1998 HONDA PRELUDE trailer

Towing a Trailer

Towing Safety

Your vehicle will not stop as quickly
with a trailer in tow. Leave extra distance between your vehicle 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 vehicle
and can hit or run over something
that the vehicle misses. When
passing another vehicle, make sure
the trailer is clear before changing

lanes.
The vehicle/trailer combination is
more affected by crosswinds andbuffeting. 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 vehicle. You should have
your vehicle serviced according to the "Maintenance Schedule undersevere driving conditions" on page 166. 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 airconditioning (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 uphill,do not hold the vehicle in place by
pressing on the accelerator. This can cause the automatic transmission to
overheat. Use the parking brake or
footbrake.

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Towing a Trailer

When towing a trailer in the Sequential SportShift mode, select
Third, Second, or First gear; depending on the vehicle speeds and
road condition. Do not use Fourth
gear. The recommended speed
range for each gear position is shown in the table. When parking your vehicle and
trailer, especially on a hill, be sure to
follow all the normal precautions.
Turn your front wheels into the curb, set the parking brake firmly, and put
the transmission in 1st or Reverse (manual) or Park (automatic). In
addition, place wheel chocks at each
of the trailer's tires.
Backing up with a trailer is difficult and takes practice. Drive slowly,
make small movements with thesteering wheel, and have someone
stand outside to guide you. Grip the
steering wheel on the bottom (rather
than the usual position near the top). Move your hand to the left to get the
trailer to move to the left, and right
to move the trailer right.

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Maintenance Schedule (Severe Conditions)

# : See maintenance and emissions warranty information, last column, page 163 . Follow the Severe Maintenance
Schedule if you drive your
vehicle MAINLY under one or
more of the following condi-

tions:

Driving less than 5 miles (8
km) per trip or, in freezing
temperatures, driving less than 10 miles (16 km) per trip. Driving in extremely hot
[over90°F (32°C)] conditions. Extensive idling or long
periods of stop-and-go driving.
Trailer towing, driving with a
roof rack carrier, or driving inmountainous conditions. Driving on muddy, dusty, or
de-iced roads.

* 1: Refer to page 196 for replacement

information under special driving
conditions.
For Canadian Owners

Follow the Maintenance
Schedule for Severe Conditions.

Maintenance
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Maintenance Schedule for Severe Conditions (listed by distance/time)

Use this schedule if your vehicle is MAINLY driven in any of the following Severe Conditions, or normally driven in Canada; otherwise use the Normal
Schedule. Service at the indicated distance or time, whichever comes first. Do the items in A, B, C as required for each distance/time.
Severe Conditions:

• Driving less than 5 mi (8 km) per trip or, in freezing temperatures, driving less than 10 mi (16 km) per trip.
• Driving in extremely hot (over 90°F/32°C) conditions.
• Extensive idling or long periods of stop-and-go driving.
• Trailer towing, driving with a roof rack carrier, or driving in mountainous conditions.
• Driving on muddy, dusty, or de-iced roads.

CONTINUED

Maintenance

#: See maintenance and emissions warranty information, last
column, page 163.
page 200).ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Lights

Headlight Aiming
The headlights were properly aimed
when your vehicle was new. You should check their aim if you
regularly carry heavy items in the
trunk or pull a trailer. Each headlight
assembly has horizontal and vertical
adjustment indicators. These are set to their "0" positions after the
headlights are aimed at the factory.
To check these settings:
1. Make sure the fuel tank is full. Park the vehicle on level ground.
2. The driver or someone who weighs the same should be sitting
in the driver's seat for all checks
and adjustments.Load the trunk with the items you
normally carry. If you usually pull a trailer, load it as
you would normally and attach it to the vehicle. Push down on the frontand rear bumpers several times tomake sure the vehicle is sitting
normally.
3. Open the hood.
4. Check the horizontal angle gauge. The line on the adjustment screwindicator should line up with the"0" mark on the gauge. 5. Check the vertical angle gauge.
The bubble should be centeredunderneath the longest scribe
mark on the gauge.

CONTINUED

Maintenance
HORIZONTAL ANGLE GAUGE

BUBBLE

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Index

Shift Lock Release......................... 143
Side Marker Lights, Bulb
Replacement in.......................... 209

Signaling Turns................................ 61

Snow Tires...................................... 202

Solvent-type Cleaners.................... 220
Sound System................................. 100

Spare Tire

Inflating.......................................228

Specifications............................. 255
Spark Plugs, Replacing................. 188
Specifications Charts ............ 254, 255

Speed Control................................... 65

Speedometer.................................... 56
SRS, Additional Information........... 43 Additional Safety Precautions.... 46How Your Airbags Work............ 43How Your SRS Indicator Light
Works........................................ 45

SRS Components......................... 43
SRS Service................................... 45
SRS Indicator.............................. 45, 53
START (Ignition Key Position) ..... 71
Starting the Engine........................ 133 In Cold Weather at HighAltitude................................... 133 With a Dead Battery ................. 236
Steam Coming from Engine......... 238
Steering Wheel Adjustment................................... 64
Anti-theft Column Lock.............. 71

Stereo Sound System.................... 100
Storing Your Car............................ 217

Supplemental Restraint System..... 43
Servicing....................................... 45

SRS Indicator.......................... 45, 53

Synthetic Oil................................... 174

Tachometer...................................... 56 Taillights, Changing Bulbs in....... 211
Taking Care of the Unexpected................................ 227
Tape Player..................................... 113
Technical Descriptions Emission Control Systems........ 261
Three Way Catalytic Converter................................ 263
Tire Information........................ 256
Temperature Gauge........................ 57
Tether Attachment Points.............. 38 Three Way Catalytic Converter... 263

Time, Setting the ............................. 85

Timing Belt..................................... 196
Tire Chains..................................... 202
Tire, How to Change a Flat.......... 229
Tires................................................ 197
Air Pressure............................... 197Checking Wear.......................... 198
Compact Spare........................... 228
DOT Tire Quality Grading....... 257
Inflation....................................... 197
Inspection................................... 198
Maintenance............................... 199
Replacing.................................... 200 Rotating....................................... 200

Snow............................................202

Specifications............................. 255
Tire Chains................................. 202 Technical Information.............. 256
Winter Driving........................... 201
Tools, Tire Changing.................... 229
Towing A Trailer...................................... 152Emergency................................. 250ProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t