Page 136 of 277

Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way. The ENGINE START button
has no ef f ect unless the clutch
pedal is depressed.
Turn the ignition key to ON (II)
position.Without touching the accelerator
pedal, push the ENGINE START
button. If the engine does not start
right away, do not hold the
ENGINE START button f or more
than 15 seconds at a time. Pause
f or at least 10 seconds bef ore
trying again.If the engine still does not start,
press the accelerator pedal all the
way down and hold it there while
starting in order to clear f looding.
As before, hold the ENGINE
START button f or no more than
15 seconds. Return to step 6 if the
engine does not start. If it starts,
lif t your f oot of f the accelerator
pedal so the engine does not race.
If theenginedoesnotstartwithin
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 5 with the
accelerator pedal pressed half-way
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race.
1. 2. 3. 4.
5.6. 7.
Driving
Starting the Engine
137
EENNGGIINNEESSTTAARRTTBBUUTTTTOONN
Page 168 of 277
Draining the coolant requires access
to the underside of the vehicle.
Unless you have the tools and
knowledge, you should have this
maintenance done by a skilled
mechanic. Turn the ignition ON (II). Turnthe heater temperature control
dial f ully clockwise. Turn the
ignition of f .
Openthehood.Makesurethe
engine and radiator are cool to the
touch.
Remove the radiator cap.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.
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. 2. 3.4.
CONT INUED
Replacing Engine Coolant
Cooling Syst em
Maint enance
169
DDRRAAIINNBBOOLLTT
DDRRAAIINNPPLLUUGG
Page 179 of 277
The spark plugs in your car are a
special platinum-tipped design f or
longer lif e. They only need to be
replaced every 7 years or 105,000
miles (168,000 km), whichever
comes f irst.
Clean the hood latch assembly with a
mild cleaner, then lubricate it with a
multipurpose grease. Lubricate all
the moving parts (as shown),
including the pivot. Follow the time
and distance recommendations in
the Maintenance Schedule. If you
are not sure how to clean and grease
the latch, contact your Honda dealer. Clean up any dirt and oil that have
collected around the ignition coils.
Remove the four hexagon socket
head cap bolts holding the ignition
coil cover.
1. 2.
ReplacementSpark Plugs
Hood L atch
Maint enance
Hood L at ch, Spark Plugs
180
PPIIVVOOTTSS
Page 180 of 277
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 bolt holding the
ignition coil and pull the ignition
coil straight up slightly.
Disconnect the ignition coil
connector by pushing the tab and
pulling the connector back.
Pull the ignition coil all the way up.
Remove the spark plug with
a f ive-eighths inch (16 mm) spark
plug socket.
3. 4.
5.
6.
CONT INUED
Spark Plugs
Maint enance181
13 lbf·ft (18 N·m , 1.8 kgf·m)
Page 181 of 277
´ µ
Repeat this procedure f or the
other three spark plugs.
Install the ignition coil. Reinstall
the bolt.
Reinstall the cover on the cylinder
bank. Reinstall the f our hexagon
socket head cap bolts. Spark Plug Gap:
7. 8.9. NGK:
DENSO:
Spark Plugs
Maint enanceSpecif ications:
182 PK22PR-L11
PFR7G-11
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.
Page 220 of 277

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. Lift up the tool
box lid and take the jack, wheel
wrench, and extension out of the
tool box.
Thesizedifferencemayalsocause
damage to the rear dif f erential, so do
not mount the compact spare on the
rear. If either rear tire goes f lat,
remove the f ront tire on that same
side, mount the compact spare tire
on the f ront, then mount the f ront
tire on the rear.
Park the car on f irm, level, non-
slippery ground away f rom traf f ic.
Put the transmission in Reverse.
Apply the parking brake.
Turn on the hazard warning lights
and turn the ignition switch to
LOCK (0). Have your passenger
get out of the car while you
change the tire.
Thecompactsparetireissmaller
than a standard tire, which will affect
the vehicle’s handling. Drive
cautiously when this spare is
mounted on your vehicle. 3.
1. 2.
CONT INUED
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Changing a Flat T ire
221
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.
Use the jack that came on your car. If
you try to raise another car by this jack
or use another jack to raise your car,
the car or jack can be damaged.
Page 225 of 277

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.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.
Check these things:
Diagnosing why your engine won’t
start f alls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you press
the ENGINE START button.
When you press the ENGINE
START button, 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. 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 .
Press the ENGINE START button,
then release it. If the headlights do
not dim, check the condition of the
fuses.If thefusesareOK,thereis
probably 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 .)
57 228
247
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
Jump Starting
Emergency
Towing
If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
226
Page 226 of 277

There may be an electrical
problem, such as no power to the
f uel pump. Check all the f uses
(see page ).
If youfindnothingwrong,youwill
need a qualif ied technician to f ind
the problem. See 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.
Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to
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 connections
(see page ). You can then try
jump starting the car from a booster
battery (see page ).
In this case, the starter motor’s
speed sounds normal, or even f aster
than normal, when you press the
ENGINE START button, but the
engine does not run.
183
228 241
247
137
T he Starter Operates Normally
Emergency
Towing
Starting the
Engine
If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed 227