HONDA RIDGELINE 2011 1.G Owners Manual

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The burning of gasoline in your
vehicle’s engine produces several by-
products. Some of these are carbon
monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen
(NOx), and hydrocarbons (HC).
Gasoline evaporating f rom the tank
also produces hydrocarbons. Con-
trolling the production of NOx, CO,
and HC is important to the environ-
ment. Under certain conditions of
sunlight and climate, NOx and HC
react to f orm photochemical ‘‘smog.’’
Carbon monoxide does not contri-
bute to smog creation, but it is a
poisonous gas. The United States Clean Air Act
sets standards f or automobile
emissions. It also requires that
automobile manufacturers explain to
owners how their emissions controls
workandwhattodotomaintain
them. This section summarizes how
the emissions controls work.
Scheduled maintenance is on page
.
In Canada, Honda vehicles comply
with the Canadian emission
requirements, as specif ied in an
agreement with Environment
Canada, at the time they are
manuf actured.
Your vehicle has a positive
crankcase ventilation system. This
keeps gasses that build up in the
engine’s crankcase f rom going into
the atmosphere. The positive crankcase ventilation valve routes
them from the crankcase back to the
intake manif old. They are then
drawn into the engine and burned.
As gasoline evaporates in the f uel
tank, an evaporative emissions
control canister f illed with charcoal
adsorbs the vapor. It is stored in this
canister while the engine is of f . Af ter
the engine is started and warmed up,
the vapor is drawn into the engine
and burned during driving.
The onboard ref ueling vapor
recovery (ORVR) system captures
the f uel vapors during ref ueling. The
vapors are adsorbed in a canister
f illed with activated carbon. While
driving, the f uel vapors are drawn
into the engine and burned of f .
324
The Clean Air Act
Crankcase Emissions Control
System Evaporative Emissions Control
System
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor
Recovery
Emissions Cont rols
T echnical Inf ormation
397
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The exhaust emissions controls
include f our systems: PGM-FI,
ignition timing control, exhaust gas
recirculation, and three way catalytic
converter. These f our systems work
together to control the engine’s
combustion and minimize the
amount of HC, CO, and NOx that
come out the tailpipe. The exhaust
emissions control systems are
separate f rom the crankcase and
evaporative emissions control
systems.
The PGM-FI system uses sequential
multiport f uel injection.
It has three subsystems: air intake,
engine control, and f uel control. The
powertrain control module (PCM)
uses various sensors to determine
how much air is going into the
engine. It then controls how much
f uel to inject under all operating
conditions.This system constantly adjusts the
ignition timing, reducing the amount
of HC, CO, and NOx produced.
The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)
system takes some of the exhaust
gas and routes it back into the intake
manif old. Adding exhaust gas to the
air/f uel mixture reduces the amount
of NOx produced when the f uel is
burned.
The three way catalytic converter is
in the exhaust system. Through
chemical reactions, it converts HC,
CO, and NOx in the engine’s exhaust
to carbon dioxide (CO ), nitrogen
(N ), and water vapor.
The emissions control systems are
covered by warranties separate f rom
the rest of your vehicle. Read your
warranty manual f or more inf orma-
tion.
The emissions control systems are
designed and certif ied to work to-
gether in reducing emissions to
levels that comply with the Clean Air
Act. To make sure the emissions
remain low, you should use only new
Honda replacement parts or their
equivalent f or repairs. Using lower
qualitypartsmayincreasethe
emissions f rom your vehicle.
2
2
Exhaust Emissions Controls Replacement Parts
PGM-FI SystemIgnit ion T iming Cont rol Syst em
Exhaust Gas Recirculat ion (EGR)Syst em
Three Way Catalytic Converter
Emissions Cont rols
398
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The three way catalytic converter
must operate at a high temperature
for the chemical reactions to take
place. It can set on f ire any
combustible materials that come
near it. Park your vehicle away from
high grass, dry leaves, or other
f lammables.A defective three way catalytic
converter contributes to air pollution,
and can impair your engine’s per-
f ormance. Follow these guidelines to
protect your vehicle’s three way
catalytic converter.
Always use unleaded gasoline.
Even a small amount of leaded
gasoline can contaminate the
catalyst metals, making the three
way catalytic converter inef f ective. Keep the engine well maintained.
Have your vehicle diagnosed and
repaired if it is misf iring, back-
f iring, stalling, or otherwise not
running properly.
The three way catalytic converter
contains precious metals that serve
as catalysts, promoting chemical
reactions to convert the exhaust
gasses without af f ecting the metals.
The catalytic converter is ref erred to
as a three-way catalyst, since it acts
on HC, CO, and NOx. A replacement
unit must be an original Honda part
or its equivalent.
Three Way Catalytic Converter
T echnical Inf ormation
399
THREE WAY CATALYTIC CONVERTER
WARM UP THREE WAY CATALYTIC
CONVERTERS
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If you take your vehicle f or an
emissions test shortly af ter the
battery has been disconnected or
gone dead, it may not pass the test.
This is because of certain ‘‘readiness
codes’’ that must be set in the on-
board diagnostics f or the emissions
systems. These codes are erased
when the battery is disconnected,
and set again only after several days
of driving under a variety of
conditions.
If the testing f acility determines that
the readiness codes are not set, you
will be requested to return at a later
date to complete the test. If you must
get the vehicle retested within the
next two or three days, you can
condition the vehicle f or retesting by
doing the f ollowing.Make sure the gas tank is nearly,
but not completely, f ull (around
3/4). Without touching the accelerator
pedal, start the engine, and let it
idle f or 20 seconds.
Make sure the vehicle has been
parked with the engine of f f or 6
hours or more.
Make sure the ambient
temperature is between 40° and
95°F (4° and 35°C).
Keep the vehicle in Park. Increase
the engine speed to 2,000 rpm, and
hold it there until the temperature
gauge rises to at least 1/4 of the
scale (about 3 minutes).
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, let the engine idle f or 20
seconds. Select a nearby lightly traveled
major highway where you can
maintain a speed of 50 to 60 mph
(80to97km/h)foratleast20
minutes. Drive on the highway in
D. Do not use the cruise control.
When traffic allows, drive for 90
seconds without moving the
accelerator pedal. (Vehicle speed
may vary slightly; this is okay.) If
you cannot do this f or a
continuous 90 seconds because of
traffic conditions, drive for at least
30 seconds, then repeat it two
more times (for a total of 90
seconds).
1. 2. 3.4.5. 6.
7.
T esting of Readiness Codes
Emissions T est ing
400
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Then drive in city/suburban
traffic for at least 10 minutes.
When traf f ic conditions allow, let
the vehicle coast f or several
seconds without using the
accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal.
Make sure the vehicle has been
parked with the engine of f f or 30
minutes.
If the testing f acility determines the
readiness codes are still not set, see
your dealer.
8. 9.
Emissions T est ing
T echnical Inf ormation
401
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402
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....
Customer Service Inf ormation . 404
....................
Warranty Coverages . 405
Reporting Saf ety Def ects
..........................
(U.S. Vehicles) . 406
.....................
Authorized Manuals . 407
Warrant y and Customer Relat ions
Warrant y and Cust omer Relat ions
403
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Honda dealership personnel are
trained prof essionals. They should
be able to answer all your questions.
If you encounter a problem that your
dealership does not solve to your
satisf action, please discuss it with
the dealership’s management. The
service manager or general manager
can help. Almost all problems are
solved in this way.
If you are dissatisf ied with the
decision made by the dealership’s
management, contact Honda
Customer Service.
U.S. Owners:Canadian Owners: When you call or write, please give
us this inf ormation:
Vehicle identif ication number (see
page )
Name and address of the dealer
who services your vehicle
Date of purchase
Odometer reading on your vehicle
Your name, address, and
telephone number
A detailed description of the
problem
Name of the dealer who sold the
vehicle to you
In Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands:
386
Customer Service Inf ormation
404
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Automobile Customer Service
Mail Stop 500-2N-7A
1919 Torrance Boulevard
Torrance, California 90501-2746
Tel: (800) 999-1009Honda Canada Inc.
Visit www.honda.ca for contact
information
Tel: 1-888-9-HONDA-9
Fax: 1-877-939-0909
Vortex Motor Corp.
Bella International
P.O. Box 190816
San Juan, PR 00919-0816
Tel: (787) 620-7546
Customer Relations
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µ
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µ provides
coverageforaslongasthepur-
chaser of the muf f ler owns the
vehicle.
Your new vehicle is covered by these
warranties:
provides prorated
coverage f or a replacement battery
purchased f rom your dealer.
a seat
belt that f ails to f unction properly is
covered by a limited warranty.
Please read your warranty booklet
f or details.
covers all Honda
replacement parts against defects in
materials and workmanship.
Honda accessories are covered
under this warranty. Time and
mileage limits depend on the type of
accessory and other f actors. Please
read your warranty booklet f or
details. all exterior body panels are
covered f or rust-through f rom the
inside f or the specif ied time period
with no mileage limit. Restrictions and exclusions apply to
all these warranties. Please read the
2011 Honda warranty inf ormation
booklet that came with your vehicle
f or precise inf ormation on warranty
coverages. Your vehicle’s original
tires are covered by their
manuf acturer. Tire warranty
inf ormation is in a separate booklet.
Please ref er to the 2011 warranty
manual that came with your vehicle.
covers your new vehicle, except f or
the emissions control systems and
accessories, against def ects in
materials and workmanship.
these two
warranties cover your vehicle’s
emissions control systems. Time,
mileage, and coverage are
conditional. Please read your
warranty booklet f or exact
inf ormation.
Warranty Coverages
U.S. Owners
Canadian Owners
Replacement Muf f ler L if et imeLimited Warranty
Replacement Bat t ery L imit ed
Warranty
Seat Belt Limited Warranty
Replacement Part s L imit edWarranty
Accessory Limited Warranty
Rust Perf orat ion L imit ed Warrant y
New Vehicle L imit ed Warrant y
Emissions Cont rol Syst ems Def ect sWarrant y and Emissions
Perf ormance WarrantyWarrant y and Cust omer Relat ions
405
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If NHTSA receives similar com-
plaints, it may open an investigation,
and if it f inds that a saf ety def ect
exists in a group of vehicles, it may
order a recall and remedy campaign.
However, NHTSA cannot become
involved in individual problems
between you, your dealer, or
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
If you believe that your vehicle has a
def ect which could cause a crash or
could cause injury or death, you
should immediately inf orm the
National Highway Traf f ic Saf ety
Administration (NHTSA), in addition
to notifying American Honda Motor
Co., Inc.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the
VehicleSafetyHotlinetoll-freeat1-888-327-4236
(TTY: 1-800-424-9153); go to
; or write to:
Administrator, NHTSA, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC20590.
You can also obtain other
inf ormation about motor vehicle
safety from .
Reporting Saf ety Def ects (U.S. Vehicles)
406
http://www.saf ercar.gov
http://www.saf ercar.gov
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