2000 HONDA S2000 warning

Traction -Check your tires
frequently for wear and proper
pressure. Both are important
in
preventing "hydroplaning" (loss of
traction on a wet surface). In the
winter, mount snow tires on all four
wheels for the
best handling.
Watch road conditions carefully,
they can change from moment to
moment. Wet leaves can be as
slip­
pery as ice. "Clear" roads can have
patches of ice. Driving conditions
can be very hazardous when the
outside temperature is near freezing.
The road surface can become
covered with areas of water puddles
mixed with areas of ice, so your
traction can change without warning.
Be careful when downshifting. If
traction is low, you can lock up the
drive wheels for a moment and cause
a skid.
Driving in Bad Weather, Towing a Trailer
Be very cautious when passing, or
being passed by other cars.
The
spray from large cars reduces your
visibility, and the wind buffeting can
cause you to lose control.
Towing a Trailer
Your car is not designed to tow a
trailer. Attempting to
do so can void
your warranties.
Driving 141

If you have a flat tire while driving,
stop in a safe place to change it.
Stopping in traffic
or on the shoulder
of a busy road is dangerous. Drive
slowly along
the shoulder until you
get to an exit or an area to stop that
is far away from the traffic lanes.
The car can easily roll off the
jack,
seriously injuring anyone
underneath.
Follow the directions for
changing a tire
exactly, and
never get under the car when it
is supported only by the jack.
The compact spare tire is smaller
than a standard tire, which
will affect
the vehicle's handling. Drive
cautiously when this spare is
mounted on your vehicle.
The size difference may also cause
damage to
the rear differential, so do
not mount
the compact spare on the
rear. If either rear tire goes flat,
remove
the front tire on that same
side, mount
the compact spare tire
on
the front, then mount the front
tire on
the rear.
1. Park the car on firm, level, non­
slippery ground away from traffic.
Put the transmission in Reverse.
Apply
the parking brake.
2. Turn on the hazard warning lights
and turn
the ignition switch to
LOCK (O). Have your passenger
get out of the car while you
change
the tire.
Changing a Flat Tire
3. Open the trunk. Lift up the tool
box lid and take
the jack, wheel
wrench and extension out of
the
tool box.
NOTICE
Use the jack that came on your car. If
you try to raise another car by this jack
or use another jack to raise your car,
the car
or jack can be damaged.
CONTINUED
Taking Care of the Unexpected 213

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 connections
(see page 177). You can then try
jump starting the car from a booster
battery (see page 220).
The Starter Operates Normally
In this case, the starter motor's
speed sounds normal, or even faster
than normal, when you press the
ENGINE START button, but the
engine does not run.
• Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Refer to
Starting the
Engine on page 131 .
• Do you have fuel? Turn the
ignition switch to
ON (ID 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.
If Your Engine Won't Start
• There may be an electrical
problem, such as
no power to the
fuel pump.
Check all the fuses
(see page
231 ) .
If you find nothing wrong, you will
need a qualified technician to find
the problem. See
Emergency
Towing on page 238.
Taking Care of the Unexpected 219

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 .)

UNDER-HOOD FUSE BOXES
(MAIN FUSE BOX)
(AUXILIARY FUSE BOX)
No.
1 -~~ 2 ---------3
4
5 6
7
8 9
10
11
i 12
13
No.
1
2
~-3 4
5
Amps. Circuits Protected
Lighting 1 Relay ·--··---·-Lighting 2 Relay ~-r--c-~----Horn Relay
40A Power Window Motor
20A Right Roof Motor ~ Not used
30A ! BackUpACC
20A Left Roof Motor
40A ' Heater Motor
20A Condenser Fan ~ Not used ~ Condenser Fan Reday ~ Cooling Fan Relay
Amps. Circuits Protected
-Not used -··--·-··-· Not used ______ ,. ________ ~---~ Not used ---·· 70A EPS ___________ , __
60A Air Pump
Fuses
'
No. Amps. Circuits Protected
14 Magnetic Clutch Relay r--~~ ·--··-----------------....... -·---15 20A Right Headlight '1:6-·-· --15A ACGS
17 lOA Hazard
Warning Lights
18 20A Cooling Fan --19 ~ Not used ··-20 lOA Stop
21 20A Left Headlight
22 20A ABS F/S
23 30A ABS Motor
24 lOOA Battery
25 40A IGl Main
--------
Taking Care of the Unexpected 235

DOT Tire Quality Grading (U.S. Vehicles)
The tires on your vehicle meet all
U.S. Federal Safety Requirements.
All tires are also graded for
treadwear, traction, and temperature
performance according to
Department of Transportation
(DOT) standards. The following
explains these gradings.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between the tread shoulder and the
maximum section width. For
example: Treadwear
200
TractionAA
Temperature A
246 Technical Information
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a compara­
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled
conditions 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. Traction
The traction
grades, from highest to
lowest, are
AA, A, B, and C. Those
grades represent the tire's ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on
specified government
test surfaces
of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction
performance.
Warning:
The traction grade
assigned to this tire
is based on
straight-ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak
traction characteristics.

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 material
of 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.
DOT Tire Quality Grading (U.S. Vehicles)
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.
Technical Information 247