Page 133 of 293

The ignition switch must be in the
ACCESSORY (I) or ON (II) position.
Make sure the open side of the tape
is facing right, then insert the tape
most of the way into the slot. The
system will pull the tape in the rest
of the way, and begin to play it.
The tape direction indicator will light
to show you which side of the tape is
playing. The indicates the side
youinsertedupwardinnowplaying.
If you want to play the other side,
press the Preset 3 (PLAY/PROG)
side of the preset bar or press the
AUDIO DISPLAY button and touch
the PROG icon. When the player
reaches the end of the tape, it will
automatically reverse direction and
play the other side.Dolby noise reduction turns on
when you insert a tape. The
indicator will light in the
display. If the tape was not recorded
in Dolby, turn it of f by pressing the
Preset 4 (NR) side of the preset bar
or touching the NR icon. Dolby
remains of f until you press the
preset bar or the icon again.
Dolby noise reduction
manuf actured under license f rom
Dolby laboratories licensing
Corporation. ‘‘Dolby’’ and the
double-D symbol are trademarks
of the Dolby Laboratories
Licensing Corporation. To remove the tape, press the
EJECT button on the cassette player.
If you want to turn the player of f ,
press the PWR/VOL knob or turn
of f the ignition. The tape will remain
in the drive.
When you turn the system back on,
the tape player will be in pause mode.
Press the Preset 3 (PLAY/PROG)
side of the preset bar or touch the
PROG icon on vehicles with
navigation system to resume play.
To switch to the radio or CD player
while a tape is playing, press the
AM/FM, or CD/AUX button or CD/
AUX XM button. To change back to
thetapeplayer,pushtheCD/AUX
button or CD/AUX XM button.
Optional on all U.S. models
To Play a Tape
To Stop Playing a Tape
Playing a T ape (U.S. Vehicles)
132
Û
Page 135 of 293

If the tape is loose, tighten it by
turning the hub with a pencil or your
f inger. If the label is peeling of f ,
remove it or it could cause the tape
to jam in the player. Never try to
insert a warped or damaged tape in
the player.
Store tapes in their cases to protect
them f rom dust and moisture. Never
place tapes where they will be
exposed to direct sunlight, high heat,
or high humidity. If a tape is exposed
to extreme heat or cold, let it reach a
moderate temperature bef ore
inserting it into the player.
Thetapeplayerpicksupdirtand
oxides f rom the tape. This
contamination builds up over time
and causes the sound quality to
degrade. To prevent this, you should
clean the player af ter every 30 hours
of use.
If you do not clean the tape player
regularly, it may eventually become
impossible to remove the
contamination with a normal
cleaning kit. Your dealer has a
cleaning kit available.
Use 100-minute or shorter tapes.
Tapes longer than that may break or
jam in the drive.
Never try to insert f oreign objects
into the tape player.
Caring f or the T ape and Player
Playing a T ape (U.S. Vehicles)
134
Page 145 of 293

The security system automatically
sets 15 seconds after you lock the
doors, hood, and trunk. For the
system to activate, you must lock the
doors from the outside with the key,
lock tab, door lock switch, or remote
transmitter. The security system
light on the instrument panel starts
blinking immediately to show you
the system is setting itself. Once
the security system is set,
opening any door (without using the
key or the remote transmitter), the
hood, or the trunk will cause it to
sound. It also sounds if the radio is
removed from the dashboard or the
wiring is cut. The
security system will not set if
the hood, trunk, or any door is not
f ully closed. If the system will not set,
check the Door Monitor on the
instrument panel (see page ), to
see if the doors and trunk are f ully
closed. Since it is not part of the
monitor display, manually check the
hood.
Do not attempt to alter this system
or add other devices to it.
The security system helps to protect
your vehicle and valuables f rom thef t.
The horn sounds and a combination
of headlights, parking lights, side
marker lights and taillights f lashes if
someone attempts to break into your
vehicleorremovetheradio.This
alarm continues f or two minutes,
then the system resets. To reset an
alarming system before the two
minutes have elapsed, unlock either
f ront door with the key or the
remote transmitter.
With the system set, you can still
open the trunk with the remote
transmitter without triggering the
alarm. The alarm will sound if the
trunk lock is f orced, or the trunk is
opened with the trunk release lever
or the emergency trunk opener.
60
U.S. EX, EX-L, and V6 modelsCanadian SE, EX-L, and V6 models
Security System
144
SECURITY SYSTEM INDICATOR
Page 162 of 293
Always drive in the highest gear
possible.
Try to maintain a constant speed.
Everytimeyouslowdownand
speed up, your vehic le uses extra
fuel. Use cruise control when
appropriate.
Combine several short trips into
one.
The air conditioning puts an extra
load on the engine which makes it
usemorefuel.Usethefresh-air
ventilation when possible.
Always
maintain your vehicle
according to the maintenance
messages displayed on the
inf ormation display. See on page
.
Drive moderately. Rapid
acceleration, abrupt cornering,
and hard braking use more f uel. The build-up of snow or mud on
your vehicle’s underside adds
weight and rolling resistance.
Frequent cleaning helps your f uel
mileage and reduces the chance of
corrosion. an underinf lated tire
causes more ‘‘rolling resistance,’’
which uses more f uel. 198
For example,
Improving Fuel Economy
Owner’s
Maintenance Checks
Fuel Economy
Bef ore Driving
161
Page 171 of 293

The manual transmission is
synchronized in all forward gears for
smooth operation. It has a lockout so
you cannot shift directly from fifth to
reverse.
On vehicles with 6-speed manual
transmission, the lockout system
prevents you from shifting directly from
fifth to reverse instead of sixth
(see page ).
When shif ting up or down, make
sure you push the clutch pedal down
all the way, shif t to the next gear,
and let the pedal up gradually. Avoid
skipping gears when shif ting up or
down or serious transmission
damage can occur. When you are not
shif ting, do not rest your f oot on the
clutch pedal. This can cause your
clutch to wear out f aster. Come to a full stop before you shift
into reverse. You can damage the
transmission by trying to shift into
reverse with the vehicle moving.
Push down the clutch pedal, and
pause f or a f ew seconds bef ore
shif ting into reverse, or shif t into one
of the f orward gears f or a moment.
This stops the gears so they won’t
‘‘grind.’’
When slowing down, you can get
extra braking from the engine by
shifting to a lower gear. This extra
braking can help you maintain a safe
speed and prevent your brakes f rom
overheating while going down a
steep hill. Failure to make sure the
engine speed will not go into the
tachometer’s red zone in a lower
gear can cause serious engine
damage.
172
On all 4-cylinder models with 5-speed
manual transmissionOn al l V6 models with 6-speedmanual transmission
Manual T ransmission
170
5-speed M/T 6-speed M/T
Page 205 of 293
Oil is a major contributor to your
engine’s perf ormance and longevity.
Always use a premium-grade 5W-20
detergent oil displaying the API
Certif ication Seal. This seal indicates
the oil is energy conserving, and that
it meets the American Petroleum
Institute’s latest requirements.
Install the engine oil f ill cap, and
tighten it securely. Wait a f ew
minutes, and recheck the oil level.
Do not f ill above the upper mark; you
could damage the engine.
Unscrew and remove the engine oil
fill cap on top of the valve cover.
Pour in the oil slowly and caref ully so
you do not spill any. Clean up any
spills immediately. Spilled oil could
damage components in the engine
compartment. Recommended Engine Oil
A dding Engine Oil
204
ENGINE OIL FILL CAP
ENGINE OIL FILL CAP
V6 models
4-cylinder models
Page 208 of 293

Install a new oil f ilter according to
the instructions that come with it.Refill the engine with the recom-
mended oil.
Engine oil change capacity
(including f ilter):
(4-cylinder models)
(6-cylinder models)Replace the engine oil f ill cap.
Start the engine. The oil pressure
indicator should go out within 5
seconds. If it does not, turn of f the
engine, and check your work.
Let the engine run f or several
minutes, then check the drain bolt
and oil f ilter f or leaks.
Turn of f the engine, let it sit f or
several minutes, then check the oil
level on the dipstick. If necessary,
add more oil.
(6-cylinder models) (4-cylinder models) Put a new washer on the drain bolt,
then reinstall the drain bolt.
Tighten it to: Make sure to clean of f any dirt
and dust on the connecting
surf ace of a new oil f ilter.
4.
5. 6.7.
8.
9.
Changing the Oil and Filter
Maint enance
207
OIL FILTER
V6 models
OIL FILTER
4-cylinder models
4.4 US qt (4.2)
4.5 US qt (4.3
)
29 lbf·ft (39 N·m , 4.0 kgf·m) 33 lbf·ft (45 N·m , 4.6 kgf·m) Improper disposal of engine oil can be
harmf ul to the environment. If you
change your own oil, please dispose of
the used oil properly. Put it in a sealed
container and take it to a recycling
center. Do not discard it in a trash bin
or dump it on the ground.
Page 209 of 293

If Honda antif reeze/coolant is not
available, you may use another
major-brand non-silicate coolant as a
temporaryreplacement.Makesureit
is a high-quality coolant
recommended f or aluminum engines.Continued use of any non-Honda
coolant can result in corrosion,
causing the cooling system to
malf unction or f ail. Have the cooling
system f lushed and ref illed with
Honda antif reeze/coolant as soon as
possible.
If the reserve tank is completely
empty, you should also check the
coolant level in the radiator.
If the coolant level in the reserve
tank is at or below the MIN line, add
coolant to bring it up to the MAX line.
Inspect the cooling system f or leaks.
Always use Honda Long-Lif e
Antif reeze/Coolant Type 2. This
coolant is pre-mixed with 50 %
antif reeze and 50 % water. Never add
straight antif reeze or plain water. A dding Engine Coolant
Engine Coolant
208
V6 models RESERVE TANK
RESERVE TANK
4-cylinder models
Removing the radiator cap
while the engine is hot can
cause the coolant to spray out,
seriously scalding you.
Always let the engine and
radiator cool down before
removing the radiator cap.