2003 HONDA INSIGHT engine

Make sure all windows, mirrors,
and outside lights are clean and
unobstructed. Remove f rost, snow,
or ice.Check that any items you may be
carrying are stored properly or
f astened down securely.
Check the seat adjustment (see
page ).
Check the adjustment of the
inside and outside mirrors (see
page ).
Check the steering wheel
adjustment (see page ).
Make sure the doors are securely
closed and locked.Fasten your seat belt. Check that
your passengers have f astened
their seat belts (see page ).
Youshoulddothefollowingchecks
and adjustments bef ore you drive
your vehicle.
Visually check the tires. If a tire
looks low, use a gauge to check its
pressure (see page ). Check that the hood and hatch are
f ully closed. When you start the engine, check
the gauges and indicators in the
instrument panel, and the
messages on the multi-inf ormation
display (see pages , and
).
1.
2.
3.
8. 7. 6.9.
4.
5.
61 7217
10.
141
147
128 89
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Preparing to Drive
262

Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.In cold weather, the conventional
starter is used instead of the IMA
system starter. This is normal.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. Do not hold
the key in the START (III)
position f or more than 15 seconds
at a time. If the engine does not
start right away, pause for at least
10 seconds bef ore trying again.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Starting the Engine
Starting in Cold Weather
Driving
263
The engine is harder to start in cold
weather. Also, the thinner air f ound at
altitudes above 8,000 f eet (2,400
meters) adds to this problem.
T he immobilizer system protects your
vehicle f rom thef t. If an improperly
coded key (or other device) is used, the
engine’s f uel system is disabled. For
more inf ormation, see page .
130

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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

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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

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CONT INUED
The transmission control system
monitors the accelerator pedal use
and your driving conditions. When
you press the accelerator pedal as in
the normal driving, the system
judges that you are driving at a
constant cruising speed without
using the paddle shif ters. Under
these conditions, D-paddle shif t
mode is canceled, and the
transmission automatically returns to
ordinary automatic transmission
(CVT).
Downshifting with the (left)
paddle shif ter allows you to increase
the engine braking when going down
steep or long hills, and provides
more power when climbing uphills.
You can upshif t the transmission
manually to reduce the rpm.
To cancel the D-paddle shif t mode
manually, pull and hold the side
paddle shif ter until the shif t indicator
goes out.
The transmission remains in the
selected speed if you do not
accelerate.
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters
Driving
277