or
comes
on again while you’re driving, your vehicle needs
service. If the regular brake system warning light isn’t
on, you still have brakes, but you don’t have anti-lock
brakes. If the regular brake system warning light
is also
on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes and there’s a
problem with your regular brakes. See “Brake System
Warning Light” earlier in this section.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to
ON. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you if there is a problem.

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.
If the SERVICE ABS message is being displayed, your
traction control system and the optional active handling system will also be disabled. The driver information
center will scroll three messages SERVICE ABS,
SERVICE TRACTION SYS. and SERVICE ACTIVE
HNDLG and the instrument cluster car icon will be illuminated.
The driver can acknowledge these messages
by pressing the reset button three times. When the
service message is displayed the computer controlled
systems will not assist the driver and you should have
the system repaired as soon as possible. Adjust your
driving accordingly.
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Other Messages
Here are more messages that you can receive on your
Driver Information Center. To acknowledge a message
and read another message that may have come on at the
same time, press the RESET button.
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
BRAKE BEFORE SHIFT
(Automatic Transmissions Only)
CHANGE
OIL NOW
CHANGE OIL SOON
CRUISE DISENGAGED
CRUISE SET
- MPH (- ktn/h)
DOOR AJAR
ENGINE PROTECTION REDUCE ENGINE
RPM
HATCH AJAR (Coupe)
TRUNK AJAR (Convertible)
HIGH VOLTAGE
0 LOW BRAKE F‘LUID (See “Brake Fluid” in
the Index)
0 LOW COOLANT (See “Engine Overheating” in
0 LOW FUEL (fuel range is less than 50 miles (80 km))
the Index)
0 LOW VOLTAGE
LOW WASHER FLUID
0 PULL KEY - WAIT 10 SEC
RESERVE FUEL
UPSHIFTNOW
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. ..

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
Corvette: Buckle up. (See “Safety Belts” in the Index.)
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.” Assume that pedestrians or
other drivers are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions
are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough
following distance. It’s the best defensive driving
maneuver, in both city and rural driving. You never
know when the vehicle in front of you is going to brake
or turn suddenly.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It’s the number one contributor to
the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive
a vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
Vision
Attentiveness.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgment can be affected
by even a small amount
of alcohol. You can have a serious -- or even
fatal
-- collision if you drive after drinking.
Please don’t drink and drive or ride with
a driver
who has been drinking. Ride home in a cab; or if
you’re with a group, designate a driver who will
not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to
go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road. Sometimes, as when you’re driving
on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 314 of a second. But
that’s only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even
in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle
moving at
60 mph ( 100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be
a lot of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and others
is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition
of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of the
vehicle and the amount
of brake force applied. Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster
if you
do
a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake normally but don’t pump your brakes.
If you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
e. ?
. .. ,.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking slud.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You may
hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while this test
is going on, and you may even notice that your brake
pedal moves a little.
This is normal.
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay on.
See “Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light” in
the Index.
Here’s how anti-lock works. Let’s say the road
is wet.
You’re driving safely. Suddenly an animal jumps out in
front
of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens with ABS.
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one
of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work the brakes at each front wheel and at
both rear wheels.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure faster
than any driver could. The computer is programmed to
make the most of available
tire and road conditions.
You can steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease stopping distance.
If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may hear a
motor or clicking noise and feel the brake pedal move
a
little during a stop, but this is normal.
Traction Control System (TCS)
Your vehicle has a traction control system called TCS
that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in
slippery road conditions. The system operates only if it
senses that the rear wheels are spinning too much or are
beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system works the rear brakes and reduces engine power
(by closing the throttle and managing engine spark) to
limit wheel spin.
The TRACTION SYSTEM ACTIVE message will
come on when the TCS system
is limiting wheel spin.
See “TRACTION SYSTEM ACTIVE Message” in the
Index. You may feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal.
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