1998 HONDA PRELUDE Owners Manual

Driving in Foreign Countries

If you are planning to take your
Honda outside the U.S. or Canada,
contact the tourist bureaus in theareas you will be traveling in to find
out about the availability of unleaded
gasoline with the proper octane

rating.

If unleaded gasoline is not available,
be aware that using leaded gasoline in your Honda will affect perfor-
mance and fuel mileage, and damage
its emissions controls. It will no
longer comply with U.S. andCanadian emissions regulations, and
will be illegal to operate in North
America. To bring your vehicle back into compliance will require the re-
placement of several components, such as the oxygen sensors and the
three way catalytic converter. These replacements are not covered under
warranty.

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Emissions Controls

The burning of gasoline in your vehicle's engine produces several by-products. Some of these are carbon
monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and hydrocarbons (HC).
Gasoline evaporating from the tank
also produces hydrocarbons. Con-
trolling the production of NOx, CO, and HC is important to the environ-
ment. Under certain conditions of sunlight and climate, NOx and HC
react to form photochemical "smog." Carbon monoxide does not contri-
bute to smog creation, but it is a
poisonous gas. The Clean Air Act
The United States Clean Air Act* sets standards for automobile
emissions. It also requires that
automobile manufacturers explain to
owners how their emissions controls
work and what to do to maintain them. This section summarizes how
the emissions controls work.Scheduled maintenance is on page 164.
* In Canada, Honda vehicles comply
with the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) forEmissions valid at the time they are
manufactured. Crankcase Emissions Control
System
Your vehicle has a Positive Crankcase Ventilation System. This
keeps gasses that build up in the engine's crankcase from going into
the atmosphere. The Positive Crank- case Ventilation valve routes them
from the crankcase back to the intake manifold. They are thendrawn into the engine and burned.
Evaporative Emissions Control
System
As gasoline evaporates in the fuel tank, an evaporative emissions
control canister filled with charcoaladsorbs the vapor. It is stored in this
canister while the engine is off. After
the engine is started and warmed up,
the vapor is drawn into the engine and burned during driving.

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Emissions Controls

Exhaust Emissions Controls
The exhaust emissions controls include four systems: PGM-FI,
Ignition Timing Control, ExhaustGas Recirculation and Three Way
Catalytic Converter. These four
systems work together to control the
engine's combustion and minimize
the amount of HC, CO, and NOx that comes out the tailpipe. The exhaust
emissions control systems are
separate from the crankcase and
evaporative emissions control
systems.

PGM-FI System

The PGM-FI System uses sequential multiport fuel injection.
It has three subsystems: Air Intake,
Engine Control, and Fuel Control.
The Engine Control Module (ECM) uses various sensors to determine
how much air is going into the engine. It then controls how much
fuel to inject under all operating conditions. Ignition Timing Control System
This system constantly adjusts the ignition timing, reducing the amount
of HC, CO and NOx produced.
Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR)
System

The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system takes some of the
exhaust gas and routes it back into
the intake manifold. Adding exhaust
gas to the air/fuel mixture reduces the amount of NOx produced when
the fuel is burned.
Three Way Catalytic Converter
The three way catalytic converter is in the exhaust system. Through
chemical reactions, it converts HC,CO, and NOx in the engine's exhaust
to carbon dioxide (C02), dinitrogen
(
N2), and water vapor.

Replacement Parts

The emissions control systems are designed and certified to work to-
gether in reducing emissions to
levels that comply with the Clean Air
Act. To make sure the emissions remain low, you should use only newGenuine Honda replacement parts or
their equivalent for repairs. Using
lower quality parts may increase the emissions from your vehicle.
The emissions control systems are covered by warranties separate from
the rest of your vehicle. Read your
warranty manual for more informa-
tion.

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Three Way Catalytic Converter
The three way catalytic converter contains precious metals that serve
as catalysts, promoting chemical
reactions to convert the exhaust
gasses without affecting the metals.
The catalytic converter is referred to as a three-way catalyst, since it acts
on HC, CO, and NOx. A replacement
unit must be an original Honda part or its equivalent.
The three way catalytic converter must operate at a high temperature
for the chemical reactions to take place. It can set on fire any com-
bustible materials that come near it. Park your vehicle away from high
grass, dry leaves, or other flamma-
bles.
A defective three way catalytic
converter contributes to air pollution,
and can impair your engine's per-
formance. Follow these guidelines to
protect your vehicle's three way
catalytic converter. Always use unleaded gasoline.
Even a small amount of leaded
gasoline can contaminate the catalyst metals, making the three
way catalytic converter ineffective. Keep the engine tuned-up. Have your vehicle diagnosed and
repaired if it is misfiring, back-
firing, stalling, or otherwise not
running properly.

Technical Information

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Warranty and Customer Relations
Customer RelationsInformation................................. 266
U.S. Zone Office Map.................... 267 Canada Zone Office Map.............. 268
Warranty Coverages..................... 269
Reporting Safety Defects (U.S. Cars).................................. 270
Authorized Manuals...................... 271

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Customer Relations Information
Honda dealership personnel are
trained professionals. They should
be able to answer all your questions. If you encounter a problem that yourdealership does not solve to your
satisfaction, please discuss it with
the dealership's management. The Service Manager or GeneralManager can help. Almost all
problems are solved in this way. If you are dissatisfied with the
decision made by the dealership's
management, contact your Honda Customer Relations Zone Office.
Refer to the U.S. and Canadian ZoneOffice maps on the following pages.
When you call or write, please give

us this information:

Vehicle Identification Number

(see page 252) Name and address of the dealer
who services your vehicle
Date of purchase
Mileage on your vehicle
Your name, address, and tele-
phone number
A detailed description of the
problem
Name of the dealer who sold the
vehicle to you

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U.S. Zone Office Map

Western Zone
P.O. Box 2260

700 Van Ness Avenue
Torrance, California

90509-2260
(310)781-4565
Northwestern Zone
P.O. Box 20186
12439 N.E. Airport Way
Portland, Oregon 97230

(503) 256-0943

(also includes Alaska and
Hawaii)
South Central Zone
4529 Royal Lane
Irving, Texas 75063

(972) 929-5481

The addresses and telephone numbers are subject to change. If you cannot reach your Zone office, ask your Honda dealer for the current information. Central Zone
101 South Stanfield Road
Troy, Ohio 45373
(937) 332-6250

Northeastern Zone

P.O. Box 337

Eastgate Industrial Park 115 Gaither Drive
Moorestown, New Jersey 08057

(609) 235-5533

Includes: NYC Metro area and
Fairfield County, CT area
Mid-Atlantic Zone

902 Wind River Ln., Suite 200
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878
(301)990-2020
Southeastern Zone1500 Morrison Parkway
Alpharetta, Georgia 30201
(770) 442-2045

North Central Zone
601 Campus Drive, Suite A-9

Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004
(847) 870-5600

New England Zone
555 Old County Road
Windsor Locks, Connecticut 06096 (860)623-3310See Zone 5 for:
NYC Metro area andFairfield County, CT area
West Central Zone1600 South Abilene Street, Suite D
Aurora, Colorado 80012
(303) 696-3935

Puerto Rico and U.S. V.I.
Bella International
P.O. Box 190816
San Juan, PR 00919-0816
(787)250-4318

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Canada Zone Office Map

Western ZoneHonda Canada Inc.13240 Worster Court
Richmond, B.C.
V6V 2B8 (604) 278-7121
Central Zone Honda Canada Inc.
715 Milner Avenue
Scarborough, Ontario
M1B2K8

(416)299-3400
Quebec Zone
Honda Canada Inc.1750 rue Eiffel

Boucherville, Quebec

J4B 7W1 (514) 655-6161
Atlantic Zone Honda Canada Inc.
51 Raddal Avenue
Suite 1

Dartmouth, NS

B3B 1L4
(902)468-4416

ATLANTIC ZONE

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