HONDA CIVIC COUPE 1998 Owners Manual

Driving in Bad Weather, Towing a Trailer

Traction — Check your tires frequently for wear and proper
pressure. Both are important in
preventing "hydroplaning" (loss oftraction on a wet surface). In the
winter, mount snow tires on all four
wheels for the best handling.
Watch road conditions carefully, they can change from moment to
moment. Wet leaves can be as slip-
pery as ice. "Clear" roads can have
patches of ice. Driving conditions
can be very hazardous when theoutside temperature is near freezing.
The road surface can become covered with areas of water puddles
mixed with areas of ice, so your
traction can change without warning.
Be careful when downshifting. If
traction is low, you can lock up the drive wheels for a moment and cause

a skid.
Be very cautious when passing, or
being passed by other vehicles. The
spray from large vehicles reduces
your visibility, and the wind buffeting can cause you to lose control.
Towing a Trailer

Your vehicle is not designed to tow atrailer. Attempting to do so can void
your warranties.

DrivingMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Maintenance

This section explains why it is important to keep your vehicle well
maintained and to follow basic
maintenance safety precautions.
This section also includes Maintenance Schedules for normaldriving and severe driving conditions,
a Maintenance Record, and instruc-
tions for simple maintenance tasks
you may want to take care of yourself.
If you have the skills and tools to per-
form more complex maintenance tasks on your Honda, you may want
to purchase the Service Manual. See
page 219 for information on how to obtain a copy, or see your Honda

dealer.
Maintenance Safety....................... 142
Important Safety Precautions.. 143

Maintenance Schedule.................. 144

Maintenance Record..................... 151
Owner Maintenance Checks........ 153

Fluid Locations............................... 154

Engine Oil....................................... 155 Adding Oil................................... 155Recommended Oil..................... 155Synthetic Oil............................... 156

Additives..................................... 156
Changing the Oil and Filter...... 157

Cooling System.............................. 159
Adding Engine Coolant............. 159Replacing Engine Coolant........ 161

Windshield Washers..................... 164

Transmission Fluid........................ 164
Automatic
Transmission.......................... 164

5-speed Manual
Transmission.......................... 166

Brake and Clutch Fluid................. 166
Brake System............................. 167Clutch System............................ 167

Power Steering............................... 168

Air Cleaner Element...................... 169 Spark Plugs..................................... 171

Replacement............................... 171

Specifications............................. 172

Battery............................................ 173

Wiper Blades.................................. 175
Air Conditioning System............... 177 Drive Belts...................................... 178

Timing Belt..................................... 178

Tires................................................ 179 Inflation....................................... 179
Recommended Tire Pressures
for Normal Driving............ 180
Inspection................................... 181
Maintenance............................... 181
Tire Rotation.............................. 182
Replacing Tires and Wheels ....
183

Wheels an d
Tires....................... 184
Winter Driving........................... 184 Snow Tires.............................. 184
Tire Chains............................. 185
Lights.............................................. 186 Headlight Aiming...................... 188
Replacing Bulbs......................... 189

Storing Your Vehicle..................... 197

MaintenanceMain Menu s t

Maintenance Safety
Regularly maintaining your vehicle is
the best way to protect your
investment. Proper maintenance is essential to your safety and the
safety of your passengers. It will also
reward you with more economical,
trouble-free driving and help reduce
air pollution. This section includes instructions for
simple maintenance tasks, such as
checking and adding oil. Any service
items not detailed in this section should be performed by a Honda
technician or other qualified mechanic. Some of the most important safety
precautions are given here. However,
we cannot warn you of every conceivable hazard that can arise in
performing maintenance. Only youcan decide whether or not you
should perform a given task.

Maintenance

Improperly maintaining this
vehicle or failing to correct a problem before driving can
cause a crash in which you can be seriously hurt or killed.
Always follow the inspection and maintenancerecommendations and
schedules in this owner's manual. Failure to properly follow
maintenance instructions and
precautions can cause you to
be seriously hurt or killed.
Always follow the procedures and precautions in this owner'smanual.Main Menu Table of Contents s t

Maintenance Safety

Important Safety Precautions Before you begin any maintenance,
make sure your vehicle is parked on
level ground and that the parking
brake is set. Also, be sure the engine is off. This will help to eliminate
several potential hazards:
Carbon monoxide poisoning
from engine exhaust. Be sure there is adequate ventilation
whenever you operate the engine.
Burns from hot parts. Let theengine and exhaust system cool
before touching any parts.
Injury from moving parts. Do

not run the engine unless in-
structed to do so. Read the instructions before you
begin, and make sure you have the
tools and skills required.
To reduce the possibility of fire or explosion, be careful when working
around gasoline or batteries. Use a
nonflammable solvent, not gasoline, to clean parts. Keep cigarettes,sparks, and flames away from the
battery and all fuel-related parts.
You should wear eye protection and protective clothing when working
near the battery or when usingcompressed air.

MaintenanceMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Maintenance Schedule

The Maintenance Schedule specifies how often you should have your

vehicle serviced and what things
need attention. It is essential that

you have your vehicle serviced as scheduled to retain its high level of

safety, dependability, and emissions

control performance.
The services and time or distance
intervals shown in the maintenanceschedule assume you will use your
vehicle as normal transportation for passengers and their possessions.
You should also follow these
recommendations:

Avoid exceeding your vehicle'sload limit. This puts excess stresson the engine, brakes, and many
other parts of your vehicle. The
load limit is shown on the label on
the driver's doorjamb.
Operate your vehicle on
reasonable roads within the legal speed limit.
Drive your vehicle regularly over a
distance of several miles (kilometers). Always use unleaded gasoline with
the proper octane rating (see page
108).
Which Schedule to Follow:

Service your vehicle according to the
time and mileage periods on one of
the Maintenance Schedules on the
following pages. Select the schedule
for "Severe Conditions" if most of
your driving is done under one or more of the conditions listed on that
page. Otherwise, follow the schedule
for "Normal Conditions."

MaintenanceMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Maintenance Schedule

Your authorized Honda dealer knows your vehicle best and can
provide competent, efficient service.However, service at a dealer is not
mandatory to keep your warranties in effect. Maintenance may be done
by any qualified service facility or
person who is skilled in this type of automotive service. Keep all the
receipts as proof of completion, and
have the person who does the work
fill out the Maintenance Record. Check your warranty booklet for
more information. We recommend the use of Genuine
Honda parts and fluids whenever you
have maintenance done. These are
manufactured to the same high- quality standards as the originalcomponents, so you can be confident
of their performance and durability.
U.S. Vehicles:
Maintenance, replacement or
repair of emission control devices
and systems may be done by any
automotive repair establishment or individual using parts that are
"certified" to EPA standards. According to state and federal
regulations, failure to perform
maintenance on the items marked
with # will not void your emissions
warranties. However, Honda recommends that all maintenance
services be performed at the
recommended time or mileage
period to ensure long-term reliability.
MaintenanceMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Maintenance Schedule (Normal Conditions)

Follow the Normal Maintenance
Schedule if the severe drivingconditions specified in the
Severe Conditions MaintenanceSchedule do not apply.
NOTE: If you only
OCCASIONALLY drive under a

"severe" condition, you should
follow the Normal Conditions Maintenance Schedule.

MaintenanceMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Maintenance Schedule for Normal Conditions (listed by distance/time)
Service at the indicated distance or time, whichever comes first. Do the items in A, B, C as required for each distance/time interval. Follow this
schedule if
the severe driving conditions described in the Severe Conditions Schedule on the next page do not apply.

Canadian owners: Follow the schedule for Severe Conditions.

Maintenance

page 178

page 165

# : See info on maintenance and emissions warranty, last column,

page 145.
* : See Timing Belt on page 178 to determine need for replacement.Main Menu Table of Contents s t

Maintenance Schedule (Severe Conditions)

Follow the Severe Maintenance
Schedule if you drive your
vehicle MAINLY under one or more of the following condi-

tions:

Driving less than 5 miles (8
km) per trip or, in freezing
temperatures, driving less
than 10 miles (16 km) per trip.
Driving in hot [over 90°F(32° C) ] conditions.
Extensive idling or long
periods of stop-and-go driving.
Driving with a vehicle-top carrier, or driving in
mountainous conditions.Driving on muddy, dusty, or
de-iced roads.

* 1 : Refer to page 178 for replacement

information under special driving

conditions.

* 2: Refer to page 165 for replacement

information under special driving

conditions.

For Canadian Owners

Follow the Maintenance

Schedule for Severe Conditions.

MaintenanceMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Maintenance Schedule for Severe Conditions (listed by distance/time)

Maintenance
CONTINUED
Use this schedule if your vehicle is MAINLY driven in any of the following Severe Conditions, or normally driven in Canada; otherwise use the Normal
Schedule. Service at the indicated distance or time, whichever comes first. Do the items in A, B, C as required for each distance/time.

page 178Main Menu Table of Contents s t