This section covers the more-
common problems that motorists
experience with their vehicles. It
gives you inf ormation about how to
safely evaluate the problem and what
to do to correct it. If the problem has
stranded you on the side of the road,
you may be able to get going again.
If not, you will also f ind instructions
on getting your car towed.......................
Compact Spare Tire . 296
....................
Changing a Flat Tire . 297
..........
If Your Engine Won’t Start . 302
Nothing Happens or theStarter Motor Operates ............................
Very Slowly . 303
The Starter Operates ................................
Normally . 304
................................
Jump Starting . 304
............
If Your Engine Overheats . 307
.........
Low Oil Pressure Indicator . 309
..........
Charging System Indicator . 310
.......
Malf unction Indicator Lamp . 311
.......................
Readiness Codes . 312
...............
Brake System Indicator . 313
..................
Closing the Moonroof . 314
..............................................
Fuses . 315
..........
Checking and Replacing . 316
......................
Emergency Towing . 320
Taking Care of the Unexpected
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed 295
When you turn the ignition switch to
START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying to
start. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at all.
Check these things:Check the transmission interlock.
If you have a manual transmission,
the clutch pedal must be pushed
all the way to the f loor or the
starter will not operate. With an
automatic transmission, it must be
in Park or Neutral.
Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights and check
their brightness. If the headlights
are very dim or don’t light at all,
the battery is discharged. See
on page .
Your car has the Immobilizer
System. You should use a
properly-coded master or valet key
to start the engine (see page ).
A key that is not properly coded
will cause the immobilizer system
indicator in the dash panel to blink
rapidly. 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 connec-
tions (see page ). You can
then try jump starting the car from
a booster battery (see page ).
Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim,
check the condition of the f uses. If
thefusesareOK,thereisproba-
bly something wrong with the
electrical circuit f or the ignition
switch or starter motor. You will
need a qualif ied technician to
determine the problem. (See
on page .)
260
57
304 320
304
If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
Jump StartingEmergency T owing
303
Turn of f all the electrical acces-
sories: climate control, stereo
system, lights, etc.
Put the transmission in Neutral or
Park and set the parking brake.
In this case, the starter motor’s
speed sounds normal, or even f aster
than normal, when you turn the
ignition switch to START (III), but
the engine does not run.
Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to on page . Open the hood and check the
physical condition of the battery
(see page ). 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.
Do you have f uel? Turn the
ignition switch to ON (II) for a
minute and watch the f uel gauge.
The low f uel level warning light
may not be working, so you were
not reminded to f ill the tank.
There may be an electrical
problem, such as no power to the
f uel pump. Check all the f uses
(see page ). 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.
You cannot start a Honda with an
automatic transmission by pushing
or pulling it. To jump start your car, f ollow these
directions closely:
If youfindnothingwrong,youwill
need a qualif ied technician to f ind
the problem. See on page . 1. 2.
193
260
315 320
T he Starter Operates Normally Jump Starting
Starting the
Engine
Emergency
Towing
If Your Engine Won’t Start, Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
304 A battery can explode if you do
not follow the correct procedure,
seriously injuring anyonenearby.
Keep all sparks, open flames,
and smoking materials away
from the battery.
If a battery sits in extreme cold, the
electrolyte inside can f reeze.
Attempting to jump start with a f rozen
battery can cause it to rupture.
µ
´
´ Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative ( ) terminal on
the booster battery. Connect the
other end to the grounding strap
as shown. Do not connect this
jumper cable to any other part of
the engine.
If the booster battery is in another
vehicle, have an assistant start
that vehicle and run it at a fast idle.
Connect one jumper cable to the
positive ( ) terminal on your
Honda’s battery. Connect the
other end to the positive ( )
terminal on the booster battery.
5.
3.
4.
CONT INUED
Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed305
44--ccyylliinnddeerrmmooddeellss66--ccyylliinnddeerrmmooddeellss44--ccyylliinnddeerrmmooddeellss
Start your car. If the starter motor
still operates slowly, check the
jumper cable connections to make
sure they have good metal-to-
metal contact.Once your car is running, discon-
nectthenegativecablefromyour
car, then from the booster battery.
Disconnect the positive cable f rom
your car, then the booster battery.
Keep the ends of the jumper
cables away from each other and
any metal on the car until all are
disconnected. Otherwise, you may
cause an electrical short.
7.
6.
Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
306
66--ccyylliinnddeerrmmooddeellss44--ccyylliinnddeerrmmooddeellssBBOOOOSSTTEERRBBAATTTTEERRYY
BBOOOOSSTTEERRBBAATTTTEERRYY66--ccyylliinnddeerrmmooddeellss
CONT INUED
...
Accessories and Modif ications . 186
................................
Accessories . 186
...
Additional Safety Precaution . 187
............................
Modif ications . 187
ACCESSORY (Ignition Key .......................................
Position) . 74
.............
Accessory Power Socket . 106
....................
Additives, Engine Oil . 234
.....................................
Airbag (SRS) . 9
.....................
Air Cleaner Element . 253
............................
Air Conditioning . 110
..............................
Maintenance . 265
.........................................
Usage . 110
.................
Air Conditioning Filter . 266
.......................
Air Pressure, Tires . 268
.......................
Alcohol in Gasoline . 331
......................................
Antif reeze . 239
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS)
................................
Description . 204
...............................
Indicator . 55, 205
...................................
Operation . 204
.
Anti-thef t Steering Column Lock . 73
..........................
Appearance Care . 287
.................
Audio System . 125, 137,153 ...............
Automatic Speed Control . 68
..............
Automatic Transmission . 196
..........................
Capacity,Fluid .326
.......
Checking Fluid Level . 247, 249
.......................................
Shif ting . 196
.
Shif t Lever Position Indicator . 197
................
Shif t Lever Positions . 197
....................
Shif t Lock Release . 200
Battery ......
Charging System Light . 54, 310
............................
Jump Starting . 304
..............................
Maintenance . 260
............................
Specif ications . 329
..............................
Bef ore Driving . 177
..........................................
Belts, Seat . 8
...........................
Beverage Holder . 104
...................................
Body Repair . 296
Brakes
...........
Anti-lock System (ABS) . 204
.............
Break-in, New Linings . 178
....................
Bulb Replacement . 281
...........................................
Fluid . 251
.......................................
Parking . 101 .........................
System Indicator . 55
........................
Wear Indicators . 203
.............................
Braking System . 203
........................
Break-in, New Car . 178
..
Brightness Control, Instruments . 63
........................
Brights, Headlights . 62
Bulb Replacement
..........................
Back-up Lights . 281
..............................
Brake Lights . 281
..............................
Ceiling Light . 282
..........................
Courtesy Light . 283
................
Front Parking Lights . 278
........
Front Side Marker Lights . 277
.................................
Headlights . 276
.........
High-mount Brake Light . 281
.................
License Plate Lights . 281
............................
Specif ications . 327
.....................................
Spotlight . 283
...............................
Trunk Light . 284
....................
Turn Signal Lights . 277
..............................
Bulbs, Halogen . 276
Index
A
B
I
CONT INUED
...........................................
Driving . 191
....................................
Economy . 185
.........................
In Bad Weather . 209
................
In Foreign Countries . 332
..............................
Economy, Fuel . 185
............
Emergencies on the Road . 295
.............
Battery, Jump Starting . 304
...........
Brake System Indicator . 313
................
Changing a Flat Tire . 297
.....
Charging System Indicator . 310
..................
Checking the Fuses . 316
.....
Low Oil Pressure Indicator . 309
...
Malf unction Indicator Lamp . 311
...
Manually Closing Moonroof . 314
..................
Overheated Engine . 307
.........................
Emergency Brake . 101
......................
Emergency Flashers . 66
......................
Emergency Towing . 320
.......................
Emissions Controls . 333 Engine
............................................
Belts . 266
....
Coolant Temperature Gauge . 59 Malf unction Indicator
................................
Lamp . 55, 311
........
Oil Pressure Indicator . 54, 309
..............
Oil, What Kind to Use . 234
...............................
Overheating . 307
............................
Specif ications . 327
....................
Speed Limiter . 176, 200
.......................................
Starting . 193
..........
Engine Speed Limiter . 196, 200
......................
Ethanol in Gasoline . 331
.
Evaporative Emissions Controls . 333
...............................
Exhaust Fumes . 49
Expectant Mothers, Use of Seat
........................................
Belts by . 17
..................
Exterior, Cleaning the . 290
............................
Fabric, Cleaning . 291
...................................
Fan, Interior . 110
Features, Comfort and
..............................
Convenience . 109
....................
Filling the Fuel Tank . 178
Filter
.......................
Air Conditioning . 266
...............................................
Oil . 234 5-speed Manual Transmission
...............
Checking Fluid Level . 249
5-speed Manual Transmission ................................
Shif ting the . 195
.............
Flashers, Hazard Warning . 66
...................
Flat Tire, Changing a . 297
Fluids
.
Automatic Transmission . 247, 248
..........................................
Brake . 251
.........................................
Clutch . 252
..............
Manual Transmission . 249
..........................
Power Steering . 252
..................
Windshield Washer . 246
FM Stereo Radio ...................................
Reception . 158
...........................
Folding Rear Seat . 92
.....
Foreign Countries, Driving in . 332
..........................
Four-way Flashers . 66
.................................................
Fuel . 178
......................
Fill Door and Cap . 178
...........................................
Gauge . 58
................
Octane Requirement . 178
...............................
Oxygenated . 331
........................
Tank, Filling the . 178
.....................
Fuses, Checking the . 316
Index
E
F
III
.............
Halogen Headlight Bulbs . 278
..............
Hazard Warning Flashers . 66 ........................................
Headlights . 62
........................................
Aiming . 276
..............
Automatic Lighting Off . 63
............
Daytime Running Lights . 63
....................
Lights On Indicator . 53
............
Low Beams, Turning on . 62
.........................
Reminder Chime . 62
........
Replacing Halogen Bulbs . 278
...................................
Turning on . 62
..............................
Head Restraints . 92
.....................
Heating and Cooling . 110
.............
High Altitude, Starting at . 194
HomeLink Universal
.................................
Transmitter . 83
.......................
Hood, Opening the . 180
...........................
Hydraulic Clutch . 252
.................................
Hydroplaning . 210
..................................................
Keys . 71
...
Identif ication Number, Vehicle . 326
Ignition
..............................................
Keys . 71
...........................................
Switch . 73
............
Timing Control System . 336
........................
Immobilizer System . 72 .........
Important Safety Precautions . 6
.........
Indicators, Instrument Panel . 53
...............................
Inf ant Restraint . 28
......................................
Inf ant Seats . 28
..........
Tether Anchorage Points . 39
...................
Inf lation, Proper Tire . 268
...................................
Inside Mirror . 98
.............................
Inspection, Tire . 270
............................
Instrument Panel . 53
........
Instrument Panel Brightness . 63
...........................
Interior Cleaning . 290
...............................
Interior Lights . 106
........................................
Introduction . i
........................
Jacking up the Car . 209
.......................................
Jack, Tire . 298
................................
Jump Starting . 304
...............
Gas Mileage, Improving . 185
..........................................
Gasohol . 331
.........................................
Gasoline . 178
...........................................
Gauge . 58
................
Octane Requirement . 178
........................
Tank, Filling the . 178
................
Gas Station Procedures . 178
Gauges
...
Engine Coolant Temperature . 59
...............................................
Fuel . 59
...............................
Speedometer . 58
.................................
Tachometer . 58
Gearshif t Lever Positions
..........
Automatic Transmission . 197
5-speed Manual
.........................
Transmission . 195
..............................
Glass Cleaning . 292
........................................
Glove Box . 82
Index
G H I J K
IV