2000 HONDA PRELUDE Owner's Manual (in English)

5-spee
d Manua l Transmissio n

The manual transmission is syn- chronized in all forward gears forsmooth 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 car moving. Pushdown 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 byshifting 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.

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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.

5-spee
d Manua l Transmissio n

Recommende d Shif t Point s
Drive in the highest gear that lets
the engine run and accelerate smoothly. This will give you the best
fuel economy and effective emis- sions control. The following shift
points are recommended: Engin
e Spee d Limite r
If you exceed the maximum speed
for the gear you are in, the engine speed will enter into the tachometer's
red zone. If this occurs, you may feel the engine cut in and out. This iscaused by a limiter in the engine's
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the RPM below the red zone.
Before downshifting, make sure the
engine will not go into the
tachometer's red zone in the lower

gear.

Driving

Automati
c Transmissio n

Your Honda's transmission has four forward speeds, and is electronicallycontrolled for smoother shifting. It
also has a "lock-up" torque converter
for better fuel economy. You may
feel what seems like another shift
when the converter locks. Shif
t Leve r Positio n Indicato r
x1000r/mi n
This indicator in the tachometer shows which position the shift lever
is in. The illuminated number next to
the "D4" indicator shows you the
gear you have selected in the
Sequential SportShift mode. The "D4" indicator comes on for a
few seconds when you turn theignition switch ON (II). If it flashes
while driving (in any shift position), it indicates a possible problem in the
transmission. Avoid rapid acceler- ation and have the transmission
checked by an authorized Hondadealer as soon as possible.

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Automati
c Transmissio n

Shif t Leve r Position s
SHIF T LEVE R
The shift lever has eight positions. It must be in Park or Neutral to start
the engine. When you are stopped in
D4, D3, 2,1, N, R, or the Sequential
SportShift mode, press firmly on the
brake pedal and keep your toot off
the accelerator pedal. To select the Sequential SportShift
mode, slide the shift lever toward the
left from the "D4" position. In this mode the shift lever allows
you to shift up and down manually.
Whenever you move the shift lever,slide it along the guide on the
console.
You cannot shift out of Park with the brake pedal depressed when the
ignition switch is in LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I).
CONTINUED

SEQUENTIA L
SPORTSHIF T

MOD E

POSITIO N

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Automati
c Transmissio n

Par k (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 and have your foot off the accelerator pedal. Move the shift
lever to the right to shift out of the
Park position.
If you have done all of the above and still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see Shift Lock Release on page
151.

To avoid transmission damage, cometo a complete stop before shiftinginto Park. The shift lever must be inPark before you can remove the key
from the ignition switch. Revers
e (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.
Your car has a reverse lockout so you cannot accidentally shift to Reverse from Neutral or any other
driving position when the car speed
exceeds 7 — 9 mph (12 — 14 km/h).
If you cannot shift to Reverse when
the car is stopped, press the brake
pedal and slowly shift to Neutral
then to Reverse.
If there is a problem in the reverse
lockout system, or your car's battery
is disconnected or goes dead, you
cannot shift to Reverse. In this case,
use the procedure of Shift LockRelease (see page 151).
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Automati
c Transmissio n

Neutra l (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 car for any reason. Press on the brake pedal
when you are moving the shift lever
from Neutral to another gear.
Driv e (D 4) — 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 theshift lever to the right.
In the Sequential SportShift mode, each time you push forward on theshift, 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 144).
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 youselect the Sequential SportShift
while the car is stopped, the transmission automatically selects
first gear and the display shows /1/.
CONTINUED

Upshif
t

Downshift

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Automati
c Transmissio n

When you accelerate away from a
stop, the transmission will be in first

gear. The transmission will not
automatically upshift. Watch the

tachometer and upshift manually

before the engine reaches redline.
The transmission remains in the
selected gear (4, 3, 2, or 1). There is
no automatic downshift when you
push the accelerator pedal to the

floor.

The transmission may automatically downshift from fourth gear to third"
gear under the following conditions: The car speeds drops below

20 mph (32 km/h).
If you drive uphill between

20 — 31 mph (32 — 50 km/h).

If you press the brake pedal as you

drive downhill.
Downshifting gives you more power
when climbing or provides engine
braking when going down a steep hill.
The transmission will also shift automatically as the car comes to a
complete stop. It will downshift to
first gear when the car speed is under 6 mph (10 km/h).
If you try to manually downshift at aspeed that would cause the engine to
exceed the redline in a lower gear,
the transmission will not downshift.
If you try to downshift from fourth
gear to third gear, the gear indicator
will flash /3/ several times, then
return to /4/; if yo
u try to downshift
from third gear to second gear, the
gear indicator will flash /2/ several
times, then return to third gear.

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c Transmissio n

If the car speed slows to below the
redline of the selected lower gear
position while the indicator is

flashing, the transmission will

downshift and the display will show
the selected lower gear.
If the transmission temperature is
below 14°F ( — 10 °C), you may not be able to use the Sequential

SportShift mode.
The table shows the speed ranges
for upshifting and downshifting. Driv
e (D3) — This position is similar
to D4, except only
the first three
gears are selected. Use D3, when towing a trailer in hilly terrain, or to
provide engine braking when goingdown 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.

CONTINUED

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