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55Instruments and Controls
This section explains the controls
and displays that contribute to the
daily operation of your Honda.
All the essential controls are
within easy reach.
Control Locations56
. . . . . . . . .
Indicators and Gauges 57 . . . . . .
Gauges 58 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tachometer 58 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Speedometer 58
. . . . . . . . . . .
Odometer 58 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Trip Odometer/
Reset Knob 58 . . . . . . . . . . .
Fuel Gauge 59 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine Coolant
Temperature Gauge 60 . . . .
Indicator Lights 61 . . . . . . . . . . .
Switches70 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windshield Wiper/Washer 70
Headlights 72 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Illumination Control 73 . . . . .
Rear Window Defogger 74 . .
Rear Window Wiper/
Washer 74 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Turn Signals75 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hazard Warning Flasher 76 . . Automatic Transmission76
. . . .
Transfer Control
(4WD Models)80 . . . . . . . . .
5-Speed Manual Transmission 83 Transfer Control
(4WD Models)84 . . . . . . . . .
Parking Brake 86 . . . . . . . . . . . .
Accelerator Pedal87 . . . . . . . . . .
Clutch Pedal 87 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Instruments and Controls
Page 69 of 294
Automatic TransmissionManual Transmission
UPSHIFT INDICATOR LIGHT
4-WHEEL DRIVE (4WD)
INDICATOR LIGHT ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM
INDICATOR
66Instruments and Controls
Upshift Indicator
Manual transmission only
A
“
U/S” (upshift) light will come
on to indicate that you can get
better fuel economy by shifting to
the next higher gear if conditions
permit. Best fuel economy can be
achieved by accelerating slowly
and shifting to the next higher gear
when the “
U/S” light comes on.
Safe operation of the vehicle may
require a different shifting
schedule than indicated by the
“
U/S” light to adapt to weather,
road, or traffic conditions. The
“
U/S” light should be ignored
when downshifting or when hard
acceleration is required for
satisfactory performance.
For the best compromise between
vehicle performance and fuel
economy, upshift the transmission
Page 71 of 294

68Instruments and Controls
Check Automatic
Transmission Indicator
The indicator light comes on for a
few seconds when the ignition
switch is turned to the “
ON”
position.
If the light flashes, it means the
computer controlling the
transmission has found a problem.
Have the automatic transmission checked by your Honda dealer as
soon as possible. You can safely
drive the vehicle while the light is
flashing, but the computer may
put the transmission into its
“backup mode.”
In the backup mode, the
transmission may not shift
automatically. If the transmission
does not shift automatically, you
must move the shift lever to
change gears. This chart shows
the shift lever position and the
gear range that will result.
“L” position First gear
“2” position Third gear
“3” position Fourth gear
“
D” position Fourth gear When the transmission is in
backup mode and does not shift
automatically, you should move
the selector lever to the
appropriate position for your
driving needs, as follows:
Select “
3” or “D” for high speed
driving (over 50 mph, 80 km/h).
Select “2” for moderate speed
driving (between 15 mph [25
km/h] and 50 mph [80 km/h]).
Select “L” when starting from a
stop, driving up or down a steep
hill, or for engine braking when
towing a trailer downhill.
Do not exceed 65 mph (45 mph if
towing a trailer).
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69Instruments and Controls
Depending on the type of problem,
the “
CHECK TRANS” light will
flash but the transmission may
continue to shift automatically. If
the transmission is shifting
normally, you do not have to
choose gears with the shift lever.
However, continued operation of
the vehicle with this light flashing
can cause serious mechanical
damage. You should have the
vehicle serviced by your Honda
dealer as soon as possible.
Winter Drive Indicator
Automatic Transmission only
The “Winter Drive” light will
come on when you push the
Winter Drive button with the
engine running and the
transmission lever in the “
D”
range. It also comes on for a few seconds
when you turn the ignition switch
to the “ON” position.
Refer to “Driving Pattern
Selector” later in this section.
Power Drive Indicator
Automatic Transmission only
The “Power Drive” light will
come on when you push the
Power Drive button with the
engine running.
It also comes on for a few seconds
when you turn the ignition switch
to the “ON” position.
Refer to “Driving Pattern
Selector” later in this section.
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70Instruments and Controls
Automatic Transmission
Fluid Temperature Indicator
The “A/T OIL TEMP” indicator
light warns that the automatic
transmission fluid temperature is
high.
The indicator light should turn on
when the ignition switch is turned
to the “
ON” position, but should
go out after a few seconds. If this light comes on while you are
driving, slow down and pull off the
road. Stop the vehicle at a safe
place and put the shift lever in
“
P”
position. With the engine idling,
wait until the light goes off. If the
light goes off, you can drive the
vehicle again. If the light does not
go off, have the automatic
transmission lubricating system
checked as soon as possible by
your Honda dealer.
Driving with the “
A/T OIL TEMP”
light constantly on will cause
serious mechanical damage to the
automatic transmission.
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The lever on the right side of the
steering column controls the
windshield wipers. Move the lever
down to select the various
windshield wiper speeds.
In INT, the wipers operate every
few seconds. In
LO and HIGH, the
wipers run continuously.
In
INT, you can vary how often the
Switches
Page 79 of 294
76Instruments and Controls
Hazard Warning Flasher
Push the button to turn on the
hazard warning lights (four-way
flashers). All four outside turn
signal lights and both indicators in
the instrument panel will flash.
Push the button again to turn them
off.
The turn signals do not work
when the hazard warning lights
are on.
Use the hazard warning lights to
warn other drivers that your
vehicle is a potential road hazard.
Avoid stopping on the roadway if
possible.
Cruise Control
Refer to page 147 for operation of
this system.
The shift lever position indicator
is in the instrument panel. The
appropriate letter or number
illuminates to show what position
the shift lever is in.
The 4-speed automatic
transmission shift lever is
arranged with “P” (Park) position
at one end, followed in sequence
by “R” (Reverse), “N” (Neutral)
Automatic Transmission
Page 80 of 294

77Instruments and Controls
and the forward driving ranges.
The shift lever can be shifted
freely into any position indicated
by the arrow “
”. The lever
cannot be shifted into any position
indicated by the arrow “
”
without pushing the button
located on the end of the shift
lever.
PARK
REV
NEUT
DRIVE
3RD
2ND
1ST
In this 4-speed automatic
transmission, the following three
modes can be selected by pressing
the “
POWER” or “WINTER”
switch on the floor console, with
the key switch in the “
ON”
position:
•NORMAL mode
•POWER mode
•WINTER mode
P (Park)
— Used to lock the
transmission when the vehicle is
parked or while starting the
engine. Never move the shift lever
to Park until your vehicle is fully
stopped. Use this position
together with the parking brake.
The shift lever can be moved from
PARK position if the regular brake
is applied.
Refer to “Starting” in this section. R (Reverse)
— Used for backing
the vehicle. Bring your vehicle to
a complete stop before shifting to
Reverse.
N (Neutral) — The out-of-gear
position. You may restart a stalled
engine while the vehicle is still
moving with the selector in
Neutral. Refer to “Starting” in this
section. This position is also used
when towing the vehicle. See “In
Case of Emergency ” for towing
information.
D (Drive) (First to Fourth
Gear)
— This position is for all
normal forward driving. For
normal driving, we recommend
that you put the shift lever in the
“
D” range. This will reduce
vehicle noise and improve fuel
economy.
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78Instruments and Controls
3 (Third) — When operating your
vehicle on slippery roads, on a
long descending slope, or on a
road with many sharp curves, you
will want to use engine braking.
At this time, put the shift lever
into this range.
2 (Second) — You may choose this
position when traveling down a
moderate grade where you want to
slow down a little without using
the brake itself. Change back to
the “
D” position to return to
normal driving. With the shift
lever in “2, ” the vehicle will start
in first gear and automatically shift
to second gear.
L (First) — This position may be
selected for maximum braking
down severe grades. Return the
selector lever to the “
D” position
to resume normal driving. It is
possible to move the lever into first gear at any speed. However,
the transmission will not actually
shift to first gear until vehicle
speed is below 35 mph (Power
Mode) or 25 mph (Normal Mode).
When starting out in “L,” the
transmission will not upshift.
Starting — Start the engine with
the lever in the “P” or “N”
position. It will not start in any
other position. If it does, have
your vehicle checked by your
Honda dealer.
Always apply the foot brake
before shifting into any driving
position. This prevents the vehicle
from creeping.
Do not press the accelerator pedal
while shifting from “
P” or “N” to
any driving position.
Shift Lock — As a safety measure
for vehicles with an automatic
transmission, you cannot shift
from “
P” (Park) position into any
other position unless the brake
pedal is depressed when the key
switch is in the “
ON” position or
the engine is running.
The shift lever may not move if
the pushbutton on the shift lever is
pressed before the brake pedal is
depressed. In this case, release
the pushbutton, press the brake
pedal and try again.
If the shift lever won’ t move from
the “
P” position even when these
instructions are followed, perform
the following steps: