2001 HONDA ACCORD SEDAN service

2001 Accord Sedan Online Reference Owner's Manual
Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.helminc.com. Contents
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... i
A Few Words About Safety.................................................................................................................ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance.....................................................................................................................2
Driver and Passenger Safety ..............................................................................................................5
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restraint System.
Instruments and Controls.................................................................................................................51
Instrument panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features ..............................................................................................109
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other convenience features.
Before Driving..................................................................................................................................177
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ..............................................................................................................................................191
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, plus towing a trailer.
Maintenance.....................................................................................................................................219
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your vehicle to the dealer.
Appearance Care..............................................................................................................................287
Tips on cleaning and protecting your vehicle. Things to look for if your vehicle ever needs body repairs.
Taking Care of the Unexpected......................................................................................................295
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, and how to handle them.
Technical Information.....................................................................................................................323
ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)................................................................339
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)......................................................................................................345
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index...................................................................................................................................................... I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.
Accord Value Package Audio System
Owner's Identification Form

Driver and Passenger Safety

This section gives you important
information about how to protect

yourself and your passengers. It
shows you how to use seat belts

properly. It explains your Supple-

mental Restraint System. And it tells

you how to properly restrain infants
and children in your car.
Important Safety Precautions.......... 6
Your Car's Safety Features.............. 7

Seat Belts........................................ 8

Airbags............................................ 9
Seats & Seat-Backs...................... 10
Head Restraints........................... 10
Door Locks................................... 10
Pre-Drive Safety Checklist......... 11

Protecting Adults............................. 12
1. Close and Lock the Doors...... 12
2. Adjust the Front Seats............ 12

3. Adjust the Seat-Backs............. 13

4. Adjust the Head Restraints.... 14

5. Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts...................................... 14

6. Adjust the Steering Wheel..... 16 7. Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position................................. 16
Advice for Pregnant Women...... 17 Additional Safety Precautions.... 18
Protecting Children......................... 19 All Children Must Be Restrained................................ 19
Children Should Sit in the Back
Seat............................................ 20

The Passenger's Front Airbag Poses Serious Risks toChildren................................ 20
If You Must Drive with Several Children.................................... 22
If a Child Requires Close
Attention................................... 23

Additional Safety Precautions.... 23 General Guidelines for Using Child Seats................................ 24
Protecting Infants........................ 28 Protecting Small Children.......... 31
Protecting Larger Children........ 34
Using Child Seats with
Tethers...................................... 37

Using the Lower Anchorages.... 38
Additional Information About Your
Seat Belts.................................. 40

Seat Belt System Components... 40
Lap/Shoulder Belt....................... 40
Automatic Seat Belt
Tensioners................................ 41

Seat Belt Maintenance................ 42
Additional Information About
Your Airbags............................ 43

SRS Components......................... 43

How Your Front Airbags
Work.......................................... 43

How Your Side Airbags Work.... 45

How the SRS Indicator Light
Works........................................ 45

How The Side Airbag Indicator
Light Works............................. 46

Airbag Service.............................. 48

Additional Safety Precautions.... 48

Carbon Monoxide Hazard.............. 49

Safety Labels.................................... 50

Driver and Passenger Safety

Additional Information About Your Airbags

Airbag ServiceYour front and side airbag systems (if equipped) are virtually
maintenance-free, and there are no
parts you can safely service. However, you must have your car
serviced if:
Your airbags ever inflate. Any
airbag that has deployed must be
replaced along with the control
unit and other related parts. Do
not try to remove or replace any airbag by yourself.
This must be done by a Honda dealer or a knowledgeable body
shop.

The SRS indicator light alerts you

to a problem. Take your car to an
authorized Honda dealer as soon as possible. If you ignore this
indication, the airbags might not
inflate when you need them. Additional Safety Precautions

Do not attempt to deactivate your

airbags. Together, airbags and

seat belts provide the best
protection.
Do not tamper with airbag
components or wiring for any

reason. Tampering could cause

the airbags to deploy, possibly causing very serious injury.

Do not expose the front seat-backs
to water. If rain or spilled water
soaks into a seat-back, it can
prevent the side airbag system from working properly.
Do not cover or replace front seat-

back covers without consulting a

Honda dealer. Improperly

replacing or covering front seat-
back covers can prevent your side airbags from inflating during a
collision.
See page 187 for further information
and precautions relating to your
airbags.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Before Driving
Before you begin driving your Honda,
you should know what gasoline to use, and how to check the levels of
important fluids. You also need to
know how to properly store luggage or packages. The information in this
section will help you. If you plan to
add any accessories to your car,
please read the information in this section first. Break-in Period.............................. 178
Gasoline.......................................... 178
Service Station Procedures .......... 178 Filling the Fuel Tank................. 178Opening the Hood..................... 180 Oil Check................................ 182
Engine Coolant Check.......... 184
Fuel Economy................................ 185 Vehicle Condition...................... 185Driving Habits............................ 185
Accessories and Modifications.... 186 Carrying Cargo.............................. 188

Before Driving

Break-in Period, Gasoline, Service Station Procedures

Break-in Period
Help assure your car's future
reliability and performance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the first 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period: Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid

acceleration.
Avoid hard braking. New brakes
need to be broken-in by moderate
use for the first 200 miles (300
km).

Do not change the oil until the

recommended time or mileage

interval shown in the maintenance
schedule.

You should follow these same re-
commendations with an overhauled
or exchanged engine, or when the

brakes are relined.
Gasoline

Your Honda is designed to operate on unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 86 or higher. Useof a lower octane gasoline can cause
a persistent, heavy metallic rapping
noise in the engine that can lead to
mechanical damage.
We recommend gasolines containing detergent additives that help prevent
fuel system and engine deposits. Using gasoline containing lead willdamage your car's emissions
controls. This contributes to air
pollution.
In Canada, some gasolines contain
an octane-enhancing additive called
MMT. If you use such gasolines,
your emission control system performance may deteriorate and
the Malfunction Indicator Lamp on
your instrument panel may turn on.If this happens, contact your
authorized Honda dealer for service. Filling the Fuel Tank
1. Because the fuel fill cap is on the driver's side of the car, park with
that side closest to the service

station pumps.

2. Open the fuel fill door by pushing on the handle to the left of the
driver's seat.
Before Driving

Service Station Procedures

3. Remove the fuel fill cap slowly. You may hear a hissing sound as
pressure inside the tank escapes.
Place the cap in the holder on the
fuel fill door.
4. Stop filling the tank after the fuel nozzle automatically clicks off. Do
not try to "top off" the tank, leave
some room for the fuel to expand
with temperature changes.
Your car has an on-board refueling
vapor recovery system to help keep fuel vapors from going into
the atmosphere. If the fuel pump
keeps clicking off even though the
tank is not full, there may be a
problem with this system. Consult
your dealer. 5. Screw the fuel fill cap back on,
tighten it until it clicks several
times. If you do not properly
tighten the cap, the Malfunction
Indicator Lamp may come on (see

page 311).

6. Push the fuel fill door closed until it latches.
Before Driving

FUEL FILL CAP

Gasoline is highly flammable

and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured

when handling fuel.
Stop the engine and keep

heat, sparks, and flame away.
Handle fuel only outdoors.

Wipe up spills immediately.

Service Station Procedures

Opening the Hood
1. Shift to Park or Neutral and set the parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower left corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly. 2. Standing in front of the car, put
your fingers under the front edgeof the hood to the right of center.
Slide your hand to the left until
you feel the hood latch handle. Push this handle up until it
releases the hood. Lift the hood. If you can open the hood without
lifting the hood latch handle, or the hood latch handle moves stiffly ordoes not spring back as before, the
mechanism should be cleaned and
lubricated (see page 256 ).

Before Driving
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
LATCH

Service Station Procedures

4-cylinder models
3. Pull the support rod out of its clip and insert the end into the hole on
the front of the hood around the
center. To close the hood, lift it up slightly to
remove the support rod from the
hole. Put the support rod back into
its holding clip. Lower the hood to about a foot (30 cm) above the
fender, then let it drop.
After closing the hood, make sure it is securely latched.
6-cylinder models
3. Lift the hood up most of the way. The hydraulic supports will lift itup the rest of the way and hold it

up.

CONTINUED

Before Driving

SUPPORT ROD