2000 HONDA S2000 Owners Manual

142

This section explains why it is
important to keep your car well
maintained 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 259 for information on how to
obtain a copy,
or see your Honda
dealer. Maintenance
Safety .......................
144
Important
Safety Precautions .. 145
Maintenance Schedule .................. 146
Required Maintenance Record
.... 153
Owner Maintenance Checks ........ 155
Fluid Locations ............................... 156
Engine Oil ....................................... 157
Adding Oil... ................................ 157
Recommended Oil ..................... 157
Synthetic
Oil ............................... 158
Additives ..................................... 158
Changing the Oil and Filter.. .... 159
Cooling System .............................. 161
Adding Engine Coolant ............. 161
Replacing Engine Coolant ........ 163
Windshield Washers ..................... 167
6-speed Manual Transmission
Fluid ............................................
168
Differential Fluid ........................... 169
Brake and Clutch Fluid ................. 170
Brake Fluid ................................. 170
Brake System ............................. 170
Clutch System ............................ 171
Air Cleaner Element.. .................... 172
Hood Latch ..................................... 174
Maintenance
Spark Plugs ..................................... 174
Replacement ............................... 17 4
Specifications ............................. 176
Battery ............................................
177
Wiper Blades .................................. 180
Air Conditioning System ............... 182
Air Conditioning Filter, ................. 183
Drive Belt ........................................ 184
Tires ................................................ 185
Inflation ....................................... 185
Inspection ................................... 187
Maintenance ............................... 188
Tire Rotation .............................. 188
Tire Wear .................................... 188
Replacing Tires and Wheels .... 189
Wheels and Tires ....................... 190
Winter Driving ........................... 190
Snow
Tires .............................. 191
Tire Chains ............................. 191
Lights .............................................. 192
Replacing Bulbs ......................... 194
Storing Your Car ............................ 202
Maintenance 143

Maintenance Safety
Regularly maintaining your car is the
best way to protect your investment.
Proper maintenance is essential to
your safety and the safety of your
passengers.
It will also reward you
with more economical, trouble-free
driving and help reduce air pollution.
Improperly maintaining this car
or
failing to correct a problem
before driving can cause a
crash
in which you can be
seriously hurt or killed.
Always follow
the inspection
and maintenance
recommendations and
schedules in this owner's
manual.
144 Maintenance
This section includes instructions for
simple maintenance tasks, such as
checking and adding
oil. Any service
items not detailed in this section
should be performed by a Honda
technician or other qualified
mechanic. Some
of
the most important safety
precautions are given here. However,
we cannot warn you of every
conceivable hazard
that can arise in
performing maintenance.
Only you
can decide whether or not you
should perform a given task.
Failure to properly follow
maintenance instructions and
precautions can cause you to
be seriously hurt or killed.
Always follow
the procedures
and precautions
in this owner's
manual.

Important Safety Precautions
Before you begin any maintenance,
make sure your car is parked on
level ground and that the parking
brake is set. Also,
be sure the engine
is off. This
will help to eliminate
several potential hazards:
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
from engine exhaust.
Be sure
there is adequate ventilation
whenever you operate
the engine.
• Bums from hot parts. Let the
engine and exhaust system cool
before touching any parts.
• Injury from moving parts. Do
not run the engine unless in­
structed to do so. Read
the instructions
before you
begin, and make sure you have
the
tools and skills required.
To reduce the possibility of fire or
explosion, be careful when working
around gasoline or batteries.
Use a
commercially available degreaser
or
parts cleaner, not gasoline, to clean
parts. Keep cigarettes, sparks, and
flames away from the battery and
all
fuel-related parts.
You should wear eye protection and
protective clothing when working
near the battery or when using
compressed air.
Maintenance Safety
Maintenance 145

Maintenance Schedule
The Maintenance Schedule specifies
how often you should have your
car
serviced and what things need
attention. It is essential that you have
your car serviced as scheduled to
retain its high level of safety,
dependability,
and emissions control
performance.
146 Maintenance
The services and time or distance
intervals shown in
the maintenance
schedule
assume you will use your
car as normal transportation for your
passenger and possessions. You
should also follow these
recommendations:
• Avoid exceeding your car's load
limit.
This puts excess stress on
the engine, brakes, and many
other parts of your car. The load
limit is shown on
the label on the
driver's doorjamb.
• Operate your car on reasonable
roads within
the legal speed limit.
• Drive your car regularly over a
distance of several miles
(kilometers).
• Always use unleaded gasoline with
the proper octane rating (see page
116 ).
Which Schedule to Follow:
Service your car according to the
time and mileage periods on one of
the Maintenance Schedules on the
following pages. Select the schedule
for
"Severe Conditions" if most of
your driving is done
under one or
more of the conditions listed on that
page. Otherwise, follow the schedule
for
"Normal Conditions."

Your authorized Honda dealer
knows your
car best and can provide
competent, efficient service.
However, service at a dealer is not
mandatory to keep your warranties
in effect. Maintenance may be done
by any qualified service facility or
person who is skilled in this type of
automotive service. Keep all the
receipts as proof of completion, and
have the person who does the work
fill out
the Maintenance Record.
Check your warranty booklet for
more information. We
recommend the use of Genuine
Honda parts and fluids whenever you
have maintenance done.
These are
manufactured to
the same high­
quality standards as the original
components, so you can be confident
of their performance and durability.
U.S. Cars:
Maintenance, replacement or
repair of emissions control
devices and systems may be done
by any automotive repair
establishment or individual using
parts that are "certified" to EPA
standards.
Maintenance Schedule
According to state and federal
regulations, failure to perform
maintenance on the items marked
with
# will not void your emissions
warranties. However, Honda
recommends that all maintenance
services be performed
at the
recommended time or mileage
period to ensure long-term reliability.
Maintenance 14 7

Service at the indicated miles x 1,000 15 30 45 60 75 90 105
distance ortime -whichever kmx 1,000 24 48 72 96 120 144 168
comes first.
months 12 24 36 48 60 72 84
Replace engine oil Replace every 7,500
miles (12,000 km) or 12 months
Replace engine oil filter • •
• • • • • Check engine oil and coolant Check oil and coolant at each fuel stop
Replace air cleaner element • • • Inspect valve clearance Adjust only if noisy • Replace spark plugs • Inspect drive belt • • • Inspect idle speed • Replace engine coolant • • • Replace transmission fluid • Replace rear differential fluid • • • Inspect front and rear brakes • • • • • •
• Replace brake fluid • • Check parking brake adjustment • • • •
• • • Replace air conditioning filter • • • Check tire inflation and condition Every 7,500
miles (12,000 km)
Visually inspect the following items:
Tie rod ends, steering gear box, and boots
Suspension components
Driveshaft boots
Brake hoses and
lines (including ABS) • • • • • • • All fluid levels and condition of fluids
Cooling
system hoses and connections
Exhaust system•
Fuel lines and connections•
148 Maintenance
120 192
96
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
U.S. Owners
Follow the Normal Conditions
Maintenance Schedule
if the
severe driving conditions
specified in
the Severe
Conditions Maintenance
Schedule do not apply.
NOTE: If you only
OCCASIONALLY drive under a
"severe" condition, you should
follow
the Normal Conditions
Maintenance Schedule.
Canadian Owners
Follow the Maintenance
Schedule for Severe Conditions.
#: See information on maintenance and
emissions warranty,
last column, page 147.

Service at the indicated distance or time, whichever comes first. Do the items in A, B, Cas required for each distance/time interval. Follow this schedule if the severe driving conditions described in the Severe Conditions Schedule on the next page do not apply. Canadian owners: Follow the schedule for Severe Conditions.
7,500 mi/12,000
km/- Do items in A. 15,000 m i/24,000 km/1 yr Do items in A, B. 22,500 mi/36,000 km/-
Do items in A. 30,000 mi/48,000 km/2 yrs Do items in A, B, C. 37,500 mi/60,000 km/- Do items in A. 45,000 mi/72,000 km/3 yrs DReplace coolant. DReplace brake fluid. Do items in A, B. 52,500 mi/84,000 km/- Do items in A. 60,000 mi/96,000 km/4 yrs Do items in A, B, C. 67,500 mi/108,000 km/- Do items in A. 75,000 mi/120,000 km/5 yrs DReplace coolant. Do items in A, B. 82,500 mi/132,000 km/- Do items in A. 90,000 mi/144,000 km/6 yrs DReplace brake fluid. DReplace transmission fluid. Do items in A, B, C. 97,500 mi/156,000 km/- Do items in A. 1 05,000 m i/168,000 km/7 yrs Inspect valve clearance. DReplace coolant. Dlnspect idle speed. DReplace spark plugs. Do items in A, B. 112,500 mi/180,000 km/-Do items in A. 120,000 mi/192,000 km/8 yrs Do items in A, B, C.
Note: • Check engine oil and coolant at each fuel stop. • Check and adjust valve clearance, cold engine, if noisy.
A DReplace engine oil. DCheck tire inflation and condition. B DReplace engine oil filter. Dlnspect front and rear brakes. CCheck parking brake adjustment. Dlnspect tie rod ends, steering gear box and boots. Dlnspect suspension components. Dlnspect driveshaft boots. Dlnspect brake hoses and lines (including ABS). DC heck all fluid levels, condition of fluids, and check for leaks. Dlnspect cooling system hoses and connections. D"lnspect exhaust system. D"lnspect fuel lines and connections. c DReplace air cleaner element. DReplace rear differential fluid. DReplace air conditioning filter. Dlnspect drive belt. # : See information on maintenance and emissions warranty, last
column, page 147.
Maintenance 149