1999 HONDA CIVIC COUPE brake light

Break-in Period, Gasoline

Break-in Period

Help assure your car's future
reliability and performance by paying extra attention to how you drive
during the first 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period: Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid

acceleration.
Avoid hard braking. New brakes
need to be broken-in by moderate
use for the first 200 miles (300

km).

You should follow these same re- commendations with an overhauledor exchanged engine, or when the
brakes are relined.
Gasoline

Your Honda is designed to operate on unleaded gasoline.
We recommend gasolines containing detergent additives that help prevent
fuel system and engine deposits.
Using gasoline containing lead will
damage your car's emissions
controls. This contributes to air
pollution.
In Canada, some gasolines contain
an octane-enhancing additive called
MMT. If you use such gasolines,
your emission control system performance may deteriorate and
the Malfunction Indicator Lamp on
your instrument panel may turn on. If this happens, contact your
authorized Honda dealer for service.
(U.S. DX, HX, EX models, and Canadian

DX and Si models)

Use an unleaded gasoline with a
pump octane number of 86 or higher. Use of a lower octane gasoline can
cause a persistent, heavy metallic
rapping noise in the engine that can
lead to mechanical damage.

(U.S. Si model and Canadian SiR model)

Use a premium unleaded gasoline
with a pump octane number of 91 or higher.
If you are unable to find premium
unleaded gasoline, you may substi-
tute an unleaded regular gasoline.
The engine will compensate for the lower octane, but you may notice aslight decrease in power as a result.

Before DrivingMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Service Station Procedures

1. Shift to Park or Neutral and set the parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower left corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly. 2. Standing in front of the car, put
your fingers under the front edgeof the hood to the right of center.
Slide your hand to the left until
you feel the hood latch handle. Push this handle to the left until it
releases the hood. Lift the hood. If you can open the hood without
lifting the hood latch handle, or the hood latch handle moves stiffly ordoes not spring back as before, the
mechanism should be cleaned and
lubricated (see page 186).

Before Driving

Opening the Hood
HOOD
RELEASE
HANDLE
LATCHMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Accessories and Modifications

Modifying your car, or installingsome non-Honda accessories, can
make your car unsafe. Before you make any modifications or add anyaccessories, be sure to read the
following information.

Accessories
Your dealer has Genuine Honda accessories that allow you to
personalize your car. These accessories have been designed and
approved for your car, and are
covered by warranty.
Non-Honda accessories are usually designed for universal applications.
Although aftermarket accessories may fit on your car, they may not
meet factory specifications, and
could adversely affect your car's
handling and stability. (See "Modifications" on the page 131 for
additional information.) When properly installed, cellular
phones, alarms, two-way radios, and
low-powered audio systems shouldnot interfere with your car's
computer-controlled systems, such as the SRS and anti-lock brake

system.

However, if electronic accessories
are improperly installed, or exceed
your car's electrical system capacity, they can interfere with the operation of your car, or even cause the
airbags to deploy.
Before installing any accessory:
Make sure the accessory does notobscure any lights, or interfere
with proper car operation or
performance.
Be sure electronic accessories do
not overload electrical circuits (see page 239). Have the installer contact your
Honda dealer for assistance before
installing any electronic accessory.
If possible, have your dealer inspect
the final installation.
Before Driving
Improper accessories or
modifications can affect your
car's handling, stability and performance, and cause a
crash in which you can be hurt
or killed.
Follow all instructions in this
owner's manual regarding accessories and modifications.Main Menu Table of Contents s t

Parking

Always use the parking brake when
you park your car. The indicator on the instrument panel shows that theparking brake is not fully released; it
does not indicate that the parking
brake is firmly set. Make sure the parking brake is set firmly or your
car may roll if it is parked on an
incline.

If your car has an automatic
transmission, set the parking brake
before you put the transmission inPark. This keeps the car from
moving and putting pressure on the
parking mechanism in the
transmission — making it easier to
move the shift lever out of Park
when you want to drive away. If the car is facing uphill, turn the
front wheels away from the curb. If
you have a manual transmission, put it in first gear.
If the car is facing downhill, turn the
front wheels toward the curb. If you
have a manual transmission, put it in reverse gear.
Make sure the parking brake is fully
released before driving away.
Driving with the parking brake
partially set can overheat or damage
the rear brakes. Parking Tips Make sure the moonroof and the
windows are closed. Turn off the lights.
Place any packages, valuables, etc.,
in the trunk or take them with you. Lock the doors with the key or the
remote transmitter.
Never park over dry leaves, tall
grass, or other flammable materials. The three way catalytic
converter gets very hot, and could
cause these materials to catch on

fire.

DrivingMain Menu Table of Contents s t

The Braking System

On
DX,
HX
and
EX in
the
U.S., DX
and

EX models in Canada

All Civics are equipped with front disc brakes. The brakes on the rear
wheels are drum. A power assist helps reduce the effort needed on
the brake pedal.

(On the Si model in the U.S., SiR model
in Canada)

Your Honda is equipped with disc brakes at all four wheels. A power assist helps reduce the effort needed
on the brake pedal.
Put your foot on the brake pedal only
when you intend to brake. Resting
your foot on the pedal keeps the brakes applied lightly, causing themto build up heat. Heat build-up can
reduce how well your brakes work. It
also keeps your brake lights on all
the time, confusing drivers behind

you.
Constant application of the brakes
when going down a long hill builds up heat and reduces their effective-ness. Use the engine to assist the
brakes by downshifting to a lower
gear and taking your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Check your brakes after driving
through deep water. Apply the
brakes moderately to see if they feel normal. If not, apply them gently and
frequently until they do. Since a
longer distance is needed to stop
with wet brakes, be extra cautious and alert in your driving. Brake Wear Indicators
The front disc brakes on all models have audible brake wear indicators.
When the brake pads need replacing,
you will hear a distinctive metallic "screeching" sound when you apply
the brakes. If you do not have the
brake pads replaced, they will begin screeching all the time.
Your brakes may sometimes squeal or squeak when you apply them
lightly. Do not confuse this with the
brake wear indicators. They make a
very audible "screeching."
DrivingMain Menu Table of Contents s t

The Braking System

*U.S. indicator shown

The ABS is self-checking. It also checks itself whenever you use the
brakes.
If anything goes wrong, the ABS
indicator on the instrument panelcomes on (see page 55). This means
the anti-lock function of the braking system has shut down. The brakes
still work like a conventional system
without anti-lock, providing normal stopping ability. You should have the dealer inspect your car as soon as
possible if this light stays on after
you start the engine, or comes on
while driving.

Driving

ABS Indicator

ABS INDICATOR'Main Menu Table of Contents s t

Driving in Bad Weather

Rain, fog, and snow conditions re-
quire a different driving technique
because of reduced traction and
visibility. Keep your car well- maintained and exercise greater
caution when you need to drive in
bad weather. The cruise control should not be used in these condi-

tions.
Driving Technique — Always drive
slower than you would in dry
weather. It takes your car longer to
react, even in conditions that may seem just barely damp. Applysmooth, even pressure to all the
controls. Abrupt steering wheel
movements or sudden, hard appli-
cation of the brakes can cause loss of
control in wet weather. Be extra
cautious for the first few miles (kilometers) of driving while you
adjust to the change in driving
conditions. This is especially true in snow. A person can forget some
snow-driving techniques during the
summer months. Practice is needed
to relearn those skills.
Exercise extra caution when driving
in rain after a long dry spell. After
months of dry weather, the first
rains bring oil to the surface of the
roadway, making it slippery. Visibility — Being able to see
clearly in all directions and being
visible to other drivers are important in all weather conditions. This ismore difficult in bad weather. To be seen more clearly during daylight
hours, turn on your headlights.
Inspect your windshield wipers and
washers frequently. Keep the wind- shield washer reservoir full of the
proper fluid. Have the windshield
wiper blades replaced if they start to streak the windshield or leave parts
unwiped. Use the defrosters and air conditioning to keep the windows
from fogging up on the inside (see
page 93).

DrivingMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Maintenance

This section explains why it is important to keep your car wellmaintained and to follow basic
maintenance safety precautions.
This section also includes Maintenance Schedules for normal
driving 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 263 for information on how to obtain a copy, or see your Honda
dealer.
Maintenance Safety....................... 158
Important Safety Precautions.. 159
Maintenance Schedule.................. 160
Maintenance Record..................... 167 Owner Maintenance Checks........ 169
Fluid Locations............................... 170

Engine Oil....................................... 171
Adding Oil................................... 171

Recommended Oil..................... 171Synthetic Oil............................... 172

Additives..................................... 172
Changing the Oil and Filter...... 173

Cooling System.............................. 175
Adding Engine Coolant............. 175Replacing Engine Coolant........ 177
Windshield Washers..................... 180

Transmission Fluid........................ 180
Automatic
Transmission.......................... 180

5-speed Manual
Transmission.......................... 182

Brake and Clutch Fluid................. 182
Brake System............................. 183
Clutch System............................ 183

Power Steering............................... 184
Air Cleaner Element...................... 185 Hood Latch..................................... 186
Spark Plugs..................................... 187

Replacement............................... 187

Specifications............................. 188

Battery............................................ 189

Wiper Blades.................................. 191
Air Conditioning System............... 193 Drive Belts...................................... 194

Timing Belt..................................... 194

Tires................................................ 195 Inflation....................................... 195
Recommended Tire Pressures
for Normal Driving............ 196
Inspection................................... 197
Maintenance............................... 197
Tire Rotation.............................. 198
Replacing Tires and Wheels .... 199

Wheels and Tires....................... 200
Winter Driving........................... 200
Snow Tires.............................. 200

Tire Chains............................. 201
Lights.............................................. 202 Replacing Bulbs......................... 204

Storing Your Car............................ 212

MaintenanceMain Menu s t