HONDA CIVIC 1991 Owners Manual

Waxing

Wax the car when water will no longer "bead" on the paint.Always wash and dry the car before you wax it.Use a good quality liquid or paste wax, and follow the manufacturer's
instructions. Wax all the metal trim to keep its luster.
NOTE:
Removing oil, tar, etc., with a spot remover will usually strip the
wax from the surrounding finish. Be sure to re-wax these areas
even if the rest of the car does not yet need waxing.
Rust PreventionRusting is likely to occur in parts of the car where water is trapped
or where there is continual dampness.
Water will collect inside doors and body panels if drain holes
become clogged.

Water which seeps under or soaks floor mats will subject floor
sections to prolonged wetness or dampness.Road dirt or sand, which collects and fills recesses on the
underside of the car, retains moisture long after the rest of the

car has dried.

The removal of paint and undercoating by stones, gravel, and minor accidents immediately exposes metal to air and moisture. Rusting is increased by high humidity and by the presence of
corrosive substances in the air or on the roads. Sart used for road de-icing will coat the bottom of the car and
hasten rusting. Localities with high humidity have greater potential for rust
problems, especially where salt is also present on the road or in
moist sea air.
Industrial pollution will accelerate the deterioration of paint
finishes and promote rusting.

(cont'd)ProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

Appearance Care (cont'd)

Preventive Service

Check all drain holes in the doors and body panels for clogging and
clear if necessary. When washing your car, also clean the underside of the car by using high pressure water; above subframe,
inside front fender, rear suspension, inside rear wheel housing,
and under rear bumper.
After washing your car or after heavy rain, check for leaks. While
checking for leaks, lift the floor mats in the passenger, cargo and
spare tire areas, and check beneath them. Water can collect in
these areas and remain unseen for prolonged periods. Dry any wet areas of your car's interior. Remove and dry wet floor mats. Have
leaks repaired as soon as possible.
After driving your car, wipe off any road dirt or salt on the radio
antenna, with it fully extended.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

Replacement Body and Fender Parts
If your vehicle incurs body damage and requires replacement parts,
we encourage you to use only Genuine Honda sheet metal body and
fender parts. Many insurance companies are specifying imitation sheet metal parts for collision repairs in an effort to reduce claim

costs; however, if imitation parts are used the following conditions
may apply:
There is no assurance that imitation parts will equal the fit and
finish of Genuine Honda sheet metal parts; and in our experience

they often do not.

There is no assurance that imitation parts will resist corrosion aswell as Genuine Honda sheet metal parts.Imitation sheet metal parts are not covered by the Honda Limited

Warranty.

To ensure your continued satisfaction with your Honda vehicle in the event of an accident, contact your insurance adjuster and insist
on Genuine Honda parts in the repair of your vehicle. Body RepairProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

Spare Tire
COMPACT Spare Tire
Your car is supplied with a COMPACT spare tire and wheel for

temporary use only in the event of a flat tire. Use the COMPACT
spare only when you have to, and only to go as far as the next
garage or dealer to have the regular tire repaired and reinstalled.
Because you will rarely use the COMPACT spare, be sure to
regularly check its condition and air pressure (415 kPa, 60 psi), so it
will be ready when you need it. This type of tire holds less air at
higher pressure than a regular tire, so it will inflate (or deflate if there is a leak) more rapidly; check its pressure often and add air gradually
if it needs any.
The COMPACT spare tire has adifferent tire size, air pressure re-
quirement, tread life and maxi- mum speed rating than the four
regular tires on your car. Disre-
garding these warnings may re-
sult in tire failure, loss of vehicle
control and possible injury to
vehicle occupants.Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h)
under any circumstances when
using the COMPACT spare.
Do not mount snow chains on the COMPACT spare. They will
not fit properly and will damage the tire and possibly your car. Ifyou must use the COMPACT spare when driving on roads
covered with snow or ice, use it as one of the rear tires and
mount chains only on the front two regular tires.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

The COMPACT spare tire has a
much shorter tread fife than regu-
lar tires. Replace the tire as soon
as tread wear indicators appear
as solid bands across the tread. Replace with a tire of exactly the
same size and construction. TREAD
WEARINDICATOR INDICATOR
LOCATIONMARK
The COMPACT spare tire and wheel set was designed espe- cially for your car; do not use it on any other vehicle; do not in-stall any other tire on this wheel which is not identical to the
original in size and construction, and do not use the COMPACT
spare tire on any other wheel.
Because the COMPACT spare is smaller in size and higher in air
pressure than a regular tire, it will ride more harshly with less
ground clearance and may have less traction on some road
surfaces. Drive cautiously.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

Changing a Flat Tire
Do not attempt to change a tire unless the car is on firm, level
ground and well out of the flow of traffic.
Park the car on a firm, level surface, apply the parking brake, turn
on the hazard warning switch and put the transmission in gear (Park

for automatic).

1. Remove the jack, lug wrench/jack handle and jack handle extension (in the tool bag) from the location shown.

NOTE:

To remove the jack, release its tension against the mount by turning

the screw counterclockwise.

JACK TOOL BAG
Follow tire changing preparations and procedures carefully to reduce the possibility of injury. The jack is designed for changing
tires only. STAND CLEAR, DO NOT get under the car and DO NOT run the engine when the car is supported only by the jack.
5. Place the jack under the jack point nearest the wheel you are removing; align the jack head so the car frame will fit in the recess
as you raise the jack.

Hatchback

SPARE TIRE COVER
Sedan

TOOL BAG SPARE TIRE COVER
JACK
COMPACT SPARE COMPACT SPARE
2. Remove the spare tire.
3. Place blocks in front and back of the wheel diagonally opposite the tire you are changing.
4. Use the lug wrench/jack handle to loosen the wheel lug nuts counterclockwise one-half turn.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

To reduce the possibility of injury, be sure to use the jack provided
with the car and the correct jacking points; never use any otherpart of the car for jack support.
6. Set the jack handle extension in the connector on the end of the jack and install the lug wrench/jack handle. Turn the lug wrench/
jack handle clockwise until the tire is slightly off the ground.
JACK HANDLE EXTENSION
LUG WRENCH/JACK HANDLE
7. Remove the center cap by turning
the lock to 90°.
(Center cap: EX Sedan)
8. Remove the lug nuts, wheel cover and wheel.
(Wheel cover: Si/DX Hatchback
and LX/EX Sedan)
(cont'd)

VALVE

LUG NUTS
WHEEL COVERProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

Changing a Flat Tire (cont'd)
9. Everytime you install the wheel on the brake hub, use a rag to
wipe any dirt off the mounting surface of the hub and the wheel.
This will assure a tight, even contact between the wheel and hub.
10. Install the spare, and lug nuts hand tight.
TIGHTENING TORQUE
110 N.m(11 kg-m,80 Ib-ft)

11. Lower the car, remove the jack, then tighten the lug nuts securely in an "X" pattern as shown.
12. Tighten the lug nuts to the recommended torque is:
110 N.m (11 kg-m,80 Ib-ft)

If a torque wrench was not used, ask an authorized Honda
dealer to verify the torque as soon as possible.
ProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

13. Repair or replace the damaged tire as soon as you can, reinstall
it in its original position, then put the spare back in the car.

CAUTION:

Always stow the jack, tools and tire securely to prevent them
from becoming dangerous projectiles in an accident.
14. Secure the tire and the spacer as shown in the illustration.
COMPACT SPARE DAMAGED TIRE

SPACERProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

Jump Starting

To start a car with a dead battery, use another battery of the samevoltage, and the proper jumper cables.
Procedures other than those below could cause injury or
damage from battery acid spray, explosion or charging system

overload.

Never connect the jumper cable directly to the negative post of
the "dead" battery.
Never allow the two cars to touch each other. Never allow the jumper cable clamps to touch each other.
Never lean over the battery when making connections.
Never attempt to jump start a vehicle with a frozen battery. The
battery could rupture and explode. If you suspect a frozenbattery, remove the vent caps and check the fluid. If there
seems to be no fluid, or if you see ice, do not attempt a jump
start until the fluid thaws.

CAUTION:

If jumper cables are connected backwards, the car's main fuse
may blow.
1.Turn off all lights, heater and other electrical loads, set parking brake, and shift the transmission to Neutral or Park.
2. Use one cable to connect the positive terminal of the booster
battery to the positive terminal of the "dead" battery.

3. Use the other cable to connect
the negative terminal of the

booster battery to the engine at
the ground cable as shown.
4. To remove the cables, reverse the above procedures exactly.
DO NOT push or tow a car to start
it. The forward surge when the en- gine starts could cause a collision.
Also, under some conditions, the catalytic converter could be dam- aged. A car equipped with an auto-matic transmission cannot be
started by pushing or towing.
DEAD

BATTERY
Negative to the
engine at the

ground cable, not

to the battery

Do not attach

cable here
Positive to

positive
BOOSTER

BATTERYProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t