wheel HONDA ODYSSEY 1998 Owner's Guide

Driving in Bad Weather

Visibility — Being able to see clearly in all directions and being
visible to other drivers are important in all weather conditions. This is
more difficult in bad weather. To beseen more clearly during daylight
hours, turn on your headlights.
Inspect your windshield wipers and
washers frequently. Keep the wind- shield washer reservoir full of the
proper fluid. Have the windshield
wiper blades replaced if they start to streak the windshield or leave parts
unwiped. Use the defrosters and air
conditioning to keep the windows
from fogging up on the inside (see

page 99).
Traction — Check your tires
frequently for wear and proper
pressure. Both are important in
preventing "hydroplaning" (loss of
traction on a wet surface). In the
winter, mount snow tires on all four
wheels for the best handling.
Watch road conditions carefully, they can change from moment to
moment. Wet leaves can be as slip-
pery as ice. "Clear" roads can have
patches of ice. Driving conditionscan be very hazardous when the
outside temperature is near freezing.
The road surface can become covered with areas of water puddles
mixed with areas of ice, so your
traction can change without warning.
Be careful when downshifting. If
traction is low, you can lock up the drive wheels for a moment and cause
a skid. Be very cautious when passing, or
being passed by other vehicles. The spray from large vehicles reduces
your visibility, and the wind buffeting can cause you to lose control.
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Towing a Trailer

If you have to stop while going uphill,
do not hold the vehicle in place by
pressing on the accelerator. This can cause the automatic transmission tooverheat. Use the parking brake or
footbrake.
When parking your vehicle and trailer, especially on a hill, be sure to
follow all the normal precautions.
Turn your front wheels into the curb, set the parking brake firmly, and put
the transmission in Park. In addition,
place wheel chocks at each of the
trailer's tires. Backing up with a trailer is difficult
and takes practice. Drive slowly,
make small movements with the steering wheel, and have someonestand outside to guide you. Grip the
steering wheel on the bottom (rather
than the usual position near the top). Move your hand to the left to get the
trailer to move to the left, and right
to move the trailer right.

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Maintenance

This section explains why it is important to keep your vehicle 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 to obtain a copy, or see your Honda

dealer.
Maintenance Safety....................... 160
Important Safety Precautions.. 161
Maintenance Schedule.................. 162
Required Maintenance Record.... 169 Owner Maintenance Checks........ 171
Fluid Locations............................... 172

Engine Oil....................................... 173 Adding Oil................................... 173Recommended Oil..................... 173
Synthetic Oil............................... 174

Additives..................................... 175
Changing the Oil and Filter...... 175

Cooling System.............................. 177
Adding Engine Coolant............. 177Replacing Engine Coolant........ 179
Windshield Washers..................... 181
Automatic Transmission Fluid..... 182
Brake Fluid..................................... 183
Brake System............................. 183

Power Steering............................... 184
Air Cleaner Element...................... 185 Spark Plugs..................................... 187
Replacement............................... 187
Specifications............................. 188
Battery............................................ 189
Wiper Blades.................................. 191 Air Conditioning System............... 194
Drive Belts...................................... 195
Timing Belt..................................... 195
Tires................................................ 196 Inflation....................................... 196
Inspection................................... 198
Maintenance............................... 198
Tire Rotation.............................. 199
Replacing Tires and Wheels .... 199
Wheels and Tires....................... 200
Winter Driving........................... 200
Snow Tires.............................. 201
Tire Chains............................. 201
Lights.............................................. 202 Headlight Aiming...................... 204
Replacing Bulbs......................... 206
Storing Your Vehicle..................... 211
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Power Steering
Check the level when the engine is
cold. Look at the side of the
reservoir. The fluid should be
between the UPPER LEVEL and LOWER LEVEL. If it is below the
LOWER LEVEL, add power steering
fluid to the UPPER LEVEL. Always use Genuine Honda Power
Steering Fluid. If it is not available,
you may use another power steering fluid as an emergency replacement.However, continued use can cause
increased wear and poor steering in
cold weather. Have the power
steering system flushed and refilled
with Honda PSF as soon as possible. A low power steering fluid level can
indicate a leak in the system. Check
the fluid level frequently and have
the system inspected as soon as
possible.

Turning the steering wheel to full left
or right lock and holding it there can
damage the power steering pump.

Maintenance
UPPER LEVEL
LOWER LEVEL NOTICEProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Tires

Inspection

Every time you check inflation, youshould also examine the tires for

damage, foreign objects, and wear.

You should look for: Bumps or bulges in the tread or
side of the tire. Replace the tire if
you find either of these conditions. Cuts, splits, or cracks in the side
of the tire. Replace the tire if you
can see fabric or cord.
Excessive tread wear.

INDICATOR LOCATION MARKS

Your vehicle's tires have wear indica- tors molded into the tread. When the
tread wears down to that point, you
will see a 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) wide
band running across the tread. Thisshows there is less than 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) of tread left on the tire. A
tire that is this worn gives very little
traction on wet roads. You should
replace the tire if you can see the
tread wear indicator in three or more
places around the tire.
Maintenance

In addition to proper inflation,
correct wheel alignment helps to
decrease tire wear. If you find a tire
is worn unevenly, have your dealer
check the wheel alignment.
The tires were properly balanced by the factory. They may need to berebalanced at some time before theyare worn out. Have your dealer
check the tires if you feel a consis-
tent vibration while driving. A tire should always be rebalanced if it is
removed from the wheel for repair.

Maintenance
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Tires

Make sure the installer balances the
wheels when you have new tires installed. This increases riding
comfort and tire life. Your vehicle's
original tires were dynamic or "spin"
balanced at the factory. For best
results, have the installer perform a dynamic balance.

(U.S.
EX)
Improper wheel weights can damage
your vehicle's aluminum wheels. Use only Genuine Honda wheel weights for
balancing. Tire Rotation
To help increase tire life and
distribute wear more evenly, you
should have the tires rotated every
7,500 miles (12,000 km). Move the
tires to the positions shown in the
chart each time they are rotated. When shopping for replacement
tires, you may find that some tiresare "directional." This means they
are designed to rotate only in onedirection. If you use directional tires,
they should be rotated only front-to-
back.
Replacing Tires and Wheels
The tires that came with your vehicle were selected to match the performance capabilities of the
vehicle while providing the best combination of handling, ridecomfort, and long life. You should
replace them with radial tires of the same size, load range, speed rating,
and maximum cold tire pressure
rating (as shown on the tire's sidewall). Mixing radial and bias-ply
tires on your vehicle can reduce its
braking ability, traction, and steering
accuracy.

CONTINUED

Maintenance

NOTICE
Front
Front

(For Non-directional
Tires and Wheels) (For Directional
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Tires

It is best to replace all four tires at
the same time. If that is not possible or necessary, then replace the two
front tires or the two rear tires as a
pair. Replacing just one tire can seriously affect your vehicle's han-
dling.
The ABS works by comparing the speed of the wheels. When replacing
tires, use the same size originally supplied with the vehicle. Tire size
and construction can affect wheel speed and may cause the system to
work inconsistently.
If you ever need to replace a wheel,
make sure the wheel's specifications
match those of the original wheel
that came on your vehicle. Re-
placement wheels are available at
your Honda dealer.
Wheels and Tires
Wheel:
15 x 6 JJ

Tire:

P205/65R15 92S
See Tire Information on
page 222 for
additional information about tire and
wheel size designations. See page 251 for information about DOT Tire
Quality Grading.
Winter Driving

Tires that are marked "M + S" or
"All Season" on the sidewall have an
all-weather tread design. They
should be suitable for most winter
driving conditions. Tires without
these markings are designed for optimum traction in dry conditions.
They may not provide adequate performance in winter driving.For the best performance in snowyor icy conditions, you should install
snow tires or tire chains. They may
be required by local laws under certain conditions.
Maintenance
Installing improper tires on your
vehicle can affect handling and stability. This can cause a crashin which you can be seriously

hurt or killed.

Always use the size and type of
tires recommended in this owner's manual.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Tires

Snow Tires
If you mount snow tires on your
Honda, make sure they are radial
tires of the same size and load range as the original tires. Mount snow
tires on all four wheels to balance
your vehicle's handling in all weather conditions. Keep in mind the traction
provided by snow tires on dry roads may not be as high as your vehicle's
original equipment tires. You should
drive cautiously even when the roads
are clear. Check with the tire dealer
for maximum speed recommenda-
tions. Tire Chains
Mount snow chains on your vehicle
when warranted by driving condi-
tions or required by local laws. Make sure the chains are the correct size
for your tires. Install them only on
the front tires. If metal chains are used, they must be SAE class "S."Cable type traction devices can also
be used.
When installing chains, follow the manufacturer's instructions and
mount them as tightly as you can.
Drive slowly with chains installed. If
you hear the chains contacting the
body or chassis, stop and investigate. Make sure the chains are installed
tightly, and that they are not contacting the brake lines or
suspension. Remove the chains as
soon as you begin driving on cleared

roads.
Chains of the wrong size or that are

improperly installed can damage your

vehicle's brake lines, suspension, body,

and wheels. Stop driving if you hear
the chains hitting any part of the

vehicle.

Maintenance

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Storing Your Vehicle

If you need to park your vehicle for
an extended period (more than one
month), there are several things you
should do to prepare it for storage.
Proper preparation helps prevent
deterioration and makes it easier to
get your vehicle back on the road. If
possible, store your vehicle indoors.
Fill the fuel tank.
Change the engine oil and filter(see page 175 ). Wash and dry the exterior

completely.
Clean the interior. Make sure the
carpeting, floor mats, etc. are
completely dry. Leave the parking brake off. Put
the transmission in Park. Block the rear wheels. If the vehicle is to be stored for a
longer period, it should be supported on jackstands so the
tires are off the ground.
Leave one window open slightly (if
the vehicle is being stored

indoors).

Disconnect the battery.
Support the front and rear wiper
blade arms with a folded towel or rag so they do not touch the

windshield.
To minimize sticking, apply a
silicone spray lubricant to all door
and trunk seals. Also, apply a body
wax to the painted surfaces that mate with the door and trunk seals. Cover the vehicle with a
"breathable" vehicle cover, one
made from a porous material such as cotton. Nonporous materials,
such as plastic sheeting, trap
moisture, which can damage the
paint. If possible, run the engine for a
while periodically (preferably once a month).
If you store your vehicle for 12
months or longer, have your Honda dealer perform the inspections called
for in the 24 months/30,000 miles (48,000 km) maintenance schedule
(Normal Conditions) as soon as you
take it out of storage (see page 164 ).
The replacements called for in the maintenance schedule are not
needed unless the vehicle has
actually reached that time or mileage.

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Appearance Care
Regular cleaning and polishing of
your Honda helps to keep it "new" looking. This section gives you hintson how to clean your vehicle and
preserve its appearance: the paint,
brightwork, wheels and interior. Also included are several things you can
do to help prevent corrosion. Exterior Care.................................. 214
Washing...................................... 214
Waxing........................................ 215
Aluminum Wheels..................... 215
Paint Touch-up........................... 215
Interior Care................................... 216 Carpeting.................................... 216
Fabric.......................................... 216
Vinyl............................................ 216
Seat Belts.................................... 217
Windows..................................... 217
Air Fresheners........................... 217
Corrosion Protection..................... 218
Body Repairs.................................. 219
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