1998 HONDA PRELUDE engine

5-speed Manual Transmission

The manual transmission is syn-
chronized in all forward gears for
smooth operation. It has a lockout so
you cannot shift directly from Fifth
to Reverse. When shifting up or down, make sure you push the clutch
pedal down all the way, shift to the
next gear, and let the pedal up

gradually. When you are not shifting,
do not rest your foot on the clutch
pedal. This can cause your clutch to
wear out faster. Come to a full stop before you shift
into Reverse. You can damage the
transmission by trying to shift into
Reverse with the vehicle moving. Push down the clutch pedal, and
pause for a few seconds before shifting into Reverse, or shift into
one of the forward gears for a
moment. This stops the gears so
they won't "grind."
When slowing down, you can get extra braking from the engine by
shifting to a lower gear. This extra
braking can help you maintain a safe
speed and prevent your brakes from
overheating while going down a
steep hill. Before downshifting,
make sure engine speed will not go
into the tachometer's red zone in the
lower gear. Refer to the Maximum
Allowable Speeds chart.
Driving
Rapid slowing or speeding-up

can cause loss of control on

slippery surfaces. If you crash,

you can be injured.

Use extra care when driving on

slippery surfaces.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

5-speed Manual Transmission

Recommended Shift Points
Drive in the highest gear that lets the engine run and acceleratesmoothly. This will give you the best
fuel economy and effective emis- sions control. The following shift
points are recommended: Maximum Allowable Speeds
The speeds in this table are the maximum allowable speeds in each
gear. If you exceed these speeds, the engine speed will enter into the
tachometer's red zone. If this occurs,
you may feel the engine cut in and out. This is caused by a limiter in the
engine's computer controls. The
engine will run normally when you
reduce the RPM below the red zone.
Before downshifting, make sure the
vehicle will not exceed the maximum allowable speed in the chart in the
lower gear to avoid engine damage.

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Automatic Transmission

Shift Lever Positions
The shift lever has eight positions. It must be in Park or Neutral to start
the engine. When you are stopped inD4, D3, 2, 1, N, R, or the Sequential
SportShift mode, press firmly on the
brake pedal and keep your foot off
the accelerator pedal. To select the Sequential SportShift
mode, slide the shift lever toward the
left from the "D4" position. In this mode the shift lever allows
you to shift up and down manually.
Whenever you move the shift lever,slide it along the guide on the

console.

You cannot shift out of Park with the brake pedal depressed when theignition switch is in LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I).

Driving

SHIFT LEVER

SEQUENTIAL
SPORTSHIFT

MODE

POSITION

CONTINUEDProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Automatic Transmission

Park (P) — This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning off or
starting the engine. To shift out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your foot off the
accelerator pedal. Move the shift
lever to the right to shift out of the
Park position.
If you have done all of the above and still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see Shift Lock Release on page

143.
To avoid transmission damage, cometo a complete stop before shifting
into Park. The shift lever must be inPark before you can remove the key
from the ignition switch. Reverse (R) — To shift to Reverse
from Park, see the explanation under Park. To shift to Reverse from
Neutral, come to a complete stop and
then shift.
Your car has a reverse lockout so
you cannot accidentally shift to Reverse from Neutral or any other
driving position when the vehiclespeed exceeds 7 — 9 mph (12 — 14

km/h).

If you cannot shift to Reverse when
the car is stopped, press the brake pedal and slowly shift to Neutral
then to Reverse.
If there is a problem in the reverse
lockout system, or your vehicle's
battery is disconnected or goes dead,
you cannot shift to Reverse. In this
case, use the procedure of Shift Lock Release (see page 143).
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Automatic Transmission

Neutral (N) — Use Neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop briefly with
the engine idling. Shift to Park posi-
tion if you need to leave the vehicle for any reason. Press on the brake pe-dal when you are moving the shift
lever from Neutral to another gear.
Drive (D4) — Use this position for
your normal driving. The transmis- sion automatically selects a suitable
gear for your speed and acceleration.
You may notice the transmission shifting up at higher speeds when
the engine is cold. This helps the
engine warm up faster. Sequential SportShift Mode With
the shift lever in "D4" position, you can select the Sequential SportShift
mode to shift gears; much like a
manual transmission, but without a clutch pedal.
To enter the Sequential SportShift mode, slide the shift lever further to
the left. To return to "D4", slide the shift lever to the right.
In the Sequential SportShift mode, each time you push forward on the
shift lever, the transmission shifts to
a higher gear. Pull back on the lever
to downshift. The number of the
gear selected is displayed next to the "D4" indicator (see page 136).
If you slide the shift lever from "D4"
to the Sequential SportShift mode,
the display shows the selected gear. If you selected "4", you will see /4/
next to "D4" in the display. The Shift
Lever Position Indicator will show the gear you selected while in the
sequential sportshift mode. If you
select the Sequential SportShift
while the vehicle is stopped, the transmission automatically selectsfirst gear and the display shows /1/.

Driving
CONTINUED
Downshift

UpshiftProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Automatic Transmission

When you accelerate away from a stop, the transmission will be in first
gear. The transmission will not automatically upshift. Watch the
tachometer and upshift manually
before the engine reaches redline.
The transmission remains in the
selected gear (4, 3, 2, or 1). There is
no automatic downshift when you
push the accelerator pedal to the
floor.
The transmission may automatically downshift from fourth gear to third
gear under the following conditions: The vehicle speeds drops below

20 mph (32km/h).
If you drive uphill between

20 — 31mph(32 — 50km/h).

If you press the brake pedal as you

drive downhill.
Downshifting gives you more power
when climbing or provides engine braking when going down a steep hill.
The transmission will also shift automatically as the vehicle comes to
a complete stop. It will downshift to
first gear when the vehicle speed is
under 6 mph (10 km/h).
If you try to manually downshift at aspeed that would cause the engine to
exceed the redline in a lower gear,
the transmission will not downshift.
If you try to downshift from fourth
gear to third gear, the gear indicator
will flash /3/ several times, then return to /4/; if you try to downshift
from third gear to second gear, the
gear indicator will flash /2/ several
times, then return to third gear.

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Automatic Transmission

If the vehicle speeds slows to below
the redline of the selected lower gear
position while the indicator is
flashing, the transmission downshifts and the display shows
the selected lower gear.
If the transmission temperature is
below 14°F(— 10°C), you may not be able to use the SequentialSportShift mode. The table shows the speed ranges

for upshifting and downshifting.
Drive (D3) — This position is similar
t

o
D4, except only the first three

gears are selected. Use D3 when
towing a trailer in hilly terrain, or to
provide engine braking when going down a steep hill. D3 can also keep
the transmission from cycling
between third and fourth gears in stop-and-go driving.
For faster acceleration when in D3 or
D4, you can get the transmission toautomatically downshift by pushing
the accelerator pedal to the floor.
The transmission will shift down one or two gears, depending on your

speed.

Driving
CONTINUED
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Automatic Transmission

Second (2) — This position locks
the transmission in second gear. It does not downshift to first gear
when you come to a stop. Second
gives you more power when climbing, and increased engine braking when
going down steep hills. Use second
gear when starting out on a slippery surface or in deep snow. It will help
reduce wheelspin. First (1) With the lever in this
position, the transmission locks in
First gear.
If you shift into First position when
the vehicle speed exceeds 31 mph (50 km/h), the transmission shifts
into Second gear first to avoid the
application of the sudden engine
brake. Maximum Allowable Speeds
The speeds in this table are the maximum allowable speeds in each
position. If you exceed these speeds,
the engine speed will enter into the tachometer's red zone. If this occurs,
you will feel the engine cut in and out. This is caused by a limiter in the
engine's computer controls. The
engine will run normally when you
reduce the RPM below the red zone.
Before downshifting, make sure the
vehicle will not exceed the maximum allowable speed in the chart in the
lower gear to avoid engine damage.

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