engine HONDA ODYSSEY 1997 Owner's Guide

Maintenance

This section explains why it is important to keep your car well
maintained and to follow basic
maintenance safety precautions.
This section also includes Maintenance Schedules for normaldriving and severe driving conditions,
a Maintenance Record, and instruc-
tions for simple maintenance tasks
you may want to take care of
yourself.
If you have the skills and tools to per-
form more complex maintenance
tasks on your Honda, you may want to purchase the Service Manual. See
page 235 for information on how toobtain a copy, or see your Honda

dealer.
Maintenance Safety....................... 138

Important Safety Precautions.. 139

Maintenance Schedule.................. 140

Maintenance Record..................... 144

Owner Maintenance Checks........ 146

Fluid Locations............................... 147

Engine Oil....................................... 148
Adding Oil................................... 148Recommended Oil..................... 148
Synthetic Oil............................... 149

Additives..................................... 150

Changing the Oil and Filter...... 150

Cooling System.............................. 152

Adding Engine Coolant............. 152Replacing Engine Coolant........ 154

Windshield Washers..................... 156

Automatic Transmission Fluid..... 157
Brake Fluid..................................... 158

Brake System............................. 158

Anti-lock Brake System............ 159

Power Steering............................... 159

Air Cleaner Element...................... 160
Spark Plugs..................................... 162
Replacement............................... 162

Specifications............................. 163

Battery............................................ 164
Windshield Wipers........................ 166
Air Conditioning System............... 169
Drive Belts...................................... 170
Timing Belt..................................... 170
Tires................................................ 171 Inflation....................................... 171
Inspection................................... 173
Maintenance............................... 173
Tire Rotation.............................. 174 Replacing Tires and Wheels .... 174
Wheels and Tires....................... 175
Winter Driving........................... 175 Snow Tires.............................. 176
Tire Chains............................. 176
Lights.............................................. 177
Headlight Aiming...................... 177
Replacing Bulbs......................... 179
Storing Your Car............................ 184
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Maintenance Safety

Important Safety Precautions
Before you begin any maintenance,
make sure your car is parked on
level ground and that the parking
brake is on. Also, be sure the engine
is off. This will help to eliminate several potential hazards:

Carbon monoxide poisoning

from engine exhaust. Be sure there is adequate ventilation
whenever you operate the engine.
Burns from hot parts. Let the
engine and exhaust system cool
before touching any parts.
Injury from moving parts. Do

not run the engine unless in-
structed to do so. Read the instructions before you
begin, and make sure you have the tools and skills required.
To reduce the possibility of fire or explosion, be careful when working
around gasoline or batteries. Use a
nonflammable solvent, not gasoline,
to clean parts. Keep cigarettes, sparks, and flames away from the
battery and all fuel-related parts.
You should wear eye protection and protective clothing when working
near the battery or when usingcompressed air.

Maintenance
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Maintenance Schedule

The Maintenance Schedule specifies how often you should have your carserviced and what things need
attention. It is essential that you have
your car serviced as scheduled to retain its high level of safety,dependability, and emission control
performance.
The services and time or distance
intervals shown in the maintenance
schedule assume you will use your
car as normal transportation for
passengers and their possessions.
You should also follow these
recommendations:

Avoid exceeding your car's loadlimit. This puts excess stress on
the engine, brakes, and manyother parts of your car. The load
limit is shown on the label on the driver's doorjamb.
Operate your car on reasonable
roads within the legal speed limit.
Drive your car regularly over a
distance of several miles
(kilometers).

Always use unleaded gasoline with the proper octane rating (see page
108
).
Which Schedule to Follow:
Service your car according to the
time and mileage periods on one of
the Maintenance Schedules on the
following pages. Select the schedule
for "Severe Conditions" if most of
your driving is done under one or more of the conditions listed on that
page. Otherwise, follow the schedule
for "Normal Conditions."

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Owner Maintenance Checks
You should check the following items at the specified intervals. If
you are unsure of how to perform any check, turn to the page given. Engine oil level — Check every
time you fill the fuel tank. See
page 112.
Engine coolant level — Check the
radiator reserve tank every time
you fill the fuel tank. See page 113.

Windshield washer fluid — Check the level in the reservoir monthly.
If weather conditions cause you to
use the washers frequently, check
the reservoir each time you stop
for fuel. See page 156.
Automatic transmission — Check the fluid level monthly. See page
157.

Brakes — Check the fluid level
monthly. See page 158. Tires — Check the tire pressure
monthly. Examine the tread for
wear and foreign objects. See page
171.

Lights — Check the operation of
the headlights, parking lights,
taillights, high-mount brake light,
turn signals, brake lights, and
license plate lights monthly. See

page 177.

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Fluid Locations

Maintenance

BRAKE FLUID
(Gray cap)
ENGINE OIL
FILL CAP
COOLANT
RESERVOIR

AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION
FLUID DIPSTICK
(Yellow loop)
ENGINE OIL DIPSTICK
(Orange loop)
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE
RESERVOIR

(Gray cap)
POWER STEERING
FLUID (Red cap)
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Engine Oil
Adding Oil
To add oil, unscrew and remove the engine oil fill cap on top of the valve
cover. Pour in the oil, and replace the
engine oil fill cap. Tighten it securely.
Wait a few minutes and recheck the oil level. Do not fill above the upper
mark; you could damage the engine. Recommended Oil
Oil is a major contributor to your
engine's performance and longevity.
Always use a premium-grade deter- gent oil.
You can determine an oil's SAE viscosity and Service Classification
from the API Service label on the oilcontainer.
A fuel-efficient oil is recommended for your Honda. This is shown on the
API Service label by the words "Energy Conserving II." This oil is
formulated to help your engine use
less fuel. The API Service label also tells you
the service classification of the oil.
Always use an oil that says "API Service SH." This service rating mayalso include other designations, such
as CD. These additional classifica-
tions are not a problem, as long as
the label also carries the SH classifi-
cation. An oil that is only classified
SF is not recommended.
API SERVICE LABEL

Maintenance

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Engine Oil

The oil container may also display the API Certification mark shown
below. Make sure it says "ForGasoline Engines."
API CERTIFICATION MARK The SAE numbers tell you the oil's
viscosity or weight. Select the oil for
your car according to this chart.
An oil with a viscosity of 5W-30 is preferred for improved fuel economyand year-round protection in your
Honda. You may use a 10W-30 oil if
the temperature in your area never
goes below 20°F ( — 7°C). Synthetic Oil
You may use a synthetic motor oil if it meets the same requirements
given for conventional motor oil;energy conserving, a service
classification of SH, and the proper
weight as shown on the chart. When using synthetic oil, you must follow
the oil and filter change intervals
given in the maintenance schedule.
Maintenance
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Engine Oil
Additives Your Honda does not need any oil additives. Purchasing additives for
the engine or transmission will not
increase your car's performance or
longevity. It only increases the cost of operating your car. Changing the Oil and Filter
Always change the oil and filter according to the time and distance (miles/kilometers) recommenda-
tions in the maintenance schedule.
The oil and filter collect contami- nants that can damage your engine if
they are not removed regularly.
Changing the oil and filter requiresspecial tools and access from
underneath the car. The car should
be raised on a service station-type
hydraulic lift for this service. Unless
you have the knowledge and proper equipment, you should have this
maintenance done by a skilled
mechanic.
1. Run the engine until it reaches normal operating temperature,
then shut it off. 2. Open the hood and remove the
engine oil fill cap. Remove the oildrain bolt and washer from the
bottom of the engine. Drain the oil
into an appropriate container.

Maintenance
WASHER

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Engine Oil

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:32 lbf.ft (4.4 kgf.m, 43 N.m)
6. Refill the engine with the recom-
mended oil.

Engine oil change capacity
(including filter):

4.0 US qt (3.8 ,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.
Improper disposal of engine oil can be
harmful to the environment. If you
change your own oil, please dispose of
the used oil properly. Put it in a sealed
container and take it to a recycling
center. Do not discard it in a trash bin
or dump it on the ground.

Maintenance

OIL FILTER
NOTICE
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Cooling System

Adding Engine Coolant
If the coolant level in the reserve
tank is at or below the MIN line, add
coolant to bring it up to the MAX line.
Inspect the cooling system for leaks.
This coolant should always be a mixture of 50 percent antifreeze and50 percent water. Never add straight
antifreeze or plain water. Always use Genuine Honda
antifreeze/coolant. If it is not
available, you may use another
major-brand non-silicate coolant as a
temporary replacement. Make sure it is a high-quality coolant
recommended for aluminum engines. However, continued use of any non-
Honda coolant can result in
corrosion, causing the cooling
system to malfunction or fail. Have
the cooling system flushed and
refilled with Honda antifreeze/ coolant as soon as possible. If the reserve tank is completely
empty, you should also check the
coolant level in the radiator.

Maintenance
RESERVE TANK

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
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