stop start HONDA INSIGHT 2003 1.G Owners Manual

This indicator normally comes on
when you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position and goes of f
af ter the engine starts. If it comes on
at any other time, there is a problem
in the electric power steering system.
If this happens, stop the vehicle in a
saf e place and turn of f the engine.
Reset the system by restarting the
engine. The indicator will stay on,
but should go of f af ter driving a
short distance. If it does not go of f ,
or comes back on again while driving,
take the vehicle to your dealer to
have it checked. With the indicator
on, the EPS may be turned of f ,
making the vehicle harder to steer.If you turn the steering wheel to the
f ull lef t or right position repeatedly
while stopping or driving at very low
speed, you may f eel slightly harder
steering in order to prevent damage
to the steering system caused by
overheating. This may also happen if
you hold the steering wheel on the
f ull lef t or right position f or a while.
This indicator comes on red if any
door or the hatch lid is not closed
tightly.
You will also see a corresponding
indicator(s) on the multi-information
display to indicate which door and/
or the hatch is not closed tightly (see
page ).
You will also see a ‘‘CHECK POWER
STEERING SYSTEM’’ message on
the multi-information display. 12
Electric Power Steering
(EPS) Indicator
Door/Hatch Open
Indicator
Instrument Panel Indicators
68

This gauge shows you the charge/
discharge status of the Integrated
Motor Assist (IMA). When the IMA
is assisting the engine, the pointer
stays in the assist gauge (upper part
of the gauge). When the IMA
battery is being charged, the pointer
stays in the charge gauge (lower part
of the gauge).You can also check the status of the
IMA system function on the multi-
inf ormation display (see page ).
If the IMA battery is too hot or too
cold, the IMA system limits the IMA
battery’s output power to protect the
battery. This disables the IMA assist
and auto idle stop, even though the
battery level indicator on the multi-
inf ormation display may show that
the battery is well-charged (see page
). Theref ore, if the motor assist
is f requently used, the battery
becomes hot and starts to limit its
output power.
It takes a short time to normalize the
IMA battery’s output power
depending on the weather. 85 84
Charge/Assist Gauge
Gauges
74
IMA ASSIST GAUGE
IMA CHARGE GAUGE

Move the steering wheel so it
points toward your chest, not
toward your f ace. Make sure you
can see the instrument panel
gauges and indicators.
Make any steering wheel
adjustments before you start driving.
Pull the lever under the steering
column toward you until it stops.Push the lever f orward f ully to
lock the steering wheel in position.
Make sure you have securely
locked the steering wheel in place
by trying to move it up, down, in,
and out. Make sure the lever is positioned
securely at the bottom of the
steeringcolumnasshown.
1. 3.
4.
2.
Steering Wheel A djustments
128
To adjust To lock LEVERAdjusting the steering wheel
position while driving may
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle and be seriously injured
inacrash.
Adjust the steering wheel only
when the vehicle is stopped.

This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
automatic transmissions (CVT). It
also includes important inf ormation
on parking your vehicle, the braking
system, the vehicle stability assist
(VSA
) system, and the tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS). ........................
Preparing to Drive .262
.......................
Starting the Engine .263
........................
Eco Assist System .264
.
Automatic Transmission (CVT) . 271
Driving with the Paddle .......................................
Shif ters .276
................................
Auto Idle Stop .281
...........................................
Parking .284
.............................
Braking System .285
...............
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) . 287
Tire Pressure Monitoring System ......................................
(TPMS) .289
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA
),
aka Electronic Stability ....
Control (ESC), System . 293
...........
Hill Start Assist System . 295
...........................
Towing a Trailer .296
Driving
Driving
261

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CONT INUED
Use this position f or
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically adjusts to
keep the engine at the best speed f or
driving conditions. To help the
engine warm up f aster, the
transmission will select ratios that
allow the engine to run at higher
speedswhenitiscold.
Press the brake
pedal and the release button on the
frontoftheshiftlevertoshiftfrom
Park to reverse. To shif t f rom
reverse to neutral, come to a
completestop,andthenshift.Press
the release button bef ore shif ting
into reverse f rom neutral.
Use Neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Always shif t to the
Park position if you need to leave the
vehicle for any reason. Press on the
brake pedal when you are moving
the shift lever from Neutral to
another position.
This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning of f or
starting the engine. To shif t out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal. Press the release
buttononthefrontof theshiftlever
to move it.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see on
page .
You must also press the release
button to shift into Park. To avoid
transmission damage, come to a
complete stop bef ore shif ting into
Park. The shif t lever must be in Park
bef ore you can remove the key f rom
the ignition switch. To shift into the S
position, press the release button on
the front of the shift lever, and move
the lever to S. Selecting Second
shif ts the transmission into a lower
range of ratios for better
acceleration and increased engine
braking. Use Second when you are
going down a steep hill.
275
Insight and LX models
Automatic Transmission (CVT)
Drive (D)
Reverse (R)
Neutral (N)
Park (P)
Shif t L ock Release Second (S)
Driving
273

To help maximize f uel economy,
your vehicle has an Auto Idle Stop
f unction. Depending on
environmental conditions and vehicle
operation, the engine will shut of f
when you come to a stop.The transmission f luid
temperature is low.
When the vehicle is stopped on an
incline.
The windshield def roster is on.
The f an speed is selected to high
(more than f our steps on the
horizontal f an speed indicators).
The IMA battery charge is low.
While the auto idle stop f unction is
activated, the auto idle stop indicator
in the instrument panel blinks (see
page ).
WhentheECONmodeison,the
engine is more likely to stop than
when it is of f (see page ).
The engine will not stop
automatically under the f ollowing
conditions:
The engine automatically stops when
the vehicle comes to a stop with the
shif t lever in the D position and the
brake pedal pressed.
The engine may also stop when
vehicle speed drops below 7 mph (11
km/h) with the brake pedal pressed. Vehicle speed does not go above 9
mph (15 km/h) af ter starting the
engine.The vehicle is stopped with the
shif t position in P, R, S, or L.
The engine coolant temperature is
low. The pointer of the charge/assist
gauge does not move when
accelerating or decelerating. 127
283
CONT INUED
Auto Idle Stop
Driving
281

The engine coolant temperature
becomes low.
Thepressureonthebrakepedalis
repeatedly applied and released
slightly during a stop.
The ECON button is off, and the
dif f erence between the ambient
temperature and the temperature
setting of the climate control
system becomes signif icant.
Theclimatecontrolsystemstarts
to dehumidif y the interior
The engine automatically restarts
when:
The brake pedal is released.
Under the f ollowing conditions, the
engine restarts even if the brake
pedal is pressed:
The shif t position is changed to R
or L.
The accelerator pedal is pressed
The pressure to the brake pedal is
reduced and the vehicle starts
moving while stopped on an incline.
The IMA battery charge becomes
low.
The engine may not stop
automatically under the f ollowing
conditions:
The windshield def roster button is
pressed.
TheECONbuttonisoff,andthere
is a signif icant dif f erence between
the ambient temperature and the
temperature setting of the climate
control system.
The climate control system is
dehumidif ying the air.
The vehicle is stopped by braking
suddenly.
When the ECON button is on, the
engine is more likely to stop. See
page f or the ECON button. 127
Auto Idle Stop
282

If the auto idle stop function turns
of f the engine f or a long time, the
charge of the IMA and 12 volt
batteries becomes low, and the
engine may not restart automatically.
Always turn the ignition switch to
the LOCK (0) position, set the
parking brake, and remove the key if
you are getting out of the vehicle.Thetimethatautoidlestopis
activated may be reduced if you
operate the windshield wipers with
the climate control system on.
This indicator blinks when the auto
idle stop system is in operation. If
the driver’s door is opened while the
indicator is blinking, the buzzer
sounds to notif y that the auto idle
stop system is active. A uto Idle Stop Indicator
Auto Idle Stop
Driving
283
AUTO IDLE STOP INDICATOR

If you think you can saf ely drive a
short distance to a service station,
proceed slowly to the station, then
inflate the tire to the recommended
pressure.
Driving on a signif icantly under-
inf lated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inf lation also reduces f uel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may
af f ect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
Becausetirepressurevariesby
temperature and other conditions,
the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator may come on unexpectedly. If the tire is flat, or if the tire
pressure is too low to continue
driving, replace the tire with the
compact spare tire (see page ).
When the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator is on, one or more of your
tires is signif icantly underinf lated.
Youshouldstopandcheckyourtires
as soon as possible, and inflate them
to the proper pressure as indicated
on the vehicle’s tire inf ormation
placard.
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
that turns on every time you start the
engine and monitors the pressure in
your tires while driving.
Each tire has its own pressure
sensor. If the air pressure of a tire
becomes signif icantly low, the
sensor in that tire immediately sends
a signal that causes the low tire
pressure/TPMS indicator in the
instrument panel to come on. If this
happens, you will see a ‘‘CHECK
TIRE PRESSURE’’ message on the
multi-inf ormation display.
If you cannot make the low tire
pressure/TPMS indicator and
message on the multi-inf ormation
display go out af ter inf lating the tires
to the specified values, have your
dealer check the system as soon as
possible. 348
CONT INUED
U.S. models onlyLow Tire Pressure/
TPMS Indicator
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Driving
289

Driving with varying tire or wheel
sizes may cause the VSA to
malf unction. When replacing tires,
make sure they are of the same size
and type as your original tires (see
page ).
If you install winter tires, make sure
they are the same size as those that
were originally supplied with your
vehicle. Exercise the same caution
during winter driving as you would if
your vehicle was not equipped with
VSA.Your vehicle is equipped with a hill
start assist f eature to help prevent
the vehicle f rom rolling on inclines
as you move your f oot f rom the
brake pedal to the accelerator.
To activate hill start assist, you must
come to a complete stop and make
sure the shif t lever is in any of D, S
or L (either in D or S on models with
the paddle shif ters) when f acing
uphill, or reverse when f acing
downhill. Release the brake pedal.
Thebrakesremainengagedbriefly
to keep the vehicle f rom rolling
forward or backward while you move
your f oot f rom the brake pedal to the
accelerator pedal. Gently apply the
accelerator pedal as in normal
driving. Hill start assist will release
brake pressure gradually as you
accelerate.Hillstartassistmaynotpreventyour
vehicle f rom rolling downhill on a
very steep or slippery slope, and will
not operate on small inclines.
Hill start assist is not a replacement
f or the parking brake. If parking
your vehicle, ensure that the
transmission is in Park, and the
parking brake is f ully applied bef ore
exiting the vehicle. You should also
turn of f the engine bef ore exiting the
vehicle.
The VSA system indicator will come
on when there is a problem in the hill
start assist system. With the VSA
system indicator on, the hill start
assist system will not activate.
Hill start assist will still operate even
when VSA is switched off.
342
Vehicle St abilit y A ssist (VSA), aka Electronic Stability Control (ESC), System
VSA and Tire Sizes
Hill Start Assist System
Driving
295