1992 HONDA PRELUDE four wheel drive

Indicator Lights

Four Wheel Steering

System (4WS)
Indicator

Only on cars equipped with electronic

four wheel steering

This light normally comes on when you turn the ignition ON (II) and
goes off after the engine starts. If it
comes on at any other time, there is
a problem in the 4WS. If this
happens, stop the car in a safe placeand turn off the engine. Reset the
system by restarting the engine.
Watch the 4WS light. If it does not
go off, or comes back on again
while driving, take the car to yourdealer to have the system checked.
The 4WS system is disabled with this light on. The rear wheels are
locked straight ahead, and your car
steers like a conventional car
without 4WS.
Turn Signal and

Hazard Warning

Indicators

The left or right turn signal light
blinks when you signal a lane change or turn. If the light does not
blink or blinks rapidly, it usually
means one of the turn signal bulbs is burned out (see page 164).Replace it as soon as possible, since
other driver s
cannot see that you
are signaling.
When you turn on the Hazard
Warning switch, both turn signal
lights blink. All turn signals on the outside of the car should flash.

High Beam Indicator

This light comes on with the high
beam headlights. See page 40 for information on the headlight
controls.

Instruments and Controls

4WS


Low fuel Indicator

This light comes on as a reminder
that you must refuel soon.
Cruise Control

Indicator

This lights when you set the cruise control. See page 44 for informa-
tion on operating the cruise control.

Trunk-open Indicator

This light comes on if the trunk lid
is not closed tightly.
Door-open Indicator

This light comes on if either door is
not closed tightly.

CRUISE
CONTROL
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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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The Braking System

Your Honda is equipped with disc brakes at all four wheels. The
braking system is power-assisted to
reduce the effort needed on the
brake pedal.
Put your foot on the brake pedal
only when you intend to brake.
Resting your foot on the pedal
keeps the brakes applied lightly,
causing them to build up heat. Heat
build-up can reduce how well your
brakes work. It also keeps your
brake lights on all the time, confusing drivers behind you.
Constant application of the brakes
when going down a long hill builds
up heat and reduces their effective-
ness. Use the engine to assist the
brakes by downshifting to a lower
gear and taking your foot off the
accelerator pedal. Check your brakes after driving
through deep water. Apply the
brakes moderately to see if they feel normal. If not, apply them
gently and frequently until they do. Since a longer distance is needed to
stop with wet brakes, be extra
cautious and alert in your driving.

Brake Wear Indicators

All four brakes have audible brake
wear indicators. When the brake pads need re-placing, you will hear a distinctive
metallic "screeching" sound when
you apply the brakes. If you do not
have the brake pads replaced, they
will begin screeching all the time.
Your brakes may sometimes squeal
or squeak when you apply them
lightly. Do not confuse this with the
brake wear indicators. They make a very audible "screeching".
Brake System Design

The hydraulic system that operates
the brakes has two separate cir- cuits. Each circuit works diago-
nally across the car (the left-front
brake is connected with the right-
rear brake, etc.). If one circuit
should develop a problem, you will
still have braking at two wheels.

Driving
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The Braking System, Four Wheel Steering

The ABS is self-checking. If
anything goes wrong, the ABS indi-
cator on the instrument panel
comes on (see page 34 ). This means
the Anti-lock function of the brak-
ing system has shut down. The
brakes still work like a convention-
al system, providing normal stop- ping ability. You should have the
dealer inspect your car as soon as

possible.
The ABS works by comparing the
speed of the wheels. When re-
placing tires, use the same size
originally supplied with the car.
Tire size and construction can
affect wheel speed and may cause
the system to work inconsistently.
A car with ABS may require a
longer distance to stop on loose or
uneven surfaces than an equivalent
car without Anti-lock. The ABS
cannot make up for road conditions
or bad judgment. It is still yourresponsibility to drive at reasonable
speeds for weather and
traffic
conditions, and to leave a margin of

safety.

For a technical description of the
Anti-lock brake system hardware,
refer to page 208 . Four Wheel Steering

The Si 4WS and SR 4WS models

feature an electronically controlled

system that steers the rear wheels

as you steer the front wheels.

It uses the car's speed, angle of the

front wheels, and the rate that you

turn the steering wheel to steer the

rear wheels in the appropriate
direction and angle.

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Four Wheel Steering, Driving in Bad Weather

At very slow speeds, the rear
wheels steer in the opposite direction to the front wheels. This
helps in maneuvers such as parallelparking and U-turns.
At higher speeds, the rear wheels
first steer in the same direction as the front wheels. This aids with
changing lanes. As you turn the
steering wheel more, the rear
wheels return to straight ahead and
then steer in the opposite direction
to the front wheels. This givesimproved handling when going
around curves at highway speeds. The rear wheels return to the
straight ahead position when you
turn off the engine. They also
return to straight ahead if you sit
still for more than two minutes
with the engine running. They
return to steering mode as soon as
you move the steering wheel or
start to drive away.
The 4WS system is self-checking.
If it detects a problem anywhere in
the system, it turns on the 4WS indicator on the instrument panel
(see page 35) and points the rear
wheels straight ahead. Your car
will then drive like a conventional car without 4WS.
Driving in Bad Weather

Rain, fog, and snow conditions re-
quire a different driving technique
because of reduced traction and
visibility. Keep your car well- maintained and exercise greater
caution when you need to drive in
bad weather. The cruise control
should not be used in these condi-

tions.

CONTINUED

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Driving in Bad Weather

Driving Technique — Always
drive slower than you would in dry
weather. It takes your car longer to react, even in conditions that may
seem just barely damp. Apply
smooth, even pressure to all the
controls. Abrupt steering wheel
movements or sudden, hard appli-
cation of the brakes can cause loss
of control in wet weather. Be extra
cautious for the first few miles of
driving while you adjust to the change in driving conditions. This
is especially true in snow. A person
can forget some snow-driving tech- niques during the summer months.
Practice is needed to relearn those

skills.

Exercise extra caution when
driving in rain after a long dry spell.
After months of dry weather, the
first rains bring oil to the surface of
the roadway, making it slippery. Visibility — Being able to see
clearly in all directions and being
visible to other drivers are impor-
tant in all weather conditions. This is more difficult in bad weather. To
be seen more clearly during day-
light hours, turn on your headlights.
Inspect your windshield wipers and
washers frequently. Keep the wind- shield washer reservoir full of the

proper fluid. Replace the wind-

shield wiper blades if they start to
streak the windshield or leave parts
unwiped. Use the defrosters and air conditioner to keep the windows
from fogging up on the inside (see
page 73).
Traction — Check your tires
frequently for wear and proper pressure. Both are important in
preventing "hydroplaning" (loss of
traction on a wet surface). In the
winter, mount snow tires on all four
wheels for the best handling.
Watch road conditions carefully, they can change from moment to
moment. Wet leaves can be as slip-
pery as ice. "Clear" roads can have
patches of ice. Driving conditions
can be very hazardous when the
outside temperature is near freez-
ing. The road surface can become
covered with areas of water pud-
dles mixed with areas of ice, so
your traction can change without

warning.

Be careful when downshifting. If
traction is low, you can lock up the
drive wheels for a moment and
cause a skid.

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Tires

Winter Driving

Tires that are marked "M+S" or "All Season" on the sidewall have
an all-weather tread design. They should be suitable for most winter
driving conditions. Tires without
these markings are designed for optimum traction in dry conditions.
They may not provide adequateperformance in winter driving.
For the best performance in snowy
or icy conditions, you should install
snow tires or tire chains. They may
be required by local laws under certain conditions. Snow Tires
If you mount snow tires on your
Honda, make sure they are radial
tires of the same size and load
range as the original tires. Mount snow tires on all four wheels to
balance your car's handling in all
weather conditions. Keep in mind
the traction provided by snow tires on dry roads may not be as high as
your car's original-equipment tires.
You should drive cautiously even
when the roads are clear. Check
with the tire dealer for maximum speed recommendations.
Tire Chains Mount snow chains on your car
when warranted by driving condi-
tions or required by local laws.
Make sure the chains are the cor-
rect size for your tires. Install them
only on the front tires. If metal
chains are used, they must be SAE
class"S". Cable type traction de-
vices can also be used. When installing chains, follow the
manufacturer's instructions and
mount them as tightly as you can.
Drive slowly with chains installed.
If you hear the chains contacting
the body or chassis, stop and
tighten them. If they still make
contact, slow down until it stops.
Remove the chains as soon as you
begin driving on cleared roads.
Chains of the wrong size or that are
improperly installed can damage
your car's brake lines, suspension,
body, and wheels. Stop driving if
you hear the chains hitting any part

of
the car.
Maintenance

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Four Wheel Steering

The Si 4WS model in the U. S and
the SR 4WS model in Canada are
equipped with an electronic Four
Wheel Steering system.
As inputs, the 4WS system uses a
vehicle speed sensor and a sensor to measure how far the front
wheels are turned.
The electronic control unit for 4WS system uses these inputs to deter-
mine which direction to steer the
rear wheels, and at what angle. Depending on vehicle speed and the
angle of the front wheels, the rear
wheels will be "countersteered"
(steered in the opposite direction of
the front wheels) or "same-steered"
(steered in the same direction as
the front wheels). The 4WS electronic control unit
drives an electric motor built into
the rear steering box. Sensors for
rear wheel angle and speed provide
feedback. The electronic control
unit uses this feedback to compare
the actual rear wheel angle to the
desired angle.
When the driver turns the front
wheels with the car traveling less
than 18 mph (30 km/h), the rear
wheels are countersteered. The angle of countersteer increases as
the angle of the front wheels in-
creases, to a maximum counter-
steer angle of six degrees. This
improves response when parallel
parking or making sharp turns.
Above 18 mph (30 km/h), the rear
wheels are same-steered as the driver begins to turn the steering
wheel. The rear wheel angle for
any given steering wheel angle is
not fixed; it increases as vehicle speed increases. This improves
response in lane-changing maneu-
vers.
As the driver continues to turn the
steering wheel, the rear wheels are
steered back to the straight-ahead
position and then to countersteer
mode. As with same steer, the
angle of countersteer varies with
vehicle speed; increasing and then decreasing as the speed rises. This
gives improved handling in low, medium, and high speed curves.
The 4WS system's electronic
control unit monitors the sensors
whenever the ignition is ON. If it detects a problem anywhere in the
system, it lights the 4WS indicator
on the instrument panel and turns
the system off. With the system off,
the rear wheels remain pointed
straight ahead. Your car will then
drive like a conventional car
without 4WS.

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