open hood HONDA ODYSSEY 1995 Owners Manual

Before Driving

Before you begin driving your Honda,
you should know what gasoline to use, and how to check the levels of
important fluids. You also need to
know how to properly stow luggage or packages. This section will help
you. If you plan to add any accesso- ries to your car, please read the
information in this section first. Break-in Period.............................. 108
Gasoline.......................................... 108 Oxygenated Fuels...................... 108
Driving in Foreign Countries... 109
Service Station Procedures .......... 110
Filling the Fuel Tank................. 110Opening the Hood..................... 111

Fuel Economy................................ 114
Vehicle Condition...................... 114Driving Habits............................ 114
Accessories..................................... 115 Loading Cargo................................ 116

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Service Station Procedures

Opening the Hood HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
1. Shift to Park or Neutral and set the parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle, located under the
left lower corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly.
LATCH

2. Standing in front of the car, put your fingers under the front edgeof the hood to the right of center.
Slide your hand to the left until
you feel the hood latch handle. Push this handle up until it
releases the hood. Lift the hood. SUPPORT ROD
3. Pull the support rod out of its clip and insert the end into the hole on
the left side of the hood.
To close the hood, lift it up slightly to remove the support rod from the
hole. Put the support rod back into its holding clip. Lower the hood to
about a foot above the fender, then
let it drop.

Before Driving
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Engine Oil

WASHER
DRAIN BOLT
2. Open
the hood and remove the
engine oil fill cap. Remove the oil
drain bolt from the bottom of the
engine. Drain the oil into an
appropriate container. OIL FILTER
3. Remove the oil filter and let the remaining oil drain. A special
wrench (available from your Honda dealer) is required to
remove the filter.
4. Install a new oil filter according to instructions that come with it.
5. Put a new washer on the drain bolt, then reinstall the drain bolt.

Tighten it to:

44 N .
m(4.4 kg-m,32 Ib-ft)

6. Refill the engine with the recom-
mended oil.
Engine oil change capacity
(including filter):

3.8 (4.0 US qt, 3.3 Imp qt)

7. Replace the engine oil fill cap.
Start the engine. The oil pressure
indicator light should go out within
five seconds. If it does not, turn off
the engine and reinspect your

work.

8. Let the engine run for several minutes and check the drain bolt
and oil filter for leaks.
9. Turn off the engine, let it sit for several minutes, then check the oil
level. If necessary, add oil to bring
the level to the upper mark on the
dipstick.

Maintenance
CONTINUED
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Cooling System

Do not add any rust inhibitors or other additives to your car's cooling
system. They may not be compatible
with the coolant or engine compo- nents.
Replacing Engine Coolant
The cooling system should be completely drained and refilled with
new coolant according to the time
and distance recommendations in
the maintenance schedule. Only use
recommended antifreeze.
Draining the coolant requires access
to the underside of the car. Unless
you have the tools and knowledge,
you should have this maintenance done by a skilled mechanic. 1. Start the engine. Turn the heater
temperature control dial to
maximum heat and turn off theengine. Open the hood. Make sure
the engine and radiator are cool to
the touch.
2. Remove the radiator cap. DRAIN BOLT
3. Loosen the drain plug on the bottom of the radiator. Thecoolant will drain through thesplash guard. Remove the drain
bolt from the engine block.
Maintenance DRAIN PLUGProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Lights

Check the operation of your car's
exterior lights at least once a month.
A burned out bulb can create an unsafe condition by reducing your
car's visibility and the ability to
signal your intentions to other
drivers.
Check the following:
Headlights (low and high beam)
Parking lights
Taillights Brake lights
High-mount brake light
Turn signals Back-up lights
Hazard light function
License plate light
Side marker lights
Daytime running lights (Canadian cars)
If you find any bulbs are burned out,
replace them as soon as possible. Refer to the chart on page 219 to
determine what type of replacement
bulb is needed. Headlight Aiming
The headlights were properly aimed when your car was new. You shouldcheck their aim if you regularly carry
heavy items in the cargo area or pull a trailer. Each headlight assembly
has horizontal and vertical adjust-
ment indicators. These are set to
their "0" positions after the
headlights are aimed at the factory.
To check these settings: 1. Make sure the fuel tank is full. Park the car on level ground.
2. The driver or someone who weighs the same should be sittingin the driver's seat for all checksand adjustments.
Load your car with the items you
normally carry. HORIZONTAL ANGLE GAUGE
If you usually pull a trailer, load it as
you would normally and attach it to the car. Push down on the front andrear bumpers several times to make sure the car is sitting normally.
3. Open the hood.
4. Check the horizontal angle gauge. The line on the adjustment screwindicator should line up with the
"0" mark on the gauge.
Maintenance
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Lights

Replacing a Headlight Bulb

Your car has halogen headlight bulbs, one on each side. Whenreplacing a bulb, handle it by its steel
base and protect the glass from
contact with your skin or hardobjects. If you touch the glass, clean
it with denatured alcohol and a clean

cloth.

Halogen headlight bulbs get very hot
when lit. Oil, perspiration, or a scratch

on the glass can cause the bulb to

overheat and shatter.
1. Open the hood.

If you need to change a bulb on

the passenger's side, remove the
air intake cover (see page 158 ).

2. Remove the electrical connector from the bulb by squeezing the
connector on both sides to unlock

the tab. Pull the connector straight
off.

3. Remove the rubber weather seal
by pulling on the tab.
4. Unclip the end of the hold-down
wire from its slot. Pivot it out ofthe way and remove the bulb.
5. Insert the new bulb into the hole, making sure the tabs are in theirslots. Pivot the hold-down wire
back in place and clip the end into
the slot.
6. Install the rubber seal over the back of the headlight assembly.Make sure it is right side up; it is

marked "TOP".

7. Push the electrical connector onto the tabs of the new bulb. Makesure it locks in place.
Turn on the headlights to test the new bulb.
8. (Passenger's side) Reinstall the air intake cover.
Maintenance

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If Your Engine Won't Start, Jump Starting

The Starter Operates Normally In this case, the starter motorsounds normal when you turn the
ignition switch to START (III), but
the engine does not run.
Are you using the proper startingprocedure? Refer to Starting the
Engine on page 119 .
Do you have fuel? Turn the
ignition switch to ON (II) for a
minute and watch the fuel gauge.
The low fuel level warning light may not be working, so you were
not reminded to fill the tank.
There may be an electrical problem, such as no power to the
fuel pump. Check all the fuses (see page 208 ).
If you find nothing wrong, you will
need a qualified technician to find
the problem. See Towing on page 213. Jump Starting
If your car's battery has run clown,
you may be able to start the engine by using a booster battery. Although
this seems like a simple procedure,
there are several precautions youshould take. Follow the directions

closely.

You cannot start a Honda by pushing or pulling it. To jump start your car:
1. Open the hood and check the physical condition of the battery(see page 162 ). 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.
Taking Care of the Unexpected
If a battery sits in extreme cold, the

electrolyte inside can freeze.
Attempting to lump start with a frozen battery can cause it to rupture or

explode.

2. Turn off all the electrical acces- sories: heater, A/C, stereo system,
lights, etc.

Put the transmission in Neutral or

Park and set the parking brake.

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.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

If Your Engine Overheats

The pointer of your car's tempera- ture gauge should stay in the mid-
range 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.

Driving with the temperature gauge
pointer at the red mark can cause serious damage to your engine. 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 sec steam or
spray coming from under the hood.

In either case, you should take

immediate action.
1. Safely pull to the side of the road.
Put the transmission in neutral or
park and set the parking brake.
Turn off the heating and cooling system and all other accessories.
Turn on the hazard warning indicators.
2. If you see steam and/or spray coming from under the hood, turn
off the engine.
3. If you do not see steam or spray, leave the engine running and
watch the temperature gauge. If the high heat is due to overloading (climbing a long, steep hill on a
hot day with the A/C running, for example), the engine should start
to cool down almost immediately. If it does, wait until the tempera-
ture gauge comes down to the mid-
point then continue driving.
Taking Care of the Unexpected

NOTICE

Steam and spray from an
overheated engine can
seriously scald you.Do not open the hood if steam
is coming out.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

If Your Engine Overheats
4. If the temperature gauge stays at the red mark, turn off the engine.
5. Wait until you see no more signs of steam or spray, then open the

hood.

6. Look for any obvious coolant leaks, such as a split radiator hose.
Everything is still extremely hot, so use caution. If you find a leak, it
must be repaired before you
continue driving (see Towing on
page 213).
7. If you don't find an obvious leak, check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank (see page 150). If the level is below the
MIN mark, add coolant to half-way
between the MIN and MAX marks.
8. If there was no coolant in the reserve tank, you may also have to
add coolant to the radiator. Let the
engine cool down until the pointer reaches the middle of the tempera-
ture gauge, or lower, before check-
ing the radiator.
9. Using gloves or a large heavy cloth, turn the radiator cap
counterclockwise, without pushing
down, to the first stop. This
releases any remaining pressure in
the cooling system. After the
pressure releases, push down on
the cap and turn it until it comes
off.
10.Start the engine and set the
temperature control lever to
maximum. Add coolant to the
radiator up to the base of the filler
neck. If you do not have the proper coolant mixture available,
you can add plain water. Remember to have the coolingsystem drained and refilled with
the proper mixture as soon as you

can.

11. Put the radiator cap back on tightly. Run the engine and watch
the temperature gauge. If it goes
back to the red mark, the engine needs repair. (See Towing on
page 213.)
12.If the temperature stays normal, check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. If it has
gone down, add coolant to the MAX mark. Put the cap back on

tightly.
Taking Care of the Unexpected

Removing the radiator cap
while the engine is hot can cause the coolant to spray out,
seriously scalding you.
Always let the engine and radiator cool down before
removing the radiator cap.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Low Oil Pressure

The low oil pressure indicator should
never come on when the engine is
running. If
this light flashes or stays
on with the engine running, take
immediate action.

Running the engine with low oil
pressure can cause serious mechanical
damage almost immediately. Turn off

the engine as soon as you can safely get

the car stopped.
1. Safely pull off the road and shut
off the engine.
2. Let the car sit for a minute. Open the hood and check the oil level(see page 146 ). Although oil level
and oil pressure are not directly
connected, an engine that is very
low on oil can lose pressure during cornering and other driving
maneuvers.
3. If necessary, add oil to bring the level back to the full mark on thedipstick (see page 146 ). 4. Start the engine and watch the oil
pressure light. If the light does not
go out within ten seconds, turn off
the engine. There is a mechanicalproblem that needs to be repaired
before you can continue driving. (See Towing on page 213 .)
Taking Care of the Unexpected
LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR

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