1998 HONDA PRELUDE run flat

Fuel Economy

The condition of your vehicle and your driving habits are the two most important things that affect the fuel
mileage you get.
Vehicle Condition Always maintain your vehicle accord- ing to the maintenance schedule.
This will keep it in top operating condition.
An important part of that mainte- nance is the Owner MaintenanceChecks (see page 171). For
example, an underinflated tire
causes more "rolling resistance,"
which uses fuel. It also wears out
faster, so check the tire pressure at
least monthly.
In winter, the build-up of snow on
your vehicle's underside adds weight and rolling resistance. Frequent
cleaning helps your fuel mileage and
reduces the chance of corrosion. Driving Habits
You can improve fuel economy by driving moderately. Rapid acceler-
ation, abrupt cornering, and hard
braking use more fuel.
Always drive in the highest gear that allows the engine to run and acceler-
ate smoothly.
Depending on traffic conditions, try
to maintain a constant speed. Every
time you slow down and speed up,
your vehicle uses extra fuel. Use the cruise control, when appropriate, to
increase fuel economy. A cold engine uses more fuel than a
warm engine. It is not necessary to "warm-up" a cold engine by letting it
idle for a long time. You can drive
away in about a minute, no matter
how cold it is outside. The engine
will warm up faster, and you get better fuel economy. To cut down on
the number of "cold starts," try tocombine several short trips into one.
The air conditioning puts an extra load on the engine which makes ituse more fuel. Turn off the A/C to
cut down on air conditioning use.
Use the flow-through ventilation
when the outside air temperature ismoderate.

Before DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Tires

Your vehicle's tires have wear indica- tors molded into the tread. When the
tread wears down to that point, you
will see a 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) wide
band running across the tread. This shows there is less than 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) of tread left on the tire. A
tire that is this worn gives very little
traction on wet roads. You should
replace the tire if you can see the
tread wear indicator in three or more places around the tire. Maintenance
In addition to proper inflation,
correct wheel alignment helps todecrease tire wear. If you find a tire
is worn unevenly, have your dealer check the wheel alignment.
The tires were properly balanced by the factory. They may need to be
rebalanced at some time before theyare worn out. Have your dealer
check the tires if you feel a consis-
tent vibration while driving. A tire should always be rebalanced if it is
removed from the wheel for repair.
Make sure the installer balances the
wheels when you have new tires installed. This increases ridingcomfort and tire life. Your vehicle's
original tires were dynamic or "spin"
balanced at the factory. For best results, have the installer perform adynamic balance.
Improper wheel weights can damage
your vehicle's aluminum wheels. Use only Genuine Honda wheel weights for
balancing.

Maintenance

INDICATOR

LOCATION

MARKS

TREAD WEAR
INDICATORS
NOTICEProCarManuals.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

Changing a Flat Tire

15. Tighten the wheel nuts securely in
the same crisscross pattern. Have

the wheel nut torque checked at
the nearest automotive service

facility.

Tighten the wheel nuts to:
80 lbf .
ft (108N .
m , 11 kgf .
m)
16. Remove the center cap before
storing the flat tire in the trunk

well. 17. Place the flat tire face down in the
spare tire well.
18. Remove the spacer cone from the wing bolt, turn it over, and put it
back on the bolt.
CONTINUED
Taking Care of the Unexpected
CENTER CAP
WING BOLT

SPACER
CONEProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents 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

Index

Battery Charging SystemIndicator............................ 53, 241
Jump Starting............................. 236 Maintenance............................... 190
Specifications............................. 255
Before Driving............................... 119
Belts, Seat........................................... 4
Beverage Holder.............................. 86
Body Repair.................................... 225

Brakes
Anti-lock System (ABS)............ 146
Break-in, New Linings .............. 120

Fluid............................................ 185
Light, Burned-out...................... 211

Parking.......................................... 84

System Indicator.......................... 53
Wear Indicators......................... 145
Brakes, ABS Operation.................................... 146
System Indicator................. 54, 148
Braking System.............................. 145
Break-in, New Car......................... 120
Brightness Control, Instruments... 61 Brights, Headlights......................... 60
Bulb Replacement
Back-up Lights........................... 211
Brake Lights............................... 211
Ceiling Lights............................. 215Courtesy Lights......................... 215
Front Parking Lights................. 208
Front Side Marker Lights......... 209
Headlights.................................. 206
High-mount Brake Light.......... 213
License Plate Light.................... 214
Rear Side Marker Lights.......... 211
Specifications............................. 255
Trunk Light................................ 216 Turn Signal Lights..................... 210
Bulbs, Halogen............................... 206
Cables, Jump Starting With.......... 236
Capacities Chart............................. 254

Carbon Monoxide Hazard.............. 47
Cargo, Loading...............................
128

Cassette Playe r

Care.............................................
116

Operation....................................

113

CAUTION, Explanatio n
of...............

ii

CD Changer...................................
.
109
CD Player........................................ 109

Certification Label......................... 252

Chains............................................. 202

Change Oil How to.........................................175

When to....................................... 164

Changing a Flat Tire ..................... 229
Changing Engine Coolant............. 179
Charging System Indicator .... 53, 241 Checking Automatic Transmission

Fluid........................................ 183

Battery Condition...................... 190

Brake Fluid................................. 185
Clutch Fluid................................186
Drive Belts.................................. 196
Engine Coolant........................... 124

Engine Oil................................... 123

Fuses........................................... 246
Manual Transmission Fluid ..... 184
Power Steering Fluid................. 186
Checklist, Before Driving............. 132
Child Safety......................................19
Cleaner, Air.................................... 187ProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

Index

Cleaning
Aluminum Wheels..................... 221Carpeting.................................... 222
Exterior....................................... 220
Fabric.......................................... 222
Interior........................................ 222
Seat Belts....................................223
Vinyl............................................ 222
Windows..................................... 223
Clock, Setting the ............................ 85
Clutch Fluid.................................... 186
Coin Box........................................... 88
CO in the Exhaust......................... 261
Cold Weather, Starting in............. 133
Compact Spare............................... 228
Consumer Information*................ 266
Controls, Instruments and.............. 49
Coolant
Adding......................................... 177
Checking..................................... 124

Proper Solution.......................... 177

Replacing.................................... 179

Temperature Gauge.................... 57
Corrosion Protection..................... 224

Courtesy Lights............................... 90
Crankcase Emission Control

System......................................... 261

Cruise Control Operation............... 65

Customer Relations Office........... 266

DANGER, Explanation of................. ii
Dashboard........................................ 50
Daytime Running Lights................. 60
Dead Battery, What to Do............ 236
Defects, Reporting Safety............. 270
Defog and Defrost........................... 98
Defogger, Rear Window................. 63
DEXRON ®
III Automatic
Transmission Fluid.................... 183
Dimensions..................................... 254
Dimming the Headlights ................ 60
Dipstick Automatic Transmission........... 183
Engine Oil................................... 123
Directional Signals........................... 61
Disabled, Towing Your Car If...... 250
Disc Brake Wear Indicators......... 145
Disposal of Used Oil...................... 176 Doors
Locking and Unlocking............... 72
Power Door Locks....................... 72
DOT Tire Quality Grading........... 257
Downshifting, 5-speed Manual Transmission.............................. 134
Drive Belts...................................... 190
Driving............................................ 131
Economy..................................... 125
In Bad Weather.......................... 150
In Foreign Countries................. 260
Economy, Fuel............................... 125
Emergencies on the Road............. 227 Battery, Jump Starting.............. 236
Brake System Indicator............ 243Changing a Flat Tire................. 229
Charging System Indicator ...... 241
Checking the Fuses................... 245
Low Oil Pressure Indicator...... 240
Malfunction Indicator Lamp.... 242
Manually Closing Moonroof.... 243
Overheated Engine................... 238 CONTINUEDProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

Index

Halogen Headlight Bulbs.............. 206
Hazard Warning Flashers............... 63

Headlights
Aiming......................................... 205

Daytime Running Lights............. 60
High Beam Indicator................... 60
High Beams, Turning on............ 60
Low Beams, Turning on ............. 60
Reminder Chime.......................... 60
Replacing Halogen Bulbs ......... 206

Turning on.................................... 60

Head Restraints............................... 77
Heating and Cooling........................ 92
High Altitude, Starting at.............. 133
High-Low Beam Switch .................. 60
High-mount Brake Light............... 213

Hood, Opening the ........................ 122

Horn................................................... 59

Hot Coolant, Warning About........ 177
Hydraulic Clutch............................ 186
Hydroplaning.................................. 151 Identification Number, Vehicle.... 252
If Your Car Has to be Towed....... 250
Ignition Keys............................................... 68
Switch............................................ 70
Timing Control System............. 262
Immobilizer System......................... 69
Indicator Lights, Instrument Panel.............................................. 51
Infant Restraint................................ 19 Inflation, Proper Tire ....................
197

High Speed
Driving................... 257
Normal Driving.......................... 198
Inside Mirror.................................... 83
Inspection, Tire.............................. 198
Instrument Panel............................. 50
Instrument Panel Brightness......... 61
Interior Cleaning............................ 222
Interior Lights.................................. 89
Introduction.........................................

i

Jacking up
the Car......................... 231
Jack, Tire........................................ 230

Jump Starting................................. 236

Keys................................................... 68

Label, Certification........................ 252
Lane Change, Signaling.................. 61
Lap/Shoulder Belts......................... 40Leaking of Exhaust into Car.......... 47
Learning Key.................................... 69
Lights Bulb Replacement..................... 206
Indicator........................................ 51

Parking.......................................... 60

Turn Signal................................... 61
Loading Cargo................................ 128
LOCK (Ignition Key Position)....... 71
CONTINUEDProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t