ECO mode HONDA CIVIC COUPE 1998 User Guide

Audio System

Operating the Cassette Player
Standard on Si model in Canada

The cassette system features Dolby
B* noise reduction, automatic
sensing of chromium-dioxide (CrO2)

tape, and autoreverse for continuous

play.

* Dolby noise reduction manufactured under

license from Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corpo-

ration. "DOLBY" and the double-D symbol
are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories

Licensing Corporation.

Make sure the tape opening on the
cassette is facing to the right, then
insert the cassette most of the way
into the slot. The system will pull it
in the rest of the way, and begin to

play.

The tape direction indicator will light to show you which side of the
cassette is playing. The
indicates
the side you inserted facing upward
is now playing. If you want to play the other side, press the PROG

button.

Dolby B noise reduction turns on
when you insert a cassette. If the tape was not recorded with Dolby Bnoise reduction, turn it off by
pressing the NR button.
When the system reaches the end of the tape, it will automatically reversedirection and play the other side. If
you want to remove the cassette
from the drive, press the EJECT
button.

If you turn the system off while a
tape is playing, either with the PWR/
VOL knob or by turning off the ignition, the cassette will remain in
the drive. When you turn the system
back on, the tape will begin playing
where it left off.
To switch to the radio or optional CD changer while listening to a tape, press the AM/FM or CD/TAPE
button. To change back to the cassette player, press the CD/TAPE
button.

Tape Search Functions

With a cassette playing, you can use the FF, REW, TMS, or REPEAT
function to find a desired program.FF/REW — Fast Forward and
Rewind mov e
the tape rapidly. Press
and release the REW side of the
TUNE/SEEK bar to rewind the tape, or the FF side to fast forward. Press
the PLAY button to take the system
out of rewind or fast forward. If the system reaches the end of the tape
while in fast forward or rewind, it automatically stops that function,
reverses direction, and begins to play.

Comfort and Convenience FeaturesMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Audio System

Caring for the Cassette Player
The cassette player picks up dirt and oxides from the tape. This contami-
nation builds up over time and
causes the sound quality to degrade.
To prevent this, you should clean the player after every 30 hours of use.
Your dealer has a cleaning kit
available.

If you do not clean the cassette
player regularly, it may eventually
become impossible to remove the
contamination with a normal
cleaning kit.
Use 100-minute or shorter cassettes.Cassettes longer than that use
thinner tape that may break or jam
the drive. Look at the cassette before you
insert it. If the tape is loose, tighten
it by turning a hub with a pencil or
your finger.
If the label is peeling off, remove it
from the cassette or it could cause the cassette to jam in the player.
Never try to insert a warped ordamaged cassette in the player.
When they are not in use, store cassettes in their cases to protect
them from dust and moisture. Never
place cassettes where they will be exposed to direct sunlight, high heat,
or high humidity. If a cassette is
exposed to extreme heat or cold, letit reach a moderate temperature
before inserting it in the player.
Never try to insert foreign objects
into the cassette player. If you see the error indication " " on the display, press the
EJECT button and remove the
cassette from the unit. Make sure
the tape is not damaged. If the cassette will not eject or the error
indication stays on after the cassette
ejects, take the vehicle to your
Honda dealer.
If a problem develops in the connec-
tion between the cassette player and
the radio, you will see " " in
the display. Take the vehicle to your Honda dealer.

Comfort and Convenience FeaturesMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Audio System

Press the EJECT button to remove
the disc from the player.
If you eject the disc, but do not
remove it from the slot, the system
will automatically reload the discafter 15 seconds and put the CD
player in pause mode. To begin
playing the disc, press the CD button.

CD Changer

Using the instructions that came
with the changer, load the desired CDs in the magazine, and load the
magazine in the changer. Play only
standard round discs. Odd-shaped CDs may jam in the drive or cause
other problems.
Press the CD/TAPE button. You will see "CD" in the display. The system
will start to play the first track of the
first disc. When that disc ends, the next disc in the magazine is loaded
and played. After the last disc
finishes, the system returns to disc 1. To select a different disc, press the
appropriate preset button (1 — 6). If
you select an empty slot in the magazine, the changer will, after
finding that slot empty, try to load the CD in the next slot. This
continues until it finds a CD to load
and play.

CD Player and Changer

You can use the TUNE/SEEK bar to select tracks within a disc. If you
press and release the TUNE/SEEK
bar, the system will move to the
beginning of a track. Press the side to move to the beginning
of the next track, and the side
to move to the beginning of the
current track.
If you press and hold the TUNE/
SEEK bar, you will hear a beep and
the system will continue to move across tracks. Release the bar when
you think it has reached the desired place on the disc. REPEAT - When you activate the
Repeat feature by pressing the RPT
button, the system continuously
replays the current track. You will see RPT in the display as a reminder.
Press the RPT button again to turn itoff.
To take the system out of CD mode, press the AM/EM button or insert acassette in the player. If a tape is
already in the cassette player, press
the CD/TAPE button. When you
return to CD mode, play will contin-
ue at the same point that it left off.
If you turn the system off while a CD
is playing, either with the PWR/VOL
knob or the ignition switch, play will continue at the same point when you
turn it back on.

Comfort and Convenience FeaturesMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Break-in Period, Gasoline

Break-in Period
Help assure your vehicle's future
reliability and performance by paying
extra attention to how you drive during the first 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:
Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
Avoid hard braking. New brakes
need to be broken-in by moderate
use for the first 200 miles (300

km).
You should follow these same re-
commendations with an overhauled
or exchanged engine, or when the

brakes are relined.
Gasoline

Your Honda is designed to operate on unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 86 or higher. Use
of a lower octane gasoline can cause
a persistent, heavy metallic rapping
noise in the engine that can lead to mechanical damage.
We recommend gasolines containing detergent additives that help prevent
fuel system and engine deposits.
Using gasoline containing lead willdamage your vehicle's emission
controls. This contributes to air

pollution.
In Canada, some gasolines contain

an octane-enhancing additive called

MMT. If you use such gasolines,
your emission control system performance may deteriorate and
the Malfunction Indicator Lamp on
your instrument panel may turn on.If this happens, contact your
authorized Honda dealer for service.

Before DrivingMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Fuel Economy

The condition of your vehicle and your driving habits are the two mostimportant things that affect the fuel
mileage you get.
Vehicle Condition Always maintain your vehicle accord- ing to the maintenance schedule.
This will keep it in top operating
condition.

An important part of that mainte- nance is the Owner Maintenance
Checks (see page 153). For
example, an underinflated tire
causes more "rolling resistance,"
which uses fuel. It also wears out
faster, so check the tire pressure at
least monthly.
In winter, the build-up of snow on
your vehicle's underside adds weight and rolling resistance. Frequent
cleaning helps your fuel mileage and
reduces the chance of corrosion. Driving Habits
You can improve fuel economy by driving moderately. Rapid acceler-
ation, abrupt cornering, and hard
braking use more fuel.
Always drive in the highest gear that allows the engine to run and acceler-ate smoothly.
Depending on traffic conditions, try
to maintain a constant speed. Every time you slow down and speed up,
your vehicle uses extra fuel. Use the cruise control, when appropriate, to
increase fuel economy. A cold engine uses more fuel than a
warm engine. It is not necessary to "warm-up" a cold engine by letting it
idle for a long time. You can drive
away in about a minute, no matter
how cold it is outside. The engine
will warm up faster, and you get better fuel economy. To cut down on
the number of "cold starts," try tocombine several short trips into one.
The air conditioning puts an extra load on the engine which makes ituse more fuel. Turn off the A/C to
cut down on air conditioning use.
Use the flow-through ventilation
when the outside air temperature is moderate.

Before DrivingMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Automatic Transmission (CVT)

Continuously Variable
Transmission (CVT)
On HX model

Honda's Continuously Variable
automatic transmission's unique design provides a smooth, constant
flow of power. It is electronically controlled for more precise operation
and better fuel economy. Shift Lever Position Indicator
This indicator on the instrument panel shows which position the shift
lever is in.
The "D" indicator comes on for a few seconds when you turn theignition switch ON (II). If it flashes
while driving (in any shift position), it indicates a possible problem in the
transmission. Avoid rapid accelera-
tion and have the transmissionchecked by an authorized Honda
dealer as soon as possible. Shift Lever Positions
The shift lever has six positions. It must be in Park or Neutral to start
the engine. When you are stopped in D, S, L, N or R, press firmly on the
brake pedal and keep your foot off the accelerator pedal.

CONTINUED

DrivingMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Transmission Fluid

2. Remove the dipstick (yellow loop) from the transmission and wipe it
with a clean cloth.
3. Insert the dipstick all the way into the transmission securely asshown in the illustration.
4. Remove the dipstick and check the fluid level. It should be
between the upper and lower
marks.
5. If the level is below the lower
mark, add fluid into the filler holeto bring it to the upper mark.
Always use Honda Premium Formula Automatic Transmission
Fluid (ATF). If it is not available,
you may use a DEXRON ®
III
automatic transmission fluid as a
temporary replacement. However,
continued use can affect shift quality. Have the transmissiondrained and refilled with Honda
ATF as soon as it is convenient.

HX model (CVT) only:

Use Genuine Honda CVT fluid only. Using other fluids can affect
transmission operation and may reduce transmission life. 6. Insert the dipstick all the way back
into the transmission securely asshown in the illustration.
The transmission should be drained and refilled with new fluid according
to the time and distance recommen- dations in the maintenance schedule.

HX model (CVT) only:

If you drive at high speeds in high (90° F/32°C and above)
temperatures, the transmission fluid should be changed every 15,000
miles (24,000 km). Otherwise,
change the fluid every 30,000 miles
(48,000 km).

Maintenance

DIPSTICK

UPPER

MARK
LOWER

MARKMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Transmission Fluid, Brake and Clutch Fluid

5-speed Manual Transmission
Check the fluid level with the
transmission at normal operating
temperature and the vehicle sitting
on level ground. Remove the
transmission filler bolt and carefully
feel inside the bolt hole with your
finger. The fluid level should be up to the edge of the bolt hole. If it is
not, add Genuine Honda Manual
Transmission Fluid (MTF) until it starts to run out of the hole. Reinstall
the filler bolt and tighten it securely. If Honda MTF is not available, you
may use an API service SG, SH or SJ
grade motor oil with a viscosity of SAE 10W-30 or 10W-40 as a
temporary replacement. An SG
grade is preferred, but an SH or SJ grade may be used if SG is not
available. However, motor oil does
not contain the proper additives and
continued use can cause stiffershifting. Replace as soon as
convenient.
The transmission should be drained and refilled with new fluid according
to the time and distance recommen- dations in the maintenance schedule. Brake and Clutch Fluid
Check the fluid level in the reser-
voirs monthly. There are one or two reservoirs, depending on model.
They are:
Brake fluid reservoir (all models)Clutch fluid reservoir (manual transmission only)
The brake fluid in the brake system should be replaced according to the
time and distance recommendations in the maintenance schedule.

Maintenance

FILLER BOLT
Correct levelMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Air Cleaner Element

The air cleaner element should be replaced according to the time anddistance recommendations in the

maintenance schedule.
Replacement

On DX model

The air cleaner element is inside the air cleaner housing in the engine
compartment.
To replace it:
1. Unsnap the four clips and remove the air cleaner housing cover.
2. Remove the old air cleaner element. 3. Clean the inside of the air cleaner
housing with a damp rag.
4. Place the new air cleaner element in the air cleaner housing.
5. Reinstall the air cleaner housing cover, snap the four clips back into

place.

Maintenance

CLIPS

AIR CLEANER ELEMENTMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Malfunction Indicator Lamp

This indicator comes on for a few seconds when you turn the ignition
switch ON (II). If it comes on at any
other time, it indicates one of the
engine's emissions control systems
may have a problem. Even though
you may feel no difference in your
vehicle's performance, it can reduce
your fuel economy and cause your
vehicle to put out excessive emissions. Continued operation may
cause serious damage. If you have recently refueled your
vehicle, the cause of this indicator coming on could be a loose or
missing fuel fill cap. Check the capand tighten it until it clicks. Replace
the fuel fill cap if it is missing.
Tightening the cap will not make the indicator turn off immediately; it
takes three driving trips.
If the indicator remains on past three
driving trips, or the fuel cap was not
loose or missing, have the vehicle checked by the dealer as soon as
possible. Drive moderately until thedealer has inspected the problem.
Avoid full-throttle acceleration and driving at high speed. You should also have the dealer
inspect your vehicle if this indicatorcomes on repeatedly, even though it
may turn off as you continue driving.
If you keep driving with the malfunc- tion indicator lamp on, you can damage
your vehicle's emission controls and engine. Those repairs may not be
covered by your vehicle's warranties.

Taking Care of the Unexpected

MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP

NOTICEMain Menu Table of Contents s t