battery HONDA PRELUDE 2000 Owner's Manual (in English)

Indicator Light s
Supplementa l Restrain t
System Indicato r
This indicator lights when you turn
the ignition switch ON (II). If it
comes on at any other time, it
indicates a problem in thesupplemental restraint system. For
complete information, see page 47.
Immobilize r Syste m
Indicato r
This indicator comes on for a few seconds when you turn the ignition
switch ON (II). It will then go off if
you have inserted a properly-coded ignition key. If it is not a properly-
coded key, the indicator will blinkand the engine will not start (see
page 71).
This indicator also blinks several times when you turn the ignitionswitch from ON (II) to ACCESSORY (I) or LOCK (0). Chargin
g Syste m
Indicato r
If this light comes on when the
engine is running, the battery is not
being charged. For complete
information, see page 249.
Lo w Oi l Pressur e
Indicato r
The engine can be severely damaged
if this light flashes or stays on when
the engine is running. For complete
information, see page 248.
Malfunctio n Indicato r
Lam p
See page 250.
Cruis e Contro l Indicato r
This lights when you set the cruise
control. See page 67 for information
on operating the cruise control.
Parkin g Brak e
an d Brak e
System
Indicato r
This light has two functions:
1. It lights as a reminder that you have not released the parking
brake. Driving with the parking
brake applied can damage thebrakes and tires.
2. If it remains lit after you release the parking brake while the engine
is running, or comes on while driving, it can indicate a problemin the brake system. For complete
information, see page 251.
Instrument s an d Control s
SRS
CRUISE
CONTRO L
U.S. Canad a
BRAKE

Key
s an d Locks

The ceiling light (if the ceiling light switch is in the center position) will
come on when you press the
UNLOCK button. If you d
o not open
either door, the light will go out in
about 10 seconds and the doors will
automatically relock. If

you reloc
k
the doors with the remote
transmitter before 10 seconds have elapsed, the light will go off
immediately.
You cannot lock or unlock the doors with the remote transmitter if eitherdoor is not fully closed or the key is
in the ignition switch.
Replacing the Battery

When the remote transmitter's battery begins to get weak, it maytake several pushes on the button to
lock or unlock the doors, and the LED will get dim. Replace the
battery as soon as possible.
Battery type: CR2025
To replace the battery, remove the
round cover on the back of the trans-mitter by turning it counterclockwise
with a coin.
Remove the old battery and note the
polarity. Make sure the polarity of
the new battery is the same (
+ side
facing up), then insert
it in the
transmitter.

Instrument s an d Control s
Ope
n

Clos e
BATTER
Y
ROUN
D

COVE R

CUSHIO N
RIN G

Sea
t Heater s
On Canadian models

Both front seats are equipped with seat heaters. The ignition switch
must be ON (II) to use them. Push
the front of the switch, HI, to rapidly
heat up the seat. After the seat
reaches a comfortable temperature, select LO by pushing the back of the
switch. This will keep the seat warm. The HI or LO indicator lights and
remains lit until you turn it off by
pushing the opposite side of theswitch lightly. The indicator will turn

off.
In HI, the heater turns off when the
seat gets warm, and turns back on
after the seat's temperature drops. It
continues to cycle as long as you
leave it set on HI. The HI indicator
remains lit as a reminder that you
have the heater on.
In LO, the heater runs continuously.
It does not cycle with temperature

changes.
Follow these precautions whenever

you use the seat heaters:
Use the HI setting only to heat the

seats quickly. Select the LO

setting when the seats feel warm.

The HI setting draws large amounts of current from the

battery.
Do not use the seat heaters, even

on the
LO setting, i
f the engine is
left idling for an extended period.

They can weaken the battery,
causing hard starting.
Instrument s an d Control s

SEA
T HEATE R

Audi
o Syste m

AM/FM/C D Audi o Syste m
Your Honda's audio system provides clear reception on both AM and FM
bands, while the preset buttons allow
you to easily select your favorite
stations.

The anti-theft feature will disable the system if it is disconnected from the
vehicle's battery. To get the system
working again, you must enter a
code number (see page 123 ).

Operatin g th e Radi o
The ignition switch must be in
ACCESSORY (I) or ON (II) to operate the audio system. Turn the
system on by pushing the PWR/
VOL knob. Adjust the volume by turning the same knob.
The band and frequency that the radio was last tuned to is displayed.
To change bands, press the AM/FM button. On the FM band, ST will be displayed if the station is broadcast-
ing in stereo. Stereo reproduction on
AM is not available.
Comfor t an d Convenienc e Feature s
PRESE
T BUTTON S

SCAN BUTTO N

SEE
K BA R

STERE
O INDICATO R

TUN E BA R
AM/F M BUTTO N

PWR/VO
L KNO B

Audi
o Syste m

You can use any of four methods to
find radio stations on the selected
band: TUNE, SEEK, SCAN or the Preset buttons.
TUN E — Use the TUNE bar to tune
the radio to a desired frequency. Press the side of the bar to tune
to a higher frequency, and the
side to tune to a lower
frequency. The frequency numbers
will start to change rapidly. Release
the bar when the display reaches the desired frequency. To change the
frequency in small increments, press and release the TUNE bar quickly.
SEE K — The SEEK function
searches the band for a station with
a strong signal. To activate it, press the SEEK bar on either the or
side, then release it.
Depending on which side you press,
the system scans upward or down-
ward from the current frequency. It stops when it finds a station with a strong signal.
SCA N — The SCAN function
samples all the stations with strong
signals on the selected band. To
activate it, press the SCAN button,
then release it. When the system is
in the SCAN mode, SCAN shows in
the display. The system will scan up
the band for a station with a strong signal. When it finds one, it will stop
and play that station for
approximately five seconds. If you do
nothing, the system will then scan
for the next strong station and play
that for five seconds. When it plays a station that you want to continue
listening to, press the SCAN button

again.

Prese t — You can store the
frequencies of your favorite radio stations in the six preset buttons.
Each button will store one frequency
on the AM band, and two
frequencies on the FM band.
To store a frequency:
1. Select the desired band, AM or FM. FM1 and FM2 let you store
two frequencies with each Preset

button.

2. Use the TUNE or SEEK function to tune the radio to a desired
station.

3. Pick the Preset button you want for that station. Press the buttonand hold it until you hear a beep.
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 to store a total of six stations on AM and twelveon FM.
Once a station's frequency is stored,
simply press and release the proper
preset button to tune to it.
The preset frequencies will be lost if your car's battery goes dead, is
disconnected, or the radio fuse is

removed.

Comfor t an d Convenienc e Feature sCONTINUED

Audi
o Syste m

Thef t Protectio n
Your car's audio system will disable itself if it is disconnected from
electrical power for any reason. To
make it work again, the user must enter a specific five-digit code in the
Preset buttons. Because there are
hundreds of number combinations
possible from five digits, making the system work without knowing the
exact code is nearly impossible.
You should have received a card that lists your audio system's codenumber and serial number. It is best
to store this card in a safe place at
home. In addition, you should write
the audio system's serial number in
this Owner's Manual. If you should
happen to lose the card, you must obtain the code number from your
Honda dealer. To do this, you will
need the system's serial number. If your car's battery is disconnected
or goes dead, the audio system will
disable itself. If this happens, you will see in the frequency
display the next time you turn on the
system. Use the Preset buttons to
enter the five-digit code. If it is
entered correctly, the radio will start

playing.

If you make a mistake entering the
code, do not start over or try to
correct your mistake. Complete the
five-digit sequence, then enter the correct code. You have ten tries toenter the correct code. If you are
unsuccessful in ten attempts, you
must then leave the system on for one hour before trying again. You will have to store your favorite
stations in the Preset buttons after
the system begins working. Your original settings were lost when
power was disconnected.
Comfor t an d Convenienc e Feature s

Startin
g th e Engin e

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 theSTART (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 nomore 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.

Startin g in Col d Weathe r a t Hig h
Altitude (Above 8,000 feet/

2,40 0 meters )

An engine is harder to start in cold weather. The thinner air found athigh 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 not hold 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 more
than 15 seconds. If the engine does not start, return to step 2.
Driving

Automati
c Transmissio n

Par k (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
151.

To avoid transmission damage, cometo a complete stop before shiftinginto Park. The shift lever must be inPark before you can remove the key
from the ignition switch. Revers
e (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 car speed
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 car's battery
is disconnected or goes dead, you
cannot shift to Reverse. In this case,
use the procedure of Shift LockRelease (see page 151).
Drivin g

Maintenanc
e

This section explains why it is important to keep your car well
maintained and to follow basic
maintenance safety precautions.
This section also includes Maintenance Schedules for normal
driving and severe driving conditions,
a Maintenance Record, and instruc-
tions for simple maintenance tasks
you may want to take care of
yourself.
If you have the skills and tools to per-
form more complex maintenance
tasks on your Honda, you may want to purchase the Service Manual. See
page 279 for information on how toobtain a copy, or see your Honda

dealer.
Maintenance Safety....................... 168
Important Safety Precautions ..169
Maintenance Schedule.................. 170
Required Maintenance Record.... 177 Owner Maintenance Checks........ 17
9

Fluid Locations............................... 180

Engine Oil.......................................

181

Adding Oil...................................
181

Recommended Oil.....................
181

Synthetic Oil............................... 182

Additives.....................................182
Changing
the Oil and Filter...... 183
Cooling System.............................. 185 Adding Engine Coolant............. 185Replacing Engine Coolant........ 187
Windshield Washers..................... 190
Transmission Fluid........................ 19

1

Automatic Transmission.......................... 19

1

5-speed ManualTransmission.......................... 192
Brake an
d Clutch Fluid................. 193
Brake System............................. 193 Clutch System............................ 194
Power Steering............................... 194
Air Cleaner Element...................... 195
Hood Latch.....................................

196

Spark Plugs.....................................
196

Replacement...............................
196

Specifications.............................
198

Battery............................................
198

Wiper Blades.................................. 200
Air Conditionin g
System............... 202
Air Conditioning Filter.................. 203 Drive Belts...................................... 204
Timing Belt..................................... 204
Tires................................................ 205

Inflation.......................................205

Inspection................................... 206
Maintenance............................... 20

7

Tire Rotation.............................. 208
Replacing Tire s
and Wheels .... 208
Wheels and Tires....................... 209
Winter Driving...........................209
Snow Tires.............................. 210

Tire Chains............................. 210
Lights..............................................

211

Headlight Aimimg..................... 213
Replacing Bulbs........................ .
214
Storing Your Car............................ 225
Maintenance

Maintenanc
e Safet y

Importan t Safet y Precaution s
Before you begin any maintenance, make sure your car is parked on
level ground and that the parking
brake is set. Also, be sure the engine
is off. This will help to eliminate several potential hazards:
Carbo n monoxid e poisonin g
fro m engin e exhaust . Be sure

there is adequate ventilation

whenever you operate the engine.
Burn
s fro m ho t parts . Let the
engine and exhaust system cool
before touching any parts. Injur
y fro m movin g parts . Do
not run the engine unless in- structed to do so. Read the instructions before you
begin, and make sure you have the tools and skills required.
To reduce the possibility of fire or explosion, be careful when working
around gasoline or batteries. Use a
commercially available degreaser or
parts cleaner, not gasoline, to clean
parts. Keep cigarettes, sparks, and
flames away from the battery and all
fuel-related parts.
You should wear eye protection and protective clothing when working
near the battery or when usingcompressed air.

Maintenance