2003 HONDA INSIGHT Owners Manual

There are three Eco stages, with f ive
plants per stage. As you accumulate
a specif ied number of leaves, you
advance from one stage to the next.
The plant grows leaves f rom lef t to
right, or loses them f rom right to lef t.
A trophy icon appears once you have
reached the maximum third stage
score.Idle duration ECON button usage
Vehicle speed
Braking and accelerating
The scoring system f or points is
based on:
Stages/Displays and Icons
Def inition
CONT INUED
A total of two leaves can be put on each plant icon.
A total of four leaves can be added to each plant icon.
A circular shaped icon, which represents a blossom, can be
added on top of each plant icon with four leaves.
An icon appears once you have reached the maximum score f or
each stage and are moving up to the next stage. These icons
appear briefly when the ignition switch is turned off.
Oncethe3rdstagemaximumscoreisreached,thesystem
continues to monitor your driving. If you maintain a f uel
efficient driving style, your score remains at the highest stage.
If you drive less ef f iciently, points will be deducted and you
maydrop(stagedown)tothepreviousstage.
Real time scores must accumulate over time to result in a stage change. In order to build lif etime
points and advance to the next stage, you need to keep your efficient driving style every time you
make a trip. It can take several months to move f rom one stage to the next. Individual results will
vary.
Eco A ssist Syst em
Driving
269
First Stage
Second Stage Third Stage
Maximum Score Icons Second
Stage
First
Stage Third
Stage

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The f ollowing procedure clears all
leaves and your lif etime points. This
procedure must be f ollowed exactly.
As you progress to a higher level, the
system monitors your driving style
more strictly. As a result, you must
f urther ref ine your driving style to
continue to move up to the next level.
Turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position. Conf irm that the ECON
mode is OFF. If it is OFF, proceed to
step 1. Do run the engine.
Thefollowingaresomeof the
conditions that may af f ect your
score:
Extremely high or low ambient
temperature
Inconsistent acceleration use, such
as pumping the pedal repeatedly
within a short period of time
Frequent use of the climate
control system
Short distance trips If theECONmodeison,pressand
releasetheECONbuttontoturnit
off. You also need to turn the ignition
switch off.
Turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position again. Do run the
engine. Press and release the brake pedal
at least two times. The ambient
meter color changes f rom blue to
green .
Complete the following steps within
30 seconds:
The ambient meter color
changes only if the multi-
inf ormation display’s meter
color change setting is on. (See
page .)
Press and release the ECON
button two times (ECON mode
comes on, then goes of f ). The
ambient meter color goes of f , and
the accumulated data is cleared.
Turn the ignition switch to the
LOCK (0) position. :
1.
2.
3. 103
Reset the System
not not
Eco A ssist Syst em
270

Honda’s Continuously Variable
Transmission’s unique design
provides a smooth, constant f low of
power. It is electronically controlled
f or more precise operation and
better f uel economy.These indicators on the instrument
panel show which position the shif t
lever is in.
The ‘‘D’’ indicator comes on f or a
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. If it f lashes while driving (in
any shif t position), it indicates a
possible problem in the transmission.If the malf unction indicator lamp
comes on along with the ‘‘D’’
indicator, there is a problem with the
automatic transmission control
system. Avoid rapid acceleration, and
have the transmission checked by
your dealer as soon as possible.
When the ‘‘D’’ indicator warns of a
possible problem with the
transmission, you will see a ‘‘CHECK
TRANSMISSION’’ message on the
multi-inf ormation display.
Continuously Variable
T ransmission (CVT )
Shif t L ever Position Indicators
Automatic Transmission (CVT)
Driving
271
EX models
Insight and LX models

To shif t f rom Park to any position,
press the brake pedal, the release
button on the f ront of the shif t lever,
then pull the lever. You cannot shif t
out of Park when the ignition switch
is in the LOCK (0) or the
ACCESSORY (I) position.
To shift from:PtoR
RtoP
NtoR DtoS
StoD
DtoN
NtoD RtoN Do this:
Press the brake pedal and
press the release button.
Press the release button.
Move the lever.
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoP
NtoR DtoS StoL
LtoS
StoD
DtoN
NtoD RtoN Do this:
Press the brake pedal and
press the release button.
Press the release button.
Move the lever.EX models
Insight and LX modelsShif ting
Automatic Transmission (CVT)
272

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CONT INUED
Use this position f or
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically adjusts to
keep the engine at the best speed f or
driving conditions. To help the
engine warm up f aster, the
transmission will select ratios that
allow the engine to run at higher
speedswhenitiscold.
Press the brake
pedal and the release button on the
frontoftheshiftlevertoshiftfrom
Park to reverse. To shif t f rom
reverse to neutral, come to a
completestop,andthenshift.Press
the release button bef ore shif ting
into reverse f rom neutral.
Use Neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Always shif t to the
Park position if you need to leave the
vehicle for any reason. Press on the
brake pedal when you are moving
the shift lever from Neutral to
another position.
This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning of f or
starting the engine. To shif t out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal. Press the release
buttononthefrontof theshiftlever
to move it.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see on
page .
You must also press the release
button to shift into Park. To avoid
transmission damage, come to a
complete stop bef ore shif ting into
Park. The shif t lever must be in Park
bef ore you can remove the key f rom
the ignition switch. To shift into the S
position, press the release button on
the front of the shift lever, and move
the lever to S. Selecting Second
shif ts the transmission into a lower
range of ratios for better
acceleration and increased engine
braking. Use Second when you are
going down a steep hill.
275
Insight and LX models
Automatic Transmission (CVT)
Drive (D)
Reverse (R)
Neutral (N)
Park (P)
Shif t L ock Release Second (S)
Driving
273

µ
µ When the vehicle reaches the
maximum speed in any shif t position,
you may f eel the engine cut in and
out. This is caused by a limiter (112
mph, 180 km/h) in the engine’s
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the
speed to below the maximum.
To shift into the S
position, press the release button on
the front of the shift lever, and move
the lever to S. The S position is
similar to D, except the range of
ratios are different for better
acceleration and increased engine
braking.
With the shift lever in D or S, you
canalsousethepaddleshiftersto
shif t the transmission up or down.
With the paddle shifters, you can
operate the transmission much like a
manual transmission without a
clutch pedal. For more inf ormation
on driving with the paddle shif ters,
see page .
To shif t to Low, press
the release button on the front of the
shif t lever. Use Low to make better
use of engine power when climbing,
and f or maximum engine braking
when going down steep hills.
ForfasteraccelerationwheninD,S,
or L, the transmission will
automatically ‘‘kick down’’ to a lower
range of ratios by pushing the
accelerator pedal to the floor.
276
EX models
Insight and LX models
Automatic Transmission (CVT)
Second (S)
Low (L) Speed L imiter
274

If you need to use the shif t lock
release, it means your vehicle is
developing a problem. Have it
checked by your dealer.
Push down on the key while you
pressthereleasebuttononthe
shif t lever and move the shif t lever
out of Park to neutral. Insert the key in the shift lock
release slot.
This allows you to move the shif t
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal and pressing the release
button does not work.
Putaclothonthenotchof the
shif t lock release slot cover to
prevent scratches. Using a small
f lat-tip screwdriver or a metal
f ingernail f ile, caref ully pry on the
notch of the cover to remove it. Remove the key from the ignition
switch. Set the parking brake. Remove the key from the shift
lock release slot, then reinstall the
cover. Make sure the notch on the
cover is on the lef t side. Insert the
key into the ignition switch, press
the brake pedal, and restart the
engine.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.6.
Shif t L ock Release
Automatic Transmission (CVT)
Driving
275
SHIFT LOCK RELEASE SLOT RELEASE BUTTON

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To shif t up or down, use the
(right) or (lef t) paddle shif ter on
either side of the steering wheel.
Pull the (right) paddle shifter to
upshift. Pull (left) to downshift. When you pull either paddle shif ter,
the shif t indicator shows you the
selected speed number.
WhenyouaredrivingintheD
position, pulling either paddle shif ter
switches f rom the D-normal shif t
mode to the D-paddle shif t mode.
You can shif t the transmission up or
down through seven-stages manually
with the paddle shifters.
When the transmission returns to
ordinary automatic transmission
(CVT), the displayed shif t indicator
disappears.
Downshif ting gives you more power
when climbing, and provides engine
braking when going down a steep hill.
On EX models
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters
Using the Paddle Shif ters in the
D position (D-Paddle Shif t Mode)
276
SHIFT INDICATOR