2003 HONDA ACCORD COUPE brake

This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
5-speed/6-speed manual and
automatic transmissions. It also
includes important inf ormation on
parking your car, the braking system,
the Traction Control System, and
f acts you need if you are planning to
tow a trailer.........................
Preparing to Drive .240
.......................
Starting the Engine .241
Starting in Cold Weather ....................
at High Altitude .242
....
5-speed Manual Transmission . 243
.....
Recommended Shif t Points . 244
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 244
....
6-speed Manual Transmission . 245
.....
Recommended Shif t Points . 246
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 246
.......................
Reverse Lockout .246
..............
Automatic Transmission . 248
.
Shif t Lever Position Indicator . 248
................
Shif t Lever Positions . 248
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 251
....................
Shif t Lock Release . 251
...........................................
Parking .253
..............................
Parking Tips .253
.....................
The Braking System .254
.............
Brake Wear Indicators . 254
...............
Brake System Design . 255
.......................
Anti-lock Brakes .255
Important Saf ety .........................
Reminders .256
........................
ABS Indicator .256 ..............
Traction Control System . 258
...............
TCS ON/OFF Switch . 259
.........
TCSActivationIndicator . 259
...............
Driving in Bad Weather . 261
...........................
Towing a Trailer .263
Driving
Driving239

Push the clutch pedal down all the
way. START (III) does not
f unction unless the clutch pedal is
depressed. Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.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 bef ore, keep the ignition key in
the START (III) position f or no
more than 15 seconds. Return to
step 5 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.
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. If the engine
does not start right away, do not
hold the key in START (III) f or
more than 15 seconds at a time.
Pause f or at least 10 seconds
bef ore trying again.
If the engine does not start within
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 4 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.
Automatic Transmission:
Manual Transmission:
Starting the Engine
Driving241

Come to a full stop before you shift
into Reverse. You can damage the
transmission by trying to shif t into
Reverse with the car moving. Push
down the clutch pedal, and pause f or
a f ew seconds bef ore shif ting into
Reverse, or shif t into one of the
f orward gears f or a moment. This
stops the gears so they won’t ‘‘grind.’’
When slowing down, you can get
extra braking f rom the engine by
shifting to a lower gear. This extra
braking can help you maintain a safe
speed and prevent your brakes f rom
overheating while going down a
steep hill. Bef ore downshif ting,
make sure engine speed will not go
into the tachometer’s red zone in the
lower gear.
The manual transmission is syn-
chronizedinallforwardgearsfor
smooth operation. It has a lockout so
you cannot shift directly from Fifth
to Reverse. When shif ting up or
down,makesureyoupushtheclutch
pedal down all the way, shift to the
next gear, and let the pedal up
gradually. When you are not shif ting,
do not rest your f oot on the clutch
pedal. This can cause your clutch to
wear out faster.
On all 4-cylinder models
Driving
5-speed Manual T ransmission
243
Rapid slowing or speeding-up
can cause loss of control on
slippery surfaces. If you crash,
you can be injured.
Use extra care when driving on
slippery surfaces.

The manual transmission is synchro-
nizedinallforwardgearsforsmooth
operation. It has a lockout so you
cannot shift directly from Fifth to
Reverse instead of Sixth (see page). When shif ting up or down,
make sure you push the clutch pedal
down all the way, shift to the next
gear, and let the pedal up gradually.
When you are not shif ting, do not
rest your f oot on the clutch pedal.
This can cause your clutch to wear out f aster.
Come to a full stop before you shift
into Reverse. You can damage the
transmission by trying to shif t into
Reverse with the car moving. Push
down the clutch pedal, and pause f or
a f ew seconds bef ore shif ting into
Reverse, or shif t into one of the
f orward gears f or a moment. This
stops the gears so they won’t ‘‘grind.’’
When slowing down, you can get
extra braking f rom the engine by
shifting to a lower gear. This extra
braking can help you maintain a safe
speed and prevent your brakes f rom
overheating while going down a
steep hill. Bef ore downshif ting,
make sure engine speed will not go
into the tachometer’s red zone in the
lower gear.
Your car is equipped with an
aluminum shif t lever. If you leave the
car parked outside f or a long time on
a hot day, be caref ul bef ore moving
the shif t lever. Because of the heat,
the shif t lever may be extremely hot.
If the outside temperature is low, the
shif t lever f eels cold.
246
On EX-V6 model
6-speed Manual T ransmission
Driving245
Rapid slowing or speeding-up
can cause loss of control on
slippery surfaces. If you crash,
you can be injured.
Use extra care when driving on
slippery surfaces.

With the clutch pedal depressed,
move the shift lever to the First/
Second gear side of the Neutral
gate, then shif t to Reverse.If you are still unable to shif t to
Reverse, apply the parking brake
and turn the ignition key to
ACCESSORY (I) or LOCK (0).
Depress the clutch pedal and shif t
to Reverse.
With the clutch pedal still de-
pressed, start the engine.
If you need to use this procedure to
shif t to Reverse, your car may be
developing a problem. Have the car
checked by your Honda dealer.
1. 2.
3.
4.
6-speed Manual T ransmission
Driving247

The shift lever has seven positions.
It must be in Park or Neutral to start
the engine. When you are stopped in
D, D , 2, 1, N or R, press f irmly on
the brake pedal, and keep your f oot
of f the accelerator pedal.
The ‘‘D’’ indicator comes on f or a
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to ON (II). If it
f lashes while driving (in any shif t
position), it indicates a possible
problem in the transmission. Avoid
rapid acceleration and have the trans-
mission checked by an authorized
Honda dealer as soon as possible.
The malf unction indicator lamp may
come on along with the ‘‘D’’ indicator
if there is a problem in the automatic
transmission control system.
This indicator between the tacho-
meter and speedometer shows which
position the shif t lever is in. Your Honda’s transmission has f ive
f orward speeds, and is electronically
controlled f or smoother shif ting. It
also has a ‘‘lock-up’’ torque converter
forbetterfueleconomy.Youmay
f eel what seems like another shif t
when the converter locks.
3
Shif t L ever Positions
Shif t L ever Position Indicator
Automatic Transmission
Driving248
SHIFT LEVER
RELEASE BUTTON

µ
µ
To shif t to Reverse
f rom Park, see the explanation under
Park. To shif t to Reverse f rom
Neutral, come to a complete stop and
then shift. Press the release button
bef ore shif ting into Reverse f rom
Neutral.
This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning of f or
starting the engine. To shif t out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal. Press the release
button on the side of the shift lever
to move it.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see Shif t Lock Release on page .
You must also press the release
button to shift into Park. To avoid
transmission damage, come to a
complete stop bef ore shif ting into
Park. The shif t lever must be in Park
bef ore you can remove the key f rom
the ignition switch. 251
CONT INUED
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoP
NtoR
Dto2 2to1
1to2
2toD
DtoD DtoN
DtoD NtoDRtoN Do this:
Press the brake pedal and
press the release button.
Press the release button.
Move the lever.
3
3
3
3
Reverse (R)
Park (P)
Automatic Transmission
Driving249

µ
µ
µ
µ
µ To shift to Second,
pressthereleasebuttonontheside
of the shif t lever. This position locks
the transmission in second gear. It
does not downshif t to f irst gear
when you come to a stop. Second
gives you more power when climbing,
and increased engine braking when
going down steep hills. Use second
gear when starting out on a slippery
surf ace or in deep snow. It will help
reduce wheelspin.
To shif t f rom Second to
First, press the release button on the
side of the shift lever. With the lever
in this position, the transmission
locks in First gear. By upshif ting and
downshif ting through 1, 2, D , and D,
you can operate this transmission
much like a manual transmission
without a clutch pedal.
This position is similar
to D, except only the first three
gears are selected instead of all f ive.
Use D when towing a trailer in hilly
terrain, or to provide engine braking
when going down a steep hill. D can
also keep the transmission f rom
cycling between third and f ourth
gears in stop-and-go driving.
Use Neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Shif t to Park posi-
tion if you need to leave the car for
any reason. Press on the brake pedal
when you are moving the shif t lever
f rom Neutral to another gear.
Use this position f or
your normal driving. The transmis-
sion automatically selects a suitable
gear (1 through 5) f or your speed
and acceleration. You may notice the
transmission shif ting up at higher
speeds when the engine is cold. This
helps the engine warm up f aster. ForfasteraccelerationwheninD or
D, you can get the transmission to
automatically downshif t by pushing
the accelerator pedal to the floor.
The transmission will shif t down one,
two or three gears, depending on
your speed.
3
3
3
3
Second (2)
First (1)
Drive (D )
Neutral (N)
Drive (D)3
Automatic Transmission
Driving250