hood open HONDA INSIGHT 2001 1.G Owners Manual

Bef ore you begin driving your Honda,
youshouldknowwhatgasolineto
use, and how to check the levels of
important f luids. You also need to
know how to properly store luggage
or packages. The inf ormation in this
section will help you. If you plan to
add any accessories to your car,
please read the inf ormation in this
section f irst..............................
Break-in Period . 120
.........................................
Gasoline . 120
.........
Service Station Procedures . 121
................
Filling the Fuel Tank . 121
....................
Opening the Hood . 122
...............................
Oil Check . 124
.........
Engine Coolant Check . 125
...............................
Fuel Economy . 126
.....................
Vehicle Condition . 126
...........................
Driving Habits . 126
...
Accessories and Modif ications . 128
.............................
Carrying Cargo . 130
.................................
Load Limit . 131
Bef ore Driving
Bef ore Driving 119

Shift to Park or Neutral and set
the parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower lef t corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly.
Screw the f uel f ill cap back on,
tighten it until it clicks several
times. If you do not properly
tighten the cap, the Malfunction
Indicator Lamp may come on (see
page ).
Push the f uel f ill door closed until
it latches.
Standing in f ront of the car, put
your f ingers under the f ront edge
of the hood to the right of center.
Slide your hand to the lef t until
you f eel the hood latch handle.
Push this handle up until it
releases the hood. Lif t the hood.
1.
2.
5. 6.
230
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving Opening the Hood
122
HHOOOODDRREELLEEAASSEEHHAANNDDLLEELLAATTCCHH

If you can open the hood without
lifting the hood latch handle, or the
hood latch handle moves stif f ly or
does not spring back as bef ore, the
mechanism should be cleaned and
lubricated (see page ).Afterclosingthehood,makesureit
is securely latched.
Pull the support rod out of its clip
and insert the end into the hole on
theleftsideof thehood.
To close the hood, lif t it up slightly to
remove the support rod f rom the
hole. Put the support rod back into
its holding clip. Lower the hood to
about a f oot (30 cm) above the
fender,thenletitdrop.
3.
184
CONT INUED
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
123
CCLLIIPP
SSUUPPPPOORRTTRROODD

Always change the oil and f ilter
accordingtothetimeanddistance
(miles/kilometers) recommenda-
tions in the maintenance schedule.
The oil and f ilter collect contami-
nants that can damage your engine if
they are not removed regularly.
Changing the oil and f ilter requires
special tools and access f rom
underneath the car. The car should
be raised on a service station-type
hydraulic lif t f or this service. Unless
you have the knowledge and proper
equipment, you should have this
maintenance done by a skilled
mechanic.Open the hood and remove the
engine oil f ill cap. Remove the
black cover under the engine.
Remove the oil drain bolt and
washer from the bottom of the
engine. Drain the oil into an
appropriate container.
Do not loosen the smaller bolt
located above the drain bolt.
1.
2.
CONT INUED
Changing the Oil and Filter
Engine Oil
Maint enance169
WWAASSHHEERROOIILLDDRRAAIINNBBOOLLTT

CONT INUED
Turn the ignition ON (II). Turn
the temperature control dial to
maximum heat. Turn of f the
ignition and remove the key. Open
the hood. Make sure the engine
and radiator are cool to the touch.Removethealloycoverunderthe
radiator.
Remove the radiator cap.
Thecoolingsystemshouldbe
completely drained and ref illed with
new coolant according to the time
and distance recommendations in
the maintenance schedule. Only use
Honda All Season Antif reeze/
Coolant Type 2.
Draining the coolant requires access
to the underside of the car. Unless
you have the tools and knowledge,
you should have this maintenance
done by a skilled mechanic. 1.
2.3.
Replacing Engine Coolant
Cooling Syst em
Maint enance
173

Open the hood. Remove the electrical connectorf rom the bulb by squeezing the
connector on both sides to unlock
the tab. Pull the connector straight
off.
Remove the rubber weather seal
by pulling on the tab.
If you need to change the head-
light bulb on the driver’s side,
remove the engine coolant
reservoir tank by pulling it out of
its holder.
Your car has halogen headlight
bulbs, one on each side. When
replacing a bulb, handle it by its steel
base and protect the glass from
contactwithyourskinorhard
objects. If you touch the glass, clean
it with denatured alcohol and a clean
cloth.
Theheadlightswereproperlyaimed
when your vehicle was new. If you
regularly carry heavy items in the
cargo area, readjustment may be
required. Adjustment of the
headlights should be perf ormed by a
Honda technician or other qualif ied
mechanic.
1.2. 3.
Lights
Maint enance
Headlight A iming
Replacing a Headlight Bulb 200
HHOOLLDDEERRWWEEAATTHHEERRSSEEAALLBBUULLBB
CCOONNNNEECCTTOORRHHOOLLDD--DDOOWWNNWWIIRREE
Halogen headlight bulbs get very hot
when lit. Oil, perspiration, or a scratch
on the glass can cause the bulb to
overheat and shatter.

Turn of f all the electrical acces-
sories: heater, A/C, stereo system,
lights, etc.
In this case, the starter motor’s
speed sounds normal, or even f aster
than normal, when you turn the
ignition switch to START (III), but
the engine does not run.
Do you have f uel? Turn the
ignition switch to ON (II) for a
minute and watch the f uel gauge.
The low f uel level warning light
may not be working, so you were
not reminded to f ill the tank. Open the hood and check the
physical condition of the battery
(see page ). In very cold
weather, check the condition of
the electrolyte. If it seems slushy
or like ice, do not try jump starting
until it thaws.
If your car’s battery has run down,
you may be able to start the engine
by using a booster battery. Although
this seems like a simple procedure,
you should take several precautions.
To jump start your car, f ollow these
directions closely:
Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to on page .
There may be an electrical
problem, such as no power to the
f uel pump. Check all the f uses
(see page ).
If youfindnothingwrong,youwill
need a qualif ied technician to f ind
the problem. See on page . Put the transmission in Neutral or
Park, and set the parking brake.
1. 2.
135
233 239 185
T he Starter Operates Normally Jump Starting
Starting the
Engine
Emergency
Towing
If Your Engine Won’t Start, Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
224 A battery can explode if you do
not follow the correct procedure,
seriously injuring anyonenearby.
Keep all sparks, open flames,
and smoking materials away
from the battery.
If a battery sits in extreme cold, the
electrolyte inside can f reeze.
Attempting to jump start with a f rozen
battery can cause it to rupture.

Your car can overheat f or several
reasons, such as lack of coolant or a
mechanical problem. The only
indication may be the temperature
gauge climbing to or above the red
mark. Or you may see steam or
spray coming f rom under the hood.
In either case, you should take
immediate action.
The pointer of your car’s tempera-
ture gauge should stay in the mid-
range under most conditions. It may
go higher if you are driving up a long
steep hill on a very hot day. If it
climbs to the red mark, you should
determine the reason.
Keep the ends of the jumper cables
away from each other and any metal
on the car until all are disconnected.
Otherwise, you may cause an
electrical short.
If you do not see steam or spray,
leave the engine running and
watch the temperature gauge. If
the high heat is due to overloading
(climbing a long, steep hill on a
hot day with the A/C running, f or
example), the engine should start
to cool down almost immediately.
If it does, wait until the tempera-
ture gauge comes down to the mid-
point then continue driving.
If you see steam and/or spray
coming f rom under the hood, turn
of f the engine.
Saf ely pull to the side of the road.
Put the transmission in Neutral or
Park, and set the parking brake.
Turn of f the heating and cooling
system and all other accessories.
Turn on the hazard warning
indicators.
1. 2. 3.
If Your Engine Overheats
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
226 Steam and spray from an
overheated engine can
seriously scald you.
Do not open the hood if steam
is coming out.
Driving with the temperature gauge
pointer at the red mark can cause
serious damage to your engine.

If the temperature gauge stays at
the red mark, turn of f the engine.
Wait until you see no more signs
of steam or spray, then open thehood.
If you don’t f ind an obvious leak,
check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank (see page). If the level is below the
MIN mark, add coolant to halfway
between the MIN and MAX marks. If the temperature stays normal,
check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. If it has
gone down, add coolant to the
MAX mark. Put the cap back on
tightly.
If there was no coolant in the
reserve tank, you may also have to
add coolant to the radiator. Let the
engine cool down until the pointer reaches the middle of the tempera-
ture gauge, or lower, bef ore check-
ing the radiator.
Using gloves or a large heavy
cloth, turn the radiator cap
counterclockwise, without pushing
down, to the f irst stop. This
releases any remaining pressure in
the cooling system. After the
pressure releases, push down on
the cap and turn it until it comes
off.
Start the engine and set the
temperature control dial to
maximum. Add coolant to the
radiator up to the base of the f iller
neck. If you do not have the
proper coolant mixture available,
you can add plain water.
Remember to have the cooling
system drained and ref illed with
the proper mixture as soon as you
can.
Look f or any obvious coolant leaks,
such as a split radiator hose.
Everything is still extremely hot,
so use caution. If you f ind a leak, it
must be repaired bef ore you
continue driving (see
on page ). Put the radiator cap back on
tightly. Run the engine and watch
the temperature gauge. If it goes
back to the red mark, the engine
needs repair. (See
on page .)
4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9.
12.
11.
10.
239
125 239
Emergency
Towing
Emergency
Towing
If Your Engine Overheats
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed 227
Removing the radiator cap
while the engine is hot can
cause the coolant to spray out,
seriously scalding you.
Always let the engine and
radiator cool down before
removing the radiator cap.

This indicator should light when the
ignition switch is ON (II), and go out
af ter the engine starts. It should
never come on when the engine is
running. If it starts f lashing, it
indicates that the oil pressure
dropped very low f or a moment, then
recovered. If the indicator stays on
with the engine running, it shows
that the engine has lost oil pressure
and serious engine damage is
possible. In either case, you should
take immediate action.Saf ely pull of f the road and shut
of f the engine. Turn on the hazard
warning indicators.
If necessary, add oil to bring the
level back to the full mark on the
dipstick (see page ).
Letthecarsitforaminute.Open
the hood and check the oil level
(see page ). Although oil level
and oil pressure are not directly
connected, an engine that is very
low on oil can lose pressure during
cornering and other driving
maneuvers. Start the engine and watch the oil
pressure indicator. If the light
does not go out within ten seconds,
turn of f the engine. There is a
mechanical problem that needs to
be repaired bef ore you can
continue driving. (See
on page .)
The engine running generates the
oil pressure.
When the auto idle stop is
activated, the engine is stopped.
But the low oil pressure indicator
does not light.
1. 2. 3. 4.
124 167 239
Emergency
Towing
L ow Oil Pressure Indicator
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
228
LLOOWWOOIILLPPRREESSSSUURREEIINNDDIICCAATTOORR
Running the engine with low oil
pressure can cause serious mechanical
damage almost immediately. Turn of f
the engine as soon as you can saf ely get
the car stopped.