engine HONDA PILOT 2012 2.G Owner's Manual

Your vehicle is designed to operate
on unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 87 or higher. Use
of a lower octane gasoline can cause
a persistent, heavy, metallic rapping
noise that can lead to engine damage.
Premium f uel is recommended when
towing in certain conditions (see
page ).
Some gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol. Your
vehicle is designed to operate on
oxygenated gasoline containing up to
10% ethanol by volume. Do not use
gasoline containing methanol. If you
notice any undesirable operating
symptoms, try another service
station or switch to another brand of
gasoline.In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain harmf ul
manganese-based f uel additives such
as MMT, if such gasoline is available.
Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance,
and cause the Malfunction Indicator
Lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contact
your dealer f or service.
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Fuel Recommendation
Fuel Recommendation
Bef ore Driving
495
If a non-FFV is inadvertently
ref ueled once with E85 f uel, have
the f uel tank drained at a dealer.
If this occurs over a prolonged
period, damage may occur.
Do not use E85 f uel in a non-Flex Fuel
Vehicle (FFV).
Non-FFV models are not designed to
run on E85 f uel. Using E85 f uel can
damage the f uel system components.
T o help prevent harmf ul f uel system
and engine deposits, use high quality
f uel containing detergent and additives.
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Wait a f ew minutes af ter turning the
engine of f bef ore you check the oil.Remove the dipstick (orange loop). Remove the dipstick again, and
check the level. It should be
between the upper and lower
marks.
If it is near or below the lower mark,
see on page . Look at the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. Make sure it is
between the MAX and MIN lines. If
it is below the MIN line, see
on page f or
inf ormation on adding the proper
coolant.
Refer to
on page f or inf ormation
about checking other items on your
vehicle.
Wipe of f the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel.
Insert the dipstick all the way back
into its hole.
1. 3.
2. 4.
576 579
571
Oil Check
A dding Engine OilEngine Coolant Check
A dding
Engine Coolant
Owner

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Aggressive driving (hard
acceleration and braking)
Excessive idling, accelerating and
braking in stop-and-go traf f ic
Cold engine operation (engines
aremoreefficientwhenwarmedup)
Driving with a heavy load or the
air conditioner running
Improperly inf lated tires
The f ollowing f actors can lower your
vehicle

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Fill the f uel tank until the nozzle automatically clicks of f .
Reset trip counter to zero.
Record the total gallons (liters) needed to ref ill.
Follow one of the simple calculations above.
The A/C
puts an extra load on the engine
which makes it use more f uel. Use
the f resh-air ventilation when
possible.
Combine several short trips into
one. A warmed-up engine is more
f uel ef f icient than a cold one.
Direct calculation is the
recommended source of inf ormation
about your actual f uel economy.
Using f requency of f ill-ups or taking
f uel gauge readings are NOT
accurate measures of f uel economy.
Fuel economy may improve over the
f irst several thousand miles
(kilometers). 1)2)3)4)
Checking Your Fuel Economy
Measuring T echniquesMinimize the use of the air
conditioning system
Plan and combine trips
Calculating Fuel Economy
Fuel Economy
Bef ore Driving
503
Miles driven Gallons of
fuel Miles per
Gallon
100 KilometersL per 100 km
Liter
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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 Variable Torque
Management
4-wheel drive
(VTM-4
) system, the vehicle
stability assist (VSA
), aka
Electronic Stability Control (ESC),
system, the tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS), and f acts you need
if you are planning to tow a trailer or
drive of f -highway. ........................
Driving Guidelines . 512
........................
Preparing to Drive . 512
.......................
Starting the Engine . 513
Check Starter System .................................
Message . 514
..............
Automatic Transmission . 515
............................
VTM-4
System . 520
...........................................
Parking . 521
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
......................................
(TPMS) . 522
.............................
Braking System . 530
...............
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) . 531
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA
),
aka Electronic Stability ........
Control (ESC), System . 533
...........................
Towing a Trailer . 536
Of f -Highway Driving
..................................
Guidelines . 552
Driving
Driving
511
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Check the adjustment of the
inside and outside mirrors (see
page ).
Check the steering wheel
adjustment (see page ).Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition switch to
the START (III) position, then
release the ignition switch. You do
not need to hold the ignition
switch in the START (III) position
to start the engine. Depending on
the outside temperature, thestarter motor runs f or about 6 to 9
seconds until the engine starts.
If you hold the ignition switch in
the START (III) position f or more
than 7 seconds, the starter motor,
depending on the outside
temperature, runs f or about 10 to
25 seconds until the engine starts.
If the engine does not start, wait at
least 10 seconds bef ore trying
again.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Apply the parking brake.
Fasten your seat belt. Check that
your passengers have f astened
their seat belts (see page ). Your vehicle

If this message is on, the ignition
switchhastobeheldinthe
START (III) position manually
until the engine starts. The
ignitionswitchcanbeheldinthat
position up to 15 seconds.
Even though you may be able to
start the engine manually without
the auto control mode of the starter
system, have your dealer inspect
your vehicle.
If there is a problem with the starter
system, you will see a ‘‘CHECK
STARTER SYSTEM

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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 the Park
position if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason. Press on the
brake pedal when you are moving
the shift lever from neutral to
another gear.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see on
page .
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
from the ignition switch.
Press the brake
pedal and the release button on the
frontoftheshiftlevertoshiftfrom
Park to reverse. To shif t f rom
reverse to neutral, come to a
completestop,andthenshift.Press
the release button bef ore shif ting
into reverse f rom neutral.
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 the release button on the
shif t lever. Make sure your f oot is of f
the accelerator pedal. 518Do this:
Press the brake pedal and the
shift lever release button.
Press the shift lever release
button.
Move the shift lever.
Press the D button.
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoP
NtoR
Dto2 2to1
1to2
2toD
DtoN
NtoD
RtoN
DtoD
DtoD
3
3
3
Automatic Transmission
Neutral (N)
Shif t L ock Release
Reverse (R)
Park (P)
516
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Use this position f or
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear (1 through 5) f or your
speed and acceleration. You may
notice the transmission shif ting up at
higher engine speeds when the
engine is cold. This helps the engine
warm up f aster. To use D , press the
D button when the shif t lever is in
the ‘‘D

µIf you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer