2001 HONDA CIVIC ignition

CONT INUED
Remove the radiator cap.
Turn the ignition ON (II). Turn
the temperature control dial to
maximum heat. Turn of f the
ignition. Open the hood. Make
sure the engine and radiator are
cool to the touch.
Loosen the drain plug on the
bottom of the radiator. The
coolant will drain through the
splash guard. Remove the drain
bolt and washer f rom the engine
block.
Draining the coolant requires access
to the underside of the car. Unless
you have the tools and knowledge,
you should have this maintenance
done by a skilled mechanic.
Thecoolingsystemshouldbe
completely drained and ref illed with
new coolant according to the time
and distance recommendations in
the maintenance schedule. Only use
Honda All Season Antif reeze/
Coolant Type 2.
1.3.
2.
Replacing Engine Coolant
Cooling Syst em
Maint enance
211

The spark plugs in your car should
be replaced according to the time
and distance recommendations in
the maintenance schedule.Disconnect the wire connector
f rom the ignition coil by pushing
on the lock tab and pulling on the
connector. Pull on the plastic
connector, not the wires.
Remove the cover by turning the
two clips one quarter turn
counterclockwise.
Clean up any dirt and oil that have
collected around the ignition coils.
1. 2.
3.
CONT INUED
Maint enance
Spark Plugs
Replacement
223
CCLLIIPPSS

Put the new spark plug into the
socket; then screw it into the hole.
Screw it in by hand so you do not
crossthread it.Torque the spark plug. (If you do
not have a torque wrench, tighten
the spark plug two-thirds of a turn
af ter it contacts the cylinder head.)
Tightening torque:
Remove the spark plug with
a f ive-eighths inch (16 mm) spark
plug socket.
Use a wrench to remove the nut
holding the ignition coil. Remove
the ignition coil by pulling it
straight out.
4. 5. 6.
7.
Spark Plugs
Maint enance
224 13 lbf·ft (18 N·m , 1.8 kgf·m)

´ µ
Spark Plug Gap:
Push the wire connector onto the
ignition coil. Make sure it locks in
place.
Repeat this procedure f or the
other three spark plugs.
Reinstall the cover.
Install the ignition coil. Reinstall
the nut.
NGK:
DENSO:
8.
11.
10. 9.
Maint enance
Spark Plugs
Specif ications:
225
PZFR6F-11
PKJ20CR-M11
0.04 in (1.1 mm) 0
0.1 mm
Tighten the spark plugs caref ully. A
spark plug that is too loose can
overheat and damage the engine.
Overtightening can cause damage to
the threads in the cylinder head.

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.
CONT INUED
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

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.