1992 HONDA PRELUDE service

Service Station Procedures

Opening the Hood
1. Shift to Park or Neutral and set
the parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle, located under the
left lower corner of
the dash-
board. The hood will pop up slightly.

2. Standing
in front of the car, put

your fingers under the front edge
of the hood to the right of center.
Slide your hand to the left until
you feel the hood latch handle.
Push this handle to the left until
it releases the hood. Lift the hood.

3. Pul l
the support rod out of its clip
and insert the end into the hole
on the left side of the hood.
To close the hood, lift it up slightly
to remove the support rod from the hole. Put the support rod back into
its holding clip. Lower the hood to
about a foot above the fender, then
let it drop.

Before Driving

HOOD RELEASE HANDLE

LATCH

CONTINUED

CLIP

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Service Station Procedures

Oil Check
Check the engine oil level every
time you fill the car with gas. Wait
at least two minutes after turningthe engine off before you check the

oil.

1.
Remove the dipstick (orange

handle).
2. Wipe
the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel. 3. Insert it all the way back in its
tube.

Before Drivin
g
DIPSTIC
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Service Station Procedures
4. Remove it again and check the level. It should be between the
upper and lower marks.
If it is near or below the lower
mark, see page 135 for information
on the proper oil and how to add it. Coolant Check
Look at the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. Make sure it
is between the MAX and MIN lines. If it is below the MIN line, see
Adding Coolant on page 139 for
informatio
n o n
adding the proper
coolant.
Refer to Periodic Checks on

page 133 for information on check-
ing other items in your Honda.

Before Driving

UPPER MARK
LOWER MARK
RESERVE TANK MAX
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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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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

The Required Maintenance Schedule specifies how often you
should have your car serviced, and
what things need attention. It is
essential that your car be serviced
as scheduled to retain its high level of safety, dependability, and
emission control performance.
The services and time or mileage intervals shown in the maintenance
schedule assume you will use your
car as normal transportation for
passengers and their possessions.
You should:
Avoid exceeding your car's loadlimit. This puts excess strain on
the engine, brakes, and many
other parts of your car. The load
limit is shown on the label in the
glove box. Operate your car on reasonable
roads within the legal speed limit. Drive your car regularly over a
distance of several miles.
Always use unleaded gasoline

with the proper octane (see page

98).

Your authorized Honda dealer
knows your car best, and can provide competent, efficient
service. However, service at a
dealer is not mandatory to keep
your warranties in effect. Mainte-
nance may be done by any qualified
service facility or person who is
skilled in this type of automotive
service. Keep all the receipts as
proof of completion, and have the
person who does the work fill out
the maintenance record on page 131. Check your warranty booklet
for more information. We recommend the use of Genuine
Honda parts and fluids or their
equivalent whenever you have
maintenance done. These are the
same high-quality items that went
into your car when it was new, so you can be sure they fit and
perform flawlessly.
U.S. Cars:
Maintenance, replacement or
repair of emission control
devices and systems may be
done by any automotive re-
pair establishment or indi-
vidual using parts that are "certified" to EPA standards.

Vehicles sold in California have
slightly different maintenance

requirements. These are noted in

the Required Maintenance Sche-

dule. Other maintenance operations

are required by California regula-

tions, and condition the emission

warranty.

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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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R — Replace I — Inspect After inspection, clean, adjust, repair or replace if necessary.
: Check oil and coolant level at each fuel stop.
: Under severe driving conditions, service these items more often.
* 1 : For cars sold in California, this service is recommended only: other
areas, it is required.
* 2 : Tension adjustment only. *
3 : Thereafter, replace every 2 years or 48,000 km (30,000 miles), which
-
ever comes first.
* 4 : For
cars with Anti-lock brake system.
(US: Si, Si 4WS, Canada
: SR, SR 4WS)
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