HONDA PRELUDE 1992 Owners Manual

5-speed Manual Transmission, Automatic Transmission

Maximum Speeds

The speeds in this table are the
maximums for the given gears. If
you exceed these speeds, the
engine speed will enter into the
tachometer's red zone. If this
occurs, you may feel the engine cut
in and out. This is caused by a
limiter in the engine's computer
controls. The engine will run
normally when you reduce the
RPM below the red zone.
(US: S, Canada: S)

(US: Si, Si 4WS, Canada: SR, SR 4WS)
Automatic Transmission

Your Honda's transmission has
four forward speeds, and is electro-
nically controlled for smoother
shifting. It also has a "lock-up"
torque converter for better fuel
economy. You may feel what seems
like another shift when the con-
verter locks.

Driving
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Automatic Transmission

This display is on the instrument panel. It shows you the position of
the shift lever. It also indicates a
possible problem in the transmis-
sion if the "D4" indicator light

flashes.

The shift lever has seven positions. It must be in Park or Neutral to
start the engine. When you are
stopped in D4, D3, 2, 1 or R, press
firmly on the brake pedal and keep
your foot off the accelerator pedal. Park (P) — This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning off
or starting the engine. To shift out
of Park, you must press on the
brake pedal and have your foot off
the accelerator pedal. Press the
release button on the side of the shift lever to move it. You must also press the release
button to shift into Park. To avoid
transmission damage, come to a
complete stop before shifting into
Park. The shift lever must be in
Park before you can remove the
key from the ignition switch.
If you have done all of the above
and still cannot move the lever out
of Park, see Shift Lock Release on

page 115.

Driving

SHIFT

LEVER

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Automatic Transmission

Reverse (R) — To shift to Re-
verse from Park, see the explana-
tion under Park. To shift to Re-
verse from Neutral, come to a com-
plete stop and then shift. Press the
release button before shifting into
Reverse from Neutral.
Neutral (N) — Use Neutral if you need to restart a stalled engine, or
if it is necessary to stop briefly with
the engine idling. Shift to Park posi-
tion if you need to leave the car for
any reason. Press on the brake pe-
dal when you are moving the shift
lever from Neutral to another gear.
Drive (D4) — Use this position for
your normal driving. The transmis-
sion automatically selects a suita-
ble gear for your speed and acceler-
ation. You may notice the transmis-
sion shifting up at higher speeds
when the engine is cold. This helps
the engine warm up faster. Drive (D3) — This position is simi-
lar to D4, except only the first three
gears are selected. Use D3 to provide engine braking when going
down a steep hill. D3 can also keep
the transmission from cycling
between third and fourth gears in stop-and-go driving.
For faster acceleration when in D3
or D4, you can get the transmission
to automatically downshift by push-
ing the accelerator pedal to the
floor. The transmission will shift down one or two gears, depending
on your speed.
Second (2) — To shift to Second,
press the release button on the side
of the shift lever. This position
locks the transmission in second
gear. It does not downshift to first
gear when you come to a stop.
Second gives you more power when
climbing, and increased engine
braking when going down steep hills. Use second gear when start-
ing out on a slippery surface or in
deep snow. It will help reduce

wheelspin.

Whenever you move the shift lever
to a lower gear, the transmission
downshifts only if the engine's
redline will not be exceeded in the
lower gear.First (1) — To shift from Second
to First ,
press the release button on
the side of the shift lever. With the
lever in this position, the transmis-
sion locks in First gear. By upshift-
ing and downshifting through 1,2,
D3 and D4, you can operate this
transmission much like a manual
transmission without a clutch pedal.

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Automatic Transmission

Maximum Speeds

The speeds in this table are the
maximums for the given position.
If you exceed these speeds, the
engine speed will enter into the
tachometer's red zone. If this occurs, you will feel the engine cut
in and out. This is caused by a
limiter in the engine's computer
controls. The engine will run
normally when you reduce the
RPM below the red zone.
Shift Lock Release
This allows you to move the shift
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake pedal and pressing the release
button does not work.
1. Set the Parking brake.
2. Remove the key from the ignition switch.
3. Insert the key in the Shift Lock Release slot next to the shift

lever.

4. Push down on the key while you press the release button and
move the shift lever out of Park
to Neutral.
5. Remove the key from the Shift
Lock Release slot. Depress the
brake pedal and restart the

engine.

If you need to use the Shift Lock
Release, it could mean your car is
developing a problem. Have the car
checked by your Honda dealer.

Driving

(US: S, Canada: S)

(US: Si, Si 4WS, Canada: SR, SR 4WS)
RELEASE

BUTTON

SHIFT LOCK
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The Braking System

Your Honda is equipped with disc brakes at all four wheels. The
braking system is power-assisted to
reduce the effort needed on the
brake pedal.
Put your foot on the brake pedal
only when you intend to brake.
Resting your foot on the pedal
keeps the brakes applied lightly,
causing them to build up heat. Heat
build-up can reduce how well your
brakes work. It also keeps your
brake lights on all the time, confusing drivers behind you.
Constant application of the brakes
when going down a long hill builds
up heat and reduces their effective-
ness. Use the engine to assist the
brakes by downshifting to a lower
gear and taking your foot off the
accelerator pedal. Check your brakes after driving
through deep water. Apply the
brakes moderately to see if they feel normal. If not, apply them
gently and frequently until they do. Since a longer distance is needed to
stop with wet brakes, be extra
cautious and alert in your driving.

Brake Wear Indicators

All four brakes have audible brake
wear indicators. When the brake pads need re-placing, you will hear a distinctive
metallic "screeching" sound when
you apply the brakes. If you do not
have the brake pads replaced, they
will begin screeching all the time.
Your brakes may sometimes squeal
or squeak when you apply them
lightly. Do not confuse this with the
brake wear indicators. They make a very audible "screeching".
Brake System Design

The hydraulic system that operates
the brakes has two separate cir- cuits. Each circuit works diago-
nally across the car (the left-front
brake is connected with the right-
rear brake, etc.). If one circuit
should develop a problem, you will
still have braking at two wheels.

Driving
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The Braking System

If this happens, you will immediate-
ly notice that the brake pedal goes
down much farther and you need to press on it much harder. A much
longer distance will be needed to stop the car.
Slow the car by downshifting to a
lower gear and removing your foot
from the accelerator pedal. Pull to
the side of the road as soon as it is
safe. Because of the longer stop-
ping distance needed, brake system
failure is very hazardous. It is best
to have your car towed, but if you
must drive the car in this condition,
be extremely cautious. Have your car repaired as soon as possible.
Anti-lock Brakes

The Prelude Si and Si 4WS models
in
the U.S. and SR and SR 4WS
models in Canada have an Anti-
lock Brake System (ABS) as standard equipment.
ABS helps you maintain steering
control. It does this by helping you
to prevent the wheels from locking
up and skidding.
The ABS is always "On". It
requires no special effort or driving
technique. You will feel a pulsation
in the brake pedal when the ABS

activates.

Activation varies with the amount of traction your tires have. On drypavement, you will need to press on
the brake pedal very hard before
you feel the pedal
pulsation that
means the ABS has activated.
However, you may feel the ABS
activate immediately if you are
trying to stop on snow or ice. Under all conditions, the ABS is helping to
prevent the wheels from locking so
you can retain steering
control.
You should continue to press on the
brake pedal with the same force.
You may feel a slight movement of
the brake pedal just after you start
the engine. This
is
the ABS

working.

Driving
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The Braking System, Four Wheel Steering

The ABS is self-checking. If
anything goes wrong, the ABS indi-
cator on the instrument panel
comes on (see page 34 ). This means
the Anti-lock function of the brak-
ing system has shut down. The
brakes still work like a convention-
al system, providing normal stop- ping ability. You should have the
dealer inspect your car as soon as

possible.
The ABS works by comparing the
speed of the wheels. When re-
placing tires, use the same size
originally supplied with the car.
Tire size and construction can
affect wheel speed and may cause
the system to work inconsistently.
A car with ABS may require a
longer distance to stop on loose or
uneven surfaces than an equivalent
car without Anti-lock. The ABS
cannot make up for road conditions
or bad judgment. It is still yourresponsibility to drive at reasonable
speeds for weather and
traffic
conditions, and to leave a margin of

safety.

For a technical description of the
Anti-lock brake system hardware,
refer to page 208 . Four Wheel Steering

The Si 4WS and SR 4WS models

feature an electronically controlled

system that steers the rear wheels

as you steer the front wheels.

It uses the car's speed, angle of the

front wheels, and the rate that you

turn the steering wheel to steer the

rear wheels in the appropriate
direction and angle.

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Four Wheel Steering, Driving in Bad Weather

At very slow speeds, the rear
wheels steer in the opposite direction to the front wheels. This
helps in maneuvers such as parallelparking and U-turns.
At higher speeds, the rear wheels
first steer in the same direction as the front wheels. This aids with
changing lanes. As you turn the
steering wheel more, the rear
wheels return to straight ahead and
then steer in the opposite direction
to the front wheels. This givesimproved handling when going
around curves at highway speeds. The rear wheels return to the
straight ahead position when you
turn off the engine. They also
return to straight ahead if you sit
still for more than two minutes
with the engine running. They
return to steering mode as soon as
you move the steering wheel or
start to drive away.
The 4WS system is self-checking.
If it detects a problem anywhere in
the system, it turns on the 4WS indicator on the instrument panel
(see page 35) and points the rear
wheels straight ahead. Your car
will then drive like a conventional car without 4WS.
Driving in Bad Weather

Rain, fog, and snow conditions re-
quire a different driving technique
because of reduced traction and
visibility. Keep your car well- maintained and exercise greater
caution when you need to drive in
bad weather. The cruise control
should not be used in these condi-

tions.

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Driving in Bad Weather

Driving Technique — Always
drive slower than you would in dry
weather. It takes your car longer to react, even in conditions that may
seem just barely damp. Apply
smooth, even pressure to all the
controls. Abrupt steering wheel
movements or sudden, hard appli-
cation of the brakes can cause loss
of control in wet weather. Be extra
cautious for the first few miles of
driving while you adjust to the change in driving conditions. This
is especially true in snow. A person
can forget some snow-driving tech- niques during the summer months.
Practice is needed to relearn those

skills.

Exercise extra caution when
driving in rain after a long dry spell.
After months of dry weather, the
first rains bring oil to the surface of
the roadway, making it slippery. Visibility — Being able to see
clearly in all directions and being
visible to other drivers are impor-
tant in all weather conditions. This is more difficult in bad weather. To
be seen more clearly during day-
light hours, turn on your headlights.
Inspect your windshield wipers and
washers frequently. Keep the wind- shield washer reservoir full of the

proper fluid. Replace the wind-

shield wiper blades if they start to
streak the windshield or leave parts
unwiped. Use the defrosters and air conditioner to keep the windows
from fogging up on the inside (see
page 73).
Traction — Check your tires
frequently for wear and proper pressure. Both are important in
preventing "hydroplaning" (loss of
traction on a wet surface). In the
winter, mount snow tires on all four
wheels for the best handling.
Watch road conditions carefully, they can change from moment to
moment. Wet leaves can be as slip-
pery as ice. "Clear" roads can have
patches of ice. Driving conditions
can be very hazardous when the
outside temperature is near freez-
ing. The road surface can become
covered with areas of water pud-
dles mixed with areas of ice, so
your traction can change without

warning.

Be careful when downshifting. If
traction is low, you can lock up the
drive wheels for a moment and
cause a skid.

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Driving in Bad Weather, Towing a Trailer
Be very cautious when passing, or
being passed by, other vehicles. The spray from large vehicles
reduces your visibility, and the
wind buffeting can cause you to

lose control.
Towing a Trailer

Your Honda is designed primarily
to carry passengers and their cargo.
You can use it to tow a trailer if
you carefully observe some general

rules.
The total weight of the trailer
and everything loaded in it must
not exceed 450 kg (1,000 Ibs). The "tongue load" should never
exceed 50 kg (110 Ibs). This is the
amount of weight the trailer puts
on the hitch when it is fully-
loaded. As a rule of thumb, the
tongue load should be 10% of the
total trailer package. For example, if the trailer and its
load weigh 225 kg (500 Ibs), the
tongue load should be 22.5 kg (50
Ibs). Adjust the the trailer's cargo
to change the tongue load. Start
by putting approximately 60% of the cargo toward the front and
40% toward the rear. Never load the trailer so the back is heavier
than the front. This takes weight
off your car's rear axle and
reduces traction.
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