HONDA S2000 2000 1.G Owners Manual

If Your Engine Won't Start
Diagnosing why your engine won't
start falls into two areas, depending
on what you
hear when you press
the ENGINE START button.
• You hear nothing, or almost
nothing.
The engine's starter
motor does not operate at
all, or
operates 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.
218 Taking Care of the Unexpected
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
When you press the ENGINE
START button, you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying to
start. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at
all.
Check these things:
• Your car has the Immobilizer
System.
You should use a
properly-coded master or valet key
to start the engine (see page 59).
A key that
is not properly coded
will cause the immobilizer system
indicator
in the dash panel to blink
rapidly.
• Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights and check
their brightness.
If the headlights
are very dim or don't light at
all,
the battery is discharged. See
Jump Starting on page 220.
• Press
the ENGINE START button,
then release
it. If the headlights do
not dim, check the condition of the
fuses.
If the fuses are 0 K, there is
probably something wrong with
the electrical circuit for the
ignition switch
or starter motor.
You
will need a qualified
technician to determine the
problem.
(See Emergency
Towing on page 238 .)

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 connections
(see page 177). You can then try
jump starting the car from a booster
battery (see page 220).
The Starter Operates Normally
In this case, the starter motor's
speed sounds normal, or even faster
than normal, when you press the
ENGINE START button, but the
engine does not run.
• Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Refer to
Starting the
Engine on page 131 .
• Do you have fuel? Turn the
ignition switch to
ON (ID for a
minute and watch the fuel gauge.
The low fuel level warning light
may not be working, so you were
not reminded to
fill the tank.
If Your Engine Won't Start
• There may be an electrical
problem, such as
no power to the
fuel pump.
Check all the fuses
(see page
231 ) .
If you find nothing wrong, you will
need a qualified technician to find
the problem. See
Emergency
Towing on page 238.
Taking Care of the Unexpected 219

Jump Starting
If your car's battery has run down,
you may
be able to start the engine
by using a booster battery. Although
this
seems like a simple procedure,
you should take several precautions.
220 Taking Care of the Unexpected
A battery can explode if you do
not
follow the correct procedure,
seriously injuring anyone
nearby.
Keep
all sparks, open flames,
and smoking materials away
from the battery.
To jump start your car, follow these
directions closely:
1. Open the hood and check the
physical condition of the battery
(see page 177 ) . In very cold
weather,
check the condition of
the electrolyte. If it seems slushy
or like ice, do not
try jump starting
until it thaws.
NOTICE
if a battery sits in extreme cold, the
electrolyte inside can freeze.
Attempting
to jump start with a frozen
battery can cause it
to rupture.
2. Turn off all the electrical acces­
sories: heater,
A/C, stereo system,
lights, etc.
Put the transmission in Neutral
and
set the parking brake.

3. Connect one jumper cable to the
positive (
+) terminal on the
booster battery. Connect the other
end to the positive (
+) terminal
on your Honda's battery.
4. Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative (
~) terminal on
the booster battery. Connect the
other end to the metal projection
near
the intake manifold as shown
in the illustration. Do not connect
this jumper cable to any other part
of the engine.
Jump Starting
5. If the booster battery is in another
vehicle, have an assistant start
that vehicle and run it at a fast idle.
CONTINUED
Taking Care of the Unexpected 221

Jump Starting
6. Start your car. If the starter motor
still operates slowly, check the
jumper cable connections to make
sure they have good metal-to­
metal contact.
222 Taking Care of the Unexpected
7. Once your car is running, discon­
nect the negative cable from your
car, then from the booster battery.
Disconnect the positive cable from
your car, then the booster battery.

The reading on your car's
temperature gauge should stay in
the midrange under most conditions.
It may go higher if you are driving up
a long steep hill on a very
hot day. If
it climbs to the red mark, you should
determine
the reason.
NOTICE
Driving with the temperature gauge
reading
at the red mark can cause
serious damage to your engine.
Your car can overheat for several
reasons,
such as lack of coolant or a
mechanical problem.
The only
indication may be
the temperature
gauge climbing to or above
the red
mark. Or you may see steam or
spray coming from
under the car or
engine cover. In either case, you
should take immediate action.
Steam and spray from an
overheated engine can
seriously scald you.
Do not open the hood if steam
is coming out.
1. Safely pull to the side of the road.
Put the transmission in Neutral
and
set the parking brake. Turn
off the heating and cooling system
and all
other accessories. Turn on
the hazard warning indicators.
2. If you see steam and/ or spray
coming from
under the hood, turn
off
the engine.
If Your Engine Overheats
3. If you do not see steam or spray,
leave
the engine running and
watch
the temperature gauge. If
the high heat is due to overloading
(climbing a long, steep hill on a
hot day with
the A/C running, for
example),
the engine should start
to cool down almost immediately.
If it does, wait until the tempera­
ture gauge comes down to
the mid­
point
then continue driving.
4. If the temperature gauge stays at
the red mark, turn off the engine.
5. Wait until you see no more signs
of
steam or spray, then open the
hood.
CONTINUED
Taking Care of the Unexpected 223

If Your Engine Overheats
6. Look for any obvious coolant leaks,
such as a split radiator hose.
Everything is still extremely hot,
so use caution.
If you find a leak, it
must be repaired before you
continue driving (see
Emergency
Towing on page 238 ) .
Removing the radiator cap
while the engine is hot can
cause the
coolant to spray out,
seriously scalding you.
Always let the engine and
radiator
cool down before
removing the radiator cap.
224 Taking Care of the Unexpected
7. If you don't find an obvious leak,
check the coolant level in
the
radiator reserve tank (see page
120 ) . If the level is below the
MIN mark, add coolant to halfway
between the MIN and
MAX marks.
8. If there was no coolant in the
reserve tank, you may also have to
add coolant to the radiator. Let the
engine cool down until the reading
reaches the middle of the
temperature gauge, or lower,
before checking the radiator.
9. Using gloves or a large heavy
cloth, turn
the radiator cap
counterclockwise, without pushing
down, to
the first stop. This
releases any remaining pressure
in
the cooling system. After the
pressure releases, push down on
the cap and turn it until it comes
off.

lO.Start the engine and set the
temperature control dial to
maximum. Add coolant to the
radiator up to the base of the filler
neck.
If you do not have the
proper coolant mixture available,
you can add plain water.
Remember to have the cooling
system drained and refilled with
the proper mixture as soon as you
can.
ll.Put the radiator cap back on
tightly. Run the engine and watch
the temperature gauge.
If it goes
back to the red mark, the engine
needs repair. (See
Emergency
Towing on page 238 .)
If Your Engine Overheats
12.If the temperature stays normal,
check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank.
If it has
gone down, add coolant to the
MAX mark. Put the cap back on
tightly.
Taking Care of the Unexpected 225

Low Oil Pressure Indicator
This indicator should light when the
ignition switch is ON (II), and go out
after
the engine starts. It should
never come on when
the engine is
running.
If it starts flashing, it
indicates
that the oil pressure
dropped very low for a moment,
then
recovered. If the indicator stays on
with
the engine running, it shows
that
the engine has lost oil pressure
and serious engine damage is
possible. In either case, you should
take immediate action.
226 Taking Care of the Unexpected
NOTICE
Running the engine with low oil
pressure can cause serious mechanical
damage almost immediately. Turn
off
the engine as soon as you can safely get
the car
stopped.
1. Safely pull off the road and shut
off the engine. Turn on the hazard
warning indicators.
2. Let the car sit for a minute. Open
the hood and check the oil level
(see page 119 ). Although oil level
and
oil pressure are not directly
connected, an engine
that is very
low on
oil can lose pressure during
cornering and
other driving
maneuvers.
3. If necessary, add oil to bring the
level back to the full mark on the
dipstick (see page 120 ) .
4. Start the engine and watch the oil
pressure indicator.
If the light
does not go out within
ten seconds,
turn off
the engine. There is a
mechanical problem
that needs to
be repaired before you can
continue driving.
(See Emergency
Towing on page 238 .)

This indicator should come on when
the ignition switch is
ON (II), and go
out after the engine starts.
If it
comes on brightly when the engine
is running, it indicates that the
charging system has stopped
charging the battery. Immediately
turn off
all electrical
accessories: radio, heater, A/C,
cruise control, etc.
Try not to use
other electrically-operated controls
such as
the power windows. Keep
the engine running and take extra
care not to stall
it. Starting the
engine
will discharge the battery
rapidly.
Charging System Indicator
By eliminating as much of the
electrical load as possible, you can
drive several miles (kilometers)
before
the battery is too discharged
to keep the engine running. Drive to
a service station or garage where
you can get technical assistance.
Taking Care of the Unexpected 227