2003 HONDA CIVIC COUPE lock

Block the rear wheels.
Fill the f uel tank.
Change the engine oil and f ilter
(see page ).
Wash and dry the exterior
completely.
Cleantheinterior.Makesurethe
carpeting, floor mats, etc. are
completely dry.
Leave the parking brake off. Put
the transmission in Reverse
(5-speed manual) or Park
(automatic).
If you need to park your car f or an
extended period (more than one
month), there are several things you
should do to prepare it f or storage.
Proper preparation helps prevent
deterioration and makes it easier to
get your car back on the road. If
possible, store your car indoors.
If the car is to be stored for a
longer period, it should be
supported on jackstands so the
tires are of f the ground.
Leave one window open slightly (if
the car is being stored indoors).
Disconnect the battery.
Support the f ront wiper blade
arms with a f olded towel or rag so
they do not touch the windshield.
To minimize sticking, apply a
silicone spray lubricant to all door
and trunk seals. Also, apply a
vehiclebodywaxtothepainted
surfaces that mate with the door
and trunk seals.Coverthecarwitha‘‘breathable’’
cover, one made f rom a porous
material such as cotton.
Nonporous materials, such as
plastic sheeting, trap moisture,
which can damage the paint.
If possible, run the engine f or a
while periodically (pref erably once
amonth).
If you store your car f or 12 months
or longer, have your Honda dealer
perf orm the inspections called f or in
the 24 months maintenance schedule
(Normal Conditions) as soon as you
take it out of storage (see page ).
The replacements called f or in the
maintenance schedule are not
needed unless the car has actually
reached that time or mileage. 194
205
St oring Your Car
Maint enance248
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If you have a f lat tire while driving,
stop in a saf e place to change it.
Stopping in traf f ic or on the shoulder
of a busy road is dangerous. Drive
slowly along the shoulder until you
gettoanexitoranareatostopthat
is far away from the traffic lanes.Open the trunk. Raise the trunk
f loor by lif ting up on the back edge.
Take the tool kit out of the trunk.
Unscrew the wing bolt and take
the spare tire out of its well.
Park the car on f irm, level and
non-slippery ground away f rom
traffic. Put the transmission in
Park (automatic) or Reverse
(manual). Apply the parking brake.
Turn on the hazard warning lights
and turn the ignition switch to
LOCK (0). Have all the
passengers get out of the car while
you change the tire.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
CONT INUED
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed259
SPARE TIRE TRUNK FLOOR
TOOL KIT JACK
The car can easily roll off the
jack, seriously injuring anyoneunderneath.
Follow the directions for
changing a tire exactly, and
never get under the car when it
is supported only by the jack.
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Turn the jack’s end bracket
counterclockwise to loosen it, then
remove the jack.Loosen the f our wheel nuts 1/2
turn with the wheel wrench.
Find the jacking point nearest the
wheel you are removing. Place the
jack under the jacking point. Turn
the end bracket clockwise until
the top of the jack contacts the
jacking point. Make sure the
jacking point tab is resting in the
jack notch.
6.
7.8.
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Changing a Flat T ire
260
JACK
WHEEL WRENCHJACKING POINTS
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Store the jack in the trunk with the
end bracket on the lef t side. Turn
the jack’s end bracket to lock it in
place. Store the tool kit.
Store the wheel cover in the trunk.
Make sure it does not get
scratched or damaged.
Lower the trunk f loor, then close
the trunk lid.
20.
21.
22.
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed264
Loose items can fly around the
interior in a crash and could
seriously injure the occupants.
Store the wheel, jack, and tools
securely before driving.
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Diagnosing why your engine won’t
start f alls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
key to START (III):When you turn the ignition switch to
START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying to
start. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at all.
Check these things:
You hear nothing, or almost
nothing. The engine’s starter
motor does not operate at all, or
operates very slowly.
You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, or the starter
motor sounds like it is spinning
f aster than normal, but the engine
does not start up and run. Check the transmission interlock.
If you have a manual transmission,
the clutch pedal must be pushed
all the way to the f loor or the
starter will not operate. With an
automatic transmission, it must be
in Park or Neutral.
Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights and check
their brightness. If the headlights
are very dim or don’t light at all,
the battery is discharged. See
on page . Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim,
check the condition of the f uses. If
the f uses are OK, there is proba-
bly something wrong with the
electrical circuit f or the ignition
switch or starter motor. You will
need a qualif ied technician to
determine the problem. (See
on page .)
If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the
engine, either the battery is dis-
charged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of
the battery and terminal connec-
tions (see page ). You can
then try jump starting the car from
a booster battery (see page ).
267 283
224 267
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
Jump Starting Emergency T owing
If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed265
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If there was no coolant in the
reserve tank, you may also have to
add coolant to the radiator. Let the
engine cool down until the pointer
reaches the middle of the tempera-
ture gauge, or lower, bef ore check-
ing the radiator.Using gloves or a large heavy
cloth, turn the radiator cap
counterclockwise, without pushing
down, to the f irst stop. This
releases any remaining pressure in
the cooling system. After the
pressure releases, push down on
the cap and turn it until it comes
off.
Start the engine and set the
temperature control dial to
maximum. Add coolant to the
radiator up to the base of the f iller
neck. If you do not have the
proper coolant mixture available,
you can add plain water.
Remember to have the cooling
system drained and ref illed with
the proper mixture as soon as you
can.Put the radiator cap back on
tightly. Run the engine and watch
the temperature gauge. If it goes
back to the red mark, the engine
needs repair. (See
on page .)
If the temperature stays normal,
check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. If it has
gone down, add coolant to the
MAX mark. Put the cap back on
tightly.
8.
9.
10. 11. 12.
283
Emergency
Towing
If Your Engine Overheats
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed271
Removing the radiator cap
while the engine is hot can
cause the coolant to spray out,
seriously scalding you.
Always let the engine and
radiator cool down before
removing the radiator cap.
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If something electrical in your car
stops working, the f irst thing you
should check f or is a blown f use.
Determine f rom the chart on pagesand , or the diagram on the
fuse box lid, which fuse or fuses
control that component. Check those
f uses f irst, but check all the f uses
bef ore deciding that a blown f use is
not the cause. Replace any blown
f uses and check the component’s
operation.
Turn the ignition switch to LOCK
(0). Make sure the headlights and
all other accessories are off.
Remove the cover f rom the f use
box. Check each of the large f uses in
the under-hood f use box by
looking through the top at the wire
inside. Removing these f uses
requires a Phillips-head screw-
driver.
Check the smaller f uses in the
under-hood f use box and all the
fuses in the interior fuse box by
pulling out each f use with the f use
puller provided in the under-hood
fuse box.
3.
1. 2. 4.
281 282
CONT INUED
Checking and Replacing Fuses
Fuses
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed279
FUSE
BLOWN FUSE PULLER
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Look f or a burned wire inside the
f use. If it is burned, replace it with
oneof thesparefusesof thesame
rating or lower.If the radio f use is removed, the
audio system will disable itself . The
nexttimeyouturnontheradioyou
will see ‘‘ ’’ in the f requency
display. Use the Preset buttons to
enter the f ive-digit code (see page
).
When the audio system is disabled,
the clock setting in the audio system
will be canceled. You will need to
reset the clock according to the
instructions in the audio system
sectiononthisowner’smanual.
If you cannot drive the car without
f ixing the problem, and you do not
have a spare fuse, take a fuse of the
same rating or a lower rating f rom
one of the other circuits. Make sure
youcandowithoutthatcircuit
temporarily (such as the accessory
power socket or radio). If you replace the blown f use with a
spare f use that has a lower rating, it
might blow out again. This does not
indicate anything wrong. Replace the
f use with one of the correct rating as
soon as you can.
If the replacement fuse of the
same rating blows in a short time,
there is probably a serious
electrical problem in your car.
Leave the blown fuse in that
circuit and have your car checked
by a qualif ied mechanic.
5.
6. 149
Standard f or HX, LX and EX models in
the U.S., and LX and Si models inCanada
On all models
Fuses
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed280
BLOWN
Replacing a f use with one that has a
higher rating greatly increases the
chances of damaging the electrical
system. If you do not have a replace-
ment f use with the proper rating f or the
circuit, install one with a lower rating.
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