2001 HONDA CIVIC light

When you have washed and rinsed
the whole exterior, dry it with a
chamois or sof t towel. Letting it
air-dry will cause dulling and water
spots.
Only use the solvents and cleaners
recommendedinthisOwner’s
Manual. Fill a bucket with cool water. Mix
in a mild detergent, such as
dishwashing liquid or a product
made especially f or car washing.
Frequent washing helps preserve
your car’s beauty. Dirt and grit can
scratch the paint, while tree sap and
bird droppings can permanently ruin
the f inish.
Wash your car in a shady area, not in
direct sunlight. If the car is parked in
the sun, move it into the shade and
let the exterior cool down bef ore you
start. Rinse the car thoroughly with cool
water to remove loose dirt.
As you dry the car, inspect it f or
chips and scratches that could allow
corrosion to start. Repair them with
touch-up paint (see page ).
Wash the car using the water and
detergent solution and a sof t-
bristle brush, sponge, or sof t cloth.
Start at the top and work your way
down. Rinse f requently.
Check the body f or road tar, tree
sap, etc. Remove these stains with
tar remover or turpentine. Rinse it
of f immediately so it does not
harm the f inish. Remember to re-
wax these areas, even if the rest of
the car does not need waxing. 255
Exterior Care
Appearance Care
Washing 254
Chemical solvents and strong cleaners
can damage the paint, metal, and
plastic on your car.

µ
µ Polishes Polishes and cleaner/
waxes can restore the shine to paint
that has oxidized and lost some of its
shine. They normally contain mild
abrasives and solvents that remove
the top layer of the f inish. You
should use a polish on your Honda if
the f inish does not have its original
shine af ter using a wax.
Always wash and dry the whole car
bef ore waxing it. You should wax
your car, including the metal trim,
whenever water sits on the surf ace
in large patches. It should f orm into
beads or droplets af ter waxing.
Cleaning tar, insects, etc. with
removers also takes off the wax.
Remember to re-wax those areas,
even if the rest of the car does not
need waxing.Your dealer has touch-up paint to
match your car’s color. The color
code is printed on a sticker on the
driver’s doorjamb. Take this code to
your dealer so you are sure to get
the correct color.
Inspect your car f requently f or chips
or scratches in the paint. Repair
them right away to prevent corrosion
of the metal underneath. Use the
touch-up paint only on small chips
and scratches. More extensive paint
damage should be repaired by a
prof essional.
You should use a quality liquid or
paste wax. Apply it according to the
instructions on the container. In
general, there are two types of
products:
Waxes A wax coats the finish and
protects it f rom damage by exposure
to sunlight, air pollution, etc. You
should use a wax on your Honda
when it is new.
Exterior Care
Appearance Care
Waxing
Paint T ouch-up
255

If you have a f lat tire while driving,
stop in a saf e place to change it.
Stopping in traf f ic or on the shoulder
of a busy road is dangerous. Drive
slowly along the shoulder until you
gettoanexitoranareatostopthat
is far away from the traffic lanes.Open the trunk. Raise the trunk
f loor by lif ting up on the back edge.
Take the tool kit out of the trunk.
Unscrew the wing bolt and take
the spare tire out of its well.
Park the car on f irm, level and
non-slippery ground away f rom
traf f ic. Put the transmission in
Park (automatic) or Reverse
(manual). Apply the parking brake.
Turn on the hazard warning lights
and turn the ignition switch to
LOCK (0). Have all the
passengers get out of the car while
you change the tire.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
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Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
263
SSPPAARREETTIIRREETTRRUUNNKKFFLLOOOORR
TTOOOOLLKKIITTJJAACCKK
The car can easily roll off the
jack, seriously injuring anyoneunderneath.
Follow the directions for
changing a tire exactly, and
never get under the car when it
is supported only by the jack.

Diagnosing why your engine won’t
start f alls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
key to START (III):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:
You hear nothing, or almost
nothing. The engine’s starter
motor does not operate at all, or
operates very slowly.
You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, or the starter
motor sounds like it is spinning
f aster than normal, but the engine
does not start up and run. 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 . 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 .)
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 ).
270 286
226 270
If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
Jump Starting Emergency T owing
268

If youfindnothingwrong,youwill
need a qualif ied technician to f ind
the problem. Seeon page .
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.
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.
Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to on page . 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 ).
80
175 282
286
If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect edEmergency
Towing
T he Starter Operates Normally
Starting the
Engine
269

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:
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. Turn of f all the electrical acces-
sories: heater, A/C, stereo system,
lights, etc.
Put the transmission in Neutral or
Park and set the parking brake.
1.
2.
226
Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
270 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.

This indicator should light when the
ignition switch is ON (II), and go out
af ter the engine starts. It should
never come on when the engine is
running. If it starts f lashing, it
indicates that the oil pressure
dropped very low f or 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.Saf ely pull of f the road and shut
of f the engine. Turn on the hazard
warning indicators.
If necessary, add oil to bring the
level back to the full mark on the
dipstick (see page ).
Letthecarsitforaminute.Open
the hood and check the oil level
(see page ). 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. Start the engine and watch the oil
pressure indicator. If the light
does not go out within ten seconds,
turn of f the engine. There is a
mechanical problem that needs to
be repaired bef ore you can
continue driving. (See
on page .)
1. 2. 3. 4.
164 205 286
L ow Oil Pressure Indicator
T aking Care of t he Unexpect edEmergency
Towing
275
LLOOWWOOIILLPPRREESSSSUURREEIINNDDIICCAATTOORRRunning the engine with low oil
pressure can cause serious mechanical
damage almost immediately. Turn of f
the engine as soon as you can saf ely get
the car stopped.

If you have recently ref ueled your
car, the cause of this indicator
coming on could be a loose or
missing f uel f ill cap. Check the cap
and tighten it until it clicks several
times. Replace the fuel fill cap if it is
missing. Tightening the cap will not
make the indicator turn of f
immediately; it takes one driving trip.
If the indicator remains on past one
driving trip, or the f uel cap was not
loose or missing, have the car
checked by the dealer as soon as
possible. Drive moderately until the
dealer has inspected the problem.
Avoid full-throttle acceleration and
driving at high speed.Youshouldalsohavethedealer
inspect your car if this indicator
comes on repeatedly, even though it
may turn of f as you continue driving.
This indicator should light when the
ignition switch is ON (II), and go out
af ter the engine starts. If it comes on
at any other time, it indicates one of
the engine’s emissions control
systems may have a problem. Even
though you may f eel no dif f erence in
your car’s perf ormance, it can
reduce your f uel economy and cause
your car to put out excessive
emissions. Continued operation may
cause serious damage.
CONT INUED
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Malf unction Indicator L amp
277
MMAALLFFUUNNCCTTIIOONNIINNDDIICCAATTOORRLLAAMMPP If you keep driving with the
malf unction indicator lamp on, you can
damage your car’s emissions controls
and engine. Those repairs may not be
covered by your car’s warranties.