2001 HONDA INSIGHT catalytic converter

µMakesurethewindowsareclosed.
Turn of f the lights.
Lock the doors.
Never park over dry leaves, tall
grass, or other f lammable
materials. The three way catalytic
converter gets very hot, and could
cause these materials to catch on
fire.
Always use the parking brake when
you park your car. The indicator on
the instrument panel shows that the
parking brake is not f ully released; it
does not indicate that the parking
brakeisfirmlyset.Makesurethe
parking brake is set f irmly or your
car may roll if it is parked on an
incline.
Place any packages, valuables, etc.,
in the storage box or take them
with you.
If your car has an automatic
transmission, set the parking brake
bef ore you put the transmission in
Park.Thiskeepsthecarfrom
moving and putting pressure on the
parking mechanism in the
transmission making it easier to
move the shift lever out of Park
when you want to drive away. Make sure the parking brake is f ully
released bef ore driving away.
Driving with the parking brake
partially set can overheat or damage
the rear brakes.
If the car is f acing uphill, turn the
f ront wheels away f rom the curb. If
you have a manual transmission, put
it in f irst gear.
If the car is f acing downhill, turn the
f ront wheels toward the curb. If you
have a manual transmission, put it in
reverse gear.
Parking T ips
Parking
Driving
147

Thediagramsinthissectiongive
you the dimensions and capacities of
your Honda, and the locations of the
identif ication numbers. It also
includes inf ormation you should
know about your vehicle’s tires and
emissions control systems.................
Identif ication Numbers . 242
................................
Specif ications . 244
DOT Tire Quality Grading
......................
(U.S. Vehicles) . 246
Unif orm Tire Quality
..................................
Grading . 246
.................................
Treadwear . 246
......................................
Traction . 246
.............................
Temperature . 247 .........................
Oxygenated Fuels . 248
......
Driving in Foreign Countries . 249
.......................
Emissions Controls . 250
.....................
The Clean Air Act . 250
Crankcase Emissions Control
....................................
System . 250
Evaporative Emissions Control ....................................
System . 250
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor ................................
Recovery . 250
...
Exhaust Emissions Controls . 251
....................
PGM-FI System . 251
Ignition Timing Control
................................
System . 251
Three Way Catalytic ...........................
Converter . 251
....................
Replacement Parts . 251
..
Three Way Catalytic Converter . 252
..............
State Emissions Testing . 253
T echnical Inf ormat ion
T echnical Inf ormation 241

If you are planning to take your
Honda outside the U.S. or Canada,
contact the tourist bureaus in the
areas you will be traveling in to f ind
out about the availability of unleaded
gasoline with the proper octane
rating.
If unleaded gasoline is not available,
be aware that using leaded gasoline
in your Honda will af f ect perf or-
mance and fuel mileage, and damage
its emissions controls. It will no
longer comply with U.S. and
Canadian emissions regulations, and
will be illegal to operate in North
America. To bring your car back into
compliance will require the replace-
ment of several components, such as
theoxygensensorsandthethree
way catalytic converter. These re-
placements are not covered under
warranty.
Driving in Foreign Countries
T echnical Inf ormation249

The exhaust emissions controls
include three systems: PGM-FI,
Ignition Timing Control and Three
Way Catalytic Converter. These
three systems work together to
control the engine’s combustion and
minimize the amount of HC, CO, and
NOx that comes out the tailpipe. The
exhaust emissions control systems
are separate from the crankcase and
evaporative emissions control
systems.The three way catalytic converter is
in the exhaust system. Through
chemical reactions, it converts HC,
CO, and NOx in the engine’s exhaust
to carbon dioxide (CO ), dinitrogen
(N ), and water vapor.
This system constantly adjusts the
ignition timing, reducing the amount
of HC, CO and NOx produced.
The PGM-FI System uses sequential
multiport f uel injection.
It has three subsystems: Air Intake,
Engine Control, and Fuel Control.
The Engine Control Module (ECM)
or the Powertrain Control Module
(PCM) uses various sensors to
determine how much air is going
into the engine. It then controls how
much f uel to inject under all operat-
ing conditions.
The emissions control systems are
covered by warranties separate f rom
the rest of your car. Read your
warranty manual f or more inf orma-
tion.
The emissions control systems are
designed and certif ied to work to-
gether in reducing emissions to
levels that comply with the Clean Air
Act. To make sure the emissions
remain low, you should use only new
Genuine Honda replacement parts or
their equivalent f or repairs. Using
lower quality parts may increase the
emissions f rom your car.
2
2
Exhaust Emissions Controls
Replacement Parts
PGM-FI Syst em
Three Way Catalytic Converter
Ignit ion T iming Cont rol Syst em
Emissions Cont rols
T echnical Inf ormation
251

The three way catalytic converter
contains precious metals that serve
as catalysts, promoting chemical
reactions to convert the exhaust
gasses without af f ecting the metals.
The catalytic converter is ref erred to
as a three-way catalyst, since it acts
on HC, CO, and NOx. A replacement
unit must be an original Honda part
or its equivalent.Always use unleaded gasoline.
Even a small amount of leaded
gasoline can contaminate the
catalyst metals, making the three
way catalytic converter inef f ective.Keep the engine tuned-up.
The three way catalytic converter
must operate at a high temperature
for the chemical reactions to take
place. It can set on f ire any com-
bustible materials that come near it.
Park your car away f rom high grass,
dry leaves, or other f lammables. A defective three way catalytic
converter contributes to air pollution,
and can impair your engine’s per-
f ormance. Follow these guidelines to
protect your car’s three way catalytic
converter. Have your car diagnosed and
repaired if it is misf iring, back-
f iring, stalling, or otherwise not
running properly.
Three Way Catalytic Converter
T echnical Inf ormation
252
TTHHRREEEEWWAAYYCCAATTAALLYYTTIICCCCOONNVVEERRTTEERR

CONT INUED
........
Steam Coming f rom Engine . 227
Steering Wheel
.............
Anti-theft Column Lock . 69
.....................
Stereo Sound System . 98
...........................
Storing Your Car . 200
Supplemental Restraint
..................................
System .9,36
......................................
Servicing . 39
.........................
SRS Indicator . 34, 46
...................
System Components . 36
..................................
Synthetic Oil . 168 .....................
Underside, Cleaning . 208
Unexpected, Taking Care
..........................................
of the . 215
....
Unif orm Tire Quality Grading . 246
........................
Unleaded Gasoline . 120
.....................
Upholstery Cleaning . 211
.......
Used Oil, How to Dispose of . 170
.................
Vehicle Capacity Load . 131
......................
Vehicle Dimensions . 244
....
Vehicle Identif ication Number . 242
.............................
Vehicle Storage . 206
.....................................
Tachometer . 58
......
Taillights, Changing Bulbs in . 203
Taking Care of the
...............................
Unexpected . 215
....................................
Tape Player . 104
Technical Descriptions
......
DOT Tire Quality Grading . 246
.....
Emissions Control Systems . 250
.....................
Oxygenated Fuels . 248
Three Way Catalytic
...............................
Converter . 252
.......................
Temperature Gauge . 58 ..............
Tether Anchorage Points . 33
..
Three Way Catalytic Converter . 252
..........................
Time, Setting the . 103
....................................
Tire Chains . 197
.........
Tire, How to Change a Flat . 195
...............................................
Tires . 192
..............................
Air Pressure . 193
.........................
Checking Wear . 194
..........................
Compact Spare . 216
......
DOT Tire Quality Grading . 246
......................................
Inf lation . 192
..................................
Inspection . 194
...................................
Replacing . 195
......................................
Rotating . 195
...........................................
Snow . 197
............................
Specif ications . 244
................................
Tire Chains . 197
...................
Tools, Tire Changing . 217
Towing
.....................................
A Trailer . 152
................
Emergency Wrecker . 238
Transmission Checking Fluid Level, ..................
Automatic (CVT) . 178
Checking Fluid Level, ...................................
Manual . 180 ...........................
Fluid Selection . 180
..............
Identif ication Number . 243
..................
Shif ting the Manual . 136
.....................................
Treadwear . 246
.....................................
Trip Meters . 53
....................................
Trip Mileage . 54
....................................
Turn Signals . 63
Index
T U V
VII