1998 HONDA PRELUDE clutch

Steering Wheel Controls

3. Press and hold the SET/decel button on the steering wheel until
the CRUISE CONTROL light on
the instrument panel comes on.
This shows the system is now
activated.

The cruise control may not hold the set speed when you are going
up and down hills.
When climing a steep hill, the automatic transmission may
downshift to hold the set speed. Changing the Set Speed
You can increase the set cruising
speed in either of two ways: Press and hold the RESUME/
accel button. The vehicle will
accelerate slowly. When you reach
the desired cruising speed, release
the button. Push on the accelerator pedal. Ac-
celerate to the desired cruising
speed and press the SET/decel

button.
You can decrease the set cruising
speed in either of two ways: Press and hold the SET/decel
button. The vehicle will decelerate. Release the button when you
reach the desired speed.
Tap the brake or clutch pedal lightly with your foot. TheCRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel will go out.
When the vehicle slows to the desired speed, press the SET/
decel button. The vehicle will then
maintain the desired speed.
Instruments and Controls RESUME/

accel

SET/decelProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Steering Wheel Controls

Even with the cruise control turned on, you can still use the accelerator

pedal to speed up for passing. After
completing the pass, take your foot

off the accelerator pedal. The vehicle

will return to the set cruising speed.

Resting your foot on the brake or
clutch pedal will cause the cruise

control to cancel.
Cancelling the Cruise Control

You can cancel the cruise control in
any of these ways:
Tap the brake or clutch pedal. Press the SET/decel and RE-
SUME/accel buttons at the same

time.
Press the Cruise Control Master

Switch.

When you tap the brake or clutch pedal, or press the SET and RE-SUME buttons at the same time, the
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel will go out and the
vehicle will begin to slow down. You can use the accelerator pedal in the
normal way.
If you use the brake or clutch pedal
to cancel cruise control, the system
remembers the previously-set cruising speed. To return to that speed, accelerate to above 25 mph
(40 km/h) and press the RESUME/
accel button until the CRUISE CON-
TROL light comes on. The vehicle will accelerate to the same cruisingspeed as before.
If you cancel cruise control by
pressing the SET and RESUME
buttons at the same time, the previously-set cruising speed iserased. To use the cruise control,
accelerate to the desired cruisingspeed and press the SET/decel

button.

Pressing the Cruise Control Master
Switch turns the system completelyoff and erases the previous cruising
speed from memory. To use the
system again, refer to Using the

Cruise Control.

Instruments and ControlsProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Starting the Engine

1. Apply the parking brake.
2. In cold weather, turn off all electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.

3. Manual Transmission:
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way. START (III) does not
function unless the clutch pedal is

depressed.

Automatic Transmission:

Make sure the shift lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.
4. Without touching the accelerator pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. If the engine
does not start right away, do not
hold the key in START (III) for
more than 15 seconds at a time.
Pause for at least 10 seconds
before trying again. 5. If the engine does not start within
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 4 with the
accelerator pedal pressed half-way
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race.
6. If the engine still does not start, press the accelerator pedal all the
way down and hold it there while
starting in order to clear flooding.
As before, keep the ignition key in
the START (III) position for no
more than 15 seconds. Return to
step 5 if the engine does not start.
If it starts, lift your foot off the
accelerator pedal so the engine
does not race.

Starting in Cold Weather at High
Altitude (Above 8,000 feet/ 2,400 meters)

An engine is harder to start in cold
weather. The thinner air found at high altitude above 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) adds to the problem.
Use the following procedure:
1. Turn off all electrical accessories to reduce the drain on the battery.
2. Push the accelerator pedal half- way to the floor and hold it there
while starting the engine. Do nothold the ignition key in START (III) for more than 15 seconds.
When the engine starts, release the accelerator pedal gradually as
the engine speeds up and smooths out.
3. If the engine fails to start in step 2, push the accelerator pedal to the
floor and hold it there while you
try to start the engine for no morethan 15 seconds. If the enginedoes not start, return to step 2.

DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

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

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

Active Torque Transfer System

Type SH only

Your Honda is equipped with an
Active Torque Transfer System (ATTS). Under certain driving
conditions, the ATTS enhances the
vehicle's cornering performance by transferring some torque between
the inside and outside front wheelsduring a turn.
Based on steering wheel turn angle,
lateral acceleration, and engine power, the ATTS regulates the
driving force to each drive wheel
through an electronically-controlled
hydraulic system and two sets of clutches and gears.
Important Safety Information

The ATTS cannot prevent
skidding if you enter a corner too
fast. It has almost no effect on
braking and vehicle speed.

It is still your responsibility to driveat reasonable speeds and to leave a
sufficient margin of safety.
ATTS Indicator

The Active Torque Transfer System
(ATTS) is self-checking. If a problem
is detected in the system, the ATTS
indicator on the instrument panel
comes on.

If this happens, take the vehicle to
your dealer to have it checked. With the indicator on, your vehicle willcorner normally, but you will not
have active torque transfer.

Driving

ATTS INDICATORProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Maintenance

This section explains why it is important to keep your vehicle wellmaintained and to follow basic
maintenance safety precautions.
This section also includes Maintenance Schedules for normaldriving and severe driving conditions,
a Maintenance Record, and instruc-
tions for simple maintenance tasks
you may want to take care of
yourself.
If you have the skills and tools to per-
form more complex maintenance
tasks on your Honda, you may want to purchase the Service Manual. See
page 271 for information on how toobtain a copy, or see your Honda

dealer.
Maintenance Safety....................... 160
Important Safety Precautions ..161
Maintenance Schedule.................. 162
Required Maintenance Record.... 169 Owner Maintenance Checks........ 171
Fluid Locations............................... 172
Engine Oil.......................................173

Adding Oil................................... 173Recommended Oil..................... 173Synthetic Oil............................... 174

Additives..................................... 174
Changing the Oil and Filter...... 175
Cooling System.............................. 177
Adding Engine Coolant............. 177Replacing Engine Coolant........ 179
Windshield Washers..................... 182
Transmission Fluid........................ 183 AutomaticTransmission.......................... 183
5-speed Manual Transmission.......................... 184
Brake and Clutch Fluid................. 185 Brake System............................. 185
Clutch System............................ 186
Power Steering............................... 186
Air Cleaner Element...................... 187 Spark Plugs..................................... 188
Replacement............................... 188
Specifications............................. 190
Battery............................................ 190
Wiper Blades.................................. 193
Air Conditioning System............... 195 Drive Belts...................................... 196
Timing Belt..................................... 196

Tires................................................ 197
Inflation....................................... 197

Inspection................................... 198

Maintenance............................... 199

Tire Rotation.............................. 200 Replacing Tires and Wheels .... 200
Wheels and Tires....................... 201

Winter Driving...........................201
Snow Tires.............................. 202

Tire Chains............................. 202

Lights.............................................. 203

Headlight Aimimg..................... 205

Replacing Bulbs......................... 206

Storing Your Vehicle..................... 217

MaintenanceProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

Fluid Locations

ENGINE OIL
FILL CAP
COOLANT
RESERVOIR

AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION
FLUID DIPSTICK

(Yellow loop)
BRAKE FLUID
(Gray cap)

(5-speed Manual

Transmission only)

CLUTCH FLUID (Gray cap)
POWER STEERING
FLUID (Red cap)
WASHER FLUID (Blue cap)
ENGINE OIL DIPSTICK

(Orange loop)

MaintenanceProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t