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Maintenance Safety
Important Safety Precautions
Before you begin any maintenance,
make sure your car is parked on
level ground and that the parking
brake is on. Also, be sure the engine
is off. This will help to eliminate several potential hazards:
Carbon monoxide poisoning
from engine exhaust. Be sure there is adequate ventilation
whenever you operate the engine.
Burns from hot parts. Let the
engine and exhaust system cool
before touching any parts.
Injury from moving parts. Do
not run the engine unless in-
structed to do so. Read the instructions before you
begin, and make sure you have the tools and skills required.
To reduce the possibility of fire or explosion, be careful when working
around gasoline or batteries. Use a
nonflammable solvent, not gasoline,
to clean parts. Keep cigarettes, sparks, and flames away from the
battery and all fuel-related parts.
You should wear eye protection and protective clothing when working
near the battery or when usingcompressed air.
Maintenance
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Battery
Check the condition of your car's
battery monthly. You should check
the color of the test indicator window, and for corrosion on the terminals. TEST INDICATOR WINDOW
Check the battery condition by
looking at the test indicator window on the battery.
The label on the battery explains the test indicator's colors. Check the battery terminals for
corrosion (a white or yellowish
powder). To remove it, cover the
terminals with a solution of baking soda and water. It will bubble up and
turn brown. When this stops, wash it off with plain water. Dry off the
battery with a cloth or paper towel. Coat the terminals with grease to
help prevent future corrosion.
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Battery
If the terminals are severely cor-
roded, clean them with baking soda and water. Then use a wrench to
loosen and remove the cables from
the terminals. Always disconnect the negative ( — ) cable first and recon-
nect it last. Clean the battery termi-
nals with a terminal cleaning tool or
wire brush. Reconnect and tighten the cables, then coat the terminals
with grease. If you need to connect the battery to
a charger, disconnect both cables to
prevent damage to the car's electri-
cal system.
On the U.S. EX model
If your car's battery is disconnected or goes dead, the audio system will
disable itself. The next time you turn
on the radio you will see "Code" in
the frequency display. Use the Preset buttons to enter the five-digit
code (see page 106).
Charging the battery with the cables
connected can seriously damage your
car's electronic controls. Detach the
battery cables before connecting the battery to a charger.
Maintenance
The battery gives off explosive
hydrogen gas during normal
operation.
A spark or flame can cause the battery to explode with enough
force to kill or seriously hurt you.
Wear protective clothing and a
face shield, or have a skilled mechanic do the battery
maintenance.
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Storing Your Car
If you need to park your car for an
extended period (more than one
month), there are several things you should do to prepare it for storage.
Proper preparation helps prevent deterioration and makes it easier to
get your car back on the road. If
possible, store your car indoors.
Fill the fuel tank.Change the engine oil and filter (see page 150).
Wash and dry the exterior completely.
Clean the interior. Make sure the
carpeting, floor mats, etc. are
completely dry.
Leave the parking brake off. Put
the transmission in Park. Block the rear wheels.
If the car is to be stored for a
longer period, it should be supported on jackstands so the
tires are off the ground.
Leave one window open slightly (if
the car is being stored indoors).
Disconnect the battery.
Support the front and rear wiper
blade arms with a folded towel or
rag so they do not touch the
windshield.
To minimize sticking, apply a silicone spray lubricant to all door
and trunk seals. Also, apply a car
body wax to the painted surfaces
that mate with the door and trunk
seals.
Cover the car with a "breathable"
car cover, one made from a porous
material such as cotton.
Nonporous materials, such as
plastic sheeting, trap moisture,
which can damage the paint.
If possible, run the engine for a
while periodically (preferably once a month).
If you store your car for 12 months
or longer, have your Honda dealer
perform the inspections called for in the 24 months/30,000 miles (48,000
km) maintenance schedule (Normal Conditions) as soon as you take it
out of storage (see page 142). The
replacements called for in the maintenance schedule are not
needed unless the car has actually
reached that time or mileage.
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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 almostnothing. The engine's starter
motor does not operate at all, oroperates very slowly.
You can hear the starter motor operating normally, or the starter
motor sounds like it is spinning
faster than normal, but the engine does not start up and run. Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
When you turn the ignition switch to 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.
The transmission must be in Park or Neutral or the starter will not
operate.
Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights and check their brightness. If the headlightsare very dim or don't light at all,
the battery is discharged. See
Jump Starting on page 202.
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 proba-
bly 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 215.)
If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the engine, either the battery is dis-
charged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of
the battery and terminal connec-
tions (see page 164). You can
then try jump starting the car from a booster battery (see page 203).
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If Your Engine Won't Start, Jump Starting
The Starter Operates Normally In this case, the starter motor'sspeed sounds normal, or even faster
than normal, when you turn the
ignition switch to START (III), but
the engine does not run.
Are you using the proper startingprocedure? Refer to Starting the
Engine on page 119.
Do you have fuel? Turn the
ignition switch to ON (II) for a
minute and watch the fuel gauge.
The low fuel level warning light may not be working, so you were
not reminded to fill the tank.
There may be an electrical problem, such as no power to the
fuel pump. Check all the fuses (see page 211).
If you find nothing wrong, you will
need a qualified technician to find
the problem. See Towing on page
215.
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,
you should take several precautions.
You cannot start a Honda by pushing or pulling it. To jump start your car, follow these
directions closely:
1. Open the hood and check the physical condition of the battery(see page 164). 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.
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
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.
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Jump Starting
3. Connect one jumper cable to the positive ( + ) terminal on thebooster battery. Connect the otherend to the positive ( + ) terminal
on your Honda's battery. 4. Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative ( — ) terminal onthe booster battery. Connect theother 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, discon- nect 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
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Charging System Indicator
This indicator should come on when the ignition is ON (II), and go out
after the engine starts. If it comes on
brightly when the engine is running, it indicates that the charging system
has stopped charging the battery. Immediately turn off all electrical
accessories: radio, heater, A/C, rear
defogger, cruise control, etc. Try not
to use other electrically-operated
controls such as the power windows. Keep the engine running and take
extra care not to stall it. Starting the
engine will discharge the battery
rapidly. By eliminating as much of the
electrical load as possible, you can drive several miles before the
battery is top discharged to keep the
engine running. Drive to a service station or garage where you can get
technical assistance.
Taking Care of the Unexpected
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