Taking Care of the Unexpected
This section covers the more- common problems that motorists
experience with their cars. It gives
you information about how to
safely evaluate the problem and
what to do to correct it. If the problem has stranded you on the
side of the road, you may be able to
get going again. If not, you will also
find instructions on getting your
car towed. Compact Spare Tire..................... 184
Changing a Flat Tire................... 185
If Your Engine Won't Start........ 190 Nothing Happens...................... 190
The Starter OperatesNormally................................ 191
Jump Starting................................ 191 If Your Engine Overheats.......... 193
Low Oil Pressure.......................... 195
Charging System Indication ...... 196
Check Engine Light..................... 197
Closing the Sunroof ..................... 198
Fuses............................................... 199 Checking and Replacing.........
200
Towing...........................................
202
Taking Car e
of the UnexpectedProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t
If Your Engine Won't Start
Diagnosing why your engine won't
start falls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn
the key to START (III): You hear nothing, or almost
nothing. The engine's starter
motor does not operate at all, or
operates very slowly.
You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, but the
engine does not start up and run. Nothing Happens or the
Starter Motor Operates Very
Slowly
When you turn the ignition switchto START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying to
start. You may hear
a clicking
sound or series of clicks, or nothing
at all.
Check these things:
Check the
transmission interlock.
If you have a 5-speed, the clutch
pedal must be pushed all the way
to the floor or the starter will not operate. With an automatic
transmission, it must be in Park
or Neutral.
Turn the ignition switch to ON
(II). Turn on the headlights and
check their brightness. If the
headlights are very dim or don't
light at all, the battery is dis-
charged.
See Jump Starting on
page 191
.
Turn the ignition switch to
START (III). If the headlights do
not dim, check the condition of
the fuses. If the fuses are OK,
there is probably something
wrong with the electrical circuit
for the ignition switch or starter
motor. You will need a qualified
technician to determine the
problem. (See Towing on page
202.)
If the headlights dim noticeably
or go out when you try to start
the engine, either the battery is
discharged or the connections
are corroded. Check the condi-
tion of the battery and terminal
connections (see page 153 ). You
can then try jump starting the
car from a booster battery (see
page 191).
Taking Care of the UnexpectedProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t
If Your Engine Won't Start, Jump Starting
The Starter Operates
Normally
In this case, the starter motor
sounds normal when you turn the
ignition switch to START (III), but
the engine does not run. Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Refer to Starting
the Engine on page 109 . Do you have gas? Turn the
ignition switch to ON (II) for a
minute and watch the fuel gauge.
There may be an electrical
problem, such as no power to the
fuel pump. Check all the fuses
(see page 199 ).
If you find nothing wrong, you will
need a qualified technician to find
the problem. See Towing on page
202.
Jump Starting
If your car's battery has run down,
you may be able to start the engine
by using a booster battery. Although this seems like a simple
procedure, there are several precau-
tions you should take. Follow the
directions closely.
You cannot start a Honda with an
automatic transmision by pushingor pulling it. To jump start your car:
1. Open the hood and check the physical condition of the battery
(see page 152 ). In very cold
weather, check the condition of the electrolyte. If it seems slushy
or like ice, do not try jump
starting until it thaws.
If a battery sits in extreme cold, the
electrolyte inside can freeze.
Attempting to jump start with a frozen battery can cause it to
rupture or explode.
2. Turn off all the electrical acces- sories: heater, A/C, stereo system,
lights, etc. Put the transmission in Neutral
or Park and set the parking
brake.
Taking Care of the Unexpected
CONTINUED
A battery can explode if you
do not follow the correct
procedure, seriously injuring
anyone nearby.
Keep all sparks, open flames,
and smoking materials away
from the battery.
NOTICE
ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t
Jump Starting
3. Connect one jumper cable to the positive (+) terminal on the
booster battery. Connect the
other end to the positive (+)
terminal on your Honda's battery. 4. Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative (—) terminal on
the booster battery. Connect the other end to the grounding strap
as shown. Do not connect this
jumper cable to any other part of
the engine.
5. If the booster battery is in another car, have an assistant
start that car and run it at a fast
idle.
6. Start your car. If the starter
motor still operates slowly, check
the jumper cable connections to
make sure they have good metal-
to-metal contact.
7. Once your car is running, disconnect the negative cable
from your car, then from the
booster battery. Disconnect the positive cable from your car,
then the booster battery.
Taking Care of the Unexpected
BOOSTER BATTERYProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t
If Your Engine Overheats
6. Look for any obvious coolant
leaks, such as a split radiator
hose. Everything is still extreme-
ly hot, so use caution. If you find
a leak, it must be repaired before
you continue driving (see
Towing on page 202 ).
7. If
you don't find an obvious leak,
check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank (see page
139). If the level is below the
MIN mark, add coolant to half-
way between the MIN and MAX
marks.
8. I f
there was no coolant in the
reserve tank, you may also have
to add coolant to the radiator. Let the engine cool down until
the temperature gauge registers
below the midpoint, or lower,
before checking the radiator. 9. Using gloves or a large heavy
cloth, turn the radiator cap
counterclockwise, without
pushing down, to the first stop.
This releases any remaining
pressure in the cooling system.
After the pressure releases, push down on the cap and turn it until
it comes off.
10.Start th e
engine and set the
heater control lever to maximum.
Add coolant to the radiator up to
the base of the filler neck. If you
do not have the proper coolant
mixture available, you can add
plain water. Remember to have
the cooling system drained and
refilled with the proper mixture as soon as you can.
11.Put the radiato
r cap back on
tightly. Run the engine and
watch the temperature gauge. If
it illuminates the red marker
again, the engine needs repair.
(See Towing on page
202.)
12.If th e
temperature stays normal,
check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. If it has
gone down, add coolant to the MAX mark. Put the cap back on
tightly.
Taking Care of the Unexpected
Removing the radiator cap
while the engine is hot can
cause the coolant to spray out, seriously scalding you.
Always let the engine and radiator cool down before
removing the radiator cap.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t
Low Oil Pressure
The low oil pressure light should never come on when the engine is
running. If this light comes on with
the engine running, take immediate
action.
Running the engine with low oil
pressure can cause serious mechani-
cal damage almost immediately.
Turn off the engine as soon as you
can safely get the car stopped. 1. Safely pull off the road and shut
off the engine.
2. Le
t
the car sit for a minute. Open
the hood and check the oil level
(see page 135). Although oil level
and oil pressure are not directly
connected, an engine that is very
low on oil can lose pressure
during cornering and other
driving maneuvers.
3. I f
necessary, add oil to bring the
level back to the full mark on the
dipstick (see page 135
).
4. Star t
the engine and watch the
oil pressure light. If the light
does not go out within ten
seconds, turn off the engine.
There is a mechanical problem
that needs to be repaired before
you can continue driving. (See
Towin g on
page 202 .
)
Taking Car e
of the Unexpected
LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT
NOTICEProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t
Check Engine Light
If the
check engine light comes on
while driving, there is a problem with your engine or its emissioncontrol systems. Even though you
may feel no difference in your car's
performance, it can reduce your
fuel economy and cause your car to put out excessive emissions.
Continued operation may cause
serious engine damage. If this light comes on, safely pull
off the road and turn off the engine.
Restart the engine and watch the
check engine light. If it stays on,
have your car checked by the dealer as soon as possible. You
should also have the dealer inspect
your car if the light comes on
frequently, even though it goes off
when you do the above procedure. If you keep driving with the check
engine light on, you can damage
your car's emission controls and
engine. Those repairs are not
covered by your car's warranties.
Taking Care of the Unexpected
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT
NOTICEProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t
Index
Accessories
Installation................................. 105
ACCESSORY
(Ignition Key Position).............. 48
Adding
Automatic Transmission
Fluid........................................ 144
Brake Fluid............................... 146 Clutch Fluid.............................. 147
Engine Oil...:.............................. 135
Manual Transmission Fluid... 145
Power Steering Fluid.............. 148
Radiator Coolant...................... 139
Windshield Washer fluid ........ 143
Additional Safety Information .... 16
Door Locks.................................. 16
Driving with Pets....................... 17
Seat-back Position..................... 16
Storing Cargo Safely................. 17
Additives, Engine Oil................... 136
Adjustments
Mirrors....................................... .
59
Seats............................................. 51
Steering Wheel..........................
43
Airbag (SRS).................................. 1
0
Air Conditioning............................. 68
Maintenance..............................
157
Usage............................................ 6 8
Ai
r Filter........................................
149
Air Outlet
s
(Vents)......................... 68
Air Pressure, Tires ......................
159
Alcohol an d
Drugs.......................... 24
Alcohol in Gasoline........................ 98
Antifreeze......................................
139
Anti-lock Brake s
(ABS)
Description................................
208
Indicator Light.................. .
34,
118
Operation................................... 117
Anti-theft Steerin
g
Column
Lock.............................................. 48
Appearance Care..........................
175
Ashtray............................................. 65
Audio System................................. .
75
Automatic Speed Control............. 44
Automatic Transmission............ 112
Capacity, Fluid........................
.
206
Checking Fluid Level.............. 144
Shifting
...................................... 113
Shift Leve r
Positions...............
112
Shift Lock Release................... 115
Battery
Charging System Light............. 33
Jump Starting............................ 191
Maintenance.............................. 152
Specifications............................ 207
Before Driving
................................ 97
Belts, Seat ......................................... 4
Body Repair
...................................
181
Brakes
Anti-lock Syste
m (ABS)..........
117
Break-in, Ne
w
Linings.............. 98
Fluid............................................
146
Light, Burned-out................... .
169
Parking......................................... 61
System Light.............................. .
33
Wear Indicators.....................
116
Brakes, AB S
Description...............................
.
208
Operation................................... 117
System Indicator...............
.
34,
118
Braking System...........................
.
116
Break-in, Ne
w
Car ......................... 98
CONTINUEDProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t