2000 HONDA S2000 open hood

Before you begin driving your Honda,
you should know what gasoline to
use, and how to check
the levels of
important fluids. You also need to
know how to properly store luggage
or packages.
The information in this
section will help you.
If you plan to
add any accessories to your vehicle,
·
please read the information in this
section first.
Before Driving
Break-in Period .............................. 116
Gasoline .......................................... 116
Service Station Procedures ..........
117
Filling the Fuel Tank ................. 117
Opening the Hood ..................... 118
Oil Check ................................ 119
Engine Coolant Check .......... 120
Fuel Economy ................................ 121
Car Condition ............................. 121
Driving Habits ............................ 121
Accessories and Modifications .... 122
Accessories ................................. 122
Modifications ............................. 123
Additional Safety Precaution .... 123
Carrying Cargo .............................. 124
General Precautions ...................... 127
Before Driving 115

Service Station Procedures
4. Stop filling the tank after the fuel
nozzle automatically clicks off. Do
not try to
"top off" the tank, leave
some room for the fuel to expand
with temperature changes.
5. Screw the fuel fill cap back on,
tighten it until it clicks at least
three times.
If you do not properly
tighten the cap, the Malfunction
Indicator Lamp may come on (see
page
228 ).
6. Push the fuel fill door closed until
it latches.
118 Before Driving
Opening the Hood
1. Shift to 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 edge
of 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 or does not spring back as
before, the mechanism should
be
cleaned and lubricated (see page
174 ).

Replacing Engine Coolant
The cooling system should be
completely drained and refilled with
new coolant according to
the time
and distance recommendations in
the maintenance schedule. Only use
Genuine Honda Antifreeze/Coolant.
Draining the coolant requires access
to
the underside of the vehicle.
Unless you have the tools and
knowledge, you should have this
maintenance done by a skilled
mechanic.
1. Turn the ignition ON (II). Turn
the heater temperature control
dial fully clockwise.
Turn the
ignition off.
2. Open the hood. Make sure the
engine and radiator are cool to the
touch.
3. Remove the radiator cap.
Cooling System
4. Loosen the drain plug on the
bottom of the radiator. The
coolant will drain through the
splash guard. Remove the drain
bolt and washer from the engine
block.
CONTINUED
Maintenance 163

The air conditioning filter removes
pollen and dust from outside air the
heating and cooling system brings
into the interior.
It should be
replaced according to the time and
distance recommendations
in the
maintenance schedule.
This filter should be replaced every
30,000 miles (48,000 km) under
normal conditions.
It should be
replaced every
15,000 miles (24,000
km) if you drive primarily in urban
areas that have high concentrations
of soot in the air from industry and
diesel-powered vehicles. Replace it
more often
if air flow from the
climate control system becomes less
than usual. Have the air conditioning
filter replaced by your Honda dealer.
Replacement
The air conditioning filter is located
in the engine compartment on the
passenger's side near the base of the
windshield.
1. Open the hood. Unclip the
windshield base by pulling it
up.
Air Conditioning Filter
2. Push the tab on the air
conditioning filter to unlock it
from the holder.
3. Remove the old filter. Put a new
filter in the holder and push it in
until it locks.
4. Put the pins on the windshield
base into their mating holes on the
support, and push the base down
until the pins snap
in.
Maintenance 183

1. Open the hood.
If you need to change the high
beam headlight bulb on the left
side, remove the coolant reserve
tank from its holder by pulling it
straight up.
2. Remove the electrical connector
from
the bulb by squeezing the
connector to unlock the tab, then
slide
the connector off the bulb.
3. Remove the rubber weather seal
by pulling on the tab.
4. Unclip the end of the hold-down
wire from its slot.
Pivot it out of
the way and remove the bulb
socket.
5. Pull the bulb straight out of its
socket.
Push the new bulb straight into
the socket until it bottoms.
Lights
6. Insert the socket back into the
headlight assembly. Make sure
the bulb is installed correctly by
looking through the headlight lens.
The pins on the base of the bulb
should fit in
the holes in the
headlight assembly.
Pivot the hold­
down wire back in place and clip
the end into the slot.
7. Install the rubber seal over the
back of
the headlight assembly.
Make sure it is right side
up; it is
marked
''TOP."
8. Push the electrical connector onto
the new bulb.
Turn on the headlights to test the
new bulb.
Maintenance 195

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.
220 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.
To jump start your car, follow these
directions closely:
1. Open the hood and check the
physical condition of the battery
(see page 177 ) . In very cold
weather,
check the condition of
the electrolyte. If it seems slushy
or like ice, do not
try jump starting
until it thaws.
NOTICE
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
and
set the parking brake.

The reading on your car's
temperature gauge should stay in
the midrange under most conditions.
It may go higher if you are driving up
a long steep hill on a very
hot day. If
it climbs to the red mark, you should
determine
the reason.
NOTICE
Driving with the temperature gauge
reading
at the red mark can cause
serious damage to your engine.
Your car can overheat for several
reasons,
such as lack of coolant or a
mechanical problem.
The only
indication may be
the temperature
gauge climbing to or above
the red
mark. Or you may see steam or
spray coming from
under the car or
engine cover. In either case, you
should take immediate action.
Steam and spray from an
overheated engine can
seriously scald you.
Do not open the hood if steam
is coming out.
1. Safely pull to the side of the road.
Put the transmission in Neutral
and
set the parking brake. Turn
off the heating and cooling system
and all
other accessories. Turn on
the hazard warning indicators.
2. If you see steam and/ or spray
coming from
under the hood, turn
off
the engine.
If Your Engine Overheats
3. If you do not see steam or spray,
leave
the engine running and
watch
the temperature gauge. If
the high heat is due to overloading
(climbing a long, steep hill on a
hot day with
the A/C running, for
example),
the engine should start
to cool down almost immediately.
If it does, wait until the tempera­
ture gauge comes down to
the mid­
point
then continue driving.
4. If the temperature gauge stays at
the red mark, turn off the engine.
5. Wait until you see no more signs
of
steam or spray, then open the
hood.
CONTINUED
Taking Care of the Unexpected 223

Low Oil Pressure Indicator
This indicator should light when the
ignition switch is ON (II), and go out
after
the engine starts. It should
never come on when
the engine is
running.
If it starts flashing, it
indicates
that the oil pressure
dropped very low for a moment,
then
recovered. If the indicator stays on
with
the engine running, it shows
that
the engine has lost oil pressure
and serious engine damage is
possible. In either case, you should
take immediate action.
226 Taking Care of the Unexpected
NOTICE
Running the engine with low oil
pressure can cause serious mechanical
damage almost immediately. Turn
off
the engine as soon as you can safely get
the car
stopped.
1. Safely pull off the road and shut
off the engine. Turn on the hazard
warning indicators.
2. Let the car sit for a minute. Open
the hood and check the oil level
(see page 119 ). Although oil level
and
oil pressure are not directly
connected, an engine
that is very
low on
oil can lose pressure during
cornering and
other driving
maneuvers.
3. If necessary, add oil to bring the
level back to the full mark on the
dipstick (see page 120 ) .
4. Start the engine and watch the oil
pressure indicator.
If the light
does not go out within
ten seconds,
turn off
the engine. There is a
mechanical problem
that needs to
be repaired before you can
continue driving.
(See Emergency
Towing on page 238 .)