tow Acura Integra 2000 Sedan Owner's Manual

2000 Integra Sedan Online Reference Owner's Manual
Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.helminc.com. Contents
Owner's Identification Form
Introduction........................................................................\
...................................................... .................... i
A Few Words About Safety ........................................................................\
................................................ ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
.................................................... 2
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
.............................................
5
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restraint System.
Instruments and Controls........................................................................\
................................................. 51
Instrument panel indica tor and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features........................................................................\
...............................
89
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other convenience features.
Before Driving ........................................................................\
.....................................................................117
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving........................................................................\
...................................................................................131
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, plus towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.........................................................................153
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your vehicle to the dealer.
Appearance Care........................................................................\
.................................................................211
Tips on cleaning and protecting your vehicle. Things to look for if your car ever needs body repairs.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
.......................................219
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, and how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
.......................................................243
ID numbers, dimensions, capaciti es, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. & Canada)..........................................................................255
A summary of the warranties covering your new Honda, and how to contact us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
.......................................259
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index ........................................................................\
......................................................................................... I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

Protectin
g Adult s

6.Adjus t th e Steerin g Whee l
Adjust the steering wheel, if needed, so that the wheel points toward your
chest, not toward your face.
Pointing the steering wheel toward
your chest provides optimal protection from the airbag.
See page 65 for how to adjust the
steering wheel.
7.Maintai
n a Prope r Sittin g
Positio n
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 car 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 feet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased.
In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the front seat can be seriously or fatally injured by
striking interior parts of the car, or
by being struck by an inflating airbag. Remember, to get the best
protection from your car's airbags
and other safety features, you must
sit properly and wear your seat belt

properly.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
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 the
floor.

Protectin
g Childre n

Installing a Rear-Facing Child Seat with the Lap Belt
To install a rear-facing child seat in the center back seat with the lap belt,
follow instruction number 1 on page 30 for routing and latching the seat
belt. Then pull hard on the loose end of the belt to remove any slack (it
may help to put weight on the child
seat while pulling on the belt).
Finally, follow instruction number 5
on page 31 to verify that the childseat is secure. Rear-Facing Child Seat Installation

Tips

For proper protection, an infant must
ride in a reclined, or semi-reclined
position. To determine the proper
reclining angle, check with the baby's doctor or follow the seat maker's
recommendations.
To achieve the desired reclining angle, it may help to put a rolled up
towel under the toe of the child seat,
as shown.
When properly installed, a rear-
facing child seat may prevent thedriver or a front-seat passenger from
moving the seat as far back as
recommended (see page 12 ). Or it
may prevent them from locking theseat-back in the desired upright
position (see page 13).
In either case, we recommend that
you place the child seat directly
behind the front passenger seat, move the front seat as far forward as
needed, and leave it unoccupied. Or
you may wish to get a smaller child seat that allows you to safely carry a
front passenger.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Control
s Nea r th e Steerin g Whee l

Steerin g Whee l Adjustmen t

See page 18 for important safety
information about how to properly

position the steering wheel.
Make any steering wheel adjustment
before you start driving.
To adjust the steering wheel upwardor downward:
1. Push the lever under the steering column all the way down.
2. Move the steering wheel to the desired position, making sure the
wheel points toward your chest,
not toward your face. Make sure
you can see the instrument panel
gauges and the indicator lights. 3. Push the lever up to lock the
steering wheel in that position.
4. Make sure you have securely locked the steering wheel in place
by trying to move it up and down.
Instrument s an d Control s

Adjusting the steering wheel

position while driving may
cause you to lose control of the
car and be seriously injured in a

crash.

Adjust the steering wheel only

when the car is stopped.

Servic
e Statio n Procedure s

Oil Check
Check the engine oil level every time
you fill the car with fuel. Wait a few minutes after turning the engine off
before you check the oil.
1. Remove the dipstick (orange
handle).
2. Wipe the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel. 3. Insert it all the way back in its tube.
Befor e Drivin g
DIPSTIC
K

Carryin
g Carg o
CONSOL E COMPARTMEN T FRONT DOO R POCKE T

TRUN K
GLOVE BO X Your car has several convenient
storage areas so you can stow cargo

safely.

The glove box, and the pockets in
the front doors, are designed for small, lightweight items. The trunk
is intended for larger, heavier items.
In addition, the back seat can be
folded down to allow you to carry more cargo or longer items.
However, carrying too much cargo,
or improperly storing it, can affect
your car's handling, stability and operation and make it unsafe. Before
carrying any type of cargo, be sure to
read the following pages.

Before Drivin g

Carrying
Cargo

Loa d Limi t
The maximum load for your car is 850
lbs
(395 kg).
This figure includes the total weight of all occupants, cargo, accessories,
and the tongue weight if you are towing a trailer.
To figure out how much cargo you
can carry:
Add up the weight of all occupants. If you are towing a trailer, add the
tongue weight to the number

above.

Subtract the total from 850 lbs
(395 kg).

The final number is the total weight
of cargo you can carry.
Carryin
g Item s i n th e Passenge r
Compartmen t Store or secure all items that could
be thrown around and hurt
someone during a crash. Do not put any items on top of the
rear shelf. They can block your
view and be thrown around the car during a crash.
Be sure items placed on the floor
behind the front seats cannot rollunder the seats and interfere with
the driver's ability to operate the
pedals, or with the proper
operation of the seats. Keep the glove box closed while
driving. If the lid is open, a passenger could injure their knees
during a crash or sudden stop.
Befor e Drivin g
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 this

manual.

Drivin
g

This section gives you tips on starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the

5-speed manual and automatic

transmissions. It also includes
important information on parking
your car, the braking system, and facts you need if you are planning to

tow a trailer.
Preparing to Drive......................... 132
Starting the Engine........................ 133
Starting in Cold Weather at High Altitude ..................... 133
5-speed Manual Transmission..... 134 Recommended Shift Points...... 135
Engine Speed Limiter............... 135
Automatic Transmission............... 136
Shift Lever Position Indicator.. 136
Shift Lever Positions................. 136
Engine Speed Limiter............... 138
Shift Lock Release..................... 139
Parking............................................ 140
The Braking System...................... 141 Brake Wear Indicators.............. 141
Brake System Design................ 142
Anti-lock Brakes........................ 142 Important SafetyReminders.......................... 143
ABS Indicator......................... 144
Driving in Bad Weather................ 145
Towing a Trailer............................ 147
Driving

Automati
c Transmissio n

Driv e (D 3) — This position is similar
to D4, except only the first three
gears are selected. Use D3 when
towing a trailer in hilly terrain, or to
provide engine braking when going down a steep hill. D3 can also keep
the transmission from cycling
between third and fourth gears in stop-and-go driving.
For faster acceleration when in D3 or D4, you can get the transmission to
automatically downshift by pushing
the accelerator pedal to the floor.
The transmission will shift down one
or two gears, depending on your

speed.

Secon d (2 ) — To shift to Second,
press the release button on the side of the shift lever. This position locks
the transmission in second gear. It does not downshift to first gear
when you come to a stop. Second
gives you more power when climbing, and increased engine braking when going down steep hills. Use second
gear when starting out on a slipperysurface or in deep snow. It will help
reduce wheelspin.
Firs t (1 ) — To shift from 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 upshifting and downshifting through 1,2, D3 and D4,
you can operate this transmission much like a manual transmission
without a clutch pedal. Engin
e Spee d Limite r
If you exceed the maximum speed
for the gear you are in, the engine speed will enter into the tachometer's
red zone. If this occurs, you may feel
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.

Drivin g

Parkin
g

Always use the parking brake when
you park your car. The indicator on
the instrument panel shows that the
parking brake is not fully released; it does not indicate that the parking brake is firmly set. Make sure the
parking brake is set firmly or your
car may roll if it is parked on an

incline.

If your car has an automatic
transmission, set the parking brake
before you put the transmission in
Park. This keeps the car from
moving and putting pressure on the
parking mechanism in the transmission — making it easier to
move the shift lever out of Park
when you want to drive away. If the car is facing uphill, turn the
front wheels away from the curb. If
you have a manual transmission, put it in first gear.
If the car is facing downhill, turn the
front wheels toward the curb. If you
have a manual transmission, put it in
reverse gear.
Make sure the parking brake is fully released before driving away.Driving with the parking brake
partially set can overheat or damage the rear brakes. Parkin
g Tip s
Make sure the moonroof and the windows are closed. Turn off the lights.
Place any packages, valuables, etc.,
in the trunk or take them with you.
Lock the doors. Never park over dry leaves, tall
grass, or other flammable
materials. The three way catalytic
converter gets very hot, and could cause these materials to catch on

fire.

Drivin g