CONT INUED
Resting your f oot on the brake or
clutch pedal will cause the cruise
control to cancel.
When climbing a steep hill, the
automatic transmission may
downshif t to hold the set speed.
You can increase the set cruising
speed in any of these ways: Tap the brake or clutch pedal
lightly with your f oot. The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel will go out.
When the car slows to the desired
speed, press the SET/decel button.
The car will then maintain the
desired speed.
Even with the cruise control turned
on, you can still use the accelerator
pedal to speed up f or passing. Af ter
completing the pass, take your foot
of f the accelerator pedal. The car
will return to the set cruising speed.
Thecruisecontrolmaynotholdthe
set speed when you are going up and
down hills. If your speed increases
going down a hill, use the brakes to
slow down to the desired speed. This
will cancel the cruise control. To
resume the set speed, press the
RESUME/accel button. The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel comes on.
Press and hold the RESUME/
accel button. The car will acceler-
ate. When you reach the desired
cruising speed, release the button. To slow down in very small
amounts, tap the SET/decel
button repeatedly. Each time you
do this, your car will slow down
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
Press and hold the SET/decel
button. The vehicle will decelerate.
Release the button when you
reach the desired speed.
You can decrease the set cruising
speed in any of these ways: To increase your speed in very
small amounts, tap the RESUME/
accel button repeatedly. Each time
you do this, your car will speed up
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
Push on the accelerator pedal. Ac-
celerate to the desired cruising
speed and press the SET/decel
button.
Steering Wheel Controls
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Changing t he Set Speed
69
Youcancancelthecruisecontrolin
any of these ways:Tap the brake or clutch pedal.
Push the CANCEL button on the
steering wheel.
Press the Cruise Control Master
Switch.
When you push the CANCEL button,
or tap the brake or clutch pedal, the
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel will go out and the
car will begin to slow down. You can
use the accelerator pedal in the
normal way.
The system remembers the
previously-set cruising speed. To
return to that speed, accelerate to
above25mph(40km/h)andthen
press and release the RESUME/
accel button. The CRUISE CONTROL light comes on. The car
will accelerate to the same cruising
speed as bef ore.
Pressing the Cruise Control Master
Switch turns the system completely
of f and erases the previous cruising
speed f rom memory. To use the
system again, ref er to
.
These buttons let you control some
f unctions of the audio system with-
out removing your hands f rom the
wheel. Ref er to page f or a com-
plete explanation.173
On EX model with leather interior and
EX-V6 models
Steering Wheel Controls
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Cancelling t he Cruise Cont rol
Using t he
Cruise Cont rolRemote Audio Controls
70
AAUUDDIIOO//CCHHBBUUTTTTOONN
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way. START (III) does not
f unction unless the clutch pedal is
depressed.
Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal. If the engine still does not start,
press the accelerator pedal all the
way down and hold it there while
starting in order to clear f looding.
As bef ore, keep the ignition key in
the START (III) position f or no
more than 15 seconds. Return to
step 5 if the engine does not start.
If it starts, lif t your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal so the engine
does not race.
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. If the engine
does not start right away, do not
hold the key in START (III) f or
more than 15 seconds at a time.
Pause f or at least 10 seconds
bef ore trying again.
If the engine does not start within
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 4 with the
accelerator pedal pressed half-way
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race.
1. 2. 3.
4. 5.6.
Automatic Transmission:
Manual Transmission:
Starting the Engine
Driving
193
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. Push
down the clutch pedal, and pause f or
a f ew seconds bef ore shif ting into
Reverse, or shif t into one of the
f orward gears f or a moment. This
stops the gears so they won’t ‘‘grind.’’
When slowing down, you can get
extra braking f rom the engine by
shifting to a lower gear. This extra
braking can help you maintain a safe
speed and prevent your brakes f rom
overheating while going down a
steep hill. Bef ore downshif ting,
make sure engine speed will not go
into the tachometer’s red zone in the
lower gear.
The manual transmission is syn-
chronizedinallforwardgearsfor
smooth operation. It has a lockout so
you cannot shift directly from Fifth
to Reverse. When shif ting up or
down,makesureyoupushtheclutch
pedal down all the way, shift to the
next gear, and let the pedal up
gradually. When you are not shif ting,
do not rest your f oot on the clutch
pedal. This can cause your clutch to
wear out faster.
Driving
5-speed Manual T ransmission
195
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.
µµµThis position is similar
to D , except only the first three
gears are selected. Use D when
towing a trailer in hilly terrain, or to
provide engine braking when going
down a steep hill. D can also keep
the transmission f rom cycling
between third and f ourth gears in
stop-and-go driving. To shif t to Second,
pressthereleasebuttonontheside
of the shif t lever. This position locks
the transmission in second gear. It
does not downshif t to f irst gear
when you come to a stop. Second
gives you more power when climbing,
and increased engine braking when
going down steep hills. Use second
gear when starting out on a slippery
surf ace or in deep snow. It will help
reduce wheelspin. To shif t f rom Second to
First, press the release button on the
side of the shift lever. With the lever
in this position, the transmission
locks in First gear. By upshif ting and
downshif ting through 1, 2, D and D ,
you can operate this transmission
much like a manual transmission
without a clutch pedal.
ForfasteraccelerationwheninD or
D , you can get the transmission to
automatically downshif t by pushing
the accelerator pedal to the floor.
The transmission will shif t down one
or two gears, depending on your
speed. 4
3
3 34
3
4
Drive (D ) Second (2) First (1)
3
Automatic Transmission
Driving199
This section also includes
Maintenance Schedules f or normal
driving and severe driving conditions,
a Maintenance Record, and instruc-
tions f or simple maintenance tasks
you may want to take care of
yourself .
If you have the skills and tools to per-
f orm more complex maintenance
tasks on your Honda, you may want
to purchase the Service Manual. See
page f or inf ormation on how to
obtain a copy, or see your Honda
dealer.
This section explains why it is
important to keep your car well
maintained and to f ollow basic
maintenance saf ety precautions.
......................
Maintenance Saf ety . 220
.
Important Safety Precautions . 221
.................
Maintenance Schedule . 222
....................
Maintenance Record . 229
.......
Owner Maintenance Checks . 231
..............................
Fluid Locations . 232
......................................
Engine Oil . 234
..................................
Adding Oil . 234
....................
Recommended Oil . 235
..............................
Synthetic Oil . 235
....................................
Additives . 235
.....
Changing the Oil and Filter . 236
.............................
Cooling System . 239
............
Adding Engine Coolant . 239
.......
Replacing Engine Coolant . 241
....................
Windshield Washers . 246
.......................
Transmission Fluid . 247
Automatic .........................
Transmission . 247
5-speed Manual
.........................
Transmission . 249
................
Brake and Clutch Fluid . 251
............................
Brake System . 251
...........................
Clutch System . 252
..............................
Power Steering . 252
.....................
Air Cleaner Element . 253 ....................................
Hood Latch . 256
....................................
Spark Plugs . 256
..............................
Replacement . 256
............................
Specif ications . 257
...........................................
Battery . 260
.................................
Wiper Blades . 263
..............
Air Conditioning System . 265
.................
Air Conditioning Filter . 266
.....................................
Drive Belts . 266
....................................
Timing Belt . 267
...............................................
Tires . 267
......................................
Inf lation . 268
..................................
Inspection . 270
..............................
Maintenance . 270
.............................
Tire Rotation . 271
...
Replacing Tires and Wheels . 271
......................
Wheels and Tires . 272
..........................
Winter Driving . 273
.............................
Snow Tires . 273
............................
Tire Chains . 273
.............................................
Lights . 274
........................
Replacing Bulbs . 276
...........................
Storing Your Car . 285
345
Maintenance
Maint enance
219
The f luid level should be between
theMINandMAXmarksontheside
of the reservoir. If the level is at or
below the MIN mark, your brake
system needs attention. Have the
brake system inspected f or leaks or
worn brake pads.
Always use Genuine Honda DOT 3
brake f luid. If it is not available, you
should use only DOT 3 or DOT 4
f luid, f rom a sealed container, as a
temporary replacement. However,
theuseof anynon-Hondabrakefluid
can cause corrosion and decrease
the lif e of the system. Have the
brake system f lushed and ref illed
with Honda DOT 3 brake f luid as
soon as possible.
Check the f luid level in the reser-
voirs monthly. There are up to two
reservoirs, depending on the model.
They are:
The brake f luid should be replaced
accordingtothetimeanddistance
recommendations in the mainte-
nance schedule.
Brake f luid reservoir (all models)
Clutch f luid reservoir
(manual transmission only)
Brake f luid marked DOT 5 is not
compatible with your car’s braking
system and can cause extensive
damage.
CONT INUED
Brake System
Brake and Clutch Fluid
Maint enance251
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The f luid should be between the
MIN and MAX marks on the side of
the reservoir. If it is not, add brake
f luid to bring it up to that level. Use
the same f luid specif ied f or the
brake system.
Low f luid level can indicate a leak in
the clutch system. Have this system
inspected as soon as possible.You should check the f luid level in
the power steering reservoir
monthly. Check the level when the
engine is cold. Look at the side of
the reservoir. The f luid should be
between the UPPER LEVEL and
LOWER LEVEL. If it is below the
LOWER LEVEL, add power steering
f luid to the UPPER LEVEL.
Power Steering
Clutch System
Brake and Clutch Fluid, Power Steering
Maint enance
252
UUPPPPEERRLLEEVVEELL
LLOOWWEERRLLEEVVEELL
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MMIINN
MMAAXX
MMIINN44--ccyylliinnddeerrmmooddeellss66--ccyylliinnddeerrmmooddeellss