Transmission HONDA ODYSSEY 2000 RA6-RA9 / 2.G Owners Manual

2000 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.helminc.com.
Contents
Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
............................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safety ........................................................................\
.................................................. ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance ........................................................................\
....................................................... 2
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
............................................... 5
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restraint System.
Instruments and Controls........................................................................\
...................................................55
Instrument panel indica tor and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features........................................................................\
...............................129
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other convenience features.
Before Driving ........................................................................\
.....................................................................187
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving........................................................................\
...................................................................................201
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, plus towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.........................................................................225
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your vehicle to the dealer.
Appearance Care........................................................................\
.................................................................283
Tips on cleaning and protecting your vehicle. Things to look for if your car ever needs body repairs.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
.......................................291
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, and how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
.......................................................319
ID numbers, dimensions, capaciti es, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)......................................................................331
A summary of the warranties covering your new Honda, and how to contact us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
.......................................337
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index ........................................................................\
......................................................................................... I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

Steering Whee l Control s
The cruise control may not hold the
set speed when you are going up and
down hills. If your speed increases
going down a hill, use the brakes to slow down to the desired speed. This
will cancel the cruise control. To resume the set speed, press theRESUME/accel button. The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel comes on.
When climbing a steep hill, the automatic transmission maydownshift to hold the set speed.Changing the Set Speed
You can increase the set cruising speed in any of these ways:
Press and hold the RESUME/
accel button. The vehicle will
accelerate. When you reach thedesired cruising speed, release the
button.
Push on the accelerator pedal. Ac-
celerate to the desired cruising
speed and press the SET/decel
button.
To increase your speed in very small amounts, tap the RESUME/accel button repeatedly. Each time
you do this, your vehicle will speed up about 1 mph (1.6 km/h). You can decrease the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:
Press and hold the SET/decel
button. The vehicle will decelerate. Release the button when you
reach the desired speed.
To slow down in very small amounts, tap the SET/decel
button repeatedly. Each time you do this, your vehicle will slow
down about 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
Tap the brake pedal lightly with your foot. The CRUISE CONTROL light on the instru-
ment panel will go out. When the
vehicle slows to the desired speed, press the SET/decel button. The
vehicle will then maintain the desired speed.
Instrument s an d Control s

Drivin
g

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 vehicle, the braking system, the Traction Control System,
and facts you need if you are
planning to tow a trailer. Preparing to Drive......................... 202
Starting the Engine........................ 203
Starting in Cold Weatherat High Altitude..................... 203
Automatic Transmission............... 204 Shift Lever Position Indicator.. 204
Shift Lever Positions................. 205
Engine Speed Limiter............... 207
Shift Lock Release..................... 207

Parking............................................ 209

The Braking System...................... 210 Brake Wear Indicators.............. 210
Brake System Design................ 211
Anti-lock Brakes........................ 211
Important SafetyReminders.......................... 212
ABS Indicator......................... 212
Traction Control System............... 213 TCS ON/OFF Switch................ 214TCS Indicator............................. 215
Driving in Bad Weather................ 216
Towing a Trailer............................ 218

Driving

Automatic Transmissio n
Your Honda's transmission has four
forward speeds, and is electronicallycontrolled for smoother shifting. It
also has a "lock-up" torque converter
for better fuel economy. You may
feel what seems like another shift
when the converter locks. Shif
t Leve r Positio n Indicato r
This indicator on the instrument panel shows which position the shift
lever is in. The "D4" indicator comes on for a
few seconds when you turn the ignition switch ON (II). If it flashes
while driving (in any shift position), it indicates a possible problem in the
transmission. Avoid rapid acceler- ation and have the transmission
checked by an authorized Honda
dealer as soon as possible.
The malfunction indicator lamp may come on along with the "D
4"
indicator if there is a problem in the
automatic transmission control
system.
Drivin g

Automatic Transmissio n
Shift Leve r Position s
The shift lever has seven positions.
It must be in Park or Neutral to start
the engine. When you are stopped in
D4, D3, 2,1, N or R, press firmly on
the brake pedal, and keep your foot
off the accelerator pedal.
Park (P ) — This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning off or starting the engine. To shift out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your foot off the
accelerator pedal. Pull the shift lever
towards you, then move it out of
Park.
If you have done all of the above and still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see Shift Lock Release on page
208.
You must also pull the shift lever towards you to shift into Park. Toavoid transmission damage, come to
a complete stop before shifting into
Park. The shift lever must be in Park
before you can remove the key from the ignition switch.
CONTINUED
Drivin g
SHIFT LEVE R

Automatic Transmissio n
Reverse (R ) — To shift to Reverse
from Park, see the explanation under Park. To shift to Reverse from
Neutral, come to a complete stop and
then shift. Pull the shift lever
towards you before shifting into Reverse from Neutral. Neutra
l (N ) — Use Neutral if you
need 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 vehicle
for any reason. Press on the brake pe- dal when you are moving the shift
lever from Neutral to another gear.
Driv e (D
4) — 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. Driv
e (D
3) — 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. D
3 can also keep
the transmission from cycling
between third and fourth gears in stop-and-go driving.
For faster acceleration when in D
3 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.
Drivin g

Automatic Transmissio n
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 outon a slippery surface or in deep snow.
It will help reduce wheelspin.
When driving down hill with a trailer, use the Second position.
Firs t (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,
D
3 and D4, you can operate this
transmission much like a manual
transmission without a clutch pedal. Engin
e Spee d Limite r
If you exceed the maximum speed
for the gear you are in, the engine speed will enter into the tachometer's
red zone. If this occurs, you may feel the engine cut in and out. This is
caused by a limiter in the engine's
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the
RPM below the red zone. Shif
t Loc k Releas e
This allows you to move the shift lever out of Park if the normalmethod of pushing on the brake
pedal and pulling the shift lever does not work.
1. Set the Parking brake.
2. Remove the key from the ignition switch.
3. Place a cloth on the edge of the shift lock release slot cover on the
steering column. Remove the
cover by carefully prying on the
edge with a small flat-tipped screwdriver (not included in the
toolkit).
Drivin g
CONTINUED

Parking
Always use the parking brake when
you park your vehicle. The indicator on the instrument panel shows that
the parking brake is not fully
released; it does not indicate that the
parking brake is firmly set. Makesure the parking brake is set firmly
or your vehicle may roll if it is
parked on an incline.
Set the parking brake before you put
the transmission in Park. This keeps
the vehicle from moving and putting
pressure on the parking mechanismin the transmission — making it
easier to move the shift lever out of
Park when you want to drive away. If the vehicle is facing uphill, turn
the front wheels away from the curb.
If the vehicle is facing downhill, turn
the front wheels toward the curb.Make sure the parking brake is fully
released before driving away. Driving with the parking brake
partially set can overheat or damage
the rear brakes. Parkin
g Tip s
Make sure the windows are closed.
Turn off the lights.
Place any packages, valuables, etc.,
in the cargo area or take them
with you.
Lock the doors with the key or the
remote transmitter.
Never park over dry leaves, tall
grass, or other flammable materials. The three way catalytic
converter gets very hot, and could
cause these materials to catch on
fire.
Drivin g

Towing a Traile r
Your Odyssey has been designed to
tow a trailer, as well as for carryingpassengers and their cargo.
To safely tow a trailer, you must observe the load limits, use the
proper equipment, and follow the
guidelines in this section.
Load Limit s
Tota l Traile r Weight : As shown
in the load limits table, how much
weight you can tow is limited by the number of occupants in your
vehicle and whether or not you have installed a transmission fluid
cooler. (See page 220 for
information about transmission
fluid coolers.) Towing a load that is too heavy can seriously affect
your vehicle's handling and performance. It can also damage
the engine and drivetrain.
* : Including driver. Based on 150 Ibs (70 kg) per occupant.
* *: Weight limited to avoid exceeding rear GAWR (see page 219).
Tongu
e Load : The weight that
the tongue of a fully-loaded trailer
puts on the hitch should be approximately 10 percent of the
trailer weight. Too little tongue
load can make the trailer unstable and cause it to sway. Too much
tongue load reduces front-tire
traction and steering control. To achieve a proper tongue load,
start by loading 60 percent of the
load toward the front of the trailer
and 40 percent toward the rear, then
readjust the load as needed.
Drivin g

Towin
g a Traile r

Gros s Vehicl e Weigh t Ratin g

(GVWR) :

The total weight of the vehicle, all occupants, all cargo, and the
tongue load must not exceed: 5,565 Ibs (2,525 kg)

Gros s Axl e Weigh t Ratin g

(GAWR) :

The total weight of the vehicle, all occupants, all cargo, and the
tongue load must not exceed:
2,775 Ibs (1,260 kg)
on the front axle
2,840 Ibs (1,290 kg)
on the rear axle
Gros
s Combine d Weigh t Ratin g

(GCWR) :

The total weight of the vehicle, all occupants and cargo, and the
trailer and everything in or on it,
must not exceed:
8,160 Ibs (3,700 kg)
with transmission fluid cooler
6,660 Ibs (3,025 kg)
without transmission fluid cooler
Checkin
g Load s

The best way to confirm that vehicle and trailer weights are within limits
is to have them checked at a public
scale.

Using a suitable scale or a special
tongue load gauge, check the tongue
load the first time you set up a
towing combination (a fully-loaded
vehicle and trailer), then recheck the tongue load whenever the conditions

change.

Driving

Exceeding load limits or

improperly loading your vehicle
and trailer can cause a crash in
which you can be seriously
injured or killed.

Check the loading of your
vehicle and trailer carefully before starting to drive.