2000 HONDA S2000 ESP

Congratulations on your selection of the 2000 Honda S2000. We are certain
you will be pleased with your purchase of one of the most sophisticated and
technologically-advanced sports cars in the world.
One of the best ways to enhance the enjoyment of your new Honda is to
read this manual. In it, you
will learn how to operate its driving controls and
convenience items. Afterwards, keep this owner's manual
in your car so you
can refer to it at any time.
Several warranties protect your new Honda. Read the warranty booklet
thoroughly so you understand the coverages and are aware of your rights
and responsibilities.
Maintaining your car according to the schedules given in this manual helps
to keep your driving trouble-free while it preserves your investment. When
your car needs maintenance, keep in mind that your Honda dealer's staff is
specially trained in servicing
the many systems unique to your Honda. Your
Honda dealer is dedicated to your satisfaction and
will be pleased to answer
any questions and concerns.
Introduction
As you read this manual, you will
find information that is preceded by
a
[NOTICE _ _] symbol. This
information is intended to help you
avoid damage to your
S2000, other
property,
or the environment.

A Few Words About Safety
Your safety, and the safety of others,
is very important. And operating this
car safely is an important
responsibility.
To help you make informed
decisions about safety, we have
provided operating procedures and
other information on labels and in
this manual. This information alerts
you to potential hazards that could
hurt you or others.
Of course, it is not practical or
possible to warn you about
all the
hazards associated with operating or
maintaining your car.
You must use
your own good judgement.
i i
You will find this important safety information in a variety of forms,
including:
• Safety Labels-on the car.
• Safety Messages -preceded by a safety alert symbol A and one of
three signal words:
DANGER, WARNING, or CAUTION.
These signal words mean:
A DANGER
l A CAUTION
You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT if you don't follow instructions.
You CAN be
KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT if you don't follow instructions.
·] You CAN be HURT if you don't follow
·· instructions.
• Safety Headings -such as Important Safety Reminders or Important
Safety Precautions.
• Safety Section-such as Driver and Passenger Safety.
• Instructions -how to use this car correctly and safely.
This entire book is filled with important safety information -please read it
carefully.

Important Safety Precautions
You'll find many safety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
The recommendations on this page
are the ones we consider to be the
most important.
Always WearY our Seat Belt
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags
supplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inflate only
in a
moderate to severe frontal collision.
So even though your car is equipped
with airbags, make sure you and
your passenger always wear your
seat belts, and wear them properly.
(See page
15 ) .
Your Car is Not Recommended
for Child Passengers
Since all children are safest in the
back seat of a car, and your car does
not have a back seat, we recommend
that you
do not carry a child
passenger.
Due to the passenger's
6 Driver and Passenger Safety
airbag hazard, you should never
carry an infant in a rear-facing child
seat in this car. If a small child who
must be restrained in a forward­
facing child seat, or a larger child,
must ride
in this car, be sure to
follow
all instructions and safety
warnings
in this manual. (See pages
26 and 29.)
Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
While airbags can save lives, they
can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Infants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest
risk Be
sure to follow
all instructions and
warnings
in this manual. (See page
7 .)
Don't Drink and Drive
Alcohol and driving don't mix. Even
one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse with every
additional
drink So don't drink
and drive, and don't let your friends
drink and drive, either.
Control Your Speed
Excessive speed is a major factor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed the
greater the
risk, but serious accidents can also
occur
at lower speeds. Never drive
faster than is safe for current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Keep Your Car in Safe Condition
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical failure can be extremely
hazardous.
To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition frequently,
and perform
all regularly scheduled
maintenance. (See page 146
.)

Protecting Adults
Introduction
The following pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect adult occupants.
These instructions also apply to a
child whom you have decided is
large enough and mature enough to
ride as a passenger. (See page
29 for
important additional guidelines on
how to properly protect larger
children.)
1. Close and Lock the Doors
After everyone has entered the car,
be sure the doors are closed and
locked.
12
Driver and Passenger Safety
~ Your car has a door
~ monitor light on the
instrument panel to indicate when a
specific door is
not tightly closed.
For safety, locking the doors reduces
the chance
that a passenger,
especially a child,
will open a door
while the car is moving and
accidentally fall out.
It also reduces
the chance of someone being thrown
out of the car during a crash.
For security, locked doors can
prevent an outsider from
unexpectedly opening a door when
you come to a stop.
See page
58 for how to lock the
doors.
2.Adjust the Front Seats
Any driver who sits too close to the
steering wheel is at risk of being
seriously injured or killed by striking
the steering wheel,
or from being
struck by an inflating airbag during a
crash.

Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many parents and other
adults may not know how to
properly
protect young passengers.
So if you have children, or if you ever
need to drive with a grandchild or
other children in your car, be sure to
read this section.
Children who are unrestrained
or
improperly restrained can be
seriously injured or killed in a
crash.
Any
child too small for a seat
belt should be properly
restrained in a child seat. A
larger child should be properly
restrained with a seat belt.
Protecting Children
All Children Must Be Restrained
Each year, many children are injured .
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In fact, vehicle
accidents are the number one cause
of death of children ages
12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state and
Canadian province requires that
infants and children be restrained
whenever they ride in a vehicle.
Any child who is too small to wear a
seat belt should be properly
restrained in a child seat. (See page
26 .)
A larger child should always be
restrained with a seat belt. (See page
29 .)
Driver and Passenger Safety 19

Additional Information About Your SRS
During a crash, your seat belt helps
restrain your lower body and torso,
while the tensioner tightens and
locks
the seat belt to help keep you
in place.
Your air bag provides a
cushion to help restrain and protect
your head and chest.
Since both airbags use the same
sensors, both airbags normally
inflate at the same time. However, it
is possible for only one air bag to
inflate.
This can occur when the severity of
a collision is at the margin, or
threshold, that determines whether
or not the airbags will deploy. In
such cases, the seat belt will provide
sufficient protection, and the
supplemental protection offered by
the air bag would be minimal.
36 Driver and Passenger Safety
Mter inflating, the airbags
immediately deflate, so they won't
interfere with the driver's visibility,
or the ability to
steer or operate
other controls.
The total time for inflation and
deflation is approximately one-tenth
of a second, so fast
that most
occupants are not aware that the
airbags deployed until they see
them
lying in their laps.
Mter a crash, you may see what
looks like smoke. This is actually
powder from the airbag's surface.
Although the powder is not harmful,
people with respiratory problems
may experience some temporary
discomfort.
If this occurs, get out of
the car as soon as it is safe to
do so.
U.S. Owners
For additional information on how
your airbags work, see the booklet
titled
SRS· What You Need to Know
About Airbags that came with your
owner's manual.
Canadian Owners
For additional information on how
your airbags work, ask your dealer
for a copy of the booklet titled
SRS:
What
You Need to Know About Airbags.

Liquid crystal is used in the meter
panel. You may feel the indicators
appear slowly
in the low temperature.
Speedometer
This shows your speed in miles per
hour (mph) or kilometers per hour
(km/h). Select
Button
The Select button switches the
speedometer reading between miles
per hour and kilometer per hour.
It
also changes the odometer and trip
meters to read in miles or kilometers
correspondingly. To change the
readings, push the Select button and
hold it until you
hear a beep.
Gauges
Tachometer
The tachometer shows the engine
speed
in revolutions per minute
(rpm). To protect the engine from
damage, never drive with the
tachometer reading in the red zone.
Temperature Gauge
This shows the temperature of the
engine's coolant. During normal
operation, the reading should be
in
the middle of the gauge. In severe
driving conditions, such as very hot
weather or a long period of uphill
driving, the reading may reach near
the red mark.
If it reaches the red
mark, pull safely to the side of the
road.
Turn to page 223 for
instructions and precautions on
checking
the engine's cooling
system.
Instruments and Controls 4 7

Immobilizer System
The Immobilizer System protects
your car from theft. A properly­
coded master or valet key must be
used
in the ignition switch for the
engine to start.
If an improperly­
coded key (or other device) is used,
the engine's fuel system is disabled.
When you
turn the ignition switch to
ON (II), the Immobilizer System
indicator should come on for a few
seconds, then go out.
If the indicator
starts to blink, it means the system
does not recognize the coding of the
key.
Turn the ignition switch to
LOCK (O), remove the key, reinsert
it, and turn
the switch to ON (II)
a gam.
The system may not recognize your
key's coding
if another immobilizer
key or other metal object is near the
ignition switch when you insert the
key.
To make sure the system
recognizes
the key code:
• Do not keep other immobilizer
keys
on the same key ring.
• Use a plastic or leather key fob,
not metal.
• Keep other keys away from your
vehicle's key and
the ignition
switch while trying to start the
engine.
If the system repeatedly does not
recognize the coding of your key,
contact your Honda dealer.
This indicator will also blink several
times when you turn the ignition
switch from
ON (II) to ACCESSORY
(I) or LOCK (0).
Do not attempt to alter this system
or add other devices to
it. Electrical
problems could result
that may make
your car undriveable.
If you have lost your key and you
cannot start the engine, contact your
Honda dealer.
Keys and Locks
As required by the FCC:
This device complies with Part 15 of the
FCC rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions:
(1) This device
may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any
interference received, including
interference that
may cause undesired
operation.
Changes or modifications
not expressly
approved
by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user's
authority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with Indust1y
Canada Standard RSS-210.
Operation
is subject to the following two
conditions:
(1) this device may not cause
interference, and
(2) this device must
accept any interference that may cause
undesired operation
of the device.
Instruments and Controls 59