towing HONDA ODYSSEY 1997 Owners Manual

1997 Odyssey Online Reference Owner's Manual
Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through\
this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.h\
elminc.com.

Contents

Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
............................................................... i
A Few Words About Safety........................................................................\
....................................... ii
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
.................................... 3
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restr\
aint System.
Instruments and Control s........................................................................\
........................................ 31
Instrument panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering colu\
mn controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features ........................................................................\
...................... 73
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
..........................................................107
What gasoline to use, how to break -in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
......................................................................117
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................137
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take you r vehicle to the dealer.
Appearance Car e........................................................................\
..................................................... .185
Tips on cleaning and protecting your vehicle. Things to look for if your\
vehicle ever needs body repairs.
Taking Care of the Unexpecte d........................................................................\
..............................193
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, an d how to handle them.
Technical Informatio n........................................................................\
.............................................217
ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)................................................................229
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manu als (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................235
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index........................................................................\
.............................................................................. I
Gas Station Information
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

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Additional Safety Information

The seat belts and airbags are obvi-ously important parts of your occu-
pant protection system.
In addition, you should know thatsitting upright, adjusting the head
restraints properly, locking the doors, and stowing things properly can also
increase your safety and possibly even save your life. Seat-back Position
The seat-backs should be in an upright position for you and your
passengers to get the most protec-
tion from the seat belts.
If you recline a seat-back, you reduce
the protective capability of your seat belt. The farther a seat-back is
reclined, the greater the risk that
you will slide under the belt in a severe crash and be very seriously
injured.
For information on how to adjust the
seat-back, see page 55 . Head Restraint Position
Head restraints can help protect you
from whiplash and other injuries. For the best protection, adjust the top of
the restraint so it is even with thetops of your ears, or as high as possi-
ble. For instructions on adjusting the
head restraints, see page 56.

Driver and Passenger SafetyProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Loading Cargo

The maximum load you can carry in your Honda is 1,150 Ibs (535 kg). It
includes the total weight of all
passengers and their belongings, any
accessories, and the tongue weight
of a trailer. This 1,150 Ibs (535 kg)
figure is shown as the Vehicle Capacity Weight on the tire infor-
mation label attached to the driver's doorjamb.
To figure out how much cargo you
can cany: Figure the total "occupant weight"
you will be transporting. To do this, multiply the number of people (driver and all passengers) by 150
Ibs (70 kg). Subtract this number from the
Vehicle Capacity Weight (1,150 lbs/535 kg). If you are towing a trailer, subtract
the tongue weight. See Towing a
Trailer on page 130 .
This final number is the total weight of cargo you can load in or on the car.
With seven occupants (driver and six passengers), the maximum recom-
mended weight for cargo is 100 Ibs
(45 kg).

Where you store this cargo, and how
well you secure it, are just as important as how much it weighs.
Make sure you load cargo so it will
not shift while driving. Items stored
in the cargo area behind the third
seat should be stored as far forward
as possible. You could store addi-
tional items on the floor behind the
front seats. Make sure they cannot roll under the front seat and
interfere with the pedals.
For greater cargo capacity, the thirdseat can be folded into the floor and
the second row seats can either be removed or folded up (depending onmodel). Passengers should never sit
in the open cargo area while the car
is moving. They should sit in one of
the seats and wear their seat belts.
If you must carry large objects that
prevent you from closing the tailgate,
be aware that exhaust gas can enter the interior. See Carbon Monoxide
Hazard on page 29 .
Before DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Driving

This section gives you tips on starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
automatic transmission. It also
includes important information on
parking your car, the braking system and facts you need if you are plan-
ning to tow a trailer. Preparing to Drive......................... 118
Starting the Engine........................ 119
Starting in Cold Weatherat High Altitude ..................... 119
Automatic Transmission............... 120 Shift Lever Position Indicator.. 120
Shift Lever Positions................. 120
Maximum Speeds...................... 123
Shift Lock Release..................... 123
Parking............................................ 124
The Braking System...................... 124 Brake Wear Indicators.............. 125
Brake System Design................ 125
Anti-lock Brakes........................ 126 Important Safety Reminders.... 127
ABS Indicator............................. 127
Driving in Bad Weather................ 128
Towing a Trailer............................ 130

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Automatic Transmission

Neutral (N) — Use Neutral if youneed to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop briefly with
the engine idling. Shift to Park posi-
tion if you need to leave the car for
any reason. Press on the brake pedal
when you are moving the shift lever
from Neutral to another gear.
Drive (D4) — Use this position for
your normal driving. The transmis- sion automatically selects a suitable
gear for your speed and acceleration.
You may notice the transmission shifting up at higher speeds when
the engine is cold. This helps the
engine warm up faster.
Drive (D3) — This position is similar
to D4, except only the first three
gears are selected. Use D3 when
towing a trailer in hilly terrain, or to
provide engine braking when going down a steep hill. D3 can also keep
the transmission from cycling
between third and fourth gears in stop-and-go driving.
For faster acceleration when in D3 or
D4, you can get the transmission to
automatically downshift by pushing
the accelerator pedal to the floor.
The transmission will shift down one or two gears, depending on your

speed.

Second (2) — To shift to Second,
pull the shift lever towards you, then shift to the lower gear. This position
locks the transmission in second
gear. It does not downshift to first gear when you come to a stop.Second gives you more power when
climbing, and increased engine
braking when going down steep hills.
Use second gear when starting out
on a slippery surface or in deep snow.
It will help reduce wheelspin.
Whenever you move the shift lever to a lower gear, the transmissiondownshifts only if the engine's redline will not be exceeded in the
lower gear.
First (1) — To shift from Second to
First, pull the shift lever towards you,
then shift to the lower gear. With the lever in this position, the transmis-sion locks in First gear. By upshift-
ing and downshifting through 1, 2,
D3 and D4, you can operate this
transmission much like a manual
transmission without a clutch pedal.

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Towing a Trailer

Your Honda is designed primarily tocarry passengers and their cargo.
You can use it to tow a trailer if you carefully observe some general rules.
The total weight of the trailer andeverything loaded in it must not
exceed the weights shown in the
table below.
* 1 : Including driver. Based on 150 Ibs (70 kg)
per passenger
* 2 : Seven-passenger model only The "tongue load" should never
exceed 160 Ibs (72 kg). This is the
amount of weight the trailer puts
on the hitch when it is fully-loaded.
As a rule of thumb, the tongue load should be 10 percent of the
total trailer package.For example, if the trailer and its
load weigh 1,000 Ibs (450 kg), the
tongue load should be 100 Ibs (45
kg). Adjust the trailer's cargo to change the tongue load. Start by
putting approximately 60 percent of the cargo toward the front and
40 percent toward the rear. Never
load the trailer so the back is
heavier than the front. The combined weight of the car,
all passengers and their luggage,
and tongue load must not exceed
the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
The GVWR is printed on the Certification label attached to thedriver's doorjamb (see page 218).
The combined weight of the car, all passengers and their luggage,
and tongue load also must notexceed the Gross Axle Weight
Rating. The GAWR is also shown on the Certification label. It tells
you the maximum load for the
front and rear axles. It is possible that your towing package does notexceed the GVWR but does
exceed the GAWR. Improper
trailer loading, and/or too much
luggage in the cargo area can overload the rear axle. Redis-
tribute the load and check the axle
weights again.
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Towing a Trailer
The best way to confirm that your total towing package is within these specifications is to get it weighed.
Load the car and trailer as you
normally would while towing, and
take them to a public scale. Have
them check the total weight and the
weight at each axle, then compare the weights to the specifications.
Trailer Hitches

Your Honda dealer, or the Honda Customer Relations Zone Office, can
give you advice on the proper hitch
for your car. Never use a hitch that mounts only to the rear bumper. The
bumper is not designed to handle
that type of load. The hitch should
bolt to the underbody of the car and distribute the load over a wide area.
Always have a trailer hitch installed by a qualified technician.

A trailer hitch that is not adequate for the size of the trailer, or a hitch that is
improperly installed, can cause damage
to the underside of your car.
Driving

NOTICE
Improperly loading your car and
trailer can seriously affect its
steering and braking performance, causing a crash
in which you can be seriously

injured.

Check the loading of your car
and trailer carefully before
starting to drive.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Towing a Trailer

Mirrors
Many states and provinces have laws
requiring special outside mirrors
when you are towing a trailer. Check the laws in your area. You may want
to install mirrors, even if they are not
required. Hook up the trailer and see
how much it obscures your ability to see behind you with the standard
mirrors. If you cannot see directly
behind you, or have a large blind spot next to the trailer or the car,
you should install mirrors intended for towing. Connecting the Trailer
Most trailers that have a gross
weight of 1,000 Ibs (450 kg) do not
have their own braking system. If
you are thinking of getting a trailer that does have brakes, make sure
they are electrically-operated. Thereare no provisions in your car to tap
into its hydraulic braking system.
Any attempt to attach the trailer's brakes to your car's hydraulicsystem, no matter how successful it
may seem, will lower braking effectiveness and create a potential

hazard.
Always use a safety chain when
towing a trailer. Connect the safetychain securely at both ends. Make
sure the chain crosses under the
tongue so it will catch the trailer if it becomes unhitched. Leave enoughslack in the chain so it can't bind in a
sharp turn. Do not let it drag on the

ground.

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Towing a Trailer

Your car has a trailer lighting connector. To use the connector,
remove the left rear light cover.
Refer to the drawing above for the
wiring color code and purpose of
each connector pin.
Since the lighting and wiring can be
different for various brands of
trailers, have a technician who is
familiar with your trailer modify its lighting plug. A converter may be
required between the car and trailer
for the lights to work correctly. Before Starting Out
As you are preparing to tow your trailer, do the following:
Measure the trailer's tongue load.
You can do this with a bathroom
scale.

Verify that the hitch and safety chain are securely fastened.Check the condition and air
pressure of all tires on the trailer and your car. Low tire pressure
can seriously affect the handling.
Also check the spare tire.
With everything loaded and the trailer connected, check that the
rear of the car is not sagging. If so, redistribute the load in the car.Check that all lights on the car and
trailer are working properly.
Driving

GROUND
(BLACK)
BACK-UP LIGHT
(GREEN/BLACK)
LEFT TURN SIGNAL
(GREEN/BLUE)
RIGHT TURN SIGNAL

(GREEN/YELLOW)
BRAKE LIGHT

(GREEN/WHITE)
TAILLIGHT
(RED/BLACK)ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Towing a Trailer

Towing Safety

Your car will not stop as quickly with a trailer in tow. Leave extra distance
between your car and other vehicles.
Avoid braking or turning suddenly.
This could cause the trailer to
jackknife or possibly turn over.
Keep in mind that your total vehicle
is now much longer. Leave more
room when making turns. The trailer
tracks a smaller arc than the car and
can hit or run over something that
the car misses. When passing another vehicle, make sure the
trailer is clear before changing lanes. The car/trailer combination is more
affected by crosswinds and buffeting.
When being passed by a large vehicle, keep a constant speed and steer straight ahead. If there is too
much wind buffeting, slow down to
get out of the other vehicle's air

turbulence.

Towing a trailer puts an extra load on your car. You should have your
car serviced according to the
"Maintenance Schedule under
severe driving conditions" on page 143. This extra load is magnified when
you are driving in hilly terrain.
Watch the temperature gauge closely when climbing hills. If it gets
near the hot area, turn off the air
conditioning (if it is on). If this does
not reduce the heat, it may be
necessary to pull to the side of the
road and wait for the engine to cool.
If the automatic transmission shifts
frequently between 3rd and 4th gears, put it in D3. This will help
prevent the transmission fromoverheating. Help keep the brakes
from overheating by shifting to a lower gear when going downhill.

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