2002 HONDA S2000 open hood

Bef ore you begin driving your Honda,
youshouldknowwhatgasolineto
use, and how to check the levels of
important f luids. You also need to
know how to properly store luggage
or packages. The inf ormation in this
section will help you. If you plan to
add any accessories to your vehicle,
please read the inf ormation in this
section f irst..............................
Break-in Period . 122
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Gasoline . 122
.........
Service Station Procedures . 123
................
Filling the Fuel Tank . 123
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Opening the Hood . 124
...............................
Oil Check . 125
.........
Engine Coolant Check . 126
...............................
Fuel Economy . 127
............................
Car Condition . 127
...........................
Driving Habits . 127
...
Accessories and Modif ications . 128
................................
Accessories . 128
............................
Modif ications . 129
...
Additional Safety Precaution . 129
.............................
Carrying Cargo . 130
.....................
General Precautions . 133
Bef ore Driving
Bef ore Driving 121

Screw the f uel f ill cap back on,
tighten it until it clicks several
times. If you do not properly
tighten the cap, the Malfunction
Indicator Lamp may come on (see
page ).
Push the f uel f ill door closed until
it latches.Standing in f ront of the car, put
your f ingers under the f ront edge
of the hood to the right of center.
Slide your hand to the lef t until
you f eel the hood latch handle.
Push this handle to the lef t until itreleases the hood. Lif t the hood.
If you can open the hood without
lifting the hood latch handle, or
the hood latch handle moves
stif f ly or does not spring back as
bef ore, the mechanism should be
cleaned and lubricated (see page
).
Stop f illing the tank af ter the f uel
nozzle automatically clicks of f . Do
not try to ‘‘top off’’ the tank, leave
some room f or the f uel to expand
with temperature changes.
Shif t to Neutral and set the
parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower lef t corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly.
1.
4. 5.
2.
6.
236
180
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore DrivingOpening the Hood
124
RREELLEEAASSEEHHAANNDDLLEE

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

Open the hood. Unclip the
windshield base by pulling it up.Put the pins on the windshield
base into their mating holes on the
support, and push the base down
until the pins snap in.
Remove the old f ilter. Put a new
f ilter in the holder and push it in
until it locks.
The dust and pollen f ilter is located
in the engine compartment on the
passenger’s side near the base of the
windshield.
Push the tab on the dust and
pollen f ilter to unlock it f rom the
holder.
This f ilter should be replaced every
30,000 miles (48,000 km) under
normal conditions. It should be
replaced every 15,000 miles (24,000
km) if you drive primarily in urban
areas that have high concentrations
of soot in the air f rom industry and
diesel-powered vehicles. Replace it
more of ten if air f low f rom the
climate control system becomes less
than usual. Have the dust and pollen
f ilter replaced by your Honda dealer.
The dust and pollen f ilter removes
pollen and dust f rom the outside air,
The heating and cooling system
brings air into the interior. It should
be replaced according to the time
and distance recommendations in
the maintenance schedule.
1.2. 3.4.
Maint enance
Replacement
Dust and Pollen Filt er
189

Open the hood.
Remove the electrical connector
f rom the bulb by squeezing the
connector to unlock the tab, then
slide the connector of f the bulb.Remove the rubber weather seal
by pulling on the tab.
Pull the bulb straight out of its
socket.
If you need to change the high
beam headlight bulb on the lef t
side, remove the coolant reserve
tank f rom its holder by pulling it
straight up.
Unclip the end of the hold-down
wire f rom its slot. Pivot it out of
the way and remove the bulb
socket.Install the rubber seal over the
back of the headlight assembly.
Make sure it is right side up; it is
marked ‘‘TOP.’’
Push the electrical connector onto
the new bulb.
Push the new bulb straight into
the socket until it bottoms. Turn on the headlights to test the
new bulb.
Insert the socket back into the
headlight assembly. Make sure
the bulb is installed correctly by
looking through the headlight lens.
The pins on the base of the bulb
should f it in the holes in the
headlight assembly. Pivot the hold-
down wire back in place and clip
the end into the slot.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.6. 7. 8.
Lights
Maint enance
201

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.
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.
To jump start your car, f ollow these
directions closely: 1.
183
Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
228 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.

If the temperature gauge stays at
the red mark, turn of f the engine.
If you do not see steam or spray,
leave the engine running and
watch the temperature gauge. If
the high heat is due to overloading
(climbing a long, steep hill on a
hot day with the A/C running, f or
example), the engine should start
to cool down almost immediately.
If it does, wait until the tempera-
ture gauge comes down to the mid-
point then continue driving.
Your car can overheat f or several
reasons, such as lack of coolant or a
mechanical problem. The only
indicationmaybethetemperature
gauge climbing to or above the red
mark. Or you may see steam or
spray coming f rom under the car or
engine cover. In either case, you
should take immediate action.
The reading on your car’s
temperature gauge should stay in
the midrange under most conditions.
Itmaygohigherif youaredrivingup
a long steep hill on a very hot day. If
it climbs to the red mark, you should
determine the reason.
Saf ely pull to the side of the road.
Put the transmission in Neutral
and set the parking brake. Turn
of f the heating and cooling system
andallotheraccessories.Turnon
the hazard warning indicators.
If you see steam and/or spray
coming f rom under the hood, turn
of f the engine.Wait until you see no more signs
of steam or spray, then open thehood.
1. 3. 4. 5.
2.
CONT INUED
If Your Engine Overheats
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed 231
Steam and spray from an
overheated engine can
seriously scald you.
Do not open the hood if steam
is coming out.
Driving with the temperature gauge
reading at the red mark can cause
serious damage to your engine.

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.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 .)
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.
1. 2. 3. 4.
125 163 247
Emergency
Towing
L ow Oil Pressure Indicator
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
234
LLOOWWOOIILLPPRREESSSSUURREEIINNDDIICCAATTOORR
Running 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.