key HONDA PRELUDE 1998 User Guide

Keys and Locks
To protect items in the trunk when you need to give the key to someoneelse, lock the trunk release handle
with the master key and give the other person the valet key. Glove Box
Open the glove box by pulling the
bottom of the handle. Close it with a
firm push. Lock or unlock the glove box with the master key.

Instruments and Controls
An open glove box can cause
serious injury to your passenger
in a crash, even if the
passenger is wearing the seat

belt.

Always keep the glove box closed while driving.
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Folding Rear Seat

The back of the rear seat folds down, giving you direct access to the trunk.
The seat-back can be released from inside the vehicle or inside the trunk.
To fold down the seat-back frominside the vehicle, insert the master
key in the lock on the rear shelf.
Turn the key clockwise, pull down the top of the seat-back, then release
the key. To release the seat-back from inside
the trunk, pull the release under therear shelf.
To lock the seat-back upright, push it firmly against the rear shelf. Makesure it is latched in place by pulling
on the top of the seat.

CONTINUED

Instruments and Controls

MASTER KEY

RELEASE

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Power Windows

The master control panel also con- tains these extra features:
AUTO — To open the driver's window fully, push the window switch firmly down and release it.
The window automatically goes all the way down. To stop the window
from going all the way down, pull
back on the window switch briefly.
To open the driver's window only partially, push the window switchdown lightly and hold it. The window
will stop as soon as you release the
switch.

The AUTO function only works to lower the driver's window. To raise
the window, you must pull back on
the window switch and hold it until
the window reaches the desired

position.
The MAIN switch controls power to
the passenger's window. With thisswitch off, the passenger's window
cannot be raised or lowered. The
MAIN switch does not affect the driver's window. Keep the MAIN
switch off when you have children in
the vehicle so they do not injure themselves by operating the window
unintentionally.
The power window system has a key- off delay function. The windows will
still operate for up to ten minutes
after you turn off the ignition.
Opening either door cancels thedelay function. You must turn the
ignition ON (II) again before you can
raise or lower the windows.

Instruments and Controls

Closing a power window on a
child's hands or fingers can
cause serious injury.

Make sure your children are

away from the windows before

closing them.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Moonroof

Use the switch on the dashboard to
open and close the moonroof. The
ignition must be ON (II). Push and hold the switch to open the
moonroof. Release the switch when
the moonroof reaches the desired
position. To close the moonroof, press and hold the switch. The moonroof has a key-off delay.
You can still open and close the
moonroof for up to ten minutes after
you turn off the ignition. The key-off delay cancels as soon as you open
either door. You must then turn the
ignition ON (II) for the moonroof to
operate.
If you try to open the moonroof in
below-freezing temperatures, or whenit is covered with snow or ice, you can
damage the moonroof panel or motor.

Instruments and Controls MOONROOF SWITCH

NOTICE

Closing the moonroof on
someone's hands or fingers can
cause serious injury.
Make sure passengers are
clear of the moonroof before
closing it.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Interior Lights

Turn on the spotlight by pushing the button next to each light. Push the
button again to turn it off. You can
use the spotlights at all times.
Courtesy Lights

Your car has a courtesy light in the
ignition switch. The ignition switch
light comes on whenever you open either door. It remains on, then fades
out in about 10 seconds after both
doors are closed tightly.
The ignition switch light and ceiling light (with the switch in the center
position) also comes on when you
unlock the door with the key, the
lock tab on the driver's door, or the master door lock switch. If you
relock the driver's door or close the driver's door with the key in the
ignition switch, the lights turns off immediately. Otherwise, the light
remains on, then fades out in about 10 seconds.
If you keep the door open, the ceiling
light (with the switch in the center
position) will turn off after three minutes when the key is not in the
ignition switch.

On Type SH

Your vehicle also has a courtesy light in each door. Each door light comes
on when the door is opened, and
goes out when the door is closed
tightly.

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Starting the Engine

1. Apply the parking brake.
2. In cold weather, turn off all electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.

3. Manual Transmission:
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way. START (III) does not
function unless the clutch pedal is

depressed.

Automatic Transmission:

Make sure the shift lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.
4. Without touching the accelerator pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. If the engine
does not start right away, do not
hold the key in START (III) for
more than 15 seconds at a time.
Pause for at least 10 seconds
before trying again. 5. If the engine does not start within
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 4 with the
accelerator pedal pressed half-way
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race.
6. If the engine still does not start, press the accelerator pedal all the
way down and hold it there while
starting in order to clear flooding.
As before, keep the ignition key in
the START (III) position for no
more than 15 seconds. Return to
step 5 if the engine does not start.
If it starts, lift your foot off the
accelerator pedal so the engine
does not race.

Starting in Cold Weather at High
Altitude (Above 8,000 feet/ 2,400 meters)

An engine is harder to start in cold
weather. The thinner air found at high altitude above 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) adds to the problem.
Use the following procedure:
1. Turn off all electrical accessories to reduce the drain on the battery.
2. Push the accelerator pedal half- way to the floor and hold it there
while starting the engine. Do nothold the ignition key in START (III) for more than 15 seconds.
When the engine starts, release the accelerator pedal gradually as
the engine speeds up and smooths out.
3. If the engine fails to start in step 2, push the accelerator pedal to the
floor and hold it there while you
try to start the engine for no morethan 15 seconds. If the enginedoes not start, return to step 2.

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Automatic Transmission

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. Move the shift
lever to the right to shift out of the
Park position.
If you have done all of the above and still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see Shift Lock Release on page

143.
To avoid transmission damage, cometo a complete stop before shifting
into Park. The shift lever must be inPark before you can remove the key
from the ignition switch. Reverse (R) — To shift to Reverse
from Park, see the explanation under Park. To shift to Reverse from
Neutral, come to a complete stop and
then shift.
Your car has a reverse lockout so
you cannot accidentally shift to Reverse from Neutral or any other
driving position when the vehiclespeed exceeds 7 — 9 mph (12 — 14

km/h).

If you cannot shift to Reverse when
the car is stopped, press the brake pedal and slowly shift to Neutral
then to Reverse.
If there is a problem in the reverse
lockout system, or your vehicle's
battery is disconnected or goes dead,
you cannot shift to Reverse. In this
case, use the procedure of Shift Lock Release (see page 143).
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Automatic Transmission

Shift Lock Release
This allows you to move the shift lever out of Park if the normalmethod of pushing on the brake
pedal does not work. This procedurealso releases the Reverse Lockout.
1. Set the Parking brake.
2. Make sure the key is in the ignition switch OFF (0) position.
To release the Reverse Lockout, make sure the key is in the
ACCESSORY (I) position.
3. Put a cloth on the edge of the shift lock release slot cover next to theshift lever.
Use a small flat-tipped screwdriver
or small metal plate (neither are
included in the tool kit) to remove
the cover. Carefully pry off the
edge of the cover. 4. Insert a screwdriver in the shift
lock release slot.
5. Push down on the screwdriver and move the shift lever out of Park to
Neutral.
To release the Reverse Lockout, move the shift lever from Neutral
to Reverse, then Park. 6. Remove the screwdriver from the
shift lock release slot, then install
a new cover.
Depress the brake pedal and
restart the engine.
If you need to use the Shift Lock Release, it means your vehicle is
developing a problem. Have the
vehicle checked by your Honda dealer.

Driving

COVER
SHIFT LOCK
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Changing a Flat Tire, If Your Engine Won't Start
19. Secure the flat tire by screwing the win

g bolt back into its hole.
20. Store the jack in its holder. Turn the jack's end bracket to lock it in
place.

Replace the cover. Store the
tool kit. 21. Stor
e the center cap in the trunk.
Make

sure it does not get scratch-
ed

or damaged.
22.
Lower the trunk floor, then close
the trunk lid.
Type SH only
If yo

u mount the compact spare on
either front or rear tire, it may cause
the

ATTS indicator light in the
instrument

panel to come on due to
the

difference in tire diameter. The
light

will go out when the proper tire

is installed.
If Your Engine Won't Start
Diagnosing

why your engine won't
start falls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
key to START (III):
You hear nothing, or almostnothing. The engine's starter
motor does not operate at all, oroperates

very slowly. You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, or the starter
motor
sounds like it is spinning
faster than normal, but the engine does

not start up and run.

Taking Car

e of the Unexpected

Loose items can fly around the

interior i

n a crash and could

seriously injure the occupants.

Store th

e wheel, jack and tools

securely before driving.
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If Your Engine Won't Start

Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
When you turn the ignition switch to START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying tostart. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at all. Check these things: Your vehicle has the Immobilizer
System. You should use a
properly-coded master or valet key
to start the engine (see page 69).
A key that is not properly coded will cause the immobilizer systemindicator in the dash panel to blinkrapidly. Check the transmission interlock.
If you have a manual transmission,
the clutch pedal must be pushed all the way to the floor or the
starter will not operate. With an
automatic transmission, it must be
in Park or Neutral. Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights and check
their brightness. If the headlightsare very dim or don't light at all,
the battery is discharged. See

Jump Starting on page 236.
Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim,
check the condition of the fuses. If
the fuses are OK, there is proba-
bly something wrong with the electrical circuit for the ignitionswitch or starter motor. You will
need a qualified technician to
determine the problem. (See
Towing on page 250.) If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the
engine, either the battery is dis-
charged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of
the battery and terminal connec- tions (see page 190). You can
then try jump starting the vehicle
from a booster battery (see page
236).

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