HONDA PRELUDE 2000 Owner's Manual (in English)

Oxygenate
d Fuel s

Some conventional gasolines are
being blended with alcohol or an ether compound. These gasolines
are collectively referred to as
oxygenated fuels. To meet clean air
standards, some areas of the United
States and Canada use oxygenated
fuels to help reduce emissions.
If you use an oxygenated fuel, be
sure it is unleaded and meets the
minimum octane rating requirement.
Before using an oxygenated fuel, try
to confirm the fuel's contents. Some states/provinces require this
information to be posted on the
pump.
The following are the U.S. EPA and
Canadian CGSB approved
percentages of oxygenates:
ETHANO L (ethyl or grain alcohol)
You may use gasoline containing up to 10 percent ethanol by volume. Gasoline containing ethanol may be
marketed under the name "Gasohol."
MTB E (Methyl Tertiary Butyl
Ether)
You may use gasoline containing up to 15 percent MTBE by volume.
METHANO L (methyl or wood

alcohol)

Your vehicle was not designed to use fuel that contains methanol. Methanol can corrode metal parts in
the fuel system, and also damage plastic and rubber components. Thisdamage would not be covered by
your warranties. If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline.
Fuel system damage or performance
problems resulting from the use ofan oxygenated fuel containing more
than the percentages of oxygenates
given above are not covered under
warranty.

Technica l Informatio n

If you are planning to take your
Honda outside the U.S. or Canada,
contact the tourist bureaus in the areas you will be traveling in to find
out about the availability of unleaded
gasoline with the proper octane
rating.

If unleaded gasoline is not available,
be aware that using leaded gasoline in your Honda will affect perfor-
mance and fuel mileage, and damage
its emissions controls. It will no longer comply with U.S. and
Canadian emissions regulations, and
will be illegal to operate in North
America. To bring your car back into compliance will require the replace-
ment of several components, such as
the oxygen sensors and the three
way catalytic converter. These re- placements are not covered under
warranty.
Drivin
g in Foreig n Countrie s

Technica l Informatio n

Emission
s Control s

The burning of gasoline in your car's engine produces several byproducts.
Some of these are carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and
hydrocarbons (HC). Gasoline evaporating from the tank also
produces hydrocarbons. Controlling
the production of NOx, CO, and HC is important to the environment.
Under certain conditions of sunlight and climate, NOx and HC react to
form photochemical "smog." Carbon monoxide does not contribute tosmog creation, but it is a poisonous

gas.
Th
e Clea n Ai r Ac t
The United States Clean Air Act* sets standards for automobile
emissions. It also requires that
automobile manufacturers explain to owners how their emissions controls
work and what to do to maintain
them. This section summarizes how
the emissions controls work.
Scheduled maintenance is on page 172.
* In Canada, Honda vehicles comply
with the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) for
Emissions valid at the time they are
manufactured.
Crankcas e Emission s Contro l
Syste m
Your car has a Positive Crankcase
Ventilation System. This keeps gasses that build up in the engine'scrankcase from going into the
atmosphere. The Positive Crankcase
Ventilation valve routes them from the crankcase back to the intake
manifold. They are then drawn into
the engine and burned.
Evaporativ e Emission s Contro l
Syste m
As gasoline evaporates in the fuel tank, an evaporative emissionscontrol canister filled with charcoal
adsorbs the vapor. It is stored in this
canister while the engine is off. After
the engine is started and warmed up,
the vapor is drawn into the engineand burned during driving.
Onboar d Refuelin g Vapo r
Recover y
The Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery (ORVR) system captures
the fuel vapors during refueling. The
vapors are adsorbed in a canister filled with activated carbon. While driving, the fuel vapors are drawn
into the engine and burned off.

Technica l Informatio n

Emission
s Control s

Exhaus t Emission s Control s
The exhaust emissions controls include four systems: PGM-FI,
Ignition Timing Control, Exhaust
Gas Recirculation and Three WayCatalytic Converter. These four
systems work together to control the
engine's combustion and minimize
the amount of HC, CO, and NOx that comes out the tailpipe. The exhaustemissions control systems are
separate from the crankcase and
evaporative emissions control

systems.

PGM-FI System
The PGM-FI System uses sequential multiport fuel injection.It has three subsystems: Air Intake,
Engine Control, and Fuel Control.
The Engine Control Module (ECM) uses various sensors to determine
how much air is going into the engine. It then controls how much
fuel to inject under all operating conditions. Ignition Timing Control System
This system constantly adjusts the ignition timing, reducing the amount
of HC, CO and NOx produced.
Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR)
System

The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system takes some of the
exhaust gas and routes it back into
the intake manifold. Adding exhaust
gas to the air/fuel mixture reduces the amount of NOx produced when
the fuel is burned.
Three Way Catalytic Converter
The three way catalytic converter is in the exhaust system. Throughchemical reactions, it converts HC,
CO, and NOx in the engine's exhaust
to carbon dioxide (CO 2), dinitrogen
(N 2), and water vapor. Replacemen
t Part s
The emissions control systems are designed and certified to work to-
gether in reducing emissions to
levels that comply with the Clean Air
Act. To make sure the emissions remain low, you should use only newGenuine Honda replacement parts or
their equivalent for repairs. Using
lower quality parts may increase the emissions from your car.
The emissions control systems are covered by warranties separate from
the rest of your car. Read your
warranty manual for more informa- tion.

Technical Informatio n

Thre
e Wa y Catalyti c Converte r
The three way catalytic converter contains precious metals that serve
as catalysts, promoting chemical
reactions to convert the exhaust
gasses without affecting the metals.
The catalytic converter is referred to as a three-way catalyst, since it acts
on HC, CO, and NOx. A replacement
unit must be an original Honda part
or its equivalent.
The three way catalytic converter must operate at a high temperature
for the chemical reactions to take
place. It can set on fire any com-
bustible materials that come near it. Park your car away from high grass,
dry leaves, or other flammables. A defective three way catalytic
converter contributes to air pollution,
and can impair your engine's per-
formance. Follow these guidelines to protect your car's three way catalyticconverter. Always use unleaded gasoline.
Even a small amount of leaded
gasoline can contaminate the catalyst metals, making the three
way catalytic converter ineffective. Keep the engine tuned-up.
Have your car diagnosed and

repaired if it is misfiring, back-

firing, stalling, or otherwise not
running properly.

Technica l Informatio n THRE
E WA Y CATALYTI C CONVERTE R

Warrant
y an d Custome r Relation s

Customer Relations Information................................. 274
U.S. Zone Office Map.................... 275 Canada Zone Office Map.............. 276
Warranty Coverages..................... 277
Reporting Safety Defects (U.S. Vehicles)........................... 278
Authorized Manuals...................... 279
Warrant y an d Custome r Relation s

Custome
r Relation s Informatio n

Honda dealership personnel are
trained professionals. They should
be able to answer all your questions. If you encounter a problem that your
dealership does not solve to your
satisfaction, please discuss it with
the dealership's management. The Service Manager or General
Manager can help. Almost all
problems are solved in this way. If you are dissatisfied with the
decision made by the dealership's
management, contact your Honda
Customer Relations Zone Office.
Refer to the U.S. and Canadian Zone
Office maps on the following pages.
When you call or write, please give

us this information:

Vehicle Identification Number
(see page 262) Name and address of the dealer
who services your car
Date of purchase
Mileage on your car
Your name, address, and tele-
phone number A detailed description of the
problem
Name of the dealer who sold the
car to you

Warrant y an d Custome r Relation s

U.S
. Zon e Offic e Ma p

The addresses and telephone numbers are subject to change. If you cannot reach your Zone office, ask your Honda dealer for the current information. Western Zone
P.O. Box 2260
700 Van Ness Avenue
Torrance, California
90509-2260
(310) 781-4565
Northwestern Zone
P.O. Box 20186
12439 N.E. Airport Way
Portland, Oregon 97230

(503) 256-0943

(also includes Alaska and
Hawaii)
South Central Zone

4529 Royal Lane

Irving, Texas 75063

(972) 929-5481

Central Zone101 South Stanfield Road
Troy, Ohio 45373
(937) 332-6250

Northeastern Zone

P.O. Box 337

Eastgate Industrial Park 115 Gaither Drive
Moorestown, New Jersey 08057

(609) 235-5533

Includes: NYC Metro area and
Fairfield County, CT area
Mid-Atlantic Zone

902 Wind River Ln., Suite 200
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878
(301) 990-2020
Southeastern Zone1500 Morrison Parkway
Alpharetta, Georgia 30004
(770) 442-2045

North Central Zone
601 Campus Drive, Suite A-9

Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004
(847) 870-5600
New England Zone
555 Old County Road
Windsor Locks, Connecticut 06096 (860)623-3310
See Zone 5 for:NYC Metro area and
Fairfield County, CT area
West Central Zone1600 South Abilene Street, Suite D
Aurora, Colorado 80012
(303) 696-3935

Puerto Rico and U.S. V.I.
Bella International

P.O. Box 190816

San Juan, PR 00919-0816 (787) 250-4318

Warrant y an d Custome r Relation s

Canad
a Zon e Offic e Ma p

CUSTOMER RELATION S
RELATION S AVE C L A CLIENTEL E
Honda Canada Inc.

715 Milner Avenue

Toronto, ON
M1B 2K8

Tel: 1-888-9-HONDA-9
Fax: Toll-free 1-877-939-0909
Toronto (416) 287-4776

Hond a Canad a Inc .
Nationa l Offic e
Warrant y an d Custome r Relation s

Warrant
y Coverage s

U.S . Owner s
Your new Honda is covered by these
warranties:
New Car Limited Warranty — covers

your new vehicle, except fo
r the
battery, emissions control systems and accessories, against defects in

materials and workmanship.

Emissions Control Systems Defects
Warranty and Emissions
Performance Warranty — these two

warranties cover your vehicle's emis- sions control systems. Time, mileage,
and coverage are conditional. Please
read the warranty manual for exact
information.

Original Equipment Battery Limited
Warranty — this warranty gives up
to 100 percent credit toward a

replacement battery.
Seat Belt Limited Warranty — a seat

belt that fails to function properly is covered for the useful life of the

vehicle.

Rust Perforation Limited Warranty
— all exterior body panels are
covered for rust-through from the
inside for the specified time period
with no mileage limit.

Accessory Limited Warranty —
Genuine Honda Accessories are
covered under this warranty. Time
and mileage limits depend on the
type of accessory and other factors. Please read your warranty manual
for details.

Replacement Parts Limited
Warranty — covers all Genuine
Honda replacement parts against defects in materials and workman-

ship.
Replacement Battery Limited

Warranty — provides prorated
coverage for a replacement battery
purchased from a Honda dealer.
Replacement Muffler Lifetime
Limited Warranty — provides
coverage for as long as the pur-
chaser of the muffler owns the car.
Restrictions and exclusions apply to
all these warranties. Please read the
2000 Honda Warranty Information
booklet that came with your car for precise information on warranty
coverages. Your Honda's original
tires are covered by their
manufacturer. Tire warranty infor-
mation is in a separate booklet.
Canadia n Owner s
Please refer to the 2000 Warranty
Manual that came with your car.

Warrant y an d Custome r Relation s