towing HONDA ODYSSEY 2003 RB1-RB2 / 3.G Owners Manual

2003 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........................................................................\
.................................................. .69
Instrument panel indica tor and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features........................................................................\
.............................. .143
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other convenience features.
Before Driving ........................................................................\
...................................................... ...............243
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving........................................................................\
...................................................................................257
The proper way to start the engine, shift the tr ansmission, and park, plus towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
...................................................... ...................283
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your vehicle to the dealer.
Appearance Care........................................................................\
...................................................... ...........343
Tips on cleaning and protecting your vehicle. Things to look for if your car ever needs body repairs.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
.......................................351
This section covers several problems motorists someti mes experience, and how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
...................................................... .383
ID numbers, dimensions, capaciti es, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)..................................................................... .397
A summary of the warranties covering your new Honda, and how to contact us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only )........................................................................\
......................................
.401
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.

Store or secure all items that could
be thrown around and hurt
someone during a crash.
Be sure items placed on the f loor
behind the f ront seats cannot roll
under the seats and interf ere with
the driver’s ability to operate the
pedals, or with the proper
operation of the seats.
Keep the glove box closed while
driving. If the lid is open, a
passenger could injure their knees
during a crash or sudden stop.
This f igure includes the total weight
of all occupants, cargo, accessories,
and the tongue weight if you are
towing a trailer.
The f inal number is the total weight
of cargo you can carry.
If you are towing a trailer, add the
tongue weight to the number
above. Add up the weight of all occupants.
To f igure out how much cargo you
can carry: When you load luggage, the total
weight of the vehicle, all passengers,
cargo, and trailer tongue load must
not exceed the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR). The load
for the front and rear axles also must
not exceed the Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR). The GVWR and
GAWRareprintedonthetire
information label attached to the
driver’s doorjamb (see page ).
The maximum load f or your vehicle
is 1,158 lbs (525 kg).
Subtract the total f rom 1,158 lbs
(525 kg). 386Carrying Items in the Passenger
Compartment
Load Limit
Carrying Cargo
Bef ore Driving254
Overloading or improper
loading can affect handling and
stability and cause a crash in
which you can be hurt or killed.
Follow all load limits and other
loading guidelines in this
manual.

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 .258
.......................
Starting the Engine .259
Starting in Cold Weather ....................
at High Altitude .259
..............
Automatic Transmission . 260
.
Shif t Lever Position Indicator . 260
................
Shif t Lever Positions . 261
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 263
....................
Shif t Lock Release . 263
...........................................
Parking .265
.....................
The Braking System .266
.............
Brake Wear Indicators . 266
...............
Brake System Design . 267
.......................
Anti-lock Brakes .267
Important Saf ety .........................
Reminders .268
........................
ABS Indicator .268
..............
Traction Control System . 269
...............
TCS ON/OFF Switch . 270
............................
TCS Indicator .271
...............
Driving in Bad Weather . 272
...........................
Towing a Trailer .274
Driving
Driving257

µ
µ µ µ
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.
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. 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. 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.
3
3
3
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Neutral (N)
Reverse (R) Drive (D)Drive (D )3
262

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.The
maximum weight you can tow
depends on several f actors. See
page f or limits f or your towing
situation. Towing a load that is too
heavy can seriously affect your
vehicle’s handling and
perf ormance. 275
Towing a Trailer
Driving
Load Limits
T otal T railer Weight:
274
Exceeding any load limit or
improperly loading your vehicle
and trailer can cause a crash in
which you can be seriously hurt
or killed.
Check the loading of your
vehicle and trailer carefully
beforestartingtodrive.

ÎÎÎ
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 ).
Number of Occupants
2
3
4
5
6
7
Maximum Total Trailer Weight
Equipped with transmission coolerand power steering 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)650 lbs (295 kg)
:
: 276
Towing a Trailer
Driving
Tongue Load:
275

The best way to conf irm 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 f irst time you set up a
towing combination (a f ully-loaded
vehicle and trailer), then recheck the
tongue load whenever the conditions
change.
The maximum allowable weight of
the vehicle, all occupants, all cargo
and the tongue load is 5,665 lbs
(2,570 kg).
The maximum allowable weights
on the vehicle axles are 2,833 lbs
(1,285 kg) on the f ront axle, and
2,845 lbs (1,290 kg) on the rear
axle. The maximum allowable weight of
the f ully loaded vehicle and trailer
is 8,265 lbs (3,750 kg) with the
proper hitch and f luid coolers.
(See page f or inf ormation
about f luid coolers.)
277 Checking L oads
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR):
Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GA WR): Gross Combined Weight Rating
(GCWR):
Towing a Trailer
Driving276
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
beforestartingtodrive.

Towing can require a variety of
equipment, depending on the size of
your trailer, how it will be used, and
how much load you are towing.
Discuss your needs with your trailer
sales or rental agency, and f ollow the
guidelines in the rest of this section.
Also make sure that all equipment is
properly installed and that it meets
f ederal, state, province, and local
regulations.
Any hitch used on your vehicle must
be properly bolted to the underbody,
using the six threaded holes
provided. A hitch and the required
f luid coolers designed especially f or
your Odyssey can be obtained f rom
your Honda dealer.If the total trailer weight is more
than 1,850 lbs (840 kg), you must
also use a weight distributing hitch.
This device transf ers weight f rom
the vehicle’s rear wheels to the f ront
wheels, and to the trailer’s wheels.
Caref ully f ollow the hitch maker’s
instructions f or proper installation
and adjustment.
If the total trailer weight exceeds
2,000 lbs (900 kg), you should install
a sway control device to minimize
swaying that can occur in crosswinds
and in normal and emergency
driving maneuvers. Your trailer
maker can tell you what kind of sway
control you need and how to install it.
You must also have a transmission
f luid cooler and a power steering
f luid cooler installed. These coolers
are available only f rom your Honda
dealer.
Always use saf ety chains. Make sure
they are secured to both the trailer
and hitch, and that they cross under
the tongue so they can catch the
trailer if it becomes unhitched.
Leave enough slack to allow the
trailer to turn corners easily, but do
not let the chains drag on the ground.
CONT INUED
T owing Equipment and
A ccessoriesSway Cont rol
Saf et y Chains
Weight Distributing Hitch
Hitches T ransmission Fluid Cooler and
Power St eering Fluid Cooler
Towing a Trailer
Driving277

Honda recommends that any trailer
having a total weight of 1,000 lbs
(450 kg) or more be equipped with
its own electric or surge-type brakes.
If you choose electric brakes, be
sure they are electronically actuated.
Do not attempt to tap into your
vehicle’s hydraulic system. No
matter how successf ul it may seem,
any attempt to attach trailer brakes
to your vehicle’s hydraulic system
will lower braking ef f ectiveness and
create a potential hazard.To use the trailer lighting connector,
you will need a wiring harness and
converter. This comes with the
Honda hitch (see page ), or it
may be obtained separately from
your dealer.
If you use a non-Honda trailer
lighting harness and converter, you
can get the connector and pins that
mate with the connector in your
vehicle f rom your Honda dealer.
All states and Canadian provinces
require some type of trailer lights.
Check requirements f or the areas
where you plan to tow.
Your vehicle has a trailer lighting
connector located behind the lef t
side panel in the cargo area. Ref er to
thedrawingaboveforthewiring
color code and purpose of each pin.
Seeyourtrailerdealerformore
inf ormation on installing electric
brakes.
277
Trailer BrakesTrailer Lights
Towing a Trailer
Driving278
GROUND
(BLACK)BACK-UP LIGHT
(GREEN/BLACK) LEFT TURN SIGNAL
(GREEN/BLUE)
TAILLIGHT
(RED/BLACK)
BRAKE LIGHT
(WHITE/BLACK)
RIGHT TURN SIGNAL
(GREEN/YELLOW)

CONT INUED
When preparing to tow, and bef ore
driving away, be sure to check the
f ollowing:The vehicle has been properly
serviced, and the tires, brakes,
suspension, and cooling system
are in good operating condition.
If you tow f requently, f ollow the
Severe Conditions maintenance
schedule.
All weights and loads are within
limits (see pages and ). The trailer has been properly
serviced and is in good condition.
Many states and Canadian 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.
Askyourtrailersalesorrental
agency if any other items are
recommended or required f or your
towing situation.
Since lighting and wiring vary in
trailer type and brand, you should
also have a qualif ied mechanic install
a suitable connector between the
vehicleandthetrailer.
When towing a trailer, you should
carry a f ull-size wheel and tire as a
spare in case you have a flat. If you
use the compact spare tire that came
with the vehicle, it may adversely
af f ect vehicle handling. See page
f or inf ormation on proper tire
size, and page f or inf ormation on
how to store a f ull-size tire. When
storing a f ull-size spare tire in the
trailer, f ollow the trailer maker’s
instructions. Thehitch,safetychains,andany
other attachments are secure.
328
359
274 276
Towing a Trailer
Driving
Pre-T ow ChecklistAdditional Trailer Equipment
Spare Vehicle T ire
279