2003 HONDA ACCORD SEDAN air conditioning

When driving down hills, reduce
your speed and shif t down to 2nd
gear. Do not ‘‘ride’’ the brakes, and
remember it will take longer to slow
downandstopwhentowingatrailer.
When climbing hills, closely watch
your temperature gauge. If it nears
the red (Hot) mark, turn the air
conditioning of f , reduce speed and, if
necessary, pull to the side of the
road to let the engine cool.
The added weight, length, and
height of a trailer will af f ect your car’s
handling and perf ormance, so
driving with a trailer requires some
special driving skills and techniques.
Foryoursafetyandthesafetyof
others,taketimetopracticedriving
maneuvers bef ore heading f or the
open road, and f ollow the guidelines
discussed below.
Make turns more slowly and wider
than normal. The trailer tracks a
smaller arc than your car, and it can
hit or run over something the car
misses. Allow more time and
distance f or braking. Do not brake or
turn suddenly as this could cause the
trailer to jackknif e or turn over.
If youmuststopwhenfacinguphill,
use the f oot brake or parking brake.
Do not try to hold the car in place by
pressing on the accelerator, as this
can cause the automatic
transmission to overheat.
Drive slower than normal in all
driving situations, and obey posted
speed limits f or cars with trailers. If
you have an automatic transmission,
use D position when towing a trailer
on level roads. D is the proper shif t
lever position to use when towing a
trailer in hilly terrain. (See ‘‘ ’’ in the next column f or
additional gear information.) If the automatic transmission shif ts
f requently while going up a hill, shif t
to D .
3
3
Driving Saf ely With a T railerMaking T urns and Braking
Driving on Hills
T owing Speeds and Gears
Driving
on Hills
Towing a Trailer
Driving242

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

Run the air conditioning at least once
a week during the cold weather
months. Run it f or at least ten
minutes while you are driving at a
steady speed with the engine at
normal operating temperature. This
circulates the lubricating oil con-
tained in the ref rigerant.If the air conditioning does not get as
cold as before, have your dealer
check the system. Recharge the
system with Ref rigerant HFC-134a
(R-134a). (See Specif ications on page
.)
Your car’s air conditioning is a sealed
system. Any major maintenance,
such as recharging, should be done
by a qualif ied mechanic. You can do
a couple of things to make sure the
air conditioning works ef f iciently.
Periodically check the engine’s
radiator and air conditioning
condenser f or leaves, insects, and
dirt stuck to the f ront surf ace. These
block the air f low and reduce cooling
ef f iciency. Use a light spray f rom a
hose or a sof t brush to remove them. 364
Optional f or U.S. DX models
A ir Condit ioning Syst em
Maint enance299
AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSER
Whenever you have the air conditioning
system serviced, make sure the service
f acility uses a ref rigerant recycling
system. This system captures the
ref rigerant f or reuse. Releasing
ref rigerant into the atmosphere can
damage the environment.
The condenser and radiator f ins bend
easily. Only use a low-pressure spray
or sof t-bristle brush to clean them.

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Specif ications
T echnical Inf ormation364
Capacities
Weights
Air Conditioning
Capacities Dimensions 1.35 US gal (5.1
)
1.32 US gal (5.0)
1.90 US gal (7.2
)
4.4 US qt (4.2
)
4.2 US qt (4.0
)
5.6 US qt (5.3
)
2.0 US qt (1.9
)
2.2 US qt (2.1)
2.6 US qt (2.5
)
Excluding the oil remaining in the engine. Including the coolant in the reserve tank and that remaining in the
engine.
Reserve tank capacity: 0.16 US gal (0.6
)
Engine
coolant
Engine oil
Manual trans-
mission oil
Automatic
transmission
fluid
Windshield
washer
reservoir
1.77 US gal (6.7
)
1.88 US gal (7.1
)
2.22 US gal (8.4)
4.5 US qt (4.3
)
5.3 US qt (5.0
)
3.0 US qt (2.8
)
3.1 US qt (2.9)
6.9 US qt (6.5)
7.6 US qt (7.2)
4.8 US qt (4.5
)
189.5 in (4,813 mm)
71.7 in (1,820 mm)
57.2 in (1,453 mm)
Gross vehicle weight rating See the certification label attached to the driver’s doorjamb.
HFC-134a (R-134a)
25 27 oz (700 750 g)
16 18 oz (450 500 g) ND-OIL8
Refrigerant type
Charge quantity
Lubricant type
Fuel tank
17.09 US gal (64.7
)
Length
Width
Height
Wheelbase
Track
107.9 in (2,740 mm)
61.1 in (1,553 mm)
61.2 in (1,554 mm)
Approx.
Front
Rear
1 : 6-cylinder models Change
Manual
Automatic
Total Manual
Automatic
Change Including
filter
Without
filter
Total
Change
Total
Change
Total
U.S. Cars
Canada Cars
2:
3:
2
3 1
1
1
1
1
1
1

CONT INUED
Battery......
Charging System Light . 58,348
............................
Jump Starting .342
..............................
Maintenance .294
............................
Specif ications .365
..............................
Bef ore Driving .203
..........................................
Belts, Seat .8
.........................
Beverage Holders .104
...................................
Body Repair .332
Brakes ...........
Anti-lock System (ABS) . 230
.............
Break-in, New Linings . 204
....................
Bulb Replacement .317
...........................................
Fluid .284
.......................................
Parking .102 .........................
System Indicator .58
........................
Wear Indicators .229
.............................
Braking System .229
........................
Break-in, New Car .204
..
Brightness Control, Instruments . 69
........................
Brights, Headlights .68
Bulb Replacement ..........................
Back-up Lights .318
..............................
Brake Lights .317
..............................
Ceiling Light .320
................
Door Courtesy Light . 321
................
Front Parking Lights . 315
.................................
Headlights .312
.........
High-mount Brake Light . 319
...................
License Plate Light . 319
............................
Specif ications .365
...................................
Spotlights .321
...............................
Trunk Light .322
....................
Turn Signal Lights . 315
................
Vanity Mirror Lights . 321
..............................
Bulbs, Halogen .312
...
Accessories and Modif ications . 212
................................
Accessories .212
.
Additional Safety Precautions . 213
............................
Modif ications .213
ACCESSORY (Ignition Key .......................................
Position) .78
.............
Accessory Power Socket . 107
....................
Additives, Engine Oil . 270
.....................................
Airbag (SRS) .9
.....................
Air Cleaner Element .286
............................
Air Conditioning .112
..............................
Maintenance .299
.........................................
Usage .112
.......................
Air Pressure, Tires .304
.......................
Alcohol in Gasoline .369
......................................
Antif reeze .273
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) ................................
Description .230
...............................
Indicator .57, 231
...................................
Operation .230
.
Anti-thef t Steering Column Lock . 77
..........................
Appearance Care .325
..........................................
Armrest .103
................
Audio System . 134,150,169 .............
Automatic Speed Control . 195
..............
Automatic Transmission . 222
..........................
Capacity, Fluid .364
.......
Checking Fluid Level . 280,281
.......................................
Shif ting .223
.
Shif t Lever Position Indicator . 223
................
Shif t Lever Positions . 223
....................
Shif t Lock Release . 226
Index
A
B
I