open hood HONDA ODYSSEY 1996 Owners Manual

Before Driving

Before you begin driving your Honda,
you should know what gasoline to use, and how to check the levels ofimportant 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 theinformation 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

Before DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

Service Station Procedures

Opening the Hood
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. 2. Standing in front of the car, put
your fingers under the front edge
of 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. 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 toabout a foot above the fender, then
let it drop.
Before Driving
CONTINUED

HOOD RELEASE HANDLE

LATCH

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Engine Oil

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.
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:43 N.m (4.4 kgf.m , 32 Ibf.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 boltand 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.

CONTINUED

Maintenance

WASHER
DRAIN BOLT OIL FILTER
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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 the
engine. Open the hood. Make sure
the engine and radiator are cool to
the touch.
2. Remove the radiator cap. 3. Loosen the drain plug on the
bottom of the radiator. The
coolant will drain through the
splash guard. Remove the drain
bolt from the engine block.
Maintenance DRAIN BOLT
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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 todetermine what type of replacement
bulb is needed. Headlight Aiming
The headlights were properly aimed when your car was new. You should check their aim if you regularly carryheavy items in the cargo area or pulla trailer. Each headlight assembly
has horizontal and vertical adjust- ment indicators. These are set to
their "0" positions after the head-
lights 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 checks and 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 and rear bumpers several times to makesure 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. When
replacing a bulb, handle it by its steel
base and protect the glass fromcontact with your skin or hard
objects. 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 scratchon 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 starting
procedure? 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 down,
you may be able to start the engine by using a booster battery. Although
this seems like a simple procedure,
there are several precautions you should 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 slushyor like ice, do not try jump starting
until it thaws.

If a battery sits in extreme cold, the
electrolyte inside can freeze.

Attempting to jump 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.
Taking Care of the Unexpected
NOTICE

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.coms t Main Menu Table of Contents

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 see 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, turnoff 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.coms t Main Menu Table of Contents

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 page150 ). 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 toadd 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 capcounterclockwise, 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 comesoff. 10.Start the engine and set the
temperature control lever tomaximum. 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 goesback 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 theMAX 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 s t Table of Contents

Low Oil Pressure

This indicator should light when the ignition is ON (II), and go out after
the engine starts. It should nevercome on when the engine is running.
If it starts flashing, it indicates that
the oil pressure dropped very low for a moment, then recovered. If the
indicator stays on with the engine
running, it shows that the engine has
lost oil pressure and serious engine damage is possible. In either case,
you should take immediate action.
Running the engine with low oil
pressure can cause serious mechanical damage almost immediately. Turn offthe 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 nogo out within ten seconds, turn of
the engine. There is a mechanical problem that needs to be repaired
before you can continue driving.
(See Towing on page 213 .)

Taking Care of the Unexpected
NOTICE

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