2003 HONDA INSIGHT service

Help assure your vehicle’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
You should also f ollow these
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are replaced. Your vehicle is designed to operate
on unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 87 or higher. Use
of a lower octane gasoline can cause
a persistent, heavy metallic rapping
noise that can lead to engine damage.
Do not change the oil until the
scheduled maintenance time.
Avoidhardbrakingforthefirst
200 miles (300 km). Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance,
and cause the malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contact
your dealer f or service. Some
gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol. Your
vehicle is designed to operate on
oxygenated gasoline containing up to
10% ethanol by volume. Do not use
gasoline containing methanol. If you
notice any undesirable operating
symptoms, try another service
station or switch to another brand of
gasoline.
Break-in Period
Fuel Recommendation
Break-in Period, Fuel Recommendation
244
T o help prevent harmf ul f uel system
and engine deposits, use high quality
f uel containing detergent and additives.
In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain harmf ul manganese-
based f uel additives such as MMT , if
such gasoline is available.

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Outside of the vehicle, push on the
right side edge of the f uel f ill door
in the middle until you hear a click.
The f uel f ill door will pop up
slightly. Pull it outward to open it. Park with the driver’s side closest
to the service station pump.
Because the level of detergency and
additives in gasoline vary in the
market, Honda endorses the use of
‘‘TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline’’
where available to help maintain the
perf ormance and reliability of your
vehicle. TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline meets a new gasoline
standard jointly established by
leading automotive manuf acturers to
meet the needs of today’s advanced
engines. Qualif ying gasoline retailers
will, in most cases, identif y their
gasoline as having met ‘‘TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline’’ standards at the
retail location. This f uel is
guaranteed to contain the proper
level of detergent additives and be
f ree of metallic additives. The proper
level of detergent additives, and
absence of harmf ul metallic additives
in gasoline, help avoid build-up of
deposits in your engine and emission
control system. For f urther important f uel-related
inf ormation f or your vehicle, or
inf ormation on gasoline that does not
contain MMT, visit Owner Link at
. In Canada, visit
f or additional
inf ormation on gasoline. For more
inf ormation on top tier gasoline, visit
1.
2.
owners.honda.comwww.honda.ca
www.toptiergas.com.
Ref ueling
Fuel Recommendation, Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
245
PushFUEL FILL DOOR

Stop f illing the tank af ter the f uel
nozzle automatically clicks of f . Do
not try to ‘‘top off’’ the tank. This
leaves some room in the f uel tank
for the fuel to expand with
temperature changes.
If thefuelnozzlekeepsclickingoff
even though the tank is not f ull,
there may be a problem with your
vehicle’s fuel vapor recovery
system. The system helps keep
f uel vapor f rom going into the
atmosphere. Try f illing at another
pump. If this does not f ix the
problem, consult your dealer.
Remove the f uel f ill cap slowly.
You may hear a hissing sound as
pressure inside the tank equalizes.
The fuel fill cap is attached to the
f uel f iller with a tether. Place the
cap in the holder on the f uel f ill
door.
3. 4.
Service Station Procedures
246
TETHER
HOLDER
FUEL FILL CAP
Gasoline is highly flammable
and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured
when handling fuel.
Stop the engine, and keep
heat, sparks, and flame away.
Handle fuel only outdoors.
Wipe up spills immediately.

Your vehicle’s on board diagnostic
system will detect a loose or missing
f uel f ill cap as an evaporative system
leak. The f irst time a leak is detected
a ‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL CAP’’ message
appears on the multi-inf ormation
display.Turn the engine of f , and conf irm the
f uel f ill cap is installed. If it is, loosen
it, then retighten it until it clicks at
least once. The message should go
off after several days of normal
driving once you tighten or replace
thefuelfillcap.Toscrolltoanother
message, press the INFO button.
The ‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL CAP’’
message will appear each time you
restart the engine until the system
turns the message off.
Screw the fuel fill cap back on
until it clicks at least once. If you
do not properly tighten the cap,
you will see a ‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL
CAP’’ message on the multi-
inf ormation display. If the system
still detects an evaporative system
leak af ter retightening the cap, the
malf unction indicator lamp may
come on (see page ).
Push the f uel f ill door closed until
it latches.
6. 5.
365
CONT INUED
Tighten Fuel Cap Message
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
247

Park the vehicle, and set the
parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower lef t corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly.
If the system still detects a leak in
the vehicle’s evaporative emissions
system, the malf unction indicator
lamp (MIL) comes on. If the f uel f ill
cap was not already tightened, turn
the engine of f , and check or
retighten the f uel f ill cap until it
clicks at least once. The MIL should
go off after several days of normal
driving once the cap is tightened or
replaced. If the MIL does not go of f ,
have your vehicle inspected by a
dealer. For more inf ormation, see
page .
If the hood latch handle moves
stif f ly, or if you can open the hood
without lifting the handle, the
mechanism should be cleaned and
lubricated. Put your f ingers under the f ront
edge of the hood near the center.
Slide your hand to the lef t until
you f eel the hood latch handle.
Push this handle to the lef t to
release the hood. Lif t up the hood.
1.
2.
365 Opening and Closing the Hood
Service Station Procedures
248
LATCH
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
Pull

Insert the dipstick all the way back
into its hole. Wipe of f the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel. Remove the dipstick (orange loop).
Wait a f ew minutes af ter turning the
engine of f bef ore you check the oil.
To close the hood, lif t it up slightly to
remove the support rod f rom the
hole. Put the support rod back into
its holding clip. Lower the hood to
about a f oot (30 cm) above the
f ender, then let it drop. Make sure it
is securely latched.
Holding the grip, pull the support
rod out of its clip. Insert the end
into the designated hole in the
hood. 2.
3. 1.
3.
CONT INUED
Oil Check
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
249
SUPPORT ROD
CLIP
GRIP
DIPSTICK

Refer toon page f or inf ormation
about checking other items on your
vehicle.
Look at the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. Make sure it is
between the MAX and MIN lines. If
it is below the MIN line, see on page f or
inf ormation on adding the proper
coolant.
Remove the dipstick again, and
check the level. It should be
between the upper and lower
marks.
If it is near or below the lower mark,
see on page .
4.
310 315307
Owner’s Maintenance
Checks
Engine Coolant Check
A dding
Engine Coolant
A dding Engine Oil
Service Station Procedures
250
LOWER MARK UPPER MARK RESERVE TANK
MIN
MAX

If you think you can saf ely drive a
short distance to a service station,
proceed slowly to the station, then
inflate the tire to the recommended
pressure.
Driving on a signif icantly under-
inf lated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inf lation also reduces f uel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may
af f ect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
Becausetirepressurevariesby
temperature and other conditions,
the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator may come on unexpectedly. If the tire is flat, or if the tire
pressure is too low to continue
driving, replace the tire with the
compact spare tire (see page ).
When the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator is on, one or more of your
tires is signif icantly underinf lated.
Youshouldstopandcheckyourtires
as soon as possible, and inflate them
to the proper pressure as indicated
on the vehicle’s tire inf ormation
placard.
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
that turns on every time you start the
engine and monitors the pressure in
your tires while driving.
Each tire has its own pressure
sensor. If the air pressure of a tire
becomes signif icantly low, the
sensor in that tire immediately sends
a signal that causes the low tire
pressure/TPMS indicator in the
instrument panel to come on. If this
happens, you will see a ‘‘CHECK
TIRE PRESSURE’’ message on the
multi-inf ormation display.
If you cannot make the low tire
pressure/TPMS indicator and
message on the multi-inf ormation
display go out af ter inf lating the tires
to the specified values, have your
dealer check the system as soon as
possible. 348
CONT INUED
U.S. models onlyLow Tire Pressure/
TPMS Indicator
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Driving
289