2003 HONDA CIVIC HATCHBACK hood open

If you see steam and/or spray
coming f rom under the hood, turn
of f the engine.
If you do not see steam or spray,
leave the engine running and
watch the temperature gauge. If
the high heat is due to overloading
(climbing a long, steep hill on a
hot day with the A/C running, f or
example), the engine should start
to cool down almost immediately.
If it does, wait until the tempera-
ture gauge comes down to the mid-
point then continue driving.
Saf ely pull to the side of the road.
Put the transmission in Neutral or
Park, and set the parking brake.
Turn of f the heating and cooling
system and all other accessories.
Turn on the hazard warning
indicators.
The pointer of your car’s tempera-
ture gauge should stay in the mid-
range under most conditions. It may
go higher if you are driving up a long
steep hill on a very hot day. If it
climbs to the red mark, you should
determine the reason. Your car can overheat f or several
reasons, such as lack of coolant or a
mechanical problem. The only
indication may be the temperature
gauge climbing to or above the red
mark. Or you may see steam or
spray coming f rom under the hood.
In either case, you should take
immediate action.1. 2. 3.
If Your Engine Overheats
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
232 Steam and spray from an
overheated engine can
seriously scald you.
Do not open the hood if steam
is coming out.
Driving with the temperature gauge
pointer at the red mark can cause
serious damage to your engine.

If the temperature gauge stays at
the red mark, turn of f the engine.
Wait until you see no more signs
of steam or spray, then open thehood.
If you don’t f ind an obvious leak,
check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank (see page). If the level is below the
MIN mark, add coolant to halfway
between the MIN and MAX marks. 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.
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.
Look f or any obvious coolant leaks,
such as a split radiator hose.
Everything is still extremely hot,
so use caution. If you f ind a leak, it
must be repaired bef ore you
continue driving (see
on page ). 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 .)
4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9.10.
11.
12.
133 245
245
Emergency
Towing
Emergency
Towing
If Your Engine Overheats
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed 233
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.

This indicator should light when the
ignition switch is ON (II), and go out
af ter the engine starts. It should
never come on when the engine is
running. If it starts f lashing, it
indicates that the oil pressure
dropped very low f or a moment, then
recovered. If the indicator stays on
with the engine running, it shows
that the engine has lost oil pressure
and serious engine damage is
possible. In either case, you should
take immediate action.Saf ely pull of f the road and shut
of f the engine. Turn on the hazard
warning indicators.
If necessary, add oil to bring the
level back to the full mark on the
dipstick (see page ).
Letthecarsitforaminute.Open
the hood and check the oil level
(see page ). Although oil level
and oil pressure are not directly
connected, an engine that is very
low on oil can lose pressure during
cornering and other driving
maneuvers. Start the engine and watch the oil
pressure indicator. If the light
does not go out within ten seconds,
turn of f the engine. There is a
mechanical problem that needs to
be repaired bef ore you can
continue driving. (See
on page .)
1. 2. 3. 4.
132 167 245
Emergency
Towing
L ow Oil Pressure Indicator
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
234 LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR
Running the engine with low oil
pressure can cause serious mechanical
damage almost immediately. Turn of f
the engine as soon as you can saf ely get
the car stopped.

All the electrical circuits in your car
have fuses to protect them from a
short circuit or overload. These
f uses are located in two f use boxes.The interior f use box is underneath
the steering column. To open it, turn
the knobs as shown.The under-hood f use box is located
in the back of the engine
compartment on the lef t side. To
open it, push the tabs as shown.
Fuses
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
240 INTERIOR
UNDER-HOOD

...
Identif ication Number, Vehicle . 248
......
If Your Car Has to be Towed . 245
Ignition
..............................................
Keys . 72
...........................................
Switch . 72
5-speed Manual Transmission
...............
Checking Fluid Level . 177
................................
Shif ting the . 144
.............
Flashers, Hazard Warning . 70
...................
Flat Tire, Changing a . 223
Fluids
..........................................
Brake . 177
.........................................
Clutch . 177
..............
Manual Transmission . 177
..................
Windshield Washer . 176
FM Stereo Radio ...................................
Reception . 111
...........................
Folding Rear Seat . 83
.....
Foreign Countries, Driving in . 255
..........................
Four-way Flashers . 70
Front End, Towing by
................
Emergency Wrecker . 245
.................................................
Fuel . 128
......................
Fill Door and Cap . 129
...........................................
Gauge . 63
................
Octane Requirement . 128
...............................
Oxygenated . 254
........................
Reserve Indicator . 60
........................
Tank, Filling the . 129
.....................
Fuses, Checking the . 241 ...............
Gas Mileage, Improving . 134
..........................................
Gasohol . 254
.........................................
Gasoline . 128
...............
Fuel Reserve Indicator . 60
...........................................
Gauge . 63
................
Octane Requirement . 128
........................
Tank, Filling the . 129
................
Gas Station Procedures . 129
Gauges
Engine Coolant
...........................
Temperature . 64
...............................................
Fuel . 63
Gearshif t Lever Positions 5-speed Manual
.........................
Transmission . 144
..............................
Glass Cleaning . 218
........................................
Glove Box . 90
.............
Halogen Headlight Bulbs . 202
Hatch
.................................
Opening the . 80
..............
Hazard Warning Flashers . 70 Headlights
............
Daytime Running Lights . 67
..................
High Beam Indicator . 59
...........
High Beams, Turning on . 66
............
Low Beams, Turning on . 66
........................
Reminder Beeper . 66
........
Replacing Halogen Bulbs . 202
...................................
Turning on . 66
..............................
Head Restraints . 82
.......................
Heating and Cooling . 96
.............
High Altitude, Starting at . 143
.................
High-Low Beam Switch . 66
....................................
Hood Latch . 181
.......................
Hood, Opening the . 130
..............................................
Horn .3,65
.......
Hot Coolant, Warning about . 171
...........................
Hydraulic Clutch . 178
.................................
Hydroplaning . 152
Index
G H I
IV

...
Octane Requirement, Gasoline . 128
.........................................
Odometer . 63
...............................
Odometer, Trip . 63
Oil
........................
Change, How to . 169
......................
Change, When to . 158
......................
Checking Engine . 132
..............
Pressure Indicator . 58, 234
...........
ON (Ignition Key Position) . 73
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor
....................................
Recovery . 256
.........................
Opening the Hatch . 80
........................
Opening the Hood . 130
..
Operation in Foreign Countries . 255
..............................
Outside Mirrors . 88
....................
Overheating, Engine . 232
.......
Owner Maintenance Checks . 165
.........................
Oxygenated Fuels . 254
..............................
Paint Touch-up . 216
..............
Panel Brightness Control . 67
...........................................
Parking . 146 .................................
Parking Brake . 89
Parking Brake and Brake
.................
System Indicator . 59, 238
.................................
Parking Lights . 66
..
Parking Over Things that Burn . 258
.............................
PGM-FI System . 257
..................
Polishing and Waxing . 215
..............................
Power Windows . 85
............
Pre-Drive Saf ety Checklist . 11
.........
Pregnancy, Using Seat Belts . 18
............................
Protecting Adults . 12
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 18
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women . 18
........................
Protecting Children . 20
.......................
Protecting Inf ants . 29
.......
Protecting Larger Children . 35
.........
Protecting Small Children . 32
Using Child Seats with
.....................................
Tethers . 39
...................
Radiator Overheating . 232
...
Radio/Cassette Sound System . 104
..........................
Rear End Towing . 245
..
Rear Lights, Bulb Replacement . 206 ............................
Rear Seat Access . 82
..........................
Rear Seat, Folding . 83
............................
Rear View Mirror . 88
.................
Rear Window Def ogger . 70
....................
Rear Window Washer . 69
.......................
Rear Window Wiper . 69
...............
Reclining the Seat Backs . 81
.......
Recommended Shif t Speeds . 145
.............................
Reminder Lights . 57
Replacement Inf ormation
.................
Air Cleaner Element . 179
..........................
Engine Coolant . 173
................
Engine Oil and Filter . 169
..........................................
Fuses . 241
................................
Light Bulbs . 202
....................................
Schedule . 156
................................
Spark Plugs . 181
...........................................
Tires . 197
.............................
Wiper Blades . 186
Replacing Seat Belts Af ter a ............................................
Crash . 45
Reserve Tank, Engine
...............................
Coolant . 133, 171
...............................
Restraint, Child . 20
................................
Rotation, Tire . 196
Index
P R
O
VI