2004 HONDA ACCORD COUPE tow

Adjust the steering wheel, if needed,
so that the wheel points toward your
chest, not toward your f ace. This
provides optimal protection f rom the
f ront airbag.
See page f or how to adjust the
steering wheel.After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and put on seat belts, it is
very important that they continue to
sit upright, well back in their seats,
with their feet on the floor, until the
vehicle is parked and the engine is
off.
Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. For
example, if an occupant slouches,
lies down, turns sideways, sits
forward, leans forward or sideways,
or puts one or both f eet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased.
In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the f ront seat can be
seriously or f atally injured in a crash
by striking interior parts of the
vehicle or being struck by an
inf lating f ront airbag. Being struck
by an inf lating side airbag can
possibly result in serious injuries.
74
Adjust the Steering Wheel Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
6.
7.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety15
Sitting improperly or out of
position can result in serious
injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright, well back in
the seat, with your feet on thefloor.
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MIST
OFF
INT Intermittent
LO Low
HI High
Windshield Washers Push the right lever up or down to
select a position.
The wipers are not activated.The wipers run at high
speed until you release the lever.
The length of the wiper
interval is varied automatically
according to the vehicle’s speed.
Vary the delay by turning the INT
TIME ring. If you turn it to the
shortest delay, the wipers will
change to low speed operation
when the vehicle speed exceeds 12
mph (20 km/h). Pull the
wiper control lever toward you and
hold it. The washers spray until you
release the lever. The wipers run at
low speed, then complete one more
sweep after you release the lever.
The wipers run at low speed.
While the vehicle is stopped and in
gear, the wipers sweep the
windshield whenever you remove
your f oot f rom the brake pedal. The wipers run at high speed.
1.2.3.4.5.6
Windshield Wipers and Washers
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Windshield Wipers OFF
MIST INT Windshield Washer
LO HI
69
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Move the steering wheel so it
points to your chest, not toward
your f ace. Make sure you can see
the instrument panel gauges and
indicators.
Push the lever up to lock the
steering wheel in position.
Make sure you have securely
locked the steering wheel in place
by trying to move it up, down, in,
and out.
Insert the key in the ignition
switch, and unlock the steering
column.
Push the lever under the steering
column all the way down.
Make any steering wheel adjustment
bef ore you start driving.
3. 4. 5.
2.
1.See page f or important saf ety
inf ormation about how to properlyposition the steering wheel. 15
Steering Wheel A djustment
Inst rument s and Cont rols74
Adjusting the steering wheel
position while driving may
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle and be seriously injured
inacrash.
Adjust the steering wheel only
when the vehicle is stopped.
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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.
Avoidhardbrakingforthefirst
200 miles (300 km).
Do not change the oil until the
scheduled maintenance time.
You should also f ollow these re-
commendations with an overhauled
or exchanged engine, or when the
brakes are replaced. If you drive with the low engine
speed (below than about 1,000 rpm),
you may f eel the engine knocking. In
this case, you can use premium
unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 91 or higher to
prevent the engine f rom knocking.
We recommend gasolines containing
detergent additives that help prevent
f uel system and engine deposits.In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend, in areas where it is
available, the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain manganese-based
f uel additives such as MMT.
We also recommend that you should
not tow a trailer during the f irst 500
miles (800 km). Your Honda is designed to operate
on unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 86 or higher. Use
of a lower octane gasoline can cause
occasional metallic knocking noises
in the engine and will result in
decreased engine perf ormance.
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 authorized Honda dealer f or
service.
Some gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol or
MTBE. Your vehicle is designed to
operate on oxygenated gasoline
containing up to 10 percent ethanol
by volume and up to 15 percent
MTBE by volume. Do not use
gasoline containing methanol.
On EX-V6 with manual transmission
Break-in Period, Gasoline T ype
Bef ore Driving
Break-in Period Gasoline Type
164
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Wait a f ew minutes af ter turning the
engine of f bef ore you check the oil.Remove the dipstick (orange
handle/loop). Wipe of f the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel.
Insert it all the way back in its hole.
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 .
1. 2. 3.4.
217
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
Oil Check
A dding Oil
168
DIPSTICK
(Orange Handle)DIPSTICK
(Orange Loop)UPPER MARK
LOWER MARK
4-cylinder models 6-cylinder models 4-cylinder models
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To determine the correct cargo and
luggage load limit:
Locate the statement, ‘‘the
combined weight of occupants and
cargo should never exceed 850 lbs
(395 kg)’’ on your vehicle’s placard
(on the driver’s doorjamb). Subtract the combined weight of
the driver and passengers f rom
850 lbs (395 kg).
The resulting f igure equals the
available amount of cargo and
luggage load capacity.
For example, if there will be f our 150
lbs (70 kg) occupants in your vehicle,
the amount of available cargo and
luggage load capacity is 250 lbs (115
kg).
4 150 lbs (70 kg) = 600 lbs (280
kg)
850 lbs (395 kg) 600 lbs (280 kg) =
250 lbs (115 kg)
Determine the combined weight
of the driver and passengers that
will be riding in your vehicle. (Five
is the seating capacity of your
vehicle.) If your vehicle will be towing a
trailer, the load f rom your trailer
will be transf erred to your vehicle.
Consult this manual to determine
how this reduces the available
cargo and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
The total weight must not exceed
theGrossVehicleWeightRating
(GVWR). The load f or the f ront and
rear axles also must not exceed the
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR)
(see page ).
Determine the combined weight
of accessories, luggage, and cargo
beingloadedinthevehicle.The
weight may not saf ely exceed the
available cargo and luggage load
capacity calculated in step 4 [250
lbs(115kg)inthisexample].
The maximum load limit f or your
vehicle is 850 lbs (395 kg). This
f igure includes total weight of all
occupants, cargo, accessories, and
the tongue weight if you are towing a
trailer. 1. 2.
3. 4. 5.6.
284
Carrying Cargo
Bef ore Driving174
Overloading or improper
loading can affect handling and
stability and cause a crash in
which you can be hurt or killed.
Follow all load limits and other
loading guidelines in thismanual.
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This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
5-speed/6-speed manual and
automatic transmissions. It also
includes important inf ormation on
parking your vehicle, the braking
system, the Traction Control System,
and f acts you need if you are
planning to tow a trailer.........................
Preparing to Drive . 178
.......................
Starting the Engine . 179
5-speed/6-speed Manual
.............................
Transmission . 180
..............
Automatic Transmission . 183
..................................
Parking Tips . 187
.............................
Braking System . 188
...............
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) . 189
..
Traction Control System (TCS) . 191
...........................
Towing a Trailer . 194
Driving
Driving177
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µ If you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer’s
red zone. If this occurs, you may f eel
the engine cut in and out. This is
caused by a limiter in the engine’s
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the
RPM below the red zone.
Use Second gear:
For more power when climbing.
To increase engine braking when
going down steep hills.
For starting out on a slippery
surf ace or in deep snow.
When driving downhill with a
trailer.
To shif t f rom Second to
First, press the release button on the
side of the shift lever. With the lever
in this position, the transmission
locks in First gear. By upshif ting and
downshif ting through 1, 2, D , and D,
you can operate the transmission
much like a manual transmission
without a clutch pedal.
This position is similar
to D, except only the first three
gears are selected instead of all f ive.
Use D when towing a trailer in hilly
terrain, or to provide engine braking
when going down a steep hill. D can
also keep the transmission f rom
cycling between third and f ourth
gears in stop-and-go driving. Use this position f or
normal driving. The transmission
automatically selects a suitable gear
(1 through 5) f or speed and
acceleration. You may notice the
transmission shif ting up at higher
speeds when the engine is cold. This
helps the engine warm up f aster.
To shif t to Second,
pressthereleasebuttonontheside
of the shif t lever. This position locks
the transmission in second gear. It
does not downshif t to f irst gear
when you come to a stop.
3
3
3
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Engine Speed L imiter
First (1)
Drive (D )
Drive (D)
Second (2)
3
185
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