2003 HONDA ACCORD SEDAN clutch

Resting your f oot on the brake or
clutch pedal will cause the cruise
control to cancel. 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.
You can decrease the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:
You can increase the set cruising
speed in any of these ways: When climbing a steep hill, the
automatic transmission may
downshif t to hold the set speed. Thecruisecontrolmaynotholdthe
set speed when you are going up and
down hills. If your speed increases
going down a hill, use the brakes to
slow down to the desired speed. This
will cancel the cruise control. To
resume the set speed, press the
RES/ACCEL button. The CRUISE
CONTROL light on the instrument
panel comes on.
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).
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.
Changing the Set Speed
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures196

Pressing the Cruise Control Master
Switch turns the system completely
of f and erases the previous cruising
speed f rom memory. To use the
system again, ref er to.
Press the Cruise Control Master
Switch. 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.
Using t he
Cruise Cont rol
Cancelling the Cruise Control
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures197
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
Driving219

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.
Driving
5-speed Manual T ransmission
221
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.

µµ
µ To shif t to Second,
pressthereleasebuttonontheside
of the shif t lever. This position locks
thetransmissioninsecondgear.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.
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
or two gears, depending on your
speed. 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.
3
3
3
3
Second (2) First (1)
Drive (D )
Automatic Transmission
Driving
3
225

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 why it is
important to keep your car well
maintained and how to f ollow basic
maintenance saf ety precautions.......................
Maintenance Saf ety .246
.
Important Safety Precautions . 247
.................
Maintenance Schedule . 248
...
Required Maintenance Record . 260
.......
Owner Maintenance Checks . 265
..............................
Fluid Locations .266
......................................
Engine Oil .268
..................................
Adding Oil .268
....................
Recommended Oil .268
..............................
Synthetic Oil .269
....................................
Additives .270
.....
Changing the Oil and Filter . 270
.............................
Cooling System .272
............
Adding Engine Coolant . 272
.......
Replacing Engine Coolant . 275
....................
Windshield Washers .279
.......................
Transmission Fluid .280
Automatic .........................
Transmission .280
5-speed Manual .........................
Transmission .283
................
Brake and Clutch Fluid . 284
............................
Brake System .284
...........................
Clutch System .285
..............................
Power Steering .285
.....................
Air Cleaner Element .286 ....................................
Hood Latch .289
....................................
Spark Plugs .289
..............................
Replacement .289
............................
Specif ications .291
...........................................
Battery .294
.................................
Wiper Blades .297
..............
Air Conditioning System . 299
..................
Dust and Pollen Filter . 300
.......................................
Drive Belt .302
....................................
Timing Belt .302
...............................................
Tires .303
......................................
Inf lation .303
..................................
Inspection .305
..............................
Maintenance .305
.............................
Tire Rotation .306
...
Replacing Tires and Wheels . 306
......................
Wheels and Tires .307
..........................
Winter Driving .308
.............................
Snow Tires .308
............................
Tire Chains .308
.............................................
Lights .310
........................
Replacing Bulbs .312
...........................
Storing Your Car .323
381
Maintenance
Maint enance245

4-cylinder Models
Maint enance
Fluid Locations
266
BRAKE FLUID
(Gray cap)
ENGINE OIL DIPSTICK
(Orange handle)
WASHER FLUID
(Blue cap)
POWER STEERING
FLUID (Red cap)
RADIATOR CAPCLUTCH FLUID
(5-speed Manual
Transmission only)
(Light gray cap)
ENGINE OIL
FILL CAP
AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION
FLUID DIPSTICK
(Yellow loop)
COOLANT
RESERVOIR

The f luid level should be between
theMINandMAXmarksontheside
of the reservoir. If the level is at or
below the MIN mark, your brake
system needs attention. Have the
brake system inspected f or leaks or
worn brake pads.
Always use Honda Heavy Duty
Brake Fluid DOT 3. If it is not
available, you should use only DOT 3
or DOT 4 f luid, f rom a sealed
container, as a temporary
replacement. However, the use of
any non-Honda brake fluid can cause
corrosion and decrease the lif e of the
system. Have the brake system
f lushed and ref illed with Honda
Heavy Duty Brake Fluid DOT 3 as
soon as possible.
Check the f luid level in the reser-
voirs monthly. There are up to two
reservoirs, depending on the model.
They are:
Brake f luid reservoir (all models)
Clutch f luid reservoir
(manual transmission only)
Brake f luid marked DOT 5 is not
compatible with your car’s braking
system and can cause extensive
damage.
The brake f luid should be replaced
according to the time recommenda-
tion in the maintenance schedule. Brake System
Brake and Clutch Fluid
Maint enance284
MAX
MIN