Your vehicle at a glance
4 2
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
ORB070100
* The actual engine room in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.1. Engine coolant reservoir ...................7-23
2. Windshield washer fluid reservoir .....7-27
3. Radiator cap .....................................7-25
4. Engine oil filler cap ...........................7-22
5. Engine oil dipstick .............................7-22
6. Brake/clutch fluid reservoir ...............7-26
7. Air cleaner.........................................7-29
8. Fuse box ...........................................7-51
9. Positive battery terminal ...................7-34
10. Negative battery terminal................7-34
* : if equipped
Driving your vehicle
6 5
CAUTION
If the engine stalls while the vehicle
is in motion, do not attempt to move
the shift lever to the P (Park) posi-
tion. If traffic and road conditions
permit, you may put the shift lever
in the N (Neutral) position while the
vehicle is still moving and turn the
ignition switch to the START posi-
tion in an attempt to restart the
engine.
CAUTION
Do not engage the starter for more
than 10 seconds. If the engine stalls
or fails to start, wait 5 to 10 seconds
before re-engaging the starter.
Improper use of the starter may
damage it.
Starting the engine
1. Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
2.Manual Transaxle- Depress the
clutch pedal fully and shift the
transaxle into Neutral. Keep the clutch
pedal and brake pedal depressed
while turning the ignition switch to the
start position. The starter will not oper-
ate if the clutch pedal is not fully
depressed.
Automatic Transaxle- Place the
transaxle shift lever in P (Park).
Depress the brake pedal fully.
You can also start the engine when
the shift lever is in the N (Neutral)
position.
3. Turn the ignition switch to START and
hold it there until the engine starts (a
maximum of 10 seconds), then
release the key.
4. In extremely cold weather (below
0°F / -18°C) or after the vehicle has
not been operated for several days, let
the engine warm up without depress-
ing the accelerator.
Whether the engine is cold or warm, it
should be started without depressing
the accelerator.
WARNING
Always wear appropriate shoes
when operating your vehicle.
Unsuitable shoes (high heels, slip-
pers, ski boots, etc.) may interfere
with your ability to use the brake,
accelerator pedal, and clutch (if
equipped).
57
Driving your vehicle
Manual transaxle operation
The manual transaxle has 6 forward
gears.
This shift pattern is imprinted on the shift
knob. The transaxle is fully synchronized
in all forward gears so shifting to either a
higher or a lower gear is easily accom-
plished.
To shift gears, press the clutch pedal
down fully, select the desired gear with
the gearshift lever, and release the clutch
pedal slowly.
If your vehicle is equipped with an igni-
tion lock switch, the engine will not start
when starting the engine without
depressing the clutch pedal.
The shift lever must be returned to the
neutral position before shifting into R
(Reverse). The button (1) located at the
bottom front of the shift knob must be
pressed and held in while moving the
shift lever to the R (Reverse) position.
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before shifting into R (Reverse).
Never operate the engine with the
tachometer (rpm) in the red zone.
MANUAL TRANSAXLE (IF EQUIPPED)
ORB051001N
The shift lever can be moved into any of
the forward gears without pressing the
button (1).
You should press the button (1) when
moving the shift lever into reverse.
CAUTION
When downshifting from fifth
gear to fourth gear, caution
should be taken not to inadver-
tently press the shift lever side-
ways in such a manner that the
second gear is engaged. Such a
drastic downshift may cause the
engine speed to increase to the
point that the tachometer will
enter the red-zone. Such over-
revving of the engine and
transaxle may possibly cause
engine damage.
Do not downshift more than 2
gears or downshift the gear when
the engine is running at high
speed (5,000 RPM or higher). Such
a downshifting may damage the
engine, clutch and the transaxle.
Driving your vehicle
8 5
During cold weather, shifting may be
difficult until the transaxle lubricant is
warmed up. This is normal and not
harmful to the transaxle.
If you've come to a complete stop and
it's hard to shift into 1st or R (Reverse),
leave the shift lever in the neutral posi-
tion and release the clutch. Depress the
clutch pedal back down, and then shift
into 1st or R (Reverse) gear position.Using the clutch
The clutch should be depressed all the
way to the floor before shifting, then
released slowly. The clutch pedal should
always be fully released while driving. Do
not rest your foot on the clutch pedal
while driving. This can cause unneces-
sary wear. Do not partially engage the
clutch to hold the vehicle on an incline.
This causes unnecessary wear. Use the
foot brake or parking brake to hold the
vehicle on an incline. Do not operate the
clutch pedal rapidly and repeatedly.
Downshifting
It is important to downshift when you
must slow down in heavy traffic or while
driving up or down steep hills.
Downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and gives better acceleration.
When the vehicle is traveling down steep
hills, downshifting helps maintain safe
speed and prolongs brake life.
WARNING
Before leaving the driver’s seat,
always set the parking brake fully
and shut the engine off. Then make
sure the transaxle is shifted into 1st
gear when the vehicle is parked on
a level or uphill grade, and shifted
into R (Reverse) on a downhill
grade. Unexpected and sudden
vehicle movement can occur if
these precautions are not followed
in the order identified.
CAUTION
To avoid premature clutch wear
and damage, do not drive with
your foot resting on the clutch
pedal. Also, do not use the clutch
to hold the vehicle stopped on an
uphill grade, while waiting for a
traffic light, etc.
Do not use the shift lever as a
handrest during driving, as this
can result in premature wear of
the transaxle shift forks.
When operating the clutch pedal,
press the clutch pedal down fully.
If you don't press the clutch pedal
fully, the clutch may be damaged
or noise may occur.
527
Driving your vehicle
➀CRUISE indicator
➁SET indicator
The cruise control system allows you to
program the vehicle to maintain a con-
stant speed without resting your foot on
the accelerator pedal.
This system is designed to function
above approximately 25 mph (40 km/h).
✽ ✽
NOTICE
• During normal cruise control opera-
tion, when the SET switch is activated
or reactivated after applying the
brakes, the cruise control will ener-
gize after approximately 3 seconds.
This delay is normal.
• To activate cruise control, depress the
brake pedal at least once after turning
the ignition switch to the ON position
or starting the engine. This is to check
if the brake switch which is important
part to cancel cruise control is in nor-
mal condition.
CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING
If the cruise control is left on,
(CRUISE indicator light in the
instrument cluster illuminated)
the cruise control can be activat-
ed unintentionally. Keep the
cruise control system off
(CRUISE indicator light OFF)
when the cruise control is not in
use, to avoid inadvertently set-
ting a speed.
Use the cruise control system
only when traveling on open
highways in good weather.
Do not use the cruise control
when it may not be safe to keep
the car at a constant speed, for
instance, driving in heavy or
varying traffic, or on slippery
(rainy, icy or snow-covered) or
winding roads or over 6% up-hill
or down-hill roads.
Pay particular attention to the
driving conditions whenever
using the cruise control system.
Be careful when driving downhill
using the cruise control system,
which may increase the vehicle
speed.
ORB050018
CAUTION
During cruise control operation of a
manual transaxle vehicle, do not
shift into neutral without depress-
ing the clutch pedal, since the
engine will be overrevved. If this
happens, depress the clutch pedal
or release the cruise control ON-
OFF switch.
529
Driving your vehicle
To decrease the cruising speed:
Follow either of these procedures:
Move the lever down (to SET-) and
hold it. Your vehicle will gradually slow
down. Release the lever at the speed
you want to maintain.
Move the lever down (to SET-) and
release it immediately.The cruising
speed will decrease by 1.0 mph (1.6
km/h) each time the lever is operated in
this manner.
To temporarily accelerate with the
cruise control on:
If you want to speed up temporarily when
the cruise control is on, depress the
accelerator pedal. Increased speed will
not interfere with cruise control operation
or change the set speed.
To return to the set speed, take your foot
off the accelerator.
To cancel cruise control, do one
of the following:
Press the brake pedal.
Press the clutch pedal with a manual
transaxle.
Shift the shift lever into N (Neutral) with
an automatic transaxle
Press the CANCEL switch located on
the steering wheel.
Decrease the vehicle speed lower than
the memory speed by 9 mph (15 km/h).
Decrease the vehicle speed to less
than approximately 25 mph (40 km/h).
ORB051031NORB051033N
7
Engine compartment / 7-2
Maintenance services / 7-3
Owner maintenance / 7-4
Scheduled maintenance service / 7-6
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items / 7-19
Engine oil / 7-22
Engine coolant / 7-23
Brake/clutch fluid / 7-26
Washer fluid / 7-27
Parking brake / 7-27
Air cleaner / 7-28
Climate control air filter / 7-29
Wiper blades / 7-31
Battery / 7-34
Tires and wheels / 7-37
Fuses / 7-51
Light bulbs / 7-60
Appearance care / 7-70
Emission control system / 7-76
California perchlorate notice / 7-79
Maintenance
Maintenance
2 7
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
ORB070100
* The actual engine room in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Windshield washer fluid reservoir
3. Radiator cap
4. Engine oil filler cap
5. Engine oil dipstick
6. Brake/clutch fluid reservoir
7. Air cleaner
8. Fuse box
9. Positive battery terminal
10. Negative battery terminal
* : if equipped