HONDA CIVIC COUPE 1998 Owners Manual
Page 91 of 251
Heating and Cooling
It is best to leave the system in Fresh
Air mode under almost all conditions. Keeping the system in Recirculation
mode, particularly with the A/C off,
can cause the windows to fog up.
Switch to Recirculation mode when
you are driving through smoky or dusty conditions, then switch back toFresh Air mode when the condition
clears.
The outside air intakes for the heating and cooling system are at
the base of the windshield. Keep
these clear of leaves and other
debris.
Ventilation
The flow-through ventilation system draws in outside air, circulates it
through the interior, then exhausts it
through vents near the rear window. 1. Slide the temperature control lever
all the way to the left.
Make sure the A/C is off. 2. Select and Fresh Air mode.
3. Set the fan to the desired speed.
CONTINUED
Comfort and Convenience Features
MODE BUTTONS
RECIRCULATION
BUTTON
AIR CONDITIONING
BUTTON
TEMPERATURE CONTROL LEVER
FAN CONTROL
LEVERMain Menu Table of Contents s t
Page 92 of 251
Heating and Cooling
To Cool with A/C
1. Turn on the A/C by pressing the button. The light in the buttonshould come on.
2. Make sure the temperature control lever is all the way to the
left.
3. Select
4. If the outside air is humid, select Recirculation mode. If the outside
air is dry, select Fresh Air mode.
5. Set the fan to the desired speed.
If the interior is very warm from
being parked in the sun, you can cool it down more rapidly by setting up
the controls this way:
1. Start the engine.
2. Turn on the A/C by pressing the button. Make sure the tempera-
ture control lever is all the way to
the left.
3. Set the fan to maximum speed.
4. Open the windows partially. Select and Fresh Air mode. When the interior has cooled down
to a more comfortable temperature,close the windows and set the
controls as described for normal
cooling.
Air conditioning places an extra load
on the engine. Watch the engine
coolant temperature gauge (see page 56) when driving in stop-and-go
traffic or climbing a long, steep hill. If it moves near the red zone, turn
off the A/C until the gauge reads
normally.
Comfort and Convenience Features MODE BUTTONS
RECIRCULATION
BUTTON AIR CONDITIONING
BUTTON
TEMPERATURE CONTROL LEVER
FAN CONTROL
LEVERMain Menu Table of Contents s t
Page 93 of 251
Heating and Cooling
To Heat
To warm the interior:
1. Start the engine. 2. Select and Fresh Air mode.
3. Set the fan to the desired speed.
4. Adjust the warmth of the air with
the temperature control lever.
To Heat and Dehumidify with Air
Conditioning
Air conditioning, as it cools, removes moisture from the air. When used in
combination with the heater, it
makes the interior warm and dry.
1. Switch the fan on.
2. Turn on the air conditioning. 3. Select and Fresh Air mode.
4. Adjust the temperature control lever so the mixture of heated and
cooled air feels comfortable.
This setting is suitable for all driving conditions whenever the outside
temperature is above 32° F (0°C).
To Defog and Defrost
To remove fog from the inside of the windows:
1. Switch the fan on. 2. Select
When you select , the
system automatically switches to
Fresh Air mode and turns on the
A/C.
3. Adjust the temperature control lever so the air flow from thedefroster vents feels warm.
4. Turn on the rear window defogger to help clear the rear window.
When you switch to another mode
from , the A/C stays on. Press the A/C button to turn it off.
CONTINUED
Comfort and Convenience FeaturesMain Menu Table of Contents s t
Page 94 of 251
Heating and Cooling
To remove exterior frost or ice from the windshield and side windowsafter the vehicle has been sitting out
in cold weather:
1. Start the engine. 2. Select
When you select the
system automatically switches to
Fresh Air mode and turns on the
A/C.
3. Switch the fan and temperature controls to maximum.
To rapidly remove exterior frost or ice from the windshield (on very cold
days), first select the Recirculation
mode. Once the windshield is clear, select the Fresh Air mode to avoid
fogging the windows.
Comfort and Convenience Features
MODE BUTTONS
RECIRCULATION
BUTTON
AIR CONDITIONING
BUTTON
TEMPERATURE
CONTROL LEVER
FAN CONTROL
LEVERMain Menu Table of Contents s t
Page 95 of 251
Heating and Cooling
These settings direct all the air flow to the defroster vents at the base of
the windshield and the side windowdefroster vents. The air flow will get
warmer and clear the windows faster as the engine warms up. You can
close the side vents with the dial
beside each vent. This will send
more warm air to the windshield defroster vents.
For safety, make sure you have a
clear view through all the windows
before driving away. To Turn Everything Off
To shut off the system temporarily, slide the fan speed and temperature
control levers all the way to the left.
You should shut the system completely off only for the first few
minutes of driving in cold weather,
until the engine coolant warms upenough to operate the heater. Keep
the fan on at all other times so stale air does not build up in the interior.
Comfort and Convenience FeaturesMain Menu Table of Contents s t
Page 96 of 251
Audio System
AM/FM Stereo Audio System
Your Honda's audio system provides clear reception on both AM and FM
bands, while the preset buttons allow
you to easily select your favorite stations.
A cassette player, CD player or CD changer is available as optional
equipment. The cassette player is
standard on the Si model in Canada.
Operating the Radio
The ignition switch must be in
ACCESSORY (I) or ON (II) to operate the audio system. Turn the
system on by pressing the PWR/
VOL knob or the AM/FM button.
Adjust the volume by turning the
knob.
The band and frequency that the radio was last tuned to is displayed.
To change bands, press the AM/FM button. On the FM band, ST will bedisplayed if the station is broadcast-
ing in stereo. Stereo reproduction on
AM is not available.
You can use any of three methods to find radio stations on the selected
band: TUNE, SEEK, or the Preset
buttons.
TUNE — Use the TUNE/SEEK bar to tune the radio to a desired frequency. Press the right side ( )
to tune to a higher frequency, or the left side ( ) to tune to a lower
frequency. The frequency numbers
will start to change rapidly. Release the bar when the display reaches thedesired frequency. To change the
frequency in small increments, press and release the TUNE/SEEK bar
quickly.
SEEK — The SEEK function searches the band for a station with
a strong signal. To activate it, press
the TUNE/SEEK bar until you hear a beep, then release it. Depending on
which side of the bar you press, the system scans upward or downward
from the current frequency. It stops
when it finds a station with a strong
signal.
Preset — You can store the fre- quencies of your favorite radio
stations in the six preset buttons.
Each button will store one frequency
on the AM band, and two on the FM
band.
Comfort and Convenience FeaturesMain Menu Table of Contents s t
Page 97 of 251
Audio System
To store a frequency: 1. Select the desired band, AM or FM. FM1 and FM2 let you store
two frequencies with each Preset
button.
2. Use the TUNE or SEEK function to tune the radio to a desired
station.
3. Pick the Preset button you want for that station. Press the buttonand hold it until you hear a beep.
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 to store a total of six stations on AM and twelve
on
FM.
Once a station's frequency is stored,
simply press and release the proper
Preset button to tune to it.
The preset frequencies will be lost if your vehicle's battery goes dead, is disconnected or the radio fuse is
removed.
* Security system is optional
equipment.
Comfort and Convenience Features
PWR/VOL KNOB
STEREO INDICATOR
AM/FM BUTTON
TUNE/SEEK BAR
PRESET BUTTONS
SECURITY SYSTEMINDICATOR*Main Menu Table of Contents s t
Page 98 of 251
Audio System
Adjusting the Sound
Bass, Treble, Balance, and Fader are
each adjustable. You select which of
these you want to adjust by pressing
the MODE button. The mode changes from BAS to TRE to FAD to
BAL, and then back to VOL each
time you press the button. Each
mode is shown in the display as it
changes.
Balance/Fader — These two
modes adjust the strength of the
sound coming from each speaker.
BAE adjusts the side-to-side strength,
while FAD adjusts the front-to-back
strength.
Select BAE or FAD by pressing the
MODE button. Adjust the Balance or
Fader to your liking by turning the PWR/VOL knob. The indicator bars
on the display show you the range. Treble/Bass — Use these modes to
adjust the tone to your liking. Select
TRE or BAS by pressing the MODE button. Adjust the desired mode by
turning the PWR/VOL knob. The
indicator bars on the display show
you the range. As you adjust a mode, you will hear a
beep whenever the indicator bar
reaches the center, far left, and farright of its range. The system will
automatically return the display to
normal mode about seven seconds
after you stop adjusting a mode with
the PWR/VOL knob.
Comfort and Convenience Features MODE BUTTON
PWR/VOL KNOBMain Menu Table of Contents s t
Page 99 of 251
Audio System
Radio Frequencies
Your Honda's radio can receive the complete AM and FM bands.
Those bands cover these frequen-
cies:
AM band: 530 to 1,710 kilohertz
FM band:
87.7 to 107.9 megahertz
Radio stations on the AM band are
assigned frequencies at least ten
kilohertz apart (530, 540, 550).
Stations on the FM band are assigned frequencies at least 0.2
megahertz apart (87.9, 88.1, 88.3).
Stations must use these exact
frequencies. It is fairly common for stations to round-off the frequency in
their advertising, so your radio could display a frequency of 100.9 even
though the announcer may identify
the station as "FM101." Radio Reception
How well your Honda's radio
receives stations is dependent on
many factors, such as the distance
from the station's transmitter, nearby large objects, and atmos-
pheric conditions.
A radio station's signal gets weaker as you get farther away from its
transmitter. If you are listening to an
AM station, you will notice the sound volume becoming weaker, and the station drifting in and out. If you are
listening to an FM station, you will see the stereo indicator flickering off
and on as the signal weakens.
Eventually, the stereo indicator will
go off and the sound will fade completely as you get out of range of
the station's signal. Driving very near the transmitter of
a station that is broadcasting on a
frequency close to the frequency of
the station you are listening to can
also affect your radio's reception.
You may temporarily hear both stations, or hear only the station you
are close to.
CONTINUED
Comfort and Convenience FeaturesMain Menu Table of Contents s t
Page 100 of 251
Audio System
Radio signals, especially on the FM
band, are deflected by large objects such as buildings and hills. Your
radio then receives both the direct signal from the station's transmitter,
and the deflected signal. This causes
the sound to distort or flutter. This is a main cause of poor radio reception
in city driving. Radio reception can be affected by
atmospheric conditions such as
thunderstorms, high humidity, and even sunspots. You may be able to
receive a distant radio station oneday and not receive it the next day
because of a change in conditions. Electrical interference from passing
vehicles and stationary sources can cause temporary reception problems.
Comfort and Convenience FeaturesMain Menu Table of Contents s t