transmission HONDA ODYSSEY 2001 RA6-RA9 / 2.G Owners Manual

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.
Tap the brake pedal lightly with
your f oot. 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.
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 the
desired cruising speed, release the
button.
Push on the accelerator pedal. Ac-
celerate to the desired cruising
speed and press the SET/decel
button.
Thecruisecontrolmaynotholdthe
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 the
RESUME/accel button. The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel comes on.
When climbing a steep hill, the
automatic transmission may
downshif t to hold the set speed.
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).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).
Steering Wheel Controls
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Changing t he Set Speed
78

This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
automatic transmission. It also
includes important inf ormation on
parking your vehicle, the braking
system, the Traction Control System,
and f acts you need if you are
planning to tow a trailer.........................
Preparing to Drive . 210
.......................
Starting the Engine . 211
Starting in Cold Weather ....................
at High Altitude . 211
..............
Automatic Transmission . 212
.
Shif t Lever Position Indicator . 212
................
Shif t Lever Positions . 213
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 215
....................
Shif t Lock Release . 215
...........................................
Parking . 217
.....................
The Braking System . 218
.............
Brake Wear Indicators . 218
...............
Brake System Design . 219
.......................
Anti-lock Brakes . 219
Important Saf ety .........................
Reminders . 220
........................
ABS Indicator . 220
..............
Traction Control System . 221
...............
TCS ON/OFF Switch . 222
............................
TCS Indicator . 223
...............
Driving in Bad Weather . 224
...........................
Towing a Trailer . 226
Driving
Driving 209

Your Honda’s transmission has f our
f orward speeds, and is electronically
controlled f or smoother shif ting. It
also has a ‘‘lock-up’’ torque converter
forbetterfueleconomy.Youmay
f eel what seems like another shif t
when the converter locks.This indicator on the instrument
panel shows which position the shif t
lever is in.The ‘‘D ’’ indicator comes on f or a
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch ON (II). If it f lashes
while driving (in any shif t position),
it indicates a possible problem in the
transmission. Avoid rapid acceler-
ation and have the transmission
checkedbyanauthorizedHonda
dealer as soon as possible.
The malf unction indicator lamp may
come on along with the ‘‘D ’’
indicator if there is a problem in the
automatic transmission control
system.
4
4
Automatic Transmission
Driving Shif t L ever Position Indicator
212

µ
CONT INUED
This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning of f or
starting the engine. To shif t out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal. Pull the shif t 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 Shif t Lock Release on page .
Youmustalsopulltheshiftlever
towards you to shift into Park. To
avoid transmission damage, come to
a complete stop bef ore shif ting into
Park. The shif t lever must be in Park
bef ore you can remove the key f rom
the ignition switch.
The shift lever has seven positions.
It must be in Park or Neutral to start
the engine. When you are stopped in
D,D,2,1,NorR,pressfirmlyon
the brake pedal, and keep your f oot
of f the accelerator pedal.
216
43 To shift from:
PtoR
RtoP
NtoR
Dto2 2to1
1to2
2toD
DtoD DtoN
DtoD NtoD RtoN Do this:
Press the brake pedal and
pull the shift lever towardsyou.
Pull the shift lever towards you.
Move the lever.
3
3
34 4
43 4
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Park (P)
Shif t L ever Positions
213
SSHHIIFFTTLLEEVVEERR

µ
µ
µ
µ This position is similar
to D , except only the first three
gears are selected. Use D when
towing a trailer in hilly terrain, or to
provide engine braking when going
down a steep hill. D can also keep
the transmission f rom cycling
between third and f ourth gears in
stop-and-go driving.
ForfasteraccelerationwheninD or
D , you can get the transmission to
automatically downshif t by pushing
the accelerator pedal to the floor.
The transmission will shif t down one
or two gears, depending on your
speed.
Use Neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Shif t to Park posi-
tion if you need to leave the vehicle
f or any reason. Press on the brake pe-
dal when you are moving the shif t
lever from Neutral to another gear.
Use this position f or
your normal driving. The transmis-
sion automatically selects a suitable
gear f or your speed and acceleration.
You may notice the transmission
shif ting up at higher speeds when
the engine is cold. This helps the
engine warm up f aster.
To shif t to Reverse
f rom Park, see the explanation under
Park. To shif t to Reverse f rom
Neutral, come to a complete stop and
then shift. Pull the shift lever
towards you before shifting into
Reverse f rom Neutral. 4
3
3
3
4
Automatic Transmission
Driving Drive (D )
Neutral (N)
Drive (D )
Reverse (R) 3
4
214

µ
µ To shif t to Second,
pull the shif t lever towards you, then
shif t to the lower gear. This position
locks the transmission in second
gear. It does not downshif t to f irst
gear when you come to a stop.
Second gives you more power when
climbing, and increased engine
braking when going down steep hills.
Usesecondgearwhenstartingout
on a slippery surf ace or in deep snow.
It will help reduce wheelspin.
When driving down hill with a trailer,
use the Second position.
To shif t f rom 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 upshif t-
ing and downshif ting through 1, 2,
D and D , you can operate this
transmission much like a manual
transmission without a clutch pedal. If you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer’s
red zone. If this occurs, you may f eel
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.
This allows you to move the shif t
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal and pulling the shif t lever does
not work.
Set the Parking brake.
Remove the key from the ignition
switch.
Place a cloth on the edge of the
shif t lock release slot cover on the
steering column. Remove the
cover by caref ully prying on the
edge with a small f lat-tipped
screwdriver (not included in the
tool kit).
1. 2. 3.
34
CONT INUED
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Second (2)
First (1)
Engine Speed Limiter Shift Lock Release
215

Insert the key in the Shift Lock
Release slot.
Push down on the key while you
pull the shif t lever towards you
and move it out of Park to Neutral.Remove the key from the Shift
Lock Release slot, then install a
new cover. Depress the brake
pedal and restart the engine.
If you need to use the Shif t Lock
Release, it means your vehicle is
developing a problem. Have the
vehicle checked by your Honda
dealer.
4. 5.
6.
Automatic Transmission
Driving
216
SSHHIIFFTTLLOOCCKKRREELLEEAASSEESSLLOOTTCCOOVVEERR

µ
Always use the parking brake when
you park your vehicle. The indicator
on the instrument panel shows that
the parking brake is not f ully
released; it does not indicate that the
parking brake is f irmly set. Make
sure the parking brake is set f irmly
or your vehicle may roll if it is
parked on an incline.
Set the parking brake bef ore you put
the transmission in Park. This keeps
the vehicle from moving and putting
pressure on the parking mechanism
in the transmission making it
easier to move the shif t lever out of
Park when you want to drive away. If the vehicle is f acing uphill, turn
the f ront wheels away f rom the curb.
If the vehicle is f acing downhill, turn
the f ront wheels toward the curb.
Make sure the parking brake is f ully
released bef ore driving away.
Driving with the parking brake
partially set can overheat or damage
the rear brakes.
Makesurethewindowsareclosed.
Turn of f the lights.
Place any packages, valuables, etc.,
in the cargo area or take them
with you.
Lockthedoorswiththekeyorthe
remote transmitter.
Never park over dry leaves, tall
grass, or other f lammable
materials. The three way catalytic
converter gets very hot, and could
cause these materials to catch on
fire.
Parking T ips
Parking
Driving
217

Your Odyssey has been designed to
tow a trailer, as well as f or carrying
passengers and their cargo.
To saf ely tow a trailer, you must
observe the load limits, use the
proper equipment, and f ollow the
guidelines in this section.Towing a load that is too heavy
can seriously af f ect your vehicle’s
handling and perf ormance. It can
also damage the engine and
drivetrain.
As shown
in the load limits table (See page
), 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 f luid cooler. (See
page f or inf ormation about
transmission f luid coolers.) 227
229
Towing a Trailer
T otal T railer Weight:
Load Limits
Driving
226

ÎÎ
Î
ÎÎ
Î
ÎÎ
CONT INUED
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
re-adjust the load as needed.
The weight that
the tongue of a f ully-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 f ront-tire
traction and steering control. Including driver. Based on 150 lbs (70 kg) per occupant.
Weight limited to avoid exceeding rear GAWR (see page ).Maximum Total Trailer Weight
Without TransmissionFluid Cooler
2,000 lbs (900 kg)
1,850 lbs (830 kg)
1,700 lbs (770 kg)
1,550 lbs (700 kg)
1,400 lbs (630 kg) 850 lbs (385 kg)
Number of Occupants
234567 With T ransmission
Fluid Cooler
3,500 lbs (1,580 kg)
3,350 lbs (1,520 kg)
3,200 lbs (1,450 kg)
3,050 lbs (1,380 kg)
2,900 lbs (1,310 kg) 850 lbs (385 kg)
:: 228
Towing a Trailer
Driving
Tongue Load:
227