1992 HONDA PRELUDE manual transmission

Automatic Transmission

Reverse (R) — To shift to Re-
verse from Park, see the explana-
tion under Park. To shift to Re-
verse from Neutral, come to a com-
plete stop and then shift. Press the
release button before shifting into
Reverse from Neutral.
Neutral (N) — Use Neutral if you need to restart a stalled engine, or
if it is necessary to stop briefly with
the engine idling. Shift to Park posi-
tion if you need to leave the car for
any reason. Press on the brake pe-
dal when you are moving the shift
lever from Neutral to another gear.
Drive (D4) — Use this position for
your normal driving. The transmis-
sion automatically selects a suita-
ble gear for your speed and acceler-
ation. You may notice the transmis-
sion shifting up at higher speeds
when the engine is cold. This helps
the engine warm up faster. Drive (D3) — This position is simi-
lar to D4, except only the first three
gears are selected. Use D3 to provide engine braking when going
down a steep hill. D3 can also keep
the transmission from cycling
between third and fourth gears in stop-and-go driving.
For faster acceleration when in D3
or D4, you can get the transmission
to automatically downshift by push-
ing the accelerator pedal to the
floor. The transmission will shift down one or two gears, depending
on your speed.
Second (2) — To shift to Second,
press the release button on the side
of the shift lever. This position
locks the transmission in second
gear. It does not downshift to first
gear when you come to a stop.
Second gives you more power when
climbing, and increased engine
braking when going down steep hills. Use second gear when start-
ing out on a slippery surface or in
deep snow. It will help reduce

wheelspin.

Whenever you move the shift lever
to a lower gear, the transmission
downshifts only if the engine's
redline will not be exceeded in the
lower gear.First (1) — To shift from Second
to First ,
press the release button on
the side of the shift lever. With the
lever in this position, the transmis-
sion locks in First gear. By upshift-
ing and downshifting through 1,2,
D3 and D4, you can operate this
transmission much like a manual
transmission without a clutch pedal.

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Automatic Transmission

Maximum Speeds

The speeds in this table are the
maximums for the given position.
If you exceed these speeds, the
engine speed will enter into the
tachometer's red zone. If this occurs, you will feel the engine cut
in and out. This is caused by a
limiter in the engine's computer
controls. The engine will run
normally when you reduce the
RPM below the red zone.
Shift Lock Release
This allows you to move the shift
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake pedal and pressing the release
button does not work.
1. Set the Parking brake.
2. Remove the key from the ignition switch.
3. Insert the key in the Shift Lock Release slot next to the shift

lever.

4. Push down on the key while you press the release button and
move the shift lever out of Park
to Neutral.
5. Remove the key from the Shift
Lock Release slot. Depress the
brake pedal and restart the

engine.

If you need to use the Shift Lock
Release, it could mean your car is
developing a problem. Have the car
checked by your Honda dealer.

Driving

(US: S, Canada: S)

(US: Si, Si 4WS, Canada: SR, SR 4WS)
RELEASE

BUTTON

SHIFT LOCK
RELEASE SLOTProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Towing a Trailer

Towing Safety

Your car will not stop as quickly
with a trailer in tow. Leave extra distance between your car and
other vehicles. Avoid braking or
turning suddenly. This could cause
the trailer to jackknife or possibly
turn over.
Keep in mind that your total
vehicle is now much longer. Leave
more room when making turns.
The trailer tracks a smaller arc than the car and can hit or run over
something that the car misses.
When passing another vehicle,
make sure the trailer is clear before changing lanes. The car/trailer combination is more
affected by crosswinds and buffet-
ing. When being passed by a large
vehicle, keep a constant speed and steer straight ahead. If there is too
much wind buffeting, slow down to
get out of the other vehicle's air

turbulence.

Towing a trailer puts an extra load on your car. You should have your
car serviced according to the
"Maintenance schedule under

severe driving conditions" on page
130.
This extra load is magnified when
you are driving in hilly terrain.
Watch the temperature gauge
closely when climbing hills. If it
gets near the hot area, turn off the
air conditioner (if it is on). If this
does not reduce the heat, it may be
necessary to pull to the side of the
road and wait for the engine to cool. If the automatic transmission shifts
frequently between 3rd and 4th
gears, put it in D3. This will help
prevent the transmission from
overheating. Help keep the brakes
from overheating by shifting to a
lower gear when going downhill. If you have to stop while going up-
hill, do not hold the car in place by pressing on the accelerator. This
can cause the automatic transmis-
sion to overheat. Use the parking
brake or footbrake.

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Towing a Trailer

Driving

When parking your car and trailer,
especially on a hill, be sure to
follow all the normal precautions.
Turn your front wheels into the curb, set the parking brake firmly,
and put the transmission in 1st or
Reverse (5-speed) or Park (auto-
matic). In addition, place wheel chocks at each of the trailer's tires.
Backing up with a trailer is diffi-
cult and takes practice. Drive
slowly, make small movements
with the steering wheel, and havesomeone stand outside to guide you.
Grip th e
steering wheel on the
bottom (rather than the usual posi- tion near the top). Move your hand
to the left to get the trailer to move
to the left, and right to move the

trailer right.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Maintenance

Regularly maintaining your Honda
is the best way to protect your investment. You will be rewarded
with safer, more economical,
trouble-free driving. This section
lists items that need to be checked
regularly and explains how to check them. It also details some
simple maintenance tasks you can

do yourself. The maintenance

schedules for normal and severe
driving conditions show you when
these things need to be done.
If you are interested in how to per-
form more complex maintenance
on your Honda, you can purchase
the Service Manual. See page 221 for information on how to
obtain a copy, or see your Honda

dealer.
Maintenance Schedule................ 128
Maintenance Record................ 131
Periodic Checks............................ 133
Fluid Locations............................. 134

Engine Oil...................................... 135
Checking Engine Oil................ 135

Adding........................................ 135
Recommended Oil.................... 136

Additives.................................... 136 Oil and Filter Changes ............ 137
Cooling System............................. 139 Checking the Coolant Level... 139
Adding Radiator Coolant........ 139
Replacing Coolant.................... 140
Windshield Washers.................... 143

Transmission Oil.......................... 144
Automatic Transmission........ 144
5-speed Transmission.............. 145

Brake and Clutch Fluid............... 146
Brake System............................ 146
Anti-lock Brake System ......... 147 Clutch System........................... 147
Power Steering............................. 148

Air Filter....................................... 149
Fuel Filter..................................... 150

Spark Plugs.................................. .
150
Replacement.............................. 150
Specification.............................. 152
Battery............................................ 152
Windshield Wipers....................... 155
Air Conditioner............................. 157 Engine Belts.................................. 158
Tires................................................ 158 Inflation...................................... 158
Inspection................................... 159
Maintenance.............................. 160
Tire Rotation............................ 160
Replacing Tires ........................ 161
Wheels and Tires...................... 161
DOT Tire Quality Grading..... 161 Treadwear............................. 161
Traction................................. 162
Temperature......................... 162
Winter Driving.......................... 163 Snow Tires............................ 163
Tire Chains............................ 163
Lights.............................................. 164
Replacing Bulbs........................ 164
Storing Your Car.......................... 173

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Maintenance Schedule
R — Replace I — Inspect After inspection, clean, adjust, repair or replace if necessary.

Severe Driving Conditions Items with an or in the chart will need service
more often, if you drive in some servere conditions.
The conditions are:
A. Repeated short distance driving.B. Dusty conditions.
C. Severe cold weather.
D. Areas with road salt or other corrosive materials.
E. Rough or muddy roads.
F. Towing a trailer.
The services are:
— Clean the air cleaner element every 24,000 km (15,000 miles) or 12 months and replace every 48,000 km (30,000 miles) or 24 months under condition B or E.
— Replace engine oil and oil filter every 6,000 km (3,750 miles) o r 3 months under condition A,

B or F
.

— Replace transmission oil every 24,000 km (15,000 miles) or 12 months under condition F.
— Inspect front brake discs and calipers, and rear brake discs, calipers and pads every 12,000 km (7,500 miles) or 6 months under condition A, B, D, E or F.
— Inspect the power steering system every 12,000 km (7,500 miles) o
r 6 months under
condition B, C or E.

Maintenance
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Periodic Checks

You should check the following items at the specified intervals. If
you are unsure of how to perform
any check, turn to the page given. Engine oil level — Check every
time you fill the gas tank. See
page 102.

Engine coolant level — Check

the radiator reserve tank every
time you fill the gas tank. See

page 103.

Windshield washer fluid —
Check the level in the reservoir
monthly. If weather conditions
cause you to use the washers
frequently, check the reservoir each time you stop for gas. See

page 143 .

Automatic transmission — Check the fluid level monthly.
See page 144. Brakes, clutch and power
steering — Check the fluid level
monthly. See page 146.Tires — Check the tire pressure
monthly. Examine the tread for
wear and foreign objects. See
page 159.
Battery — Check its condition
and the terminals for corrosion
monthly. See page 152.
Air conditioner — Check its operation weekly. See page 157.
Lights — Check the operation of
the headlights, parking lights,
taillights, high-mount brake light,
turn signals, brake lights, and
license plate lights monthly. See
page 164.

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Fluid Locations

Maintenance
BRAKE FLUID
(Gray cap)
(5-M/T only)
CLUTCH FLUID (Gray cap)
ENGINE OIL
FILLER CAP
POWER STEERING
FLUID (Red cap)
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE
RESERVOIR
(Gray cap)
COOLANT

RESERVOIR

AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION FLUID DIPSTICK
(Yellow loop)

ENGINE OIL DIPSTICK
(Orange loop)WASHER FLUID
(Blue cap)ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t