air condition HONDA PRELUDE 1992 User Guide

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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Towing a Trailer

Mirrors
Many states and provinces have
laws requiring special outsidemirrors when you are towing a
trailer. Check the laws in your area.
You may want to install mirrors, even if they are not required. Hook
up the trailer and see how much it obscures your ability to see behind
you with the standard mirrors. Ifyou cannot see directly behind you,
or have a large blind spot next to
the trailer or the car, you should
install mirrors intended for towing.
Connecting the Trailer

Most trailers that have a gross
weight of 450 kg (1,000 Ibs) do not
have their own braking system. If you are thinking of getting a trailer
that does have brakes, make sure
they are electrically-operated.
There are no provisions in your car
to tap into its hydraulic braking
system. Any attempt to attach the
trailer's brakes to your car's
hydraulic system, no matter how successful it may seem, will lower
braking effectiveness and create a potential hazard.
Always use a safety chain when towing a trailer. Connect the safety
chain securely at both ends. Make
sure the chain crosses under the
tongue so it will catch the trailer if
it becomes unhitched. Leave
enough slack in the chain so it can't
bind in a sharp turn. Do not let it drag on the ground.
Before Starting Out

As you are preparing to tow your
trailer, do the following:
Measure the trailer's tongue load.
You can do this with a bathroom

scale.

Verify that the hitch and safety chain are securely fastened.
Check the condition and air
pressure of all tires on the trailer
and your car. Low tire pressure
can seriously affect the handling.
Also check the spare tires.
With everything loaded and the
trailer connected, check that the
rear of the car is not sagging. If
so, redistribute the load in the
car.
Check that all lights on the car
are working properly.

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Towing a Trailer

Towing Safety

Your car will not stop as quickly
with a trailer in tow. Leave extra distance between your car and
other vehicles. Avoid braking or
turning suddenly. This could cause
the trailer to jackknife or possibly
turn over.
Keep in mind that your total
vehicle is now much longer. Leave
more room when making turns.
The trailer tracks a smaller arc than the car and can hit or run over
something that the car misses.
When passing another vehicle,
make sure the trailer is clear before changing lanes. The car/trailer combination is more
affected by crosswinds and buffet-
ing. When being passed by a large
vehicle, keep a constant speed and steer straight ahead. If there is too
much wind buffeting, slow down to
get out of the other vehicle's air

turbulence.

Towing a trailer puts an extra load on your car. You should have your
car serviced according to the
"Maintenance schedule under

severe driving conditions" on page
130.
This extra load is magnified when
you are driving in hilly terrain.
Watch the temperature gauge
closely when climbing hills. If it
gets near the hot area, turn off the
air conditioner (if it is on). If this
does not reduce the heat, it may be
necessary to pull to the side of the
road and wait for the engine to cool. If the automatic transmission shifts
frequently between 3rd and 4th
gears, put it in D3. This will help
prevent the transmission from
overheating. Help keep the brakes
from overheating by shifting to a
lower gear when going downhill. If you have to stop while going up-
hill, do not hold the car in place by pressing on the accelerator. This
can cause the automatic transmis-
sion to overheat. Use the parking
brake or footbrake.

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Maintenance

Regularly maintaining your Honda
is the best way to protect your investment. You will be rewarded
with safer, more economical,
trouble-free driving. This section
lists items that need to be checked
regularly and explains how to check them. It also details some
simple maintenance tasks you can

do yourself. The maintenance

schedules for normal and severe
driving conditions show you when
these things need to be done.
If you are interested in how to per-
form more complex maintenance
on your Honda, you can purchase
the Service Manual. See page 221 for information on how to
obtain a copy, or see your Honda

dealer.
Maintenance Schedule................ 128
Maintenance Record................ 131
Periodic Checks............................ 133
Fluid Locations............................. 134

Engine Oil...................................... 135
Checking Engine Oil................ 135

Adding........................................ 135
Recommended Oil.................... 136

Additives.................................... 136 Oil and Filter Changes ............ 137
Cooling System............................. 139 Checking the Coolant Level... 139
Adding Radiator Coolant........ 139
Replacing Coolant.................... 140
Windshield Washers.................... 143

Transmission Oil.......................... 144
Automatic Transmission........ 144
5-speed Transmission.............. 145

Brake and Clutch Fluid............... 146
Brake System............................ 146
Anti-lock Brake System ......... 147 Clutch System........................... 147
Power Steering............................. 148

Air Filter....................................... 149
Fuel Filter..................................... 150

Spark Plugs.................................. .
150
Replacement.............................. 150
Specification.............................. 152
Battery............................................ 152
Windshield Wipers....................... 155
Air Conditioner............................. 157 Engine Belts.................................. 158
Tires................................................ 158 Inflation...................................... 158
Inspection................................... 159
Maintenance.............................. 160
Tire Rotation............................ 160
Replacing Tires ........................ 161
Wheels and Tires...................... 161
DOT Tire Quality Grading..... 161 Treadwear............................. 161
Traction................................. 162
Temperature......................... 162
Winter Driving.......................... 163 Snow Tires............................ 163
Tire Chains............................ 163
Lights.............................................. 164
Replacing Bulbs........................ 164
Storing Your Car.......................... 173

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Maintenance Schedule

The Required Maintenance Schedule specifies how often you
should have your car serviced, and
what things need attention. It is
essential that your car be serviced
as scheduled to retain its high level of safety, dependability, and
emission control performance.
The services and time or mileage intervals shown in the maintenance
schedule assume you will use your
car as normal transportation for
passengers and their possessions.
You should:
Avoid exceeding your car's loadlimit. This puts excess strain on
the engine, brakes, and many
other parts of your car. The load
limit is shown on the label in the
glove box. Operate your car on reasonable
roads within the legal speed limit. Drive your car regularly over a
distance of several miles.
Always use unleaded gasoline

with the proper octane (see page

98).

Your authorized Honda dealer
knows your car best, and can provide competent, efficient
service. However, service at a
dealer is not mandatory to keep
your warranties in effect. Mainte-
nance may be done by any qualified
service facility or person who is
skilled in this type of automotive
service. Keep all the receipts as
proof of completion, and have the
person who does the work fill out
the maintenance record on page 131. Check your warranty booklet
for more information. We recommend the use of Genuine
Honda parts and fluids or their
equivalent whenever you have
maintenance done. These are the
same high-quality items that went
into your car when it was new, so you can be sure they fit and
perform flawlessly.
U.S. Cars:
Maintenance, replacement or
repair of emission control
devices and systems may be
done by any automotive re-
pair establishment or indi-
vidual using parts that are "certified" to EPA standards.

Vehicles sold in California have
slightly different maintenance

requirements. These are noted in

the Required Maintenance Sche-

dule. Other maintenance operations

are required by California regula-

tions, and condition the emission

warranty.

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Maintenance Schedule
R — Replace I — Inspect After inspection, clean, adjust, repair or replace if necessary.

Severe Driving Conditions Items with an or in the chart will need service
more often, if you drive in some servere conditions.
The conditions are:
A. Repeated short distance driving.B. Dusty conditions.
C. Severe cold weather.
D. Areas with road salt or other corrosive materials.
E. Rough or muddy roads.
F. Towing a trailer.
The services are:
— Clean the air cleaner element every 24,000 km (15,000 miles) or 12 months and replace every 48,000 km (30,000 miles) or 24 months under condition B or E.
— Replace engine oil and oil filter every 6,000 km (3,750 miles) o r 3 months under condition A,

B or F
.

— Replace transmission oil every 24,000 km (15,000 miles) or 12 months under condition F.
— Inspect front brake discs and calipers, and rear brake discs, calipers and pads every 12,000 km (7,500 miles) or 6 months under condition A, B, D, E or F.
— Inspect the power steering system every 12,000 km (7,500 miles) o
r 6 months under
condition B, C or E.

Maintenance
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R — Replace I — Inspect After inspection, clean, adjust, repair or replace if necessary.
: Check oil and coolant level at each fuel stop.
: Under severe driving conditions, service these items more often.
* 1 : For cars sold in California, this service is recommended only: other
areas, it is required.
* 2 : Tension adjustment only. *
3 : Thereafter, replace every 2 years or 48,000 km (30,000 miles), which
-
ever comes first.
* 4 : For
cars with Anti-lock brake system.
(US: Si, Si 4WS, Canada
: SR, SR 4WS)
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Periodic Checks

You should check the following items at the specified intervals. If
you are unsure of how to perform
any check, turn to the page given. Engine oil level — Check every
time you fill the gas tank. See
page 102.

Engine coolant level — Check

the radiator reserve tank every
time you fill the gas tank. See

page 103.

Windshield washer fluid —
Check the level in the reservoir
monthly. If weather conditions
cause you to use the washers
frequently, check the reservoir each time you stop for gas. See

page 143 .

Automatic transmission — Check the fluid level monthly.
See page 144. Brakes, clutch and power
steering — Check the fluid level
monthly. See page 146.Tires — Check the tire pressure
monthly. Examine the tread for
wear and foreign objects. See
page 159.
Battery — Check its condition
and the terminals for corrosion
monthly. See page 152.
Air conditioner — Check its operation weekly. See page 157.
Lights — Check the operation of
the headlights, parking lights,
taillights, high-mount brake light,
turn signals, brake lights, and
license plate lights monthly. See
page 164.

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Air Filter

The air filter element should be
replaced every 2 years or 48,000 km
(30,000 miles), whichever comes
first. Under severe driving condi-
tions, it should also be cleaned every 12 months or 24,000 km
(15,000 miles), whichever comes

first.

Cleaning (Severe Conditions)

Clean the air cleaner element by
blowing compressed air through it in the opposite direction to normal
air flow. If you do not have access
to compressed air (such as a gas station), ask your Honda dealer to
do this service.
Follow the replacement procedure
for removal and reinstallation. The air filter element is inside the
box on the passenger's side of the
engine compartment.
To replace it:
1. Unsnap the four hold-down clamps and remove the filter
housing cover.
2. Remove the old air filter element. Clean the inside of the filter
housing with a damp rag. 3. Place the new air cleaner ele-
ment in the housing.
4. Reinstall the housing cover, snap the four hold-down clamps back
into place.

Maintenance
FILTER ELEMENT

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Air Conditioner

Optional for S model

Your car's air conditioner is a
sealed system. Any major mainte-
nance, such as recharging, should
be done by a qualified technician. There are a couple of things you
can do to make sure the air condi-
tioner works efficiently. Periodically check the engine's
radiator and air conditioning
condenser for leaves, insects, and
dirt stuck to the front surface.
These block the air flow and
reduce cooling efficiency. Use a light spray from a hose or a soft
brush to remove them.
The condenser and radiator fins
bend easily. Only use a low- pressure spray or soft-bristle brush

to clean them.

Run the air conditioner at least
once a week during the cold
weather months. Run it for at least ten minutes while you are driving
at a steady speed with the engine at
normal operating temperature.
This circulates the lubricating oil contained in the refrigerant. If the air conditioner does not get
as cold as before, it is probably
because some of the refrigerant has
leaked from the system. Have your dealer check the system for leaks
and recharge the system with
Refrigerant 12 (R-12).
Charging quantity: 750 — 800 g (26.5 — 28.3 oz)
Whenever you have the air condi-
tioning system serviced, make sure
the service facility uses a refrige-
rant recycling system. This system captures the refrigerant for reuse.
Releasing refrigerant into the at-
mosphere can damage the environ-
ment.

Maintenance

AIR CONDITIONING

CONDENSER
NOTICE
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