1999 HONDA CIVIC COUPE Owners Manual

Tire Information
Tire Pressure Adjustment For High Speed Driving
Honda strongly recommends that
you not drive faster than posted speed limits and conditions allow. If
you decide it is safe to drive at high speeds, be sure to adjust the cold tire
pressures as shown below. If you do
not adjust the tire pressure, exces- sive heat can build up and causesudden tire failure.

Be sure to readjust the pressure for

normal driving speeds. You should

wait until the tires are cold before adjusting the tire pressure (see page
196).

DOT Tire Quality Grading
(U.S. Vehicles)

The tires on your car meet all U.S. Federal Safety Requirements. All
tires are also graded for treadwear,
traction, and temperature perform-
ance according to Department of
Transportation (DOT) standards.
The following explains these gradings.
Treadwear

The treadwear grade is a compara- tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlledconditions on a specified government
test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and one
half (1-1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100. The relative performance of
tires depends upon the actual condi-
tions of their use, however, and may depart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits, service practices, and differences in
road characteristics and climate.

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Tire Information
Traction

The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are A, B, and C, and they
represent the tire's ability to stop on
wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on specified
government test surfaces of asphaltand concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade as- signed to this tire is based on brak-
ing (straight ahead) traction tests
and does not include cornering (turning) traction.
Temperature

The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C, representing the
tire's resistance to the generation of heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the materialof the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure. The
grade C corresponds to a level of
performance which all passenger car
tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109. Grades B and A represent
higher levels of performance on the
laboratory test wheel than the minimum required by law.
Warning: The temperature grade for

this tire is established for a tire that
is properly inflated and not over-

loaded. Excessive speed, underinfla-

tion, or excessive loading either
separately or in combination, can

cause heat build-up and possible tire

failure.

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Oxygenated Fuels

Some conventional gasolines are

being blended with alcohol or an
ether compound. These gasolines

are collectively referred to as

oxygenated fuels. To meet clean air
standards, some areas of the United

States and Canada use oxygenated

fuels to help reduce emissions.

If you use an oxygenated fuel, be
sure it is unleaded and meets the

minimum octane rating requirement.

Before using an oxygenated fuel, try

to confirm the fuel's contents. Some
states/provinces require this

information to be posted on the

pump.
The following are the U.S. EPA and
Canada CGSB approved percentages
of oxygenates:
ETHANOL (ethyl or grain alcohol)
You may use gasoline containing up to 10 percent ethanol by volume. Gasoline containing ethanol may be
marketed under the name "Gasohol."
MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether)
You may use gasoline containing up to 15 percent MTBE by volume.
METHANOL (methyl or wood
alcohol)

You may use gasoline containing up to 5 percent methanol by volume as
long as it also contains cosolventsand corrosion inhibitors to protect
the fuel system. Gasoline containing
more than 5 percent methanol by
volume may cause starting and/or performance problems. It may alsodamage metal, rubber and plastic
parts of your fuel system. If you notice any undesirable

operating symptoms, try another

service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline.
Fuel system damage or performance
problems resulting from the use of
an oxygenated fuel containing more

than the percentages of oxygenates
given above are not covered under

warranty.

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Driving in Foreign Countries

Technical Information

If you are planning to take your
Honda outside the U.S. or Canada,
contact the tourist bureaus in the
areas you will be traveling in to find
out about the availability of unleaded
gasoline with the proper octane
rating.

If unleaded gasoline is not available,
be aware that using leaded gasoline in your Honda will affect perfor-
mance and fuel mileage, and damage
its emissions controls. It will no
longer comply with U.S. andCanadian emissions regulations, and
will be illegal to operate in North
America. To bring your car back into compliance will require the replace-
ment of several components, such as
the oxygen sensors and the three
way catalytic converter. These re- placements are not covered under
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Emissions Controls

The burning of gasoline in your car's engine produces several byproducts.Some of these are carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and
hydrocarbons (HC). Gasoline evaporating from the tank also
produces hydrocarbons. Controlling
the production of NOx, CO, and HC
is important to the environment.Under certain conditions of sunlight
and climate, NOx and HC react to
form photochemical "smog." Carbon monoxide does not contribute tosmog creation, but it is a poisonous

gas.

The Clean Air Act
The United States Clean Air Act* sets standards for automobile
emissions. It also requires that
automobile manufacturers explain to
owners how their emissions controls
work and what to do to maintain them. This section summarizes how
the emissions controls work.
Scheduled maintenance is on page 160.

* In Canada, Honda vehicles comply
with the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) for
Emissions valid at the time they are

manufactured.

Crankcase Emissions Control
System
Your car has a Positive Crankcase
Ventilation System. This keeps gasses that build up in the engine'scrankcase from going into the
atmosphere. The Positive Crankcase
Ventilation valve routes them from the crankcase back to the intake
manifold. They are then drawn into
the engine and burned. Evaporative Emissions Control
System
As gasoline evaporates in the fuel tank, an evaporative emissionscontrol canister filled with charcoal
adsorbs the vapor. It is stored in this
canister while the engine is off. After
the engine is started and warmed up,
the vapor is drawn into the engineand burned during driving.
Onboard Refueling Vapor
Recovery
The Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery (ORVR) system captures
the fuel vapors during refueling. The
vapors are adsorbed in a canister
filled with activated carbon. While driving, the fuel vapors are drawn
into the engine and burned off.

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Emissions Controls

Exhaust Emissions Controls
The exhaust emissions controls include three systems: PGM-FI,
Ignition Timing Control and Three
Way Catalytic Converter. These three systems work together tocontrol the engine's combustion and
minimize the amount of HC, CO, and
NOx that comes out the tailpipe. Theexhaust emissions control systems
are separate from the crankcase and
evaporative emissions control
systems.

PGM-FI System

The PGM-FI System uses sequential multiport fuel injection.
It has three subsystems: Air Intake,Engine Control, and Fuel Control.
The Engine Control Module (ECM)/ Powertrain Control Module (PCM)/
Transmission Control Module (TCM-HX model only) uses various
sensors to determine how much air
is going into the engine. It then controls how much fuel to inject under all operating conditions.
Ignition Timing Control System
This system constantly adjusts the ignition timing, reducing the amountof HC, CO and NOx produced.
Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) System
Only on HX model

The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system takes some of the
exhaust gas and routes it back into
the intake manifold. Adding exhaust
gas to the air/fuel mixture reduces
the amount of NOx produced when
the fuel is burned.
Three Way Catalytic Converter
The three way catalytic converter is in the exhaust system. Throughchemical reactions, it converts HC,
CO, and NOx in the engine's exhaust
to carbon dioxide (CO 2), dinitrogen
(N2), and water vapor. Replacement Parts
The emissions control systems are designed and certified to work to-
gether in reducing emissions to
levels that comply with the Clean Air
Act. To make sure the emissions remain low, you should use only new Genuine Acura replacement parts or
their equivalent for repairs. Using lower quality parts may increase the
emissions from your car.
The emissions control systems are covered by warranties separate from
the rest of your car. Read your
warranty manual for more informa- tion.

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Three Way Catalytic Converter

The three way catalytic converter contains precious metals that serve
as catalysts, promoting chemical
reactions to convert the exhaust
gasses without affecting the metals.
The catalytic converter is referred to as a three-way catalyst, since it actson HC, CO, and NOx. A replacement
unit must be an original Honda part or its equivalent.
The three way catalytic converter must operate at a high temperature
for the chemical reactions to take place. It can set on fire any com-
bustible materials that come near it. Park your car away from high grass, dry leaves, or other flammables.
(U.S.: EX and Si, Canada: Si and SiR)

A defective three way catalytic converter contributes to air pollution,
and can impair your engine's per-
formance. Follow these guidelines to
protect your car's three way catalyticconverter.
Always use unleaded gasoline.Even a small amount of leaded
gasoline can contaminate the catalyst metals, making the three
way catalytic converter ineffective.
(U.S.: DX, HX, Canada: DX)

Keep the engine tuned-up.
Have your car diagnosed and
repaired if it is misfiring, back-
firing, stalling, or otherwise notrunning properly.

Technical Information
THREE WAY CATALYTIC CONVERTER
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Warranty and Customer Relations
Customer RelationsInformation................................. 258
U.S. Zone Office Map.................... 259 Canada Zone Office Map.............. 260
Warranty Coverages..................... 261
Reporting Safety Defects (U.S. Vehicles)........................... 262
Authorized Manuals...................... 263

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