HONDA S2000 2003 1.G Owners Manual

Follow these precautions whenever
you are using the compact spare tire:Thecompactsparetirehasashorter
tread lif e than a regular tire. Replace
it when you can see the tread wear
indicator bars. The replacement
should be the same size and design
tire, mounted on the same wheel.
Thecompactsparetireisnot
designed to be mounted on a regular
wheel, and the compact wheel is not
designed f or mounting a regular tire.
Check the inf lation pressure of the
compact spare tire every time you
check the other tires. It should be
inf lated to:
Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h)
under any circumstances.
This tire gives a harsher ride and
less traction on some road sur-
f aces than the regular tire. Use
greater caution while driving on
this tire.
Do not mount snow chains on the
compact spare.
Your car has a compact spare tire
that takes up less space. Use this
sparetireasatemporaryreplace-
ment only. Get your regular tire
repaired or replaced and put it back
on your car as soon as you can.
The wheel of the compact spare
tire is designed especially to f it
your car. Do not use your spare
tire on another vehicle unless it is
thesamemakeandmodel.
Compact Spare Tire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed218
INDICATOR LOCATION MARK
TREAD WEAR INDICATOR BAR
60 psi (420 kPa , 4.2 kgf/cm)

If you have a f lat tire while driving,
stop in a saf e place to change it.
Stopping in traf f ic or on the shoulder
of a busy road is dangerous. Drive
slowly along the shoulder until you
gettoanexitoranareatostopthat
is far away from the traffic lanes.Open the trunk. Lif t up the tool
box lid and take the jack, wheel
wrench, and extension out of the
tool box.
Thesizedifferencemayalsocause
damage to the rear dif f erential, so do
not mount the compact spare on the
rear. If either rear tire goes f lat,
remove the f ront tire on that same
side, mount the compact spare tire
on the f ront, then mount the f ront
tire on the rear.
Park the car on f irm, level, non-
slippery ground away f rom traf f ic.
Put the transmission in Reverse.
Apply the parking brake.
Turn on the hazard warning lights
and turn the ignition switch to
LOCK (0). Have your passenger
get out of the car while you
change the tire.
Thecompactsparetireissmaller
than a standard tire, which will affect
the vehicle’s handling. Drive
cautiously when this spare is
mounted on your vehicle. 3.
1.
2.
CONT INUED
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Changing a Flat T ire
219
TOOL BOX LID
JACK
The car can easily roll off the
jack, seriously injuring anyone
underneath.
Follow the directions for
changing a tire exactly, and
never get under the car when it
is supported only by the jack. Use the jack that came with your car. If
you try to raise another car with this
jack or use another jack to raise your
car, the car or jack can be damaged.

Unscrew the wing bolt and take
the spare tire out of the spare tire
shelf .
Remove the three clips holding
the spare tire cover by pulling
straight up on the rings. Remove
the spare tire cover.
Loosen the f ive wheel nuts 1/2
turn with the wheel wrench.Locate the jacking point nearest
thetireyouneedtochange.Itis
pointed to by an arrow molded into
the underside of the body. Place
the jack under the jacking point.
Turn the end bracket clockwise
until the top of the jack contacts
the jacking point. Make sure the
jacking point tab is resting in the
jack notch.
4.
5.
6.7.
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed220
SPARETIRECOVER

Use the extension and wheel
wrench as shown to raise the car
until the f lat tire is of f the ground.Remove the wheel nuts and f lat
tire. Temporarily place the flat tire
on the ground with the outside
surf ace of the wheel f acing up.
Placing the wheel face down could
mar its f inish.Bef ore mounting the spare tire,
wipe any dirt of f the mounting
surface of the wheel and hub with
a clean cloth. Wipe the hub
carefully;itmaybehotfrom
driving.
8.
9.10.
CONT INUED
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed221
BRAKE HUB

Put on the spare tire. Put the
wheel nuts back on f inger-tight,
then tighten them in a crisscross
pattern with the wheel wrench
until the wheel is f irmly against
the hub. Do not try to tighten
them f ully.Lower the car to the ground and
remove the jack.
Tighten the wheel nuts securely in
the same crisscross pattern. Have
the wheel nut torque checked at
the nearest automotive service
f acility.
Tighten the wheel nuts to:
13.
11. 12.
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed222
80 lbf·ft (108 N·m , 11 kgf·m)

Remove the tool box f rom the
trunk well and replace the jack,
wheel wrench and extension in the
tool box.
Place the tool box into the spare
tire shelf in the trunk.Replacethesparetirecover.
Secure it with the three clips. Push
each clip down securely, and pivot
theringdownflat.
Put the flat tire in the trunk well
vertically as shown.
14.
15.
17.16.
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed223

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
f aster than normal, but the engine
does not start up and run.Your car has the Immobilizer
System. You should use a
properly-coded master or valet key
to start the engine (see page ).
A key that is not properly coded
will cause the immobilizer system
indicator in the dash panel to blink
rapidly.
Check these things:
Diagnosing why your engine won’t
start f alls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you press
the ENGINE START button.
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. 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
on page .
Press the ENGINE START button,
then release it. If the headlights do
not dim, check the condition of the
f uses. If the f uses are OK, there is
probably something wrong with
the electrical circuit f or the
ignition switch or starter motor.
You will need a qualif ied
technician to determine the
problem. (See on page .)
59 226
245
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
Jump Starting
Emergency
Towing
If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed224

There may be an electrical
problem, such as no power to the
f uel pump. Check all the f uses
(see page ).
If youfindnothingwrong,youwill
need a qualif ied technician to f ind
the problem. See on page .
Do you have f uel? Turn the
ignition switch to ON (II) for a
minute and watch the f uel gauge.
The low f uel level warning light
may not be working, so you were
not reminded to f ill the tank. Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to on page .
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 ). You can then try
jump starting the car from a booster
battery (see page ).
In this case, the starter motor’s
speed sounds normal, or even f aster
than normal, when you press the
ENGINE START button, but the
engine does not run.
181
226 135239
245
T he Starter Operates Normally
Emergency
Towing
Starting the
Engine
If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed225

Open the hood and check the
physical condition of the battery
(see page ). 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.
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.
To jump start your car, f ollow these
directions closely:
1.
181
Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed226
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.
If a battery sits in extreme cold, the
electrolyte inside can f reeze.
Attempting to jump start with a f rozen
battery can cause it to rupture.

µ
´
´
CONT INUED
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.
Connect one jumper cable to the
positive ( ) terminal on your
Honda’s battery. Connect the
other end to the positive ( )
terminal on the booster battery.
Turn of f all the electrical acces-
sories: heater, A/C, stereo system,
lights, etc. Put the transmission in
Neutral and set the parking brake.
3. 4.
2.
Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed227