key HONDA ELEMENT 2003 1.G User Guide

See page for information on
cargo loading. Keep the hatch closed
at all times while driving to avoid
damaging the hatch, and to prevent
exhaust gas from getting into the
interior. Seeon page .
Youcanopenthetailgateonlywhen
the hatch is open. To open the
tailgate, slide the lock lever to the
lef t and swing down the tailgate. To
close the tailgate, lif t it up and push
it f irmly until it latches.
Bef ore closing the tailgate, make
sure the hatch is raised. Closing the
tailgate on the lowered hatch can
damage the hatch and the tailgate. See page for information on
cargo loading. Keep the tailgate and
the hatch closed at all times while
driving to avoid damaging them, and
to prevent exhaust gas f rom getting
into the interior. See
on page .
60 60
167
167
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Carbon Monoxide
Hazard Tailgate
Carbon
Monoxide Hazard
90

Open the glove box by pulling the
bottom of the handle. Close it with a
f irm push. Lock or unlock the glove
box with the master key. Glove Box
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols91
An open glove box can cause
serious injury to your passenger
inacrash,evenifthe
passenger is wearing the seat
belt.
Always keep the glove box
closed while driving.

If you leave any door open with the
keynotintheignitionswitch,the
ceiling light will go of f af ter three
minutes.
The ceiling light (with the switch in
the center position) comes on when
you remove the key f rom the ignition
switch. If you do not open a door, the
light f ades out in about 30 seconds.
The ceiling light has a three-position
switch. In the OFF position, the light
does not come on. In the center
position, the ceiling light comes on
when you open any door. Af ter all
doors are closed tightly, the light
f ades out in about 30 seconds. In the
ON position, the ceiling light stays
on continuously. The ceiling light (with the switch in
the center position) also comes on
when you unlock the door with the
key, the lock tab on the driver’s door,
or the master door lock switch. Turn on the spotlight by pushing the
lens. Push the lens again to turn it
of f . You can use the spotlights at all
times.
On EX models
Ceiling L ight Spotlights
Interior Lights
Inst rument s and Cont rols114
ON
OFF DOOR ACTIVATED

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 f looding.
As bef ore, keep the ignition key in
the START (III) position f or no
more than 15 seconds. Return to
step 5 if the engine does not start.
If it starts, lif t your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal so the engine
does not race.
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. Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. If the engine
does not start right away, do not
hold the key in START (III) f or
more than 15 seconds at a time.
Pause f or at least 10 seconds
bef ore trying again.
Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal. Push the clutch pedal down all the
way. START (III) does not
f unction unless the clutch pedal is
pressed.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.6.
Manual Transmission:
Automatic Transmission:
Driving
Starting the Engine
174

An engine is harder to start in cold
weather. The thinner air f ound at
high altitude above 8,000 f eet
(2,400 meters) adds to the problem.
Use the f ollowing procedure:Turn of f all electrical accessories
to reduce the drain on the battery.
Push the accelerator pedal half-
way to the f loor and hold it there
while starting the engine. Do not
hold the ignition key in START
(III) f or more than 15 seconds.
When the engine starts, release
the accelerator pedal gradually as
the engine speeds up and smooths
out. If the engine fails to start in step 2,
push the accelerator pedal to the
f loor 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.
3.
2. 1. Starting in Cold Weather at High
A ltitude (A bove 8,000 f eet/
2,400 meters)
Starting the Engine
Driving175

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
. Your vehicle has a reverse lockout so
you cannot accidentally shif t to
Reverse when the vehicle speed
exceeds 5 mph (8 km/h).
You must also press the release
button to shift into Park. 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 f rom
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. Press the release button
bef ore shif ting into Reverse f rom
Neutral. If you cannot shif t to Reverse when
the vehicle is stopped, press the
brake pedal, and slowly shift to
Neutral. Then press the release
button, and shift 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 ).
183
183
Neutral (N)
Reverse (R)
Automatic Transmission
Driving180

µ
Always use the parking brake when
you park your vehicle. The indicator
on the instrument panel shows that
the parking brake is not f ully
released; it does not indicate that the
parking brake is f irmly set. Make
sure the parking brake is set f irmly
or your vehicle may roll if it is
parked on an incline.
If your vehicle has an automatic
transmission, set the parking brake
bef ore you put the transmission in
Park. This keeps the vehicle f rom
moving and putting pressure on the
parking mechanism in the
transmission making it easier to
move the shift lever out of Park
when you want to drive away. If the vehicle is f acing uphill, turn
the f ront wheels away f rom the curb.
If you have a manual transmission,
putitinfirstgear.
If the vehicle is f acing downhill, turn
the f ront wheels toward the curb. If
you have a manual transmission, put
it in reverse gear.
Make sure the parking brake is f ully
released bef ore driving away.
Driving with the parking brake
partially set can overheat or damage
the rear brakes.
Place any packages, valuables, etc.,
in the cargo area or take them
with you. Turn of f the lights.
Lock the doors and the hatch with
the key.
Never park over dry leaves, tall
grass, or other f lammable
materials. The three way catalytic
converter gets very hot, and could
cause these materials to catch on
fire. Make sure the skylight and the
windows are closed.
Parking T ips
Driving
Parking
184

When purchasing a tow bar, make
sure you select a reputable
manuf acturer and installer. Follow
the manufacturer’s attachment
instructions caref ully. Your Element can be towed behind a
motorhome at legal highway speeds
up to 65 mph(100 km/h). Do not
exceed 65 mph (100km/h).
Otherwise, severe transmission
damage will occur. To avoid damage
to the 4WD system, it must be towed
with all f our wheels on the ground
(f lat towing).
After attaching the tow bar to your
motorhome, do the following to
prepare your Element f or ‘‘f lat
towing’’:When preparing to tow your
Element, make sure the
transmission is f illed to the correct
level (see page ). Do not
overf ill.
When preparing to tow your Element,
make sure the transmission is f ull of
fluid (see page ). Maintaining
the correct level is very important.
Do not overf ill. Do the f ollowing
Follow the procedure exactly.
Otherwise, severe automatic
transmission damage will occur.
Release the parking brake.
Shif t the transmission to Neutral.
Leave the key in the ignition
switch and 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. 232
231
every day immediately bef ore you begin
towing.
5-speed Manual T ransmission A ut omat ic T ransmission
Towing Your Vehicle Behind a Motorhome
Driving198

Diagnosing why your engine won’t
start f alls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
key to START (III):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. 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 .
When you turn the ignition switch to
START (III), 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:
Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim,
check the condition of the f uses. If
the f uses are OK, there is proba-
bly 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 .)
Check the transmission interlock.
If you have a manual transmission,
the clutch pedal must be pushed
all the way to the f loor or the
starter will not operate. With an
automatic transmission, it must be
in Park or Neutral. 285
301
CONT INUED
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly Jump Starting
Emergency T owing
If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed283

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 vehicle from a
booster battery (see page ).In this case, the starter motor’s
speed sounds normal, or even f aster
than normal, when you turn the
ignition switch to START (III), but
the engine does not run.
Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to on page . 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 .
Your vehicle 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. 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.
240
285 84
174 296
301
T he Starter Operates Normally
Starting the
Engine Emergency
Towing
If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed284