CHEVROLET CORVETTE 2008 6.G Owners Manual

Malfunction Indicator Lamp
Check Engine Light
A computer system called OBD II (On-Board
Diagnostics-Second Generation) monitors operation of
the fuel, ignition, and emission control systems. It makes
sure that emissions are at acceptable levels for the
life of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment.
The check engine light
comes on to indicate
that there is an OBD II
problem and service
is required.
Malfunctions often are indicated by the system before
any problem is apparent. This can prevent more serious
damage to your vehicle. This system is also designed
to assist your service technician in correctly diagnosing
any malfunction.
Notice:If you keep driving your vehicle with this
light on, after a while, the emission controls
might not work as well, your vehicle’s fuel economymight not be as good, and the engine might not run
as smoothly. This could lead to costly repairs
that might not be covered by your warranty.
Notice:Modications made to the engine,
transmission, exhaust, intake, or fuel system of
your vehicle or the replacement of the original tires
with other than those of the same Tire Performance
Criteria (TPC) can affect your vehicle’s emission
controls and can cause this light to come on.
Modications to these systems could lead to costly
repairs not covered by your warranty. This could
also result in a failure to pass a required Emission
Inspection/Maintenance test. SeeAccessories
and Modifications on page 5-3.
This light comes on briey, as a check to show it is
working, as you start the engine. If the light does not
come on, have it repaired. This light also comes
on during a malfunction in one of two ways:
Light Flashing— A misre condition has been
detected. A misre increases vehicle emissions
and could damage the emission control system on
your vehicle. Diagnosis and service might be
required.
Light On Steady— An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Diagnosis and service might be required.
3-45

If the Light Is Flashing
The following can prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reduce vehicle speed.
Avoid hard accelerations.
Avoid steep uphill grades.
If the light stops ashing and remains on steady,
see “If the Light Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to ash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park the vehicle.
Turn the engine off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart
the engine. If the light remains on steady, see “If the
Light Is On Steady” following. If the light is still ashing,
follow the previous steps, and see your dealer/retailer
for service as soon as possible.
If the Light Is On Steady
You might be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. SeeFilling the Tank on page 5-8. The
diagnostic system can determine if the fuel cap has
been left off or improperly installed. A loose or missingfuel cap allows fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap properly installed should
turn the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your vehicle’s electrical system might be wet.
The condition is usually corrected when the electrical
system dries out. A few driving trips should turn the
light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel.
SeeGasoline Octane on page 5-5. Poor fuel quality
causes the engine not to run as efficiently as designed.
You might notice this as stalling after start-up,
stalling when you put the vehicle into gear,
misring, hesitation on acceleration, or stumbling on
acceleration — these conditions might go away once
the engine is warmed up. This will be detected by
the system and cause the light to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
your dealer/retailer can check the vehicle. Your
dealer/retailer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools to x any mechanical or electrical
problems that might have developed.
3-46

Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance Programs
Some state/provincial and local governments have or
might begin programs to inspect the emission control
equipment on your vehicle. Failure to pass this
inspection could prevent you from getting a vehicle
registration.
Here are some things you need to know to help your
vehicle pass an inspection:
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the check
engine light is on or not working properly.
To perform a check engine light bulb check with the
keyless ignition, make sure the transmitter fob is in the
passenger compartment. SeeIgnition Positions on
page 2-22. Press the bottom of the Acc. button on
the instrument panel and hold the button down
for ve seconds. The instrument panel, including the
check engine light, will light up and the ignition will
be on, but the engine will not start — if you press the
bottom of the Acc. button only briey, less than
ve seconds, the accessory power mode will be turned
on, but not the ignition. After the bulb check, be sure
to press and release the Acc. button again to turn
the ignition off and avoid draining the vehicle’s battery.Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the OBD
(on-board diagnostic) system determines that critical
emission control systems have not been completely
diagnosed by the system. The vehicle would be
considered not ready for inspection. This can happen
if you have recently replaced the battery or if the battery
has run down. The diagnostic system is designed to
evaluate critical emission control systems during normal
driving. This may take several days of routine driving.
If you have done this and your vehicle still does not pass
the inspection for lack of OBD system readiness, your
dealer/retailer can prepare the vehicle for inspection.
3-47

Engine Oil Pressure GageThe engine oil pressure gage shows the engine
oil pressure in psi (pounds per square inch) or
kPa (kilopascals) when the engine is running.
Oil pressure should be 20 to 80 psi (140 to 550 kPa).
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. SeeEngine Oil on page 5-17.
The engine oil pressure can also be displayed
using the GAGES button on the Driver Information
Center (DIC). SeeDriver Information Center (DIC)
on page 3-51. United States
Canada
United States — Z06
ModelCanada — Z06 Model
3-48

{CAUTION:
Do not keep driving if the oil pressure is low.
If you do, your engine can become so hot that
it catches re. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
Notice:Lack of proper engine oil maintenance may
damage the engine. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty. Always follow the
maintenance schedule in this manual for changing
engine oil.
Security Light
For information regarding
this light and the vehicle’s
security system, see
Theft-Deterrent System
on page 2-18.
Fog Lamp Light
The fog lamp light will
come on when the fog
lamps are in use.
The light will go out when the fog lamps are turned off.
SeeFog Lamps on page 3-17for more information.
3-49

Lights On Reminder
This light comes on
whenever the parking
lamps are on.
SeeHeadlamps on Reminder on page 3-16for more
information.
Highbeam On Light
This light comes on when
the high-beam headlamps
are in use.
SeeHeadlamp High/Low-Beam Changer on page 3-9
for more information.
Fuel Gage
Your fuel gage tells you
about how much fuel you
have left when the
engine is on.
When the needle approaches the low fuel symbol,
a chime will sound and LOW FUEL will appear on the
Driver Information Center (DIC) display. At this time,
you still have a little fuel left, but you should get
more soon.
Press the RESET button to acknowledge a DIC
message(s). Pressing the RESET button will also turn
off a DIC message but the LOW FUEL message
will come on again in 10 minutes if you have not added
fuel to the vehicle.
3-50

Here are ve things that some owners ask about.
All these things are normal and do not indicate that
anything is wrong with the fuel gage.
At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before
the gage reads the full symbol.
It takes more (or less) fuel to ll up than the gage
reads. For example, the gage reads half full,
but it took more (or less) than half of the tank’s
capacity to t it.
The gage pointer may move while cornering,
braking or speeding up.
The gage may not indicate the tank is empty when
the ignition is turned off.
The gage reading may change slightly within the
rst several minutes after starting the vehicle.
SeeDIC Operation and Displays on page 3-52for more
information.
Driver Information Center (DIC)
The Driver Information Center (DIC) gives you the
status of many of your vehicle’s systems. It is also
used to display driver personalization features and
warning/status messages. The DIC display is located on
the instrument panel cluster below the speedometer
and tachometer, directly above the steering column.
The DIC buttons are located on the instrument panel,
to the right of the instrument panel cluster.
The DIC comes on when the ignition is turned on. After
displaying CORVETTE BY CHEVROLET, the DIC
will display the current driver and the information that
was last displayed before the engine was turned off.
If a problem is detected, a warning message will appear
on the DIC display. Be sure to take any message that
appears on the display seriously and remember that
clearing the message will only make the message
disappear, not correct the problem.
If your vehicle has the Head-Up Display (HUD) and you
use the Manual Paddle Shift feature, the gear will
display in the HUD, except if your vehicle has the
Navigation system and the HUD is displaying
turn-by-turn guidance information. If the HUD is
displaying turn-by-turn guidance information, the gear
instead displays in the DIC. See “Manual Paddle
Shift” underAutomatic Transmission Operation on
page 2-26and “Head-Up Display (HUD)” in the index of
the Navigation system manual for more information.
3-51

DIC Operation and Displays
The Driver Information Center (DIC) has different modes
which can be accessed by pressing the following
buttons located on the instrument panel, to the right of
the instrument panel cluster.
.4(Fuel):Press this button to display fuel information
such as fuel economy and range.
2(Gages):Press this button to display gage
information like oil pressure and temperature, coolant
temperature, automatic transmission uid temperature, if
equipped, battery voltage, and front/rear tire pressures.
TRIP:Press this button to display your total and
trip distance driven, the elapsed time function, your
average speed, and the engine oil life.
OPTION:Press this button to choose personal options
that are available on your vehicle, depending on the
options your vehicle is equipped with, such as door
locks, easy entry seats, and language.
RESET:Press this button, used along with the other
buttons, to reset system functions, select personal
options, and turn off or acknowledge messages
on the DIC.
3-52

FUEL Button
The fuel button displays average fuel economy and
instantaneous fuel economy, calculated for your specic
driving conditions, and range information.
Average Fuel Economy:The average fuel economy is
viewed as a long-term approximation of your overall
driving conditions. You should reset the average
fuel economy display every time you refuel. If you press
the RESET button in this mode while you are driving,
the system will reset this display and begin guring fuel
economy from that point in time.
Press the fuel button to display average fuel economy,
such as:
AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY 20.1 MPG or
AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY 11.7 L/100 km
Instantaneous Fuel Economy:Instantaneous fuel
economy reects only the fuel economy that the vehicle
has right now and will change frequently as driving
conditions change. Unlike average fuel economy, this
menu item cannot be reset.
Press the fuel button again to display instantaneous
fuel economy, such as:
INSTANT FUEL ECONOMY 20.1 MPG or
INSTANT FUEL ECONOMY 11.7 L/100 kmFuel Range:The range calculates the remaining
distance you can drive without refueling. It is based on
fuel economy and the fuel remaining in the tank.
Press the fuel button again to display the range,
such as:
RANGE 30 MI or
RANGE 48 km
If the LOW FUEL warning is displayed or if RANGE
is less than 40 miles (64 km), 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
automatically.
If the vehicle has been idling for a long time, the range
displayed on the DIC could be abnormally low.
The vehicle must be driven 5-10 miles (8-16 km) to
get an accurate reading.
3-53

GAGES Button
The gages button displays oil pressure, oil temperature,
coolant temperature, transmission uid temperature
for automatic transmission vehicles only, battery voltage,
and tire pressure information.
Oil Pressure:This display shows the oil pressure.
Press the gages button to display the oil pressure,
such as:
OIL PRESSURE 40 PSI or
OIL PRESSURE 276 kPa
Oil Temperature:This display shows the oil
temperature.
Press the gages button again to display the oil
temperature, such as:
OIL TEMPERATURE 234°F or
OIL TEMPERATURE 112°C
If the oil temperature is low, the display will show OIL
TEMPERATURE LOW. If the oil temperature is high,
the display will show OIL TEMPERATURE HIGH.Coolant Temperature:This display shows the engine
coolant temperature.
Press the gages button again to display the coolant
temperature, such as:
COOLANT TEMPERATURE 123°F or
COOLANT TEMPERATURE 51°C
If the coolant temperature is low, the display will show
COOLANT TEMPERATURE LOW. If the coolant
temperature is high, the display will show COOLANT
TEMPERATURE HIGH.
Transmission Fluid Temperature:If you have an
automatic transmission vehicle, this display shows the
automatic transmission uid temperature.
Press the gages button again to display the automatic
transmission uid temperature, such as:
TRANS FLUID TEMP 123°F or
TRANS FLUID TEMP 51°C
If the transmission uid temperature is low, the display
will show TRANS FLUID TEMP LOW. If the
transmission uid temperature is high, the display will
show TRANS FLUID TEMP HIGH.
3-54