1999 HONDA CIVIC COUPE Engine not starting

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 (Including
CVT):

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 enginedoes 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 pedalso 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 nomore than 15 seconds. Return tostep 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 smoothsout.
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 more
than 15 seconds. If the enginedoes not start, return to step 2.
DrivingMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Automatic Transmission

Park (P) — This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning off orstarting the engine. To shift out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your foot off the
accelerator pedal. Press the release
button on the side of the shift lever
to move it.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see Shift Lock Release on page
144.

You must also press the release button to shift into Park. To avoid
transmission damage, come to acomplete stop before shifting into
Park. The shift lever must be in Park
before you can remove the key from
the ignition switch.
DrivingMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Automatic Transmission

Reverse (R) — To shift to Reverse
from Park, see the explanation under Park. To shift to Reverse from
Neutral, come to a complete stop and
then shift. Press the release button
before shifting into Reverse from
Neutral.

Neutral (N) — Use Neutral if youneed 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 car forany reason. Press on the brake pedal
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. Drive (D3) —This position is similar
to D4, except only the first three
gears are selected. Use D3 to provide
engine braking when going down a
steep hill. D3 can also keep the
transmission from cycling between
third and fourth gears in stop-and-go
driving.

For faster acceleration when in D3 or
D4, you can get the transmission to automatically downshift by pushing
the accelerator pedal to the floor.
The transmission will shift down one or two gears, depending on your
speed.
Second (2) — To shift to Second,
press the release button on the side
of the shift lever. This position locks
the transmission in second gear. It does not downshift to first gear
when you come to a stop. Second
gives you more power when climbing,
and increased engine braking when

going down steep hills. Use second

gear when starting out on a slippery surface or in deep snow. It will help

reduce wheelspin.

DrivingMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Automatic Transmission (CVT)

Park (P) — This position mechani-

cally locks the transmission. Use

Park whenever you are turning off or
starting the engine. To shift out of

Park, you must press on the brake

pedal, have your foot off the accelera-

tor pedal, and press the release

button on the side of the shift lever.
If you have done all of the above andstill cannot move the lever out of

Park, see Shift Lock Release on page
144.
You must also press the release
button to shift into Park. To avoidtransmission damage, come to a
complete stop before shifting intoPark. The shift lever must be in Park
before you can remove the key from the ignition switch. Reverse (R) — To shift from Re-
verse to Park, see the explanation under Park. To shift to Reverse from
Neutral, come to a complete stop
first. Press the release button before shifting into Reverse from Neutral.
Neutral (N) — Use Neutral if you need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop briefly with
the engine idling. Always shift to Park position if you need to leave the
vehicle for any reason. Press on the brake pedal when you are movingthe shift lever from Neutral toanother position.

CONTINUED

DrivingMain 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 car towed. Compact Spare Tire....................... 220
Changing a Flat Tire..................... 221
If Your Engine Won't Start........... 226
Nothing Happens or theStarter Motor OperatesVery Slowly............................. 226
The Starter Operates Normally................................. 227
Jump Starting................................. 227 If Your Engine Overheats............. 229
Low Oil Pressure Indicator.......... 231Charging System Indicator........... 232
Malfunction Indicator Lamp ........ 233
Brake System Indicator................ 234 Closing the Moonroof................... 235
Fuses............................................... 236 Checking and Replacing........... 237
Emergency Towing....................... 241

Taking Care of the UnexpectedMain Menu s t

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. 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 to start. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at all. Check these things:
Check the transmission interlock.
If you have a manual transmission,
the clutch pedal must be pushed all the way to the floor or thestarter 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 227.
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

Emergency Towing on page 241.)

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 189). You can
then try jump starting the vehicle
from a booster battery (see page 227).

Taking Care of the UnexpectedMain Menu Table of Contents s t

If Your Engine Won't Start, Jump Starting
The Starter Operates Normally In this case, the starter motor's
speed 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 startingprocedure? Refer to Starting the
Engine on page 137.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 237).
If you find nothing wrong, you will
need a qualified technician to find
the problem. See Emergency
Towing on page 241. Jump Starting
If your car's battery has run down,
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 pushingor pulling it. To jump start your car, follow these
directions closely:
1. Open the hood and check the physical condition of the battery(see page 189). In very cold
weather, check the condition of the electrolyte. If it seems slushyor 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.

CONTINUED

Taking Care of the Unexpected

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.
NOTICEMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Jump Starting

3. Connect one jumper cable to the positive (+) terminal on the
booster battery. Connect the otherend to the positive (+) terminal
on your Honda's battery. 4. Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative ( — ) terminal onthe 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. 6. Start your car. 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 car is running, discon- nect the negative cable from your
car, then from the booster battery.
Disconnect the positive cable from
your car, then the booster battery.

Taking Care of the Unexpected
BOOSTER BATTERYMain Menu Table of Contents s t