fuel HONDA PRELUDE 1992 Owners Manual

Instruments and Controls

This section gives information
about the controls and displays that
contribute to the daily operation of

your Honda. All the essential

controls are within easy reach.
Control Locations......................... 30

Indicator Lights.............................. 31

Gauges............................................. 37
Speedometer
.............................
37

Tachometer................................. 37
Odometer
.................................... 37

Trip Meter................................... 37

Fuel Gauge..................................
38
Temperature Gauge
..................

38

Controls Near the
Steering

Wheel
....................................... 39

Headlights................................... 40

Daytime Running Lights.......... 40

Instrument Panel Brightness... 41

Turn Signals................................ 41

Windshield Wipers.....................
42

Windshield Washers.................
42

Steering Wheel Adjustment ....
. 43

Steering Wheel Controls............... 44
Cruise Control............................ 44
Horn ............................................ 47
Keys and Locks.............................. 47

Keys.............................................. 47

Ignition Switch........................... 47

Door Locks.................................. 48
Power Door Locks ..................... 48

Trunk.......................................... 50

Seat Adjustments........................... 51

Rear Seat Access........................ 52
Additional Driver' s
Seat

Adjustments...........................
53

Seat Heaters.................................... 54

Folding Rea r
Seat.......................... 55

Hazard Warning............................ 56

Rear Window Defogger ................ 56

Power Windows.............................. 57

Sunroof ...........................................
58

Mirrors ........................................... 59

Parking Brake................................ .

61

Glove Box........................................
.

62

Digital Clock..................................
.
63

Center Console Compartment .... 64
Vanity
Mirror
..............................
64
Cigarette Lighter
..........................
.
65

Ashtray........................................... 65

Interior Lights...............................
.

66
Instruments an
d
ControlsProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

Control Locations

MIRROR
CONTROLS(P.60)

FUEL FILLER
DOOR RELEASE
(P.100) DOOR LOCK
SWITCH (P.49) POWER WINDOW
SWITCH
(P.57) DIGITAL CLOCK
(P.63)

TRUNK RELEASE HANDLE
(P.50)
HOOD RELEASE

HANDLE

(P.101)
HEATING/
COOLING
CONTROL

(P.68)

AUDIO SYSTEM (P.75, 84)

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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
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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
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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
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Controls Near the Steering Wheel
Instrument Panel Brightness
The dial

on the dashboard to the
left of the instrument panel con- trols the brightness of the instru-
ment panel lights. Turn the dial to
adjust the brightness.
To reduce glare at night, the fuel and temperature gauges dim when
you turn on the parking lights or
headlights. You then adjust their
brightness when you adjust the instrument panel brightness. Turn the dial up as far as it will go to
return the fuel and temperature
gauges to their daytime brightness.

Turn Signals

Signal a turn or lane change with
this lever. Push down on the lever
to signal a left turn, and up to
signal a right turn. If you push it up
or down all the way, the turn signal
continues to blink even when you
release the lever. It shuts off auto-
matically as you complete the turn. To signal a lane change, push
lightly on the turn signal lever in
the proper direction and hold it.
The lever will return to the center position as soon as you release it.

Instruments and Controls

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Before Driving

Before you begin driving your
Honda, you should know what gaso-
line to use, and that your car is full
of oil and other important fluids.
You also need to know how to pro-
perly stow luggage or packages.
This section will help you. If you plan to add any accessories to your
car, please read the informatio n in
this section
first.

Break-in Period .............................. 98

Gasoline........................................... 98

Oxygenated Fuels...................... 98
Driving in Foreign Countries... 99
Service Station Procedures........ 100 Filling the Gas Tank ............... 100
Opening the Hood....................
101
Fuel Economy
.............................. 104
Vehicle Condition..................... 104
Driving Habits.......................... 104

Accessories................................... 105
Loading Cargo.............................. 106

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Break-in Period, Gasoline

Break-in Period

Help assure your car's future
reliability and performance by
paying extra attention to how you
drive during the first 1,000 km (600

miles).

During thi
s period:
Avoid full-throttle starts and
rapid acceleration.
If you need to add oil, use the
engine oil recommended in this
owner's manual.
Avoid hard braking. New brakes need to be broken-in by moderate
use for the first 300 km (200

miles).

You should follow these same re-
commendations with an overhauled
or exchanged engine, or when the
brakes are relined. Gasoline
Your Honda is designed to operate
most effectively on unleaded

gasoline.

Using gasoline containing lead will
damage your car's emission
controls. Thi s
contributes to air
pollution and can void certain parts
of your warranty.

(S model)

Use an unleaded gasoline with a
pump octane number of 86 or
higher.
Use of a lower octane gasoline can
cause a persistent, heavy metallic
rapping noise that can lead to
engine damage.

(All other models)

Use a
premium unleaded gasoline
with a pump octane number of
91
or higher .
I
f you are unable to find premium
unleaded, you may substitute an
unleaded regular gasoline. The engine will compensate for the
lower octane, but you may notice a
slight decrease in power as a result.

Oxygenated Fuels

Some conventional gasolines are

being blended with alcohol or an
ether compound to increase the

gasoline's octane. These gasolines
are collectively referred to as

oxygenated fuels. Some areas of

the United States and Canada use
oxygenated fuels to help meet clean
air standards.

If you use an oxygenated fuel, be

sure it meets the minimum octane

rating requirement as recom-

mended.

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Gasoline

ETHANOL (ethyl or grain alcohol) — Gasoline containing more than
10% ethanol by volume may cause
starting and/or performance
problems. Gasoline containing
ethanol may be marketed under the name "Gasohol."
METHANOL (methyl or woodalcohol) — Gasoline containing
methanol must contain cosolvents
and corrosion inhibitors to protect
the fuel system. Gasoline contain-
ing more than 5% methanol by
volume may cause starting and/orperformance problems and may
damage metal, rubber and plastic
parts o f
your fuel system.
MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl
Ether) — You may use gasoline containing up to 15% MTBE by

volume.
Before using an oxygenated fuel,
try to confirm the fuel's contents.
Some states and provinces require
this information to be posted on the
pump. If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, switch to a
conventional unleaded gasoline.
Fuel system damage or perform-
ance problems resulting from the
use of an oxygenated fuel are not
the responsibility of Honda and are not covered under warranty.
Oxygenated fuels can damage paint and plastic. Be careful not to spill
fuel when filling your fuel tank.
Damage caused by spilled fuel is
not covered under warranty. Driving in Foreign Countries
Using any type of leaded gasoline
in your Honda will affect perform-
ance and damage its emission con-
trols. Unleaded gasoline may not be
available i
n
other countries. If you
are planning to take your car out-
side the U.S. or Canada, write to
Honda at the address shown for
information about any modifica-
tions your car may need. Be sure to include the year and model of your
car.

U.S. Owners:

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Consumer Affairs
1919 Torrance Blvd.

Torrance, CA 90501-2746

Canadian Owners:

Honda Canada Inc.
715 Milner Ave.
Scarborough, Ontario M1B 2K8

Before Driving

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Service Station Procedures

Filling the Gas Tank

1. The fuel filler is on the driver's
side of the car. Park with that
side closest to the service station
pumps.

2. Open the fuel filler door by

pulling on the handle to the left
of the driver's seat.

3. Remove
the gas cap slowly. You
may hear a hissing sound as
pressure inside the tank escapes.
Place the gas cap on the inside of
the door as shown.
4. Stop
filling the tank after the gas

pump automatically clicks off.
Do not try to "top off" the tank,
leave some room for the fuel to expand with temperature
changes.

5. Screw
the gas cap back on,

tighten it until it clicks.

6. Push the fuel filler door until it

latches.

Before Drivin
g
Handlin
g gasoline improperly
can cause it to ignite or ex- plode, causing you to be seri-
ously or fatally injured.
Always put out cigarettes and
other smoking materials, and
keep all sparks and open
flames away when you are
around gasoline.
GAS CAP

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