2004 HONDA ACCORD COUPE Owners Manual

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The tires that came on your vehicle
have a number of markings. Those
you should be aware of are described
below.
Whenever tires are replaced, they
should be replaced with tires of the
same size. Following is an example
of tire size with an explanation of
what each component means.
Vehicletype(Pindicates
passenger vehicle).
Tire width in millimeters.
Aspect ratio (the tire’s section
height as a percentage of its
width).
Tire construction code (R
indicates radial). Rim diameter in inches.
Load index (a numerical code
associated with the maximum
load the tire can carry).
Speed symbol (an
alphabetical code indicating
the maximum speed rating).
Tire Identif ication Number (TIN) is
a group of numbers and letters that
look like the f ollowing example TIN.
This indicates that the tire
meets all requirements of
the U.S. Department of
Transportation.Manuf acturer’s
identification mark.
Tire type code. Date of manuf acture.
P R V
16 DOT B97R
FW6X 2202
205 60 91
Tire Labeling
T echnical Inf ormation
Tire Size
T ire Ident if icat ion Number
290
DOT B97R FW6X 2202
P205/60R16 91V
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Some conventional gasolines are
being blended with alcohol or an
ether compound. These gasolines
are collectively ref erred to as
oxygenated f uels. To meet clean air
standards, some areas of the United
States and Canada use oxygenated
f uels to help reduce emissions.
If you use an oxygenated f uel, be
sure it is unleaded and meets the
minimum octane rating requirement.
Bef ore using an oxygenated f uel, try
to conf irm the f uel’s contents. Some
states/provinces require this
informationtobepostedonthepump.The f ollowing are the U.S. EPA and
Canadian CGSB approved
percentages of oxygenates:
(ethyl or grain alcohol)
You may use gasoline containing up
to 10 percent ethanol by volume.
Gasoline containing ethanol may be
marketed under the name ‘‘Gasohol.’’
(Methyl Tertiary Butyl
Ether)
You may use gasoline containing up
to 15 percent MTBE by volume.
(methyl or wood
alcohol)
Your vehicle was not designed to use
fuel that contains methanol.
Methanol can corrode metal parts in
the fuel system, and also damage
plastic and rubber components. This
damage would not be covered by
your warranties. If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline.
Fuel system damage or perf ormance
problems resulting f rom the use of
an oxygenated f uel containing more
than the percentages of oxygenates
given above are not covered under
warranty.
Oxygenated Fuels
T echnical Inf ormation
ET HA NOL
MT BE
MET HA NOL
291
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If you are planning to take your
Honda outside the U.S. or Canada,
contact the tourist bureaus in the
areas you will be traveling in to f ind
out about the availability of unleaded
gasoline with the proper octane
rating.
If unleaded gasoline is not available,
be aware that using leaded gasoline
in your Honda will af f ect perf or-
mance and fuel mileage, and damage
its emissions controls. It will no
longer comply with U.S. and
Canadian emissions regulations, and
will be illegal to operate in North
America. To bring your vehicle back
into compliance will require the re-
placement of several components,
such as the oxygen sensors and the
three way catalytic converter. These
replacements are not covered under
warranty.
Driving in Foreign Countries
T echnical Inf ormation292
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Î
ÎThe burning of gasoline in your
vehicle’s engine produces several by-
products. Some of these are carbon
monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen
(NOx) and hydrocarbons (HC).
Gasoline evaporating f rom the tank
also produces hydrocarbons. Con-
trolling the production of NOx, CO,
and HC is important to the environ-
ment. Under certain conditions of
sunlight and climate, NOx and HC
react to f orm photochemical ‘‘smog.’’
Carbon monoxide does not contri-
bute to smog creation, but it is a
poisonous gas. The United States Clean Air Act
sets standards f or automobile
emissions. It also requires that
automobile manufacturers explain to
owners how their emissions controls
workandwhattodotomaintain
them. This section summarizes how
the emissions controls work.
Scheduled maintenance is on pages
and .
In Canada, Honda vehicles comply
with the Canadian emission
requirements, as specif ied in an
agreement with Environment
Canada, at the time they are
manuf actured.
Your vehicle has a Positive
Crankcase Ventilation System. This
keeps gasses that build up in the
engine’s crankcase f rom going into
the atmosphere. The Positive Crank- case Ventilation valve routes them
from the crankcase back to the
intake manif old. They are then
drawn into the engine and burned.
As gasoline evaporates in the f uel
tank, an evaporative emissions
control canister f illed with charcoal
adsorbs the vapor. It is stored in this
canister while the engine is of f . Af ter
the engine is started and warmed up,
the vapor is drawn into the engine
and burned during driving.
The Onboard Ref ueling Vapor
Recovery (ORVR) system captures
the f uel vapors during ref ueling. The
vapors are adsorbed in a canister
f illed with activated carbon. While
driving, the f uel vapors are drawn
into the engine and burned of f .
210
205
Emissions Cont rols
T echnical Inf ormation
The Clean Air Act
Crankcase Emissions Control
System Evaporative Emissions Control
System
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor
Recovery
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The exhaust emissions controls
include f our systems: PGM-FI,
Ignition Timing Control, Exhaust
Gas Recirculation and Three Way
Catalytic Converter. These four
systems work together to control the
engine’s combustion and minimize
the amount of HC, CO, and NOx that
comes out the tailpipe. The exhaust
emissions control systems are
separate f rom the crankcase and
evaporative emissions control
systems.
The PGM-FI System uses sequential
multiport f uel injection.
It has three subsystems: Air Intake,
Engine Control, and Fuel Control.
The Engine Control Module (ECM)
or the Powertrain Control Module
(PCM) uses various sensors to
determine how much air is going
into the engine. It then controls how
much f uel to inject under all operat-ing conditions.
This system constantly adjusts the
ignition timing, reducing the amount
of HC, CO, and NOx produced.
The Exhaust Gas Recirculation
(EGR) system takes some of the
exhaust gas and routes it back into
the intake manif old. Adding exhaust
gas to the air/f uel mixture reduces
the amount of NOx produced when
the f uel is burned.
The three way catalytic converter is
in the exhaust system. Through
chemical reactions, it converts HC,
CO, and NOx in the engine’s exhaust
to carbon dioxide (CO ), dinitrogen
(N ), and water vapor.
The emissions control systems are
designed and certif ied to work to-
gether in reducing emissions to
levels that comply with the Clean Air
Act. To make sure the emissions
remain low, you should use only new
Honda replacement parts or their
equivalent f or repairs. Using lower
qualitypartsmayincreasethe
emissions f rom your vehicle.
The emissions control systems are
covered by warranties separate f rom
the rest of your vehicle. Read your
warranty manual f or more inf orma-
tion.
2
2
Emissions Cont rols
T echnical Inf ormation
Exhaust Emissions Controls Replacement Parts
PGM-FI Syst emIgnit ion T iming Cont rol Syst em
Exhaust Gas Recirculat ion (EGR)Syst em
Three Way Catalytic Converter
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The three way catalytic converter
contains precious metals that serve
as catalysts, promoting chemical
reactions to convert the exhaust
gasses without af f ecting the metals.
The catalytic converter is ref erred to
as a three-way catalyst, since it acts
on HC, CO, and NOx. A replacement
unit must be an original Honda part
or its equivalent.
The three way catalytic converter
must operate at a high temperature
for the chemical reactions to take
place. It can set on f ire any com-
bustible materials that come near it.
Parkyourvehicleawayfromhigh
grass, dry leaves, or other f lamma-
bles.A defective three way catalytic
converter contributes to air pollution,
and can impair your engine’s per-
f ormance. Follow these guidelines to
protect your vehicle’s three way
catalytic converter.
Always use unleaded gasoline.
Even a small amount of leaded
gasoline can contaminate the
catalyst metals, making the three
way catalytic converter inef f ective. Keep the engine tuned-up.
Have your vehicle diagnosed and
repaired if it is misf iring, back-
f iring, stalling, or otherwise not
running properly.
Three Way Catalytic Converter
T echnical Inf ormation295
4-cylinder models
6-cylinder models
THREE WAY CATALYTIC CONVERTER
THREE WAY CATALYTIC CONVERTERS
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If you take your vehicle f or a state
emissions test shortly af ter the
battery has been disconnected or
gone dead, it may not pass the test.
This is because of certain ‘‘readiness
codes’’ that must be set in the on-
board diagnostics f or the emissions
systems. These codes are erased
when the battery is disconnected,
and set again only after several days
of driving under a variety of
conditions.If the testing f acility determines that
the readiness codes are not set, you
will be requested to return at a later
date to complete the test. If you must
get the vehicle re-tested within the
next two or three days, you can
condition the vehicle for re-testing
by doing the f ollowing.
Make sure the gas tank is nearly,
but not completely, f ull (around
3/4).
Make sure the vehicle has been
parked with the engine of f f or 8
hours or more.
Make sure the ambient
temperature is between 20° and
95°F. Without touching the accelerator
pedal, start the engine, and let it
idle f or 20 seconds.
Keep the vehicle in Park
(automatic transmission) or
Neutral (manual transmission).
Increase the engine speed to 2,000
rpm and hold it there until the
temperature gauge rises to at least
1/4of thescale(approximately3
minutes).
St at e Emissions T est ing
T echnical Inf ormation
T esting of Readiness Codes
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Then drive in city/suburban
traffic for at least 10 minutes.
When traf f ic conditions allow, let
the vehicle coast f or several
seconds without using the
accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal.
If the testing f acility determines the
readiness codes are still not set, see
your Honda dealer.
Select a nearby lightly traveled
major highway where you can
maintain a speed of 50 to 60 mph
(80to97km/h)foratleast20
minutes. Drive on the highway in
D (A/T) or 5th/6th (M/T). Do
notusethecruisecontrol.When
traffic allows, drive for 90 seconds
without moving the accelerator
pedal. (Vehicle speed may vary
slightly; this is okay.) If you cannot
do this f or a continuous 90
seconds because of traf f ic
conditions, drive f or at least 30
seconds, then repeat it two more
times (for a total of 90 seconds).
St at e Emissions T est ing
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