1998 HONDA CIVIC COUPE Owners Manual

Wiper Blades

3. Remove the blade from its holder by grasping the tabbed end of the
blade. Pull firmly until the tabs
come out of the holder. 4. Examine the new wiper blades. If
they have no plastic or metal rein-
forcement along the back edge,
remove the metal reinforcementstrips from the old wiper blade and
install them in the slots along the edge of the new blade. 5. Slide the new wiper blade into the
holder until the tabs lock.
6. Slide the wiper blade assembly onto the wiper arm. Make sure it
locks in place.
7. Lower the wiper arm down against the windshield.

Maintenance
BLADE
BLADE

REINFORCEMENTMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Air Conditioning System
Standard on U.S. EX model

Your vehicle's air conditioning is a sealed system. Any major mainte-
nance, such as recharging, should be
done by a qualified mechanic. You
can do a couple of things to makesure the air conditioning works
efficiently. Periodically check the engine's
radiator and air conditioning
condenser for leaves, insects, and
dirt stuck to the front surface. These
block the air flow and reduce cooling efficiency. Use a light spray from a
hose or a soft brush to remove them.
The condenser and radiator fins bend
easily. Only use a low-pressure spray
or soft-bristle brush to clean them.
Run the air conditioning at least once
a week during the cold weather
months. Run it for at least ten
minutes while you are driving at a steady speed with the engine at
normal operating temperature. This
circulates the lubricating oil con-
tained in the refrigerant. If the air conditioning does not get as
cold as before, have your dealer
check the system. Recharge the
system with Refrigerant HFC-134a
(R-134a). (See Specifications on page 234.)
Whenever you have the air conditioning

system serviced, make sure the service

facility uses a refrigerant recycling
system. This system captures the
refrigerant for reuse. Releasing
refrigerant into the atmosphere can

damage the environment.

Maintenance

NOTICE
NOTICE

AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSERMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Drive Belts, Timing Belt
Drive Belts
Check the condition of the two or
three drive belts. Examine the edges
of each belt for cracks or fraying. Check the tension of each belt by
pushing on it with your thumb
midway between the pulleys.
The belts should have the following

"play" or deflection.
Alternator belt:
0.31— 0.41 in (8.0—10.5 mm)

Power steering belt:
0.41 — 0.55 in (10.5 — 14.0 mm)

On cars with Air Conditioning

Compressor belt:

0.30 — 0.37 in (7.5 — 9.5 mm)

If you see signs of wear or looseness,
have your dealer adjust or replace
the belts. Timing Belt
The timing belt should normally be replaced at the intervals shown in
the maintenance schedule.
Replace this belt at 60,000 miles (U.S.)
or 100,000 km (Canada) if you regu-
larly drive your vehicle in one or
more of these conditions: In very high temperatures
(over110°F,43°C).

In very low temperatures
(under —20°F, —29°C).

Maintenance

POWER STEERING
BELT
ALTERNATOR

BELT

COMPRESSOR BELTMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Tires

To safely operate your vehicle, your tires must be the proper type andsize, in good condition with adequate

tread, and correctly inflated. The

following pages give more detailed information on how and when to
check air pressure, how to inspect
your tires for damage and wear, and what to do when your tires need to

be replaced.
Inflation

Keeping the tires properly inflated
provides the best combination of
handling, tread life and riding comfort. Underinflated tires wear
unevenly, adversely affect handling and fuel economy, and are more
likely to fail from being overheated. Overinflated tires can make your
vehicle ride more harshly, are more prone to damage from road hazards,and wear unevenly.
We recommend that you visually check your tires every day. If you
think a tire might be low, check it
immediately with a tire gauge. Use a gauge to measure the air
pressure at least once a month. Even
tires that are in good condition may
lose one to two psi (10 to 20 kPa, 0.1 to 0.2 kgf/cm2) per month.Remember to check the spare tire at
the same time you check all the other tires.
Check the pressure in the tires when
they are cold. This means the vehicle
has been parked for at least three
hours. If you have to drive the
vehicle before checking the tire pressure, the tires can still be
considered "cold" if you drive less
than 1 mile (1.6 km).

CONTINUED

Maintenance

Using tires that are excessively
worn or improperly inflated can

cause a crash in which you can be seriously hurt or killed.

Follow all instructions in this
owner's manual regarding tire
inflation and maintenance.Main Menu Table of Contents s t

Tires

If you check the pressure when the
tires are hot (the vehicle has been driven several miles), you will see
readings 4 to 6 psi (30 to 40 kPa, 0.3 to 0.4 kgf/cm2) higher than the cold
reading. This is normal. Do not letair out to match the specified cold
pressure. The tire will be
underinflated.
You should get your own tire pressure gauge and use it whenever
you check your tire pressures. This
will make it easier for you to tell if a pressure loss is due to a tire problemand not due to a variation between

gauges.
Recommended Tire Pressures for
Normal Driving

The following chart shows the recommended cold tire pressures formost normal driving conditions andspeeds. Tire pressures for high
speed driving are shown on page 207.
The compact spare tire pressure is: 60 psi (420 kPa , 4.2 kgf/cm2) These pressures are also given on
the tire information label on thedriver's doorjamb.
Tubeless tires have some ability to self-seal if they are punctured.
However, because leakage is often
very slow, you should look closely
for punctures if a tire starts losing pressure.

MaintenanceMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Tires

Inspection
Every time you check inflation, you should also examine the tires for
damage, foreign objects, and wear.
You should look for:
Bumps or bulges in the tread orside of the tire. Replace the tire if
you find either of these conditions.
Cuts, splits, or cracks in the side
of the tire. Replace the tire if you
can see fabric or cord.
Excessive tread wear. Your vehicle's tires have wear indica-
tors molded into the tread. When the
tread wears down to that point, you
will see a 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) wide band running across the tread. Thisshows there is less than 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) of tread left on the tire. A
tire that is this worn gives very little
traction on wet roads. You should
replace the tire if you can see the
tread wear indicator in three or more
places around the tire. Maintenance
In addition to proper inflation,
correct wheel alignment helps to
decrease tire wear. If you find a tire
is worn unevenly, have your dealer check the wheel alignment.
The tires were properly balanced by the factoiy. They may need to be
rebalanced at some time before theyare worn out. Have your dealer
check the tires if you feel a consis-
tent vibration while driving. A tire should always be rebalanced if it is
removed from the wheel for repair.

CONTINUED

Maintenance

INDICATOR LOCATION MARKS
TREAD WEAR INDICATORSMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Tires
Make sure the installer balances the
wheels when you have new tires installed. This increases riding
comfort and tire life. Your vehicle'soriginal tires were dynamic or "spin"
balanced at the factory. For best
results, have the installer perform a dynamic balance.

(HX)

Improper wheel weights can damage
your vehicle's aluminum wheels. Use only Genuine Honda wheel weights for
balancing.
Tire Rotation

To help increase tire life and distribute wear more evenly, youshould have the tires rotated every
7,500 miles (12,000 km). Move the
tires to the positions shown in the chart each time they are rotated. When shopping for replacement
tires, you may find that some tires are "directional." This means they
are designed to rotate only in one
direction. If you use directional tires,
they should be rotated only front-to-
back.

Maintenance

NOTICE

Front


Front
(For Non-directional

Tires and Wheels)
(For Directional
Tires and Wheels)Main Menu Table of Contents s t

Tires
Replacing Tires and Wheels
The tires that came with your vehicle were selected to match the performance capabilities of the
vehicle while providing the best combination of handling, ride
comfort, and long life. You should
replace them with radial tires of thesame size, load range, speed rating,
and maximum cold tire pressure
rating (as shown on the tire's sidewall). Mixing radial and bias-ply
tires on your vehicle can reduce its
braking ability, traction, and steering
accuracy.
It is best to replace all four tires at
the same time. If that is not possible
or necessary, then replace the two
front tires or the two rear tires as a
pair. Replacing just one tire can seriously affect your vehicle's han-

dling.
The ABS works by comparing the
speed of the wheels. When replacing
tires, use the same size originally supplied with the vehicle. Tire size
and construction can affect wheel speed and may cause the system to
work inconsistently.
If you ever need to replace a wheel,
make sure the wheel's specifications
match those of the original wheel
that came on your vehicle. Re-
placement wheels are available at
your Honda dealer.

Maintenance

Installing improper tires on your
vehicle can affect handling and
stability. This can cause a crash in which you can be seriously
hurt or killed.

Always use the size and type of

tires recommended in this owner's manual.Main Menu Table of Contents s t