You can increase the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:Press and hold the RES/ACCEL
button. The car will accelerate.
When you reach the desired
cruising speed, release the button.
Push on the accelerator pedal. Ac-
celerate to the desired cruising
speed and press the DECEL/SET
button.
To increase your speed in very
small amounts, tap the RES/
ACCEL button repeatedly. Each
time you do this, your car will
speed up about 1 mph (1.6 km/h). You can decrease the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:
Press and hold the DECEL/SET
button. The car will decelerate.
Release the button when you
reach the desired speed.
To slow down in very small
amounts, tap the DECEL/SET
button repeatedly. Each time you
do this, your car will slow down
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
Tap the brake or clutch pedal
lightly with your f oot. The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel will go out.
When the car slows to the desired
speed, press the DECEL/SET
button. The car will then maintain
the desired speed. Even with the cruise control turned
on, you can still use the accelerator
pedal to speed up f or passing. Af ter
completing the pass, take your foot
of f the accelerator pedal. The car
will return to the set cruising speed.
Resting your f oot on the brake or
clutch pedal will cause the cruise
control to cancel.
Changing the Set Speed
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures215
Push the CANCEL button on the
steering wheel. Tap the brake or clutch pedal.
Youcancancelthecruisecontrolin
any of these ways: When you push the CANCEL button,
or tap the brake or clutch pedal, the
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel will go out and the
car will begin to slow down. You can
use the accelerator pedal in the
normal way.
The system remembers the
previously-set cruising speed. To
return to that speed, accelerate to
above25mph(40km/h),thenpress
and release the RES/ACCEL button.
The CRUISE CONTROL light comes
on, and the car will accelerate to the
same cruising speed as bef ore.
Press the Cruise Control Master
button on the steering wheel. Pressing the Cruise Control Master
button turns the system completely
of f and erases the previous cruising
speed f rom memory. To use the
system again, ref er to
.
Cancelling the Cruise Control
Using t he
Cruise Cont rol
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures216
CANCEL BUTTON
CRUISE CONTROL MASTER BUTTON
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
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
This section also includes
Maintenance Schedules f or normal
driving and severe driving conditions,
a Maintenance Record, and instruc-
tions f or simple maintenance tasks
you may want to take care of
yourself .
If you have the skills and tools to per-
f orm more complex maintenance
tasks on your Honda, you may want
to purchase the Service Manual. See
page f or inf ormation on how to
obtain a copy, or see your Honda
dealer. This section explains the importance
of keeping your car well maintained
andwhyyoushouldfollowbasic
maintenance saf ety precautions.......................
Maintenance Saf ety .272
.
Important Safety Precautions . 273
.................
Maintenance Schedule . 274
Maintenance Schedule ..................
(4-cylinder Models) . 276 ...
Required Maintenance Record . 281
Maintenance Schedule ..................
(6-cylinder Models) . 284
...
Required Maintenance Record . 289
.......
Owner Maintenance Checks . 291
..............................
Fluid Locations .292
......................................
Engine Oil .294
..................................
Adding Oil .294
....................
Recommended Oil .294
..............................
Synthetic Oil .295
....................................
Additives .296
.....
Changing the Oil and Filter . 296
.............................
Cooling System .299
............
Adding Engine Coolant . 299
.......
Replacing Engine Coolant . 301
....................
Windshield Washers .306
.......................
Transmission Fluid .307
..........
Automatic Transmission . 307
5-speed Manual .........................
Transmission .310
6-speed Manual .........................
Transmission .311
................
Brake and Clutch Fluid . 313
............................
Brake System .313
...........................
Clutch System .314
..............................
Power Steering .315 .....................
Air Cleaner Element .316
....................................
Hood Latch .318
Spark Plugs ..................
(4-cylinder Models) . 318
Spark Plugs ..................
(6-cylinder Models) . 321
...........................................
Battery .324
.................................
Wiper Blades .327
..............
Air Conditioning System . 329
..................
Dust and Pollen Filter . 330
.......................................
Drive Belt .332
....................................
Timing Belt .332
...............................................
Tires .333
......................................
Inf lation .333
..................................
Inspection .335
..............................
Maintenance .335
.............................
Tire Rotation .336
...
Replacing Tires and Wheels . 336
......................
Wheels and Tires .337
..........................
Winter Driving .338
.............................
Snow Tires .338
............................
Tire Chains .338
.............................................
Lights .340
.....................
Headlight Aiming .342
........................
Replacing Bulbs .342
...........................
Storing Your Car .354
413
Maintenance
Maint enance271