engine HONDA PRELUDE 1992 Owners Manual

1992 Prelude Online Reference Owner's Manual
Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through\
this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.h\
elminc.com.

Contents

Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safet y........................................................................\
.........................................ii
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
......................................3
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restr\
aint System.
Instruments and Controls........................................................................\
.........................................29
Instrument panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering colu\
mn controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features ........................................................................\
...................... 67
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
.......................................................... 97
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
......................................................................107
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................127
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your vehicle to the dealer.
Appearance Care........................................................................\
......................................................175
Tips on cleaning and protecting your vehicle. Things to look for if your\
vehicle ever needs body repairs.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
..............................183
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, and how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
.............................................203
ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)................................................................215
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................221
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index ........................................................................\
........................ ......................................................

I
Gas Station Information
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the gas pump.

ProCarManuals.com

Supplemental Restraint System

The passenger's airbag is stored
near the top of the dashboard,
under a lid marked SRS. Do not
place any objects on top of this lid. If the airbag inflates, those objects
can be propelled inside the car and possibly hurt someone.
How the SRS
Indicator Light Works

The purpose of the SRS light on
your instrument panel is to alert
you of a potential problem with
your supplemental restraint system.
Have the system checked if:
The light does not come on when
you turn the ignition ON (II). The light stays on after the
engine starts.
The light comes on or flashes
while you are driving.
System Service

Your supplemental restraint
system is virtually maintenance-
free. There are no parts you can
safely service.
You must have the system serviced
by an authorized Honda dealer in the following situations: If your airbag ever inflates. The
bag must be replaced. Do not try
to remove or discard the airbag
by yourself. This must be done by a Honda dealer.
If the SRS indicator light alerts
you of a problem. Have the
supplemental restraint system
checked as soon as possible.
Otherwise, your airbag might not
inflate when you need it. When the car is ten years old, get
the system inspected. The
production date is on the driver's
door jamb for your convenience.
Driver and Passenger Safety
SRS
ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Carbon Monoxide Hazard

Your car's exhaust contains carbon monoxide gas. You should have no
problem with carbon monoxide
entering the car in normal driving
if you maintain your car properly.
Have the exhaust system inspected
for leaks whenever: The car is raised for an oil

change.
You notice a change in the sound
of the exhaust.
The car was in an accident that
may have damaged the under-

side.
High levels of carbon monoxide can
collect rapidly in enclosed areas,
such as a garage. Do not run the
engine with the garage door closed.
Even with the door open, run the
engine only long enough to move
the car out of the garage.
With the trunk lid open, air flow
can pull exhaust gas into the trunk.
This can get into your car's interior
and create a hazardous condition. If
you must drive with the trunk lid
open, open all the windows and set
the heating and cooling system as
shown in the next column. If you must sit in your parked car,
even in an unconfined area, with
the engine running, adjust the
heating and cooling system as
follows:
1. Select the Fresh Air mode. 2. Select the mode.
3. Turn the fan on high speed.
4. Set the temperature control to a comfortable setting.
Driver and Passenger Safety

Carbon monoxide gas is toxic.
Breathing it can cause uncon-
sciousness and can even kill

you.

Avoid any enclosed areas or
activities that expose you to
carbon monoxide.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Indicator Lights
* The U.S. instrument panel is
shown. Differences for the Canadi-
an model are noted in the text.

Instruments and Controls

CRUISE CONTROL INDICATOR
LOW FUEL INDICATOR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT*
BRAKE LAMP
INDICATOR
TRUNK-OPEN INDICATOR DOOR-OPEN INDICATOR
LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT
CHARGING SYSTEM LIGHT SEAT BELT
REMINDER
LIGHT PARKING BRAKE
AND BRAKE
SYSTEM LIGHT* ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM
INDICATORProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Indicator Lights

Seat Belt Reminder

Light

This indicator lights when you turn the ignition ON (II). It is a reminder
to you and your passengers to protect yourselves by fastening the
seat belts. A beeper also sounds if
you have not fastened your seat

belt.

If you do not fasten your seat belt,
the beeper will stop after a few seconds but the light stays on until
you do. Both the light and the
beeper stay off if you fasten your seat belt before turning on the

ignition.
Charging System

Light

This light indicates the battery is not being charged. It should come
on when the ignition is ON (II), and
go out after the engine starts. If
this light comes on while driving,
the battery is not being charged.
Turn to page 196 for information
about what to do.

Low Oil Pressure

Light

This indicator lights when the oil
pressure in the engine drops low
enough to cause damage. It should
light when the ignition is ON (II)
and go out after the engine starts.
If this light comes on when the
engine is running, there is a possi-
bility of serious engine damage. Safely pull to the side of the road
and shut off the engine as soon as
you can. Turn to page 195 for in-
structions and precautions on
checking the engine.
Canada

Parking Brake
and Brake
System Light

This light has two functions:
1. It lights as a reminder that you
have set the parking brake.
Driving with the parking brake
set can damage the brakes and
tires, and cause the Anti-lock
brake system to turn off (see
page 118).

2. I t
can indicate the brake fluid

level is low if it remains lit after
you release the parking brake or
comes on while driving. This is
normally due to worn brake pads.
Have your dealer check the
braking system for worn pads o r
flui d

leaks.

Instruments an d
Controls

US

BRAKEProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Indicator Lights

Supplemental
Restraint System
Indicator

Only on cars equipped with SRS

The SRS light normally comes on
for a few seconds when you turn
the ignition ON (II). If it doesn't, or it stays on after the engine starts,
something is wrong with the
Supplemental Restraint System. It
may also flash on and off to indi-
cate a problem.
If you see any of these indications,
the airbag may not work when
needed in an accident. Take the car
to your dealer promptly for diag-
nosis and service.
Anti-lock Brake
System (ABS)
Indicator

Only on cars equipped with ABS (see
page 117)
This light normally comes on whenyou turn the ignition ON (II) and
goes off after the engine starts. If it
comes on a
t any other time, there is
a problem in the ABS. If this
happens, stop the car in a safe place
and tur n
off the engine. Reset the
system by restarting the engine.
Watch the ABS light. If it does not
go off, or comes back on again
while driving, take the car to your
dealer to have it checked. With the
light on, your car still has normal
braking ability but no anti-lock.
Check Engine
Light

This light 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 emission control systems
may have a problem. Turn to page
167 fo r

information about what to

do.

Brake Lam
p

Indicator

This light normally comes on for a

few seconds when you turn the
ignition switc h
ON (II). If this light

comes on at any other time, it

indicates a brake light does not

work.

A burned out brake light is a

hazard when drivers behind you

cannot tell you are braking. Have

your brake lights repaired right

away.

Instruments an d
Controls

SRS ABS US
Canada

BRAKE LAMP
ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Indicator Lights

Four Wheel Steering

System (4WS)
Indicator

Only on cars equipped with electronic

four wheel steering

This light normally comes on when you turn the ignition ON (II) and
goes off after the engine starts. If it
comes on at any other time, there is
a problem in the 4WS. If this
happens, stop the car in a safe placeand turn off the engine. Reset the
system by restarting the engine.
Watch the 4WS light. If it does not
go off, or comes back on again
while driving, take the car to yourdealer to have the system checked.
The 4WS system is disabled with this light on. The rear wheels are
locked straight ahead, and your car
steers like a conventional car
without 4WS.
Turn Signal and

Hazard Warning

Indicators

The left or right turn signal light
blinks when you signal a lane change or turn. If the light does not
blink or blinks rapidly, it usually
means one of the turn signal bulbs is burned out (see page 164).Replace it as soon as possible, since
other driver s
cannot see that you
are signaling.
When you turn on the Hazard
Warning switch, both turn signal
lights blink. All turn signals on the outside of the car should flash.

High Beam Indicator

This light comes on with the high
beam headlights. See page 40 for information on the headlight
controls.

Instruments and Controls

4WS


Low fuel Indicator

This light comes on as a reminder
that you must refuel soon.
Cruise Control

Indicator

This lights when you set the cruise control. See page 44 for informa-
tion on operating the cruise control.

Trunk-open Indicator

This light comes on if the trunk lid
is not closed tightly.
Door-open Indicator

This light comes on if either door is
not closed tightly.

CRUISE
CONTROL
ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Gauges

Speedometer
U.S. Models

This shows your speed in miles per
hour. The smaller inner numbers are the speed in kilometers per
hour.

Canadian Models

This shows your speed in kilo- meters per hour. The smaller inner
numbers are the speed in miles per
hour.
Tachometer

The tachometer shows the engine speed in revolutions per minute
(rpm). To protect the engine from
damage, never drive with the
tachometer needle in the red zone.
Odometer

The odometer shows the total dis- tance your car has been driven. It
measures miles in U.S. models and
kilometers in Canadian models. It is illegal under federal law (in the
U.S.) and provincial regulations (in
Canada) to alter the odometer with
the intent to change the number of
miles or kilometers indicated.

Trip Meter

This meter shows the number of miles (U.S.) or kilometers (Canada)

driven since you last reset it. To

reset it, push the trip meter reset

button.

Instruments and Controls

ODOMETER

TRIP METER
TRIP METER

RESET BUTTON

SPEEDOMETER

TACHOMETERProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Gauges

Fuel Gauge

This shows how much fuel you
have. The fuel gauge is fully
electronic, lighting one of the
indicator bars to show the current
fuel level. It is most accurate when you are driving or parked on level
ground. The indicated fuel level may vary when you are driving on
curved or hilly roads. As a test, all the indicator bars in
the fuel gauge light for several
seconds when you turn the ignition
to ON (II).
Temperature Gauge

The temperature gauge is fully
electronic. It uses a series of
illuminated indicator bars to show
the engine coolant's temperature range. Under normal driving
conditions, you will see one of the
bars at the display's midpoint. In more severe driving conditions,
such as very hot weather or
climbing a long hill, the engine may
get hot enough to illuminate the
white indicator on the right side of
the gauge. If the red indicator
above the H comes on, pull safely
to the side of the road. Turn to
page 193 for instructions and
precautions on checking the
engine's cooling system.
As a test, all the indicator bars in the temperature gauge illuminate
when you turn the ignition ON (II).

Instruments and Controls
FUEL GAUGE
TEMPERATURE
GAUGEProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Keys and Locks

Ignition Switch

The ignition switch is on the right
side of the steering column. It has

four positions: LOCK (0), ACCES-
SORY (I), ON(II), and START (III).
LOCK (0) — You can insert or
remove the key only in this position.
When you turn the key from LOCK
to ACCESSORY, you may have to
turn the steering wheel to release
the anti-theft lock. To switch from
ACCESSORY to LOCK, you must push the key in slightly as you turn
it. If your car has an automatic
transmission, it must also be in
Park. The anti-theft lock will lock
the steering column when you
remove the key. ACCESSORY (I) — In this

position, you can operate the audio

system and cigarette lighter.
ON (II) — This is the normal key

position when driving. All features

and accessories on the car are
usable. Several of the lights on the instrument panel come on as a test
when you turn the ignition switch
from ACCESSORY to ON (see
page 31).

START (III) — Use this position
only to start the engine. The switch
returns to ON when you let go of
the key.
You will hear a reminder beeper if
you open either front door with the
key in the LOCK or ACCESSORY position. Remove the key to turn it
off.
Instruments and Controls
Removing the key from the
ignition switch while driving
locks the steering. This can
cause you to lose control.
Remove the key from the igni-
tion switch only when parked.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t