HONDA ACCORD SEDAN 2001 Owner's Manual (in English)

218

Maintenance

This section explains why it is important to keep your car 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 345 for information on how toobtain a copy, or see your Honda

dealer.
Maintenance Safety....................... 220

Important Safety Precautions ..221

Maintenance Schedule.................. 222

Maintenance Record..................... 229
Owner Maintenance Checks........ 231

Fluid Locations............................... 232

Engine Oil....................................... 234
Adding Oil................................... 234Recommended Oil..................... 235
Synthetic Oil............................... 235

Additives..................................... 235
Changing the Oil and Filter...... 236

Cooling System.............................. 239
Adding Engine Coolant............. 239Replacing Engine Coolant........ 241

Windshield Washers..................... 246

Transmission Fluid........................ 247
Automatic
Transmission.......................... 247

5-speed Manual
Transmission.......................... 249

Brake and Clutch Fluid................. 251
Brake System............................. 251
Clutch System............................ 252

Power Steering............................... 252

Air Cleaner Element...................... 253
Hood Latch..................................... 256

Spark Plugs..................................... 256

Replacement............................... 256

Specifications............................. 257

Battery............................................ 260

Wiper Blades.................................. 263
Air Conditioning System............... 265
Air Conditioning Filter.................. 266 Drive Belts...................................... 266
Timing Belt..................................... 267
Tires................................................ 267
Inflation...................................... 268

Inspection................................... 270
Maintenance............................... 270
Tire Rotation.............................. 271 Replacing Tires and Wheels .... 271
Wheels and Tires....................... 272 Winter Driving........................... 273
Snow Tires.............................. 273

Tire Chains............................. 273
Lights.............................................. 274 Replacing Bulbs......................... 276
Storing Your Car............................ 285
Maintenance

Maintenance Safety
Regularly maintaining your car 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 car
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's manual.

Maintenance Safety

Important Safety Precautions Before you begin any maintenance,
make sure your car is parked on
level ground and that the parking
brake is set. Also, be sure the engine is off. This will help to eliminateseveral potential hazards:
Carbon monoxide poisoning
from engine exhaust. Be sure there is adequate ventilation
whenever you operate the engine.
Burns from hot parts. Let the
engine 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
commercially available degreaser or
parts cleaner, 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 using
compressed air.

Maintenance

Maintenance Schedule

The Maintenance Schedule specifies how often you should have your carserviced and what things need
attention. It is essential that you have
your car 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 car's loadlimit. This puts excess stress onthe engine, brakes, and many
other parts of your car. The load
limit is shown on the label on thedriver's doorjamb.
Operate your car on reasonableroads within the legal speed limit.
Drive your car regularly over a
distance of several miles (kilometers).
Always use unleaded gasoline with the proper octane rating (see page
178). Which Schedule to Follow:
Service your car 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."

Maintenance

Maintenance Schedule

Your authorized Honda dealer knows your car best and can providecompetent, 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 original
components, so you can be confidentof their performance and durability.
U.S. Vehicles:
Maintenance, replacement or
repair of emissions controldevices 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 maintenanceservices be performed at the
recommended time or mileage
period to ensure long-term reliability.
Maintenance

U.S. Owners
Follow the Normal ConditionsMaintenance Schedule if the
severe driving conditions
specified in the Severe
Conditions Maintenance
Schedule do not apply.
NOTE: If you only OCCASIONALLY drive under a
"severe" condition, you should
follow the Normal Conditions Maintenance Schedule.
Canadian Owners
Follow the Maintenance
Schedule for Severe Conditions.
# : See information on maintenance and emissions warranty, last column, page 223.
* 1 : See timing belt on page 267 to determine need for replacement.
* 2 : Balancer belt applies to 4-cylinder models only.
Maintenance

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

# : See information on maintenance and emissions warranty, last
column, page 223.
* 1 : Balancer belt applies to 4-cylinder models only.

NOTE:
Check engine oil and coolant at each fuel stop.
Check and adjust valve clearance, cold engine, only if noisy.
page 271

U.S. Owners
Follow the Severe Conditions
Maintenance Schedule if you
drive your vehicle MAINLY
under one or more of the
following conditions:
Driving less than 5 miles (8
km) per trip or, in freezing
temperatures, driving less
than 10 miles (16 km) per trip.Driving in extremely hot [over 90°F (32°C)] conditions.
Extensive idling or long
periods of stop-and-go driving.
Trailer towing, driving with a car top carrier, or driving in
mountainous conditions.Driving on muddy, dusty, or
de-iced roads.

Canadian Owners

Follow the Maintenance

Schedule for Severe Conditions.

# : See information on maintenance and emissions warranty, last column, page 223.
* 1 : See timing belt on page 267 to determine need for replacement.
* 2 : Balancer belt applies to 4-cylinder models only.
*3 : See air conditioning filter on page 266 for replacement information under special driving conditions.

Maintenance

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, D as required for each distance/time.

Maintenance
CONTINUED

page 271