flat tire HONDA ODYSSEY 1999 Owners Manual

Important Safety Precautions

You'll find many safety recommendations throughout thissection, and throughout this manual.
The recommendations on this page are the ones we consider to be the
most important.
Always Wear Your Seat Belt A seat belt is your best protection in all types of collisions. Airbagssupplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inflate only in a
moderate to severe frontal collision.
So even though your vehicle is equipped with airbags, make sure
you and your passengers always
wear your seat belts, and wear them properly. (See page 15 .)
Restrain All ChildrenChildren are safest when they are
properly restrained in a back seat, not the front seat. A child who is too
small for a seat belt must be properly
restrained in a child safety seat. (See
page 22.) Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
While airbags save lives, they can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Infants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be sure to follow all instructions and
warnings in this manual. (See page 9.)

Don't Drink and Drive

Alcohol and driving don't mix. Even one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse with every additional drink. So don't drink
and drive, and don't let your friends
drink and drive, either. Control Your Speed
Excessive speed is a major factor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed the greater the risk, but serious accidents can alsooccur at lower speeds. Never drive
faster than is safe for current conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Keep Your Vehicle in SafeCondition
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical failure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition frequently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance. (See page 224.)

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Fuel Economy

The condition of your vehicle and your driving habits are the two mostimportant things that affect the fuel
mileage you get.
Vehicle Condition Always maintain your vehicle accord- ing to the maintenance schedule.
This will keep it in top operating
condition.

An important part of that mainte- nance is the Owner Maintenance
Checks (see page 231 ). For
example, an underinflated tire
causes more "rolling resistance,"
which uses fuel. It also wears out
faster, so check the tire pressure at
least monthly.
In winter, the build-up of snow on
your vehicle's underside adds weight and rolling resistance. Frequent
cleaning helps your fuel mileage and
reduces the chance of corrosion. Driving Habits
You can improve fuel economy by driving moderately. Rapid acceler-
ation, abrupt cornering, and hard
braking use more fuel.
Always drive in the highest gear that allows the engine to run and acceler-
ate smoothly.
Depending on traffic conditions, try
to maintain a constant speed. Every
time you slow down and speed up,
your vehicle uses extra fuel. Use the cruise control, when appropriate, to
increase fuel economy. A cold engine uses more fuel than a
warm engine. It is not necessary to "warm-up" a cold engine by letting it
idle for a long time. You can drive
away in about a minute, no matter
how cold it is outside. The engine
will warm up faster, and you get
better fuel economy. To cut down on
the number of "cold starts," try to combine several short trips into one.
The air conditioning puts an extra load on the engine which makes it
use more fuel. Turn off the A/C tocut down on air conditioning use.
Use the flow-through ventilation
when the outside air temperature is
moderate.

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Accessories and Modifications

Modifications
Do not remove any original
equipment or modify your vehicle in any way that would alter its design or
operation. This could make your
vehicle unsafe and illegal to drive.
For example, do not make any
modifications that would change the
ride height of your vehicle, or install
wheels and tires with a different overall diameter.
Such modifications can adversely affect handling, and interfere with
the operation of the vehicle's anti-
lock brakes and other systems. In addition, any modifications that
decrease ground clearance increase
the chance of undercarriage parts striking a curb, speed bump, or other
raised object, which could cause
your airbags to deploy.
Do not modify your steering wheelor any other part of your
Supplemental Restraint System.
Modifications could make thesystem ineffective. Additional Safety Precaution
Do not attach or place objects on the
airbag covers. Any object attached to
or placed on the covers marked "SRS
AIRBAG," in the center of the steering wheel and on top of the
dashboard, could interfere with the
proper operation of the airbags. Or,
if the airbags inflate, the objects could be propelled inside the vehicle
and hurt someone.

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Towing a Trailer

Spare Vehicle Tire
When towing a trailer, you should carry a full-size wheel and tire as aspare in case you have a flat. If you
use the compact spare tire that came
with the vehicle, it may adversely affect vehicle handling. See page 317 for information on proper tire
size, and page 293 for information on
how to store a full-size tire. When storing a full-size spare tire in the
trailer, follow the trailer maker's
instructions.

Additional Trailer equipment
Many states and provinces require
special outside mirrors when towing
a trailer. Even if they don't, you should install special mirrors if you
cannot clearly see behind you, or if
the trailer creates a blind spot.
Ask your trailer sales or rental agency if any other items are
recommended or required for your
towing situation. Pre-Tow Checklist
When preparing to tow, and before driving away, be sure to check the
following:
The vehicle has been properlyserviced, and the tires, brakes,
suspension, and cooling system
are in good operating condition.
All weights and loads are within limits (see pages 212 and 213).
The hitch, safety chain, and any other attachments are secure.
All items on and in the trailer are properly secured and cannot shift
while you drive.
The lights and brakes on your vehicle and the trailer are workingproperly. Your vehicle tires and spare are
properly inflated (see page 317),and the trailer tires and spare are
inflated as recommended by the
trailer maker.
You may want to fill the fuel tank with premium fuel. Premium fuelprovides improved performance.

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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 333 for information on how toobtain a copy, or see your Honda
dealer.
Maintenance Safety.......................
220

Important Safet
y
Precautions ..

221

Maintenance Schedule.................
.
222

Required Maintenance Record.... 229
Owner Maintenance Checks........ 231

Fluid Locations............................... 232

Engine Oil....................................... 233
Adding Oil................................... 233
Recommended Oil..................... 233
Synthetic Oil............................... 234

Additives..................................... 235
Changing the Oil and Filter...... 235

Cooling System.............................. 237
Adding Engine Coolant............. 237Replacing Engine Coolant........ 239

Windshield Washers..................... 242
Automatic Transmission Fluid..... 243
Brake Fluid..................................... 244
Brake System............................. 244

Power Steering............................... 245

Air Cleaner Element...................... 246
Hood Latch..................................... 248

Spark Plugs..................................... 248
Replacement............................... 248
Specifications............................. 250

Battery............................................ 251
Wiper Blades.................................. 253
Air Conditioning System............... 255

Air Conditioning Filter.................. 256

Drive Belts...................................... 256

Timing Belt..................................... 257

Tires................................................ 257 Inflation....................................... 257
Inspection................................... 259Maintenance............................... 260
Tire Rotation.............................. 260
Replacing Tires and Wheels.... 261

Wheels and Tires....................... 262 Winter Driving........................... 262
Snow Tires.............................. 263

Tire Chains............................. 263

Lights..............................................264
Headlight Aiming...................... 266
Replacing Bulbs......................... 266

Storing Your Vehicle..................... 275

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Timing Belt, Tires
Timing Belt
The timing belt should normally be replaced at the intervals shown in
the maintenance schedule.
Replace the belt at 60,000 miles (U.S.)
or 100,000 km (Canada) if you regu-
larly drive your vehicle in one or more of these conditions: In very high temperatures

(over 110°F,43°C).
In very low temperatures

(under —20°F, —29°C).
Tires

To safely operate your vehicle, yourtires must be the proper type and size, in good condition with adequate
tread, and correctly inflated. The
following pages give more detailed information on how and when to
check air pressure, how to inspect
your tires for damage and wear, and
what to do when your tires need to be replaced.
Inflation

Keeping the tires properly inflated
provides the best combination of
handling, tread life and riding comfort. Underinflated tires wear
unevenly, adversely affect handling and fuel economy, and are more
likely to fail from being overheated. Overinflated tires can make your
vehicle ride more harshly, are more prone to damage from road hazards,
and wear unevenly.
We recommend that you visually check your tires every day. If you
think a tire might be low, check it
immediately with a tire gauge.

CONTINUED

Maintenance

Using tires that are excessively
worn or improperly inflated can cause a crash in which you canbe seriously hurt or killed.
Follow all instructions in this
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Tires

Use a gauge to measure the air
pressure at least once a month. Even
tires that are in good condition may
lose one to two psi (10 to 20 kPa, 0.1
to 0.2 kgf/cm2) per month. Remember to check the spare tire at
the same time you check all the other tires.
Check the pressure in the tires when
they are cold. This means the vehicle
has been parked for at least three hours. If you have to drive the
vehicle before checking the tire pressure, the tires can still be
considered "cold" if you drive less
than 1 mile (1.6 km). If you check the pressure when the
tires are hot (the vehicle has been
driven several miles), you will see
readings 4 to 6 psi (30 to 40 kPa, 0.3
to 0.4 kgf/cm2) higher than the cold
reading. This is normal. Do not let air out to match the specified cold
pressure. The tire will be
underinflated.
You should get your own tire pressure gauge and use it whenever
you check your tire pressures. This
will make it easier for you to tell if a pressure loss is due to a tire problemand not due to a variation between

gauges.
Recommended Tire Pressures for

Normal Driving

The following chart shows the recommended cold tire pressures for
most normal driving conditions andspeeds. Tire pressures for highspeed driving are the same as for
normal driving.

The compact spare tire pressure is: 60 psi (420 kPa , 4.2 kgf/cm2)

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Tires

These pressures are also given on the tire information label on thedriver's doorjamb.
Tubeless tires have some ability to self-seal if they are punctured.
However, because leakage is often
very slow, you should look closely for punctures if a tire starts losing

pressure.
Inspection
Every time you check inflation, you
should 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
TREAD WEAR INDICATORS
Your vehicle's tires have wear indica- tors molded into the tread. When thetread wears down to that point, you
will see a 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) wide
band running across the tread. This shows 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.

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Tires

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 they
are 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. 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 adynamic balance.

On some models

Improper wheel weights can damage
your vehicle 'x aluminum wheels. Use only Genuine Honda wheel weights for
balancing.
Tire Rotation
To help increase tire life anddistribute wear more evenly, you
should have the tires rotated every
7,500 miles (12,000 km). Move the
tires to the positions shown in thechart each time they are rotated.
Maintenance
NOTICE

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

Front
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Taking Care of the Unexpected

This section covers the more- common problems that motorists
experience with their vehicles. It
gives you information about how to safely evaluate the problem and what
to do to correct it. If the problem has stranded you on the side of the road,
you may be able to get going again. If not, you will also find instructions
on getting your vehicle towed. Compact Spare Tire....................... 286
Changing a Flat Tire..................... 287
If Your Engine Won't Start........... 296
Nothing Happens or the Starter Motor OperatesVery Slowly......................... 296
The Starter Operates
Normally.................................297

Jump Starting................................. 297 If Your Engine Overheats............. 299
Low Oil Pressure Indicator.......... 301
Charging System Indicator........... 302
Malfunction Indicator Lamp ........ 303
Brake System Indicator................ 304

Fuses............................................... 305

Checking and Replacing........... 306

Emergency Towing....................... 311

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