2003 Honda Civic Owner's Manual - Page 271

Jump Starting, If Your Engine Overheats 6. Start your car. If the starter motor still operates slowly, check the jumper cable connections to make sure they have good metal-tometal contact. 7. Once your car is running, disconnect the negative cable from your car, then from the booster battery. Disconnect the positive cable from your car, then the booster battery. Keep the ends of the jumper cables away from each other and any metal on the car until all are disconnected. Otherwise, you may cause an electrical short. If Your Engine Overheats The pointer of 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. 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 hood. In either case, you should take immediate action. Driving with the temperature gauge pointer at the red mark can cause serious damage to your engine. Steam and spray from an overheated engine can seriously scald you. Do not open the hood if steam is coming out. CONTINUED Taking Care of the Unexpected 269