ignition HONDA ELEMENT 2004 1.G Owner's Manual

The ceiling light has a three-position
switch: ON, Door Activated, and
OFF.
In the Door Activated (center)
position, the light comes on when
you:Open any door.
Remove the key from the ignition.
If you do not open a door, the light
f ades out in about 30 seconds.
Unlock the doors with the key or
remote transmitter. The cargo area light has a three-
position switch. In the center
position, the light comes on when
you open the hatch.
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.
The ignition switch light comes on
when you unlock the driver’s door,
and f ades out about 30 seconds af ter
you close the door.
On EX models
Interior Lights
Ceiling L ight
Spotlights
Cargo Area Light
Ignition Switch L ight
Inst rument s and Cont rols88
ON
OFF DOOR ACTIVATED
—
—y
y
(+
yy

µ
µ
µ µ
Use the TUNE knob to
tune the radio to a desired f requency.
Turn the knob right to tune to a
higher f requency, or lef t to tune to a
lower f requency.
The SEEK f unction
searches up and down f rom the
current f requency to f ind a station
with a strong signal. To activate it,
press either ( or ), then
release it.
The ignition switch must be in
ACCESSORY (I) or ON (II). Turn
the system on by pushing the PWR/
VOL knob or the AM or FM button.
Adjust the volume by turning the
same knob.
The band and f requency that the
radio was last tuned to is displayed.
To change bands, press the AM or
FM button. On the FM band, ST will
be displayed if the station is broad-
castinginstereo.Stereo
reproduction on AM is not available.
You can use these five methods to
f ind radio stations on a selected
band: the
preset buttons, and .
The SCAN f unction
samples all stations with strong
signals on the selected band. To
activate it, press the SCAN button,
then release it. You will see SCAN in
the display. The system will scan f or
a station with a strong signal. When
it f inds one, it will stop and play that
station f or about f ive seconds.
If you do nothing, the system will
then scan f or the next strong station
and play it for five seconds. When it plays a station you want to listen to,
press the SCAN button again.
Each preset button can
store one f requency on AM, and two
f requencies on FM.
Select the desired band, AM or
FM. FM1 and FM2 let you store
two f requencies with each preset
button.
UsetheTUNE,SEEK,orSCAN
function to tune the radio to a
desired station.
Pick a preset button, and hold it
until you hear a beep.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 to store a total
of six stations on AM and twelve
stations on FM.
The preset f requencies will be lost if
your vehicle’s battery goes dead, is
disconnected, or the radio f use is
removed.
2. 3. 4.
1.
CONT INUED
To Play the Radio TUNE
SEEK
To Select a Station TUNE,SEEK,SCAN, AUTO SELECT SCAN Preset
Playing the Radio
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures95
—
—y

y
(+
y
y

µµ
µ´
With the ignition in the
ACCESSORY (I) or ON (II) position,
insert a CD into the CD slot. The
drive will pull the CD in the rest of
the way and begin to play it. You
operate the CD player with the same
controls used f or the radio. The
number of the track playing is shown
in the display. The system will
continuously play a CD until you
change modes.
Each time you press and release
, the player skips f orward to
the beginning of the next track.
Press and release to skip
backward to the beginning of the
previous track.
To move rapidly within a track, press
and hold the or . You will
see CUE or REW in the display.
To continuously replay a track, press and release the RPT
button. You will see RPT in the
display. Press the RPT button again
to turn it off.
This f eature plays the
tracks in random order. To activate
Random Play, press and release the
A. SEL/RDM button. You will see
RDM in the display. This continues
until you press the A. SEL/RDM
button again.
Press the eject button ( ) to
remove the CD. If you eject the CD,
but do not remove it f rom the slot,
the system will automatically reload
the CD af ter 15 seconds and put it in
pause mode. To begin playing, press
the CD button.
Press the AM/FM button to switch
to the radio while a CD is playing.
Press the CD button to play the CD.
If you turn the system of f while a CD is playing, either with the PWR/VOL
knob or by turning off the ignition,
the CD will stay in the drive. When
youturnthesystembackon,theCD
will begin playing where it lef t of f .
A CD changer is available f or your
vehicle. It holds up to six CDs. You
operate the CD changer with the
same controls used f or the in-dash
CD player.
Load the desired CDs in the
magazine, and load the magazine in
the changer according to the
instructions that came with the unit.
To select the CD changer, press the
CD button. The CD and track
numbers will be displayed. To select
a dif f erent CD, use the preset 5
(DISC ) or preset 6 (DISC )
button. If you select an empty slot in
the magazine, the changer will, af ter
f inding that slot empty, try to load
the CD in the next slot.
To Play a CD
To Change Tracks (SKIP)
REPEAT
RANDOM
To Stop Playing a CD
Operating the Optional CD
Changer
Playing a CD
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures100
—
—y


y
(+
y
y

Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. Do not hold
the key in START for more than
15 seconds at a time. If the engine
does not start right away, pause
f or at least 10 seconds bef ore
trying again.
If the engine does not start within
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 4 with the
accelerator pedal pressed halfway
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race.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.
If the engine still does not start,
return to step 5.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.6.
Manual Transmission:
Automatic Transmission:
Starting the Engine
Driving124
The engine is harder to start in cold
weather. Also, the thinner air f ound at
altitudes above 8,000 f eet (2,400
meters) adds to this problem.
—
—y

y
(+
y
y

µ
These indicators on the instrument
panel show which position the shif t
lever is in.
The ‘‘D’’ indicator comes on f or a
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to ON (II). If it
f lashes while driving (in any shif t
position), it indicates a possible
problem in the transmission. To shif t f rom any position, press
f irmly on the brake pedal, push the
release button, and pull the lever
toward you. You cannot shif t out of
Park 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.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see on
page . 130
CONT INUED
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoN
NtoD Dto2 2to1
1to2
2toD
DtoN NtoR RtoP Do this:
Press the brake pedal and
press the release button.
Press the release button.
Move the lever.Shif t L ever Position Indicators Shif ting
Park (P)Shif t L ock Release
Automatic Transmission
Driving127
SHIFT LEVER
—
—y


y
(+
y
y

µµ
µ
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.
Press the brake
pedal and press the release button to
shif t f rom Park to Reverse. To shif t
from Reverse to Neutral, come to a
completestopandthenshift. 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 ).
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. Then press the release
button, and shift to reverse.
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 the Park
position if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason.
Use this position f or
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear for the vehicle 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. 130
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Reverse (R)
Neutral (N)
Drive (D)
128
—
—y

y
(+
y
y

µµ
The overdrive (O/D) is on whenever
you turn the ignition to ON (II).
Pressing the O/D switch on the end
of the shift lever to turn it off; the
O/D OFF indicator comes on.
Overdrive can be turned on or of f
only when the ignition switch is in
the ON (II) position and the shif t
lever is in any position. When the overdrive is of f , the
transmission selects only the f irst
three gears. Use it to provide engine
braking when going down a steep hill,
or keep the transmission f rom
cycling between third and f ourth
gear in stop-and -go driving.
To shif t to Second
press the release button. This
position locks the transmission in
second gear. It does not downshif t to
f irst gear when you come to a stop.
Use Second gear:
For more power when climbing.
To increase engine braking when
going down steep hills.
For starting out on a slippery
surf ace or in deep snow.
When driving downhill with a
trailer.
To help reduce wheel spin. 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.To shif t f rom Second to
First, press the release button. This
position locks the transmission 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 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.
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Overdrive (O/D) Mode
Second (2) First (1)
Engine Speed L imiter
129
—
—y

y
(+
y
y

Do this if pushing on the brake pedal
and pulling the shif t lever does not
shif t the transmission out of Park:Set the Parking brake.
Make sure the ignition switch is in
the LOCK (0) position.
To release the reverse lockout,
make sure the ignition switch is in
the ACCESSORY(I) position.
Put a cloth on the edge of the shif t
lock release slot cover next to the
shif t lever. Using a f lathead
screwdriver, caref ully pry on the
edge of the cover to remove it. Insert the f lathead screwdriver
into the shif t lock release slot.
Push down on the screwdriver
while you press the release button
and move the shif t 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 replace
thecover.Makesurethenotchon
the cover is on the right side.
Press 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 it
checked by a Honda dealer.
1. 2. 3.
4. 5.6.
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Shif t L ock Release
130
COVER
SHIFT LOCK RELEASE SLOT
—
—y

y
(+
y
y

Your Honda can be towed behind a
motorhome at legal highway speeds
up to 65 mph (100 km/h). Do not
exceed 65 mph (100 km/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).
When purchasing a tow bar, make
sure you select a reputable
manuf acturer and installer. Follow
the manufacturer’s attachment
instructions caref ully.Perf orm the f ollowing procedure
everyday immediately bef ore you
begin towing. Otherwise severe
automatic transmission damage will
occur.
Check the transmission f luid level
(see page ).
Start the engine.
Press on the brake pedal. Move
the shif t lever through all its
positions.
ShifttoD,thentoN.Letthe
engine run f or three minutes, then
turn it off.
Leave the ignition switch in the
ACCESSORY (I) position 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.
Release the parking brake.
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.)
162
Do not overf ill.
Driving
Towing Your Vehicle Behind a Motorhome
Ext ended T owing
141
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.
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.
—
—y


y
(+
y
y

If you have a f lat tire while driving,
stop in a saf e place to change it.
Drive slowly along the shoulder until
you get to an exit or an area to stop
that is far away from the traffic lanes.Park the vehicle on f irm, level and
non-slippery ground. Put the
transmission in Park (automatic)
or Reverse (manual). Apply the
parking brake.
If you are towing a trailer, unhitch
the trailer.
Turn on the hazard warning lights,
and turn the ignition switch to
LOCK (0). Have all the
passengers get out of the vehicle
while you change the tire.
Open the hatch and the tailgate.
The spare tire, jack, and tools are
under the cargo area f loor.
1. 2.
3. 4.
CONT INUED
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed181
TOOLS
SPARE TIRE
JACK
The vehicle can easily roll off
the jack, seriously injuring
anyone underneath.
Follow the directions for
changing a tire exactly, and
never get under the vehicle
when it is supported only by thejack.
—
—y

y
(+
y
y