1998 HONDA PRELUDE warning

Seat Adjustments

Driver's Seat Height Adjustment

See pages 11 — 12 for important safety

information and warnings about how to

properly position seats and seat-backs.

To adjust the height of the driver's seat, turn the dial on the outside of
the seat bottom.
Rear Seat Access

To get into the back seat on the driver's side, pull up on the seat-back
adjustment lever.
To get into the back seat on thepassenger's side, push forward on
the release lever at the base of the seat-back. The seat-back will tilt
forward and the entire seat will move
forward to allow easier entry to the back seat. After you return the seat-
back to the upright position, push
the whole seat backwards until it
latches. Make sure the seat is fully
latched before sitting in it.

Instruments and Controls
RELEASE

LEVERProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Seat Adjustments

Head Restraints

See page 13 for important safety
information and a warning about how to
properly position the head restraints.

The front head restraints helpprotect you and your passenger from
whiplash and other injuries. They are most effective when you adjust them so the back of the occupant's head
rests against the center of the
restraint. A taller person should adjust the restraint as high as

possible.
The front head restraints adjust for
height. You need both hands toadjust the restraint. Do not attempt
to adjust it while driving. To raise it,
pull upward. To lower the restraint, push the release button sidewaysand push the restraint down.
To remove a head restraint for cleaning or repair, pull it up as far as
it will go. Push the release button and pull the restraint out of the seat-

back.

Instruments and Controls

RELEASE

BUTTONProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Driving in Bad Weather

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 tomoment. 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 freezing.
The road surface can become covered with areas of water puddles
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.
Be very cautious when passing, or
being passed by other vehicles. The spray from large vehicles reduces
your visibility, and the wind buffeting can cause you to lose control.

DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Changing a Flat Tire
If you have a flat tire while driving, stop in a safe place to change it.
Stopping in traffic or on the shoulder
of a busy road is dangerous. Drive slowly along the shoulder until you
get to an exit or an area to stop that is far away from the traffic lanes.
1. Park the vehicle on firm, levelground away from traffic. Turn on
the hazard warning lights and turnthe ignition switch to LOCK (0).
2. Put the transmission in Park (automatic) or Reverse (manual).
Apply the parking brake. Have all of the passengers get out of the
vehicle while you change the tire. 3. Open the trunk. Raise the trunk
floor by lifting up on the back edge.
4. Take the tool kit out of the trunk.
5. Unscrew the wing bolt and take the spare tire out of its well.

CONTINUED

Taking Care of the Unexpected

The vehicle can easily roll off
the jack, seriously injuring anyone underneath.
Follow the directions for
changing a tire exactly, and never get under the vehicle
when it is supported only by the

jack.
JACK

TRUNK

FLOOR

TOOL KIT SPARE
TIREProCarManuals.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'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 starting
procedure? Refer to Starting the
Engine on page 133.
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 245).

If you find nothing wrong, you will

need a qualified technician to find

the problem. See Towing on page
250. Jump Starting
If your vehicle's battery has rundown, 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 with an automatic transmission by pushing
or pulling it. To jump start your vehicle, follow
these directions closely:
1. Open the hood and check the physical condition of the battery(see page 190). 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
NOTICE

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.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

If Your Engine Overheats

The pointer of your vehicle's temperature gauge should stay in
the midrange under most conditions.It may go higher if you are driving up
a long steep hill on a very hot day. If
it climbs to the red mark, you shoulddetermine the reason.
Driving with the temperature gauge
pointer at the red mark can cause serious damage to your engine. Your vehicle can overheat for several
reasons, such as lack of coolant or a
mechanical problem. The only
indication may be the temperature
gauge climbing to or above the red
mark. Or you may see steam orspray coming from under the hood.
In either case, you should take
immediate action.
1. Safely pull to the side of the road. Put the transmission in Neutral or
Park and set the parking brake.
Turn off the heating and cooling system and all other accessories.
Turn on the hazard warning indicators. 2. If you see steam and/or spray
coming from under the hood, turnoff the engine.
3. If you do not see steam or spray, leave the engine running and
watch the temperature gauge. If
the high heat is due to overloading(climbing a long, steep hill on a
hot day with the A/C running, for example), the engine should start
to cool down almost immediately. If it does, wait until the tempera-
ture gauge comes down to the mid-
point then continue driving.
4. If the temperature gauge stays at the red mark, turn off the engine.
5. Wait until you see no more signs of steam or spray, then open the
hood.
Taking Care of the Unexpected

NOTICE

Steam and spray from an
overheated engine can
seriously scald you.Do not open the hood if steam

is coming out.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Low Oil Pressure Indicator

This indicator should light when the
ignition switch is ON (II), and go outafter the engine starts. It should
never come on when the engine is
running. If it starts flashing, it indicates that the oil pressure
dropped very low for a moment, then
recovered. If the indicator stays on
with the engine running, it shows that the engine has lost oil pressureand serious engine damage is
possible. In either case, you should
take immediate action.
Running the engine with low oil
pressure can cause serious mechanical damage almost immediately. Turn off
the engine as soon as you can safely get
the vehicle stopped.

1. Safely pull off the road and shut off the engine. Turn on the hazard
warning indicators.
2. Let the vehicle sit for a minute. Open the hood and check the oil
level (see page 123). 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. If necessary, add oil to bring the level back to the full mark on thedipstick (see page 173). 4. Start the engine and watch the oil
pressure indicator. If the lightdoes 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 Towing on

page 250.)
Taking Care of the Unexpected
NOTICE

LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR
ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Tire Information

Traction

The traction grades, from highest tolowest, are A, B, and C, and theyrepresent the tire's ability to stop on
wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on specified
government test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade as- signed to this tire is based on brak-
ing (straight ahead) traction tests and does not include cornering (turning) traction.
Temperature

The temperature grades are A (the
highest), B, and C, representing the
tire's resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high temperature can cause the materialof the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure. The
grade C corresponds to a level of
performance which all passenger car
tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109. Grades B and A represent
higher levels of performance on the
laboratory test wheel than the minimum required by law. Warning: The temperature grade for
this tire is established for a tire thatis properly inflated and not over-
loaded. Excessive speed, underinfla-
tion, or excessive loading either separately or in combination, can
cause heat build-up and possible tire
failure.

Technical InformationProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t