Overall though, your owners manual is your quick reference guide to your Corvette. It outlines the important features in your Chevrolet Corvette, how to use standard and optional equipment, what certain lights and indicators mean and much more.
It is your operation and maintenance bible for your Corvette. We find that when we work on our cars having the owners manual for easy reference is invaluable. They are perfect for Corvette restorers or DIY tinkerers at home. If downloading a copy of your Corvette operating manual isn't your thing you can still buy original owners manuals online. I guess Chevy wasn't very creative back in the early days. As you can see the owner's manual is almost exactly the same in the first few years.
Feel free to download these owners manuals and we hope they are helpful. We still have a gap in manuals so if you have access and are willing to share with us please let us know. RPO Z51 was limited to manual transmission coupes. RPO Z52 was not restricted. The most significant change to the Corvette was the introduction of the ZF Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen sourced six-speed manual transmission.
It featured a computer-aided gear selection CAGS which bypassed second and third gears and locked out fifth and sixth for improved fuel economy when a series of low-performance criteria were met. The Z52 option was discontinued in as well. The Selective Ride Control system offered consumers three different driving modes: tour, sport and performance. Another significant Corvette milestone that actually began in was the introduction of the Corvette ZR Despite the significantly improved manual transmission and the number of other minor, though important, refinements made to the Corvette, only 26, units were sold that year.
This number is disappointing when you consider this is just over half of the total number of C4 Corvettes sold five years earlier when the model was introduced in The car featured a GM spec, Lotus -designed valve, dual-overhead-cam, cubic inch V8 engine.
Designated the LT5, it was rated at horsepower. While fairly modest compared to modern Corvettes, the LT5 was a powerhouse in its day. The fascia also included new body-styling, featuring a convex rear as compared to the concave rear fascia on all C4 Corvettes to that point. While the ZR-1 dominated most conversation in the Corvette community, the engineers and designers at Corvette remodeled the interior of all Corvettes for the model year.
The car now featured a new, hybrid instrument cluster which featured a digital speedometer and analog instrument gauges. Also gone was the flat dashboard in favor of a more contoured one that now also housed a passenger front airbag. Chevrolet sold a total of 26, Corvettes in of which 3, were equipped as the ZR-1 model.
While these sales numbers were still south of earlier model years, it proved that the arrival of the ZR-1, despite its hefty pricetag, had bolstered interest in the Corvette once more.
Additionally, the 9. RPO Z07 was introduced and included the Z51 suspension components that had been previously introduced in earlier model years and the FX3 adjustable ride option. While not a feature of the car exactly, marked the last year for the L98 V8 engine.
Sales numbers of the Corvette struggled, despite the return of the ZR-1 for its sophomore year of production. In total, Chevrolet sold just 20, Corvettes in Of these, just 2, were sold with the ZR-1 upgrade.
The Corvette ushered in the era of the LT1 small-block V8 engine. This 5. A new traction control system was introduced in as well. It was designed to improve directional control with better traction during high-speed cornering. An important milestone was achieved during the model year — the one-millionth Corvette rolled off the assembly line on July 2, The car would go on to be displayed at the National Corvette Museum.
Total production of the Corvette was just about the same as the previous model year with just 20, units produced. Of these, were ZR-1 Corvettes. The Corvette marked another significant milestone for the Corvette- its 40th Anniversary!
As with other milestone years, Chevrolet developed a special edition 40th Anniversary Package which was available on all variants of the car including the ZR Working by proximity, a battery-operated key-fob transmitter sent a code picked up by a receiver in the Corvette through one of two antennas in the coupes, the antenna was in the driver door and rear decklid, in convertibles, the antennas were in both doors.
The transmitter required no specific action by the owner. Similarly, when leaving the car with the fob, the transmitter would lock the doors and arm the theft-deterrent system. Additionally, Corvette coupes had an extra button to release the rear decklid. The front wheels on the base coupe and convertible were decreased in size from 9. For cars equipped with PRO Z07, 9. The Corvette ZR-1 received a respectable boost in power from horsepower to horsepower. Total production of the Corvette was better than the previous years, though still lackluster compared to the early years of the C4 Corvette.
In total, 22, Corvettes were produced. Of these, just were built as ZR-1 Corvettes. There were few changes made to the Corvette for the model year. The LT1 engine remained at horsepower though sequential fuel injection was added.
The standard four-speed automatic transmission was updated to include electronic shift control for improved performance. There were no cosmetic changes made to the exterior of the Corvette.
The only visible difference that differentiated the Corvette from earlier years was the introduction of two new colors — Admiral Blue and Copper Metallic although Copper Metallic was limited to only cars due to limited availability. These wheels were not made available on the base model coupe or convertible.
By the time production began on the Corvette , much of the engineering team behind the brand were already engaged in testing the fifth-generation C5 model. So, for its second-to-last model year, the Corvette received only minor enhancements. Mechanically, the already robust LT1 engine received additional refinements. The connecting rods were revised to improve strength and weight uniformity, the engine fan was made quieter, and the fuel injection system was improved to utilize alcohol-blend fuels, which began to have an increased appearance at gas pumps.
All Corvettes also received a ride improvement with the introduction of the less-stiff DeCarbon gas-charged shocks. Beyond this single physical change, the only other cosmetic differences involved the introduction of a new paint color — Dark Purple Metallic, which replaced the depleted Copper and Black Rose metallic paints.
Another special-edition Corvette was made available in After a near-stock LT1 Corvette Convertible paced the Indy in — which was only the third time Corvette had ever been bestowed with this honor — Chevrolet decided to commemorate the occasion by producing a specially optioned Pace Car Replica.
The last C4 ZR-1 was driven off the assembly line on April 28, , resulting in a total number of 6, units being built during its six year production run. As for the base coupe and convertible, the total sales numbers decreased to 20, units for the model year. The model year would mark the final year of both the C4 and the Generation II small block engine that powered it.
As such, Chevrolet commemorated its departure by offering two special edition Corvettes, both of which featured an upgraded version of the LT1 power plant. Denoted as the LT4 , the horsepower engine was showcased in both the Collectors Edition Corvette and a limited edition Grand Sport Corvette, but only when equipped with the six-speed manual transmission option.
It would be made available to consumers as both a coupe and a convertible. All Grand Sports —both coupes and convertibles- were equipped with a six speed manual transmission. Available under option code RPO F45, the Real Time Damping suspension calculated the optimal damping mode for its custom shock absorbers to maintain ride and handling quality via data that was gathered from individual sensors at each of the four wheels.
Chevrolet built a total of 21, Corvette in Before beginning the hunt for that perfect example of a fourth-generation Corvette to purchase, there are a few things that must be looked at critically.
First, it is important to know what good looks like. It is paramount that you avoid them when performing your search. While there is no shortage of used C4 Corvettes on the market today, being selective during the decision-making process could be the difference between enjoying a relatively maintenance-free owernship experience and purchasing a vehicle that requires endless upkeep and repairs. You are going to be looking at cars that — best case if built in are nearly 24 years old at the time this content was written.
Go all the way back to , and you are looking at a car that is nearly 36 years old. In both cases, it is important to know what to look for before you even consider visiting a dealership or private owner to look at a used C4 Corvette. Tires are expensive to replace and its commonly known that a seller will avoid putting new tires on a car if they plan on selling it. In addition to evaluating the overall condition of the tires, look to see that the tread is wearing evenly across the tire. Finding tires that are wearing more quickly on their interior or exterior edge could indicate an alignment problem.
While a simple alignment may be all that is required, unevenly wearing tires can also be an indicator of failing front-end components including tie rods, ball joints, bad shocks and springs. The L98 and LT1 are still considered powerful, reliable workhorse engines. Still, there are things to look out for on both the L98 and LT 1 engines that will help discriminate between a viable engine and one that could well past its prime.
On the L98 engines, worn valve guides are known to be an issue. Valve guides wear because of the constant friction between the guide and the stem. When the guides are worn or there is too much clearance between the guides and the valve stem, the engine will begin consuming oil.
The best indicator that the valve guides are worn is a puff of blue smoke from the exhaust system during a cold start.
By , the OptiSpark units had been redesigned to provide better moisture venting. Remember that a compromised OptiSpark ignition system is one of the most common culprits of rough-engine and no-engine start for these cars. A failed fuel-pump relay is also another common culprit on the C4 Corvette that prevents it from starting. This issue is more common on pre Corvettes although it has impacted all model years of this generation.
When evaluating a prospective C4 , always ask the current owner to start the car and allow it time to warm up long enough that the thermostat opens and the cooling fans turn on.
The electric fan relay on these cars has a tendency to fail, which will result in engine overheating. Additionally, the C4 Corvettes all years are known to develop coolant leaks and is actually considered a fairly common problem today. Check for oil in the radiator fluid. The tables do not indicate differences in factory exterior or interior colors options. Attempts are made to reflect differences in automatic and manual transmissions, coupes, convertibles, and certain ZR1 options, while differences resulting from specific options such as Z51, Grand Sports, Anniversary editions, etc… are not included in this overview.
Part design differences indicated in these tables do not directly represent part interchangeability and are only meant to reflect orginial design differences. Some parts designs can be successfully applied to other model years than those for which they were initially designed.
For further information on specific part differences and interchangability of parts for your C4 corvette please Contact Us. Skip to content. C4 Part Differences. C4 Corvette part design changes over production years.
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