1998 HONDA PRELUDE engine

Storing Your Vehicle

If you need to park your vehicle for
an extended period (more than one
month), there are several things you should do to prepare it for storage.
Proper preparation helps prevent
deterioration and makes it easier to
get your vehicle back on the road. If
possible, store your vehicle indoors. Fill the fuel tank.
Change the engine oil and filter
(see page 175). Wash and dry the exterior

completely.
Clean the interior. Make sure the
carpeting, floor mats, etc. are
completely dry.
Leave the parking brake off. Put
the transmission in Reverse (5- speed manual) or Park (automatic). Block the rear wheels. If the vehicle is to be stored for a
longer period, it should be supported on jackstands so the
tires are off the ground. Leave one window open slightly (if
the vehicle is being stored

indoors).
Disconnect the battery.
Support the front wiper blade
arms with a folded towel or rag so
they do not touch the windshield.
To minimize sticking, apply a silicone spray lubricant to all door
and trunk seals. Also, apply a
vehicle body wax to the painted surfaces that mate with the door
and trunk seals. Cover the vehicle with a
"breathable" vehicle cover, one
made from a porous material such as cotton. Nonporous materials,such as plastic sheeting, trap
moisture, which can damage the
paint. If possible, run the engine for a
while periodically (preferably once a month).
If you store your vehicle for 12
months or longer, have your Honda dealer perform the inspections called
for in the 24 months/30,000 miles (48,000 km) maintenance schedule
(Normal Conditions) as soon as you
take it out of storage (see page 164).
The replacements called for in the maintenance schedule are not
needed unless the vehicle hasactually reached that time or mileage.

MaintenanceProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Taking Care of the Unexpected

This section covers the more-
common problems that motorists

experience with their vehicles. It
gives you information about how to safely evaluate the problem and what
to do to correct it. If the problem has stranded you on the side of the road,
you may be able to get going again. If not, you will also find instructions
on getting your vehicle towed.
Compact Spare Tire....................... 228
Changing a Flat Tire ..................... 229
If Your Engine Won't Start........... 234
Nothing Happens or theStarter Motor OperatesVery Slowly.............................235
The Starter Operates Normally................................. 236
Jump Starting................................. 236 If Your Engine Overheats............. 238
Low Oil Pressure Indicator.......... 240Charging System Indicator........... 241
Malfunction Indicator Lamp ........ 242
Brake System Indicator................ 243
Closing the Moonroof................... 244
Fuses............................................... 245
Checking and Replacing........... 246

Towing............................................ 250

Taking Care of the UnexpectedProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

Changing a Flat Tire, If Your Engine Won't Start
19. Secure the flat tire by screwing the win

g bolt back into its hole.
20. Store the jack in its holder. Turn the jack's end bracket to lock it in
place.

Replace the cover. Store the
tool kit. 21. Stor
e the center cap in the trunk.
Make

sure it does not get scratch-
ed

or damaged.
22.
Lower the trunk floor, then close
the trunk lid.
Type SH only
If yo

u mount the compact spare on
either front or rear tire, it may cause
the

ATTS indicator light in the
instrument

panel to come on due to
the

difference in tire diameter. The
light

will go out when the proper tire

is installed.
If Your Engine Won't Start
Diagnosing

why your engine won't
start falls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
key to START (III):
You hear nothing, or almostnothing. The engine's starter
motor does not operate at all, oroperates

very slowly. You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, or the starter
motor
sounds like it is spinning
faster than normal, but the engine does

not start up and run.

Taking Car

e of the Unexpected

Loose items can fly around the

interior i

n a crash and could

seriously injure the occupants.

Store th

e wheel, jack and tools

securely before driving.
ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

If Your Engine Won't Start

Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
When you turn the ignition switch to START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying tostart. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at all. Check these things: Your vehicle has the Immobilizer
System. You should use a
properly-coded master or valet key
to start the engine (see page 69).
A key that is not properly coded will cause the immobilizer systemindicator in the dash panel to blinkrapidly. Check the transmission interlock.
If you have a manual transmission,
the clutch pedal must be pushed all the way to the floor or the
starter will not operate. With an
automatic transmission, it must be
in Park or Neutral. Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights and check
their brightness. If the headlightsare very dim or don't light at all,
the battery is discharged. See

Jump Starting on page 236.
Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim,
check the condition of the fuses. If
the fuses are OK, there is proba-
bly something wrong with the electrical circuit for the ignitionswitch or starter motor. You will
need a qualified technician to
determine the problem. (See
Towing on page 250.) If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the
engine, either the battery is dis-
charged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of
the battery and terminal connec- tions (see page 190). You can
then try jump starting the vehicle
from a booster battery (see page
236).

Taking Care of the UnexpectedProCarManuals.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

Jump Starting

3. Connect one jumper cable to the positive ( + ) terminal on the
booster battery. Connect the other
end to the positive ( + ) terminal
on your Honda's battery. 4. Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative (—) terminal on
the booster battery. Connect theother end to the grounding strap
as shown. Do not connect this
jumper cable to any other part of
the engine.
5. If the booster battery is in another vehicle, have an assistant startthat vehicle and run it at a fast idle.
BOOSTER BATTERY

6. Start your vehicle. If the starter motor still operates slowly, check
the jumper cable connections to make sure they have good metal-
to-metal contact.
7. Once your vehicle is running, disconnect the negative cable from
yourvehicle, then from the booster battery. Disconnect the
positive cable from your vehicle,
then the booster battery.

Taking Care of the UnexpectedProCarManuals.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

If Your Engine Overheats

6. Look for any obvious coolant leaks, such as a split radiator hose.
Everything is still extremely hot, so use caution. If you find a leak, it
must be repaired before you continue driving (see Towing on
page 250).
7. If you don't find an obvious leak, check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank (see page 124). If the level is below the
MIN mark, add coolant to halfway
between the MIN and MAX marks.
8. If there was no coolant in the reserve tank, you may also have to
add coolant to the radiator. Let the
engine cool down until the pointer
reaches the middle of the tempera-
ture gauge, or lower, before check-
ing the radiator. 9. Using gloves or a large heavy
cloth, turn the radiator cap
counterclockwise, without pushingdown, to the first stop. This
releases any remaining pressure in
the cooling system. After the pressure releases, push down on
the cap and turn it until it comesoff. 10. Start the engine and set the
temperature control lever to
maximum. Add coolant to the
radiator up to the base of the filler
neck. If you do not have the
proper coolant mixture available,
you can add plain water.
Remember to have the cooling
system drained and refilled with
the proper mixture as soon as you

can.

11. Put the radiator cap back on tightly. Run the engine and watch
the temperature gauge. If it goes
back to the red mark, the engine
needs repair. (See Towing on
page 250.)
12. If the temperature stays normal, check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. If it has
gone down, add coolant to the
MAX mark. Put the cap back on

tightly.

Taking Care of the Unexpected

Removing the radiator cap
while the engine is hot can
cause the coolant to spray out,
seriously scalding you.
Always let the engine and radiator cool down before
removing the radiator cap.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t