engine HONDA CR-V 2003 RD4-RD7 / 2.G Owner's Guide

Drive in the highest gear that lets
the engine run and accelerate
smoothly. This will give you the best
f uel economy and ef f ective emis-
sions control. The f ollowing shif t
points are recommended:Shif t up
1st to 2nd
2nd to 3rd 3rd to 4th4th to 5th Normal acceleration
15 mph (24 km/h)
25 mph (40 km/h)
40 mph (64 km/h)
48 mph (77 km/h) If you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer’s
red zone. If this occurs, you may f eel
the engine cut in and out. This is
caused by a limiter in the engine’s
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the
RPM below the red zone.
Bef ore downshif ting, make sure the
engine will not go into the
tachometer’s red zone.
Driving
Recommended Shif t Points Engine Speed L imiter
5-speed Manual T ransmission
203

µ
CONT INUED
The shif t lever has six positions. It
must be in Park or Neutral to start
the engine. When you are stopped in
D, 2, 1, N or R, press f irmly on the
brake pedal, and keep your f oot of f
the accelerator pedal.YoucannotshiftoutofParkwiththe
brake pedal depressed when the
ignition switch is in LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I).
This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning of f or
starting the engine. To shif t out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal. Move the shif t
lever to the lef t and down to shif t out
of the Park positon.
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoN
NtoD Dto2 2to1
1to2
2toD
DtoN NtoR RtoP Do this:
Press the brake pedal, then
move the shift lever.
Move the lever.
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Shif t L ever Positions
Park (P)
205
SHIFT LEVER

µ
µ Use Neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Shif t to Park posi-
tion if you need to leave the vehicle
f or any reason. Press on the brake pe-
dal when you are moving the shif t
lever from Neutral to another gear.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see Shif t Lock Release on page
.
To avoid transmission damage, come
to a complete stop bef ore shif ting
into Park. The shif t lever must be in
Park bef ore you can remove the key
from the ignition switch. To shif t to Reverse
f rom Park, see the explanation under
Park. To shif t to Reverse f rom
Neutral, come to a complete stop and
then shift. Your vehicle has a reverse lockout so
you cannot accidentally shif t to
Reverse when the vehicle speed
exceeds 5 mph (8 km/h).
If you cannot shif t to Reverse when
the vehicle is stopped, press the
brake pedal and slowly shift to
Neutral, and then to Reverse.
If there is a problem in the reverse
lockout system, or your vehicle’s
battery is disconnected or goes dead,
you cannot shif t to Reverse. (Ref er
to Shif t Lock Release on page ).
209
209Neutral (N)
Reverse (R)
Automatic Transmission
Driving206

µUse this position f or
your normal driving. The transmis-
sion automatically selects a suitable
gear f or your speed and acceleration.
You may notice the transmission
shif ting up at higher speeds when
the engine is cold. This helps the
engine warm up f aster.
For f aster acceleration, you can get
the transmission to automatically
downshif t by pushing the accelerator
pedal to the f loor. The transmission
will shif t down one or two gears,
depending on your speed. Pressing the O/D switch again turns
theOver-drivemodebackon.
Over-drivecanbeturnedonoroff
only when the ignition switch is ON
(II) and the shif t lever is in the D
position. Over-drive mode turns on
every time you start the engine, even
if you turned it of f the last time you
drove the vehicle.
TheOver-drive(O/D)ison
whenever you turn the ignition ON
(II). You can turn it of f by pressing
the O/D switch on the edge of the
shif t lever. The O/D OFF indicator
on the instrument panel next to the
shif t lever position indicator will
come on.
CONT INUED
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Drive (D)Over-drive (O/D) Mode
207
OVER-DRIVE OFF INDICATOR

µ
µ If you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer’s
red zone. If this occurs, you may f eel
the engine cut in and out. This is
caused by a limiter in the engine’s
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the
RPM below the red zone.
WhentheOver-driveisoff,the
transmission selects only the f irst
three gears. Turn the O/D of f to
provide engine braking when going
down a steep hill. You can also avoid
the transmission f rom cycling
between third and f ourth gears in
stop-and-go driving.
The O/D OFF indicator also comes
on f or a f ew seconds when you turn
the ignition switch to ON(II). This position locks
thetransmissioninsecondgear.It
does not downshif t to f irst gear
when you come to a stop. Second
gives you more power when climbing,
and increased engine braking when
going down steep hills. Use second
gear when starting out on a slippery
surf ace or in deep snow. It will help
reduce wheelspin.
With the lever in this
position, the transmission locks in
First gear. By upshif ting and
downshif ting through 1, 2, and D,
you can operate this transmission
much like a manual transmission
without a clutch pedal.
If you shif t into First position when
the vehicle speed is above 31 mph
(50 km/h), the transmission shif ts
into Second gear f irst to avoid
sudden engine braking. Engine Speed L imiter
Second (2)
First (1)
Automatic Transmission
Driving208

This allows you to move the shif t
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal does not work. This procedure
is also used to release the Reverse
Lockout.Put a cloth on the edge of the Shif t
Lock Release slot cover next to
theshiftlever.Useasmallflat-
tipped screwdriver or small metal
plate (neither are included in the
tool kit) to remove the cover.
Caref ully pry on the edge of the
cover. To release the Reverse Lockout,
make sure the ignition switch is in
the ACCESSORY(I) position. Make sure the ignition switch is in
the LOCK (0) position. Set the Parking brake. Insert a screwdriver in the Shif t
Lock Release slot.
Push down on the screwdriver and
move the shift lever out of Park to
Neutral.
To release the Reverse Lockout,
move the shift lever from Neutral
to Reverse, then to Park.Remove the Screwdriver f rom the
Shif t Lock Release slot, then
install a new cover. Make sure the
notchonthecoverisontheright
side. Depress the brake pedal and
restart the engine.
If you need to use the Shif t Lock
Release, it means your vehicle is
developing a problem. Have the
vehicle checked by your Honda
dealer.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Shif t L ock Release
Automatic Transmission
Driving209
COVER
SHIFT LOCK RELEASE SLOT

When the brake pads need replacing,
you will hear a distinctive metallic
‘‘screeching’’ sound when you apply
the brakes. If you do not have the
brake pads replaced, they will begin
screeching all the time.
Your brakes may sometimes squeal
or squeak when you apply them
lightly. Do not conf use this with the
brakewearindicators.Theymakea
very audible ‘‘screeching.’’
Constant application of the brakes
when going down a long hill builds
up heat and reduces their ef f ective-
ness. Use the engine to assist the
brakes by downshif ting to a lower
gear and taking your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal.
Check your brakes af ter driving
through deep water. Apply the
brakes moderately to see if they f eel
normal. If not, apply them gently and
f requently until they do. Since a
longer distance is needed to stop
with wet brakes, be extra cautious
and alert in your driving.
Put your f oot on the brake pedal only
when you intend to brake. Resting
your f oot on the pedal keeps the
brakes applied lightly, causing them
to build up heat. Heat build-up can
reduce how well your brakes work. It
also keeps your brake lights on all
the time, conf using drivers behind
you. Your Honda is equipped with disc
brakes at all f our wheels. A power
assist helps reduce the ef f ort needed
on the brake pedal. The ABS (on
vehicles equipped with ABS) helps
you retain steering control when
braking very hard.
All f our brakes have audible brake
wear indicators. Brake Wear Indicators
The Braking System
Driving211

Your Honda has been designed
primarily to carry passengers and
their cargo. You can use it to tow a
trailer if you caref ully observe the
load limits, use the proper equipment,
and f ollow the guidelines in this
section.The weight that
the tongue of a f ully-loaded trailer
puts on the hitch should be
approximately 10 percent of the
trailer weight. Too little tongue
load can make the trailer unstable
and cause it to sway. Too much
tongue load reduces f ront-tire
traction and steering control.
The total
weight of the trailer and
everything loaded in it must not
exceed 1,500 lbs (680 kg). Towing
a load that is too heavy can
seriously af f ect your vehicle’s
handling and perf ormance. It can
also damage the engine and
drivetrain.
CONT INUED
Tongue Load:
Load Limits
T otal T railer Weight:
Towing a Trailer
Driving217

The added weight, length, and
height of a trailer will af f ect your
vehicle’s handling and perf ormance,
so driving with a trailer requires
some special driving skills and
techniques.
Foryoursafetyandthesafetyof
others,taketimetopracticedriving
maneuvers bef ore heading f or the
open road, and f ollow the guidelines
discussed below.If the automatic transmission shif ts
f requently between 3rd and 4th
gears while going up a hill, turn of f
the Over drive (O/D) mode (see
page ). When climbing hills, closely watch
your temperature gauge. If it nears
the red mark, turn the air
conditioning of f , reduce speed and, if
necessary, pull to the side of the
road to let the engine cool.
Make turns more slowly and wider
than normal. The trailer tracks a
smaller arc than your vehicle, and it
canhitorrunoversomethingthe
vehicle misses. Allow more time and
distance f or braking. Do not brake or
turn suddenly as this could cause the
trailer to jackknif e or turn over. Drive slower than normal in all
driving situations, and obey posted
speed limits f or vehicles with trailers.
If you have an automatic
transmission, use the Over drive
(O/D) mode when towing a trailer
on level roads. Turn of f the Over
drive (O/D) mode when towing a
trailer in hilly terrain (see page ).
(See ‘‘ ’’ in the next
column f or additional gear
inf ormation.)
If youmuststopwhenfacinguphill,
use the f oot brake or parking brake.
Do not try to hold the vehicle in
placebypressingontheaccelerator,
as this can cause the automatic
transmission to overheat.
207
207
Driving Saf ely With a T railer
Towing a Trailer
Driving
Driving on Hills
Making T urns and Braking Driving on Hills
T owing Speeds and Gears
222

Start the engine.
Press on the brake pedal. Shif t the
lever through all the positions (P,
R, N, D, 2, 1)
ShifttoD,thentoN.Letthe
engine run f or three minutes, then
turn of f the engine.
Release the parking brake.
Leave the ignition switch in
ACCESSORY (I) so the steering
wheel does not lock. Make sure
the radio and any items plugged
into the accessory power sockets
are turned of f so you do not run
down the battery.If you tow more than 8 hours in one
day, you should repeat the above
procedure at least every 8 hours.
(when you stop f or f uel, etc.)
If youtowaCR-Vwithanautomatic
transmission, the transmission f luid
must be changed every two years or
30,000 miles (48,000 km), whichever
comes f irst.Ext ended T owing
Towing Your Vehicle Behind a Motorhome
Driving225
Failure to f ollow the above instructions
exactly will result in severe automatic
transmission damage. If you cannot
shif t the transmission or start the
engine, your vehicle must be
transported on a f lat-bed truck or
trailer. The steering system can be damaged if
the steering wheel is locked. Leave the
ignition switch in Accessory (I), and
make sure the steering wheel turns
f reely bef ore you begin towing.Severe automatic transmission damage
will occur if the vehicle is shif ted f rom
reverse to neutral and then towed with
the drive wheels on the ground.