1995 HONDA ODYSSEY tow

Driving

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
your car's braking system and facts
you need if you are planning to tow a trailer.
Preparing to Drive......................... 118
Starting the Engine........................ 119
Starting in Cold Weather at High Altitude ..................... 119
Automatic Transmission............... 120 Shift Lever Positions................. 120
Maximum Speeds...................... 123
Shift Lock Release..................... 123
The Braking System...................... 124 Brake Wear Indicators.............. 124
Brake System Design................ 124
Anti-lock Brakes........................ 125
Driving in Bad Weather................ 126
Towing a Trailer............................ 128

DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

Automatic Transmission

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 andstill cannot move the lever out of
Park, see Shift Lock Release on page

123.

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. 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.

CONTINUED
DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Automatic Transmission

Neutral (N) — Use Neutral if youneed 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 car for
any reason. Press on the brake pedal
when you are moving the shift lever from Neutral to another gear.
Drive (D4) — 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.
Drive (D3) —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. D3 can also keep
the transmission from cycling between third and fourth gears in stop-and-go driving.
For faster acceleration when" in D3 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.

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 out
on a slippery surface or in deep snow.It will help reduce wheelspin.
Whenever you move the shift lever to a lower gear, the transmissiondownshifts only if the engine's redline will not be exceeded in the
lower gear.
First (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,
D3 and D4, you can operate this
transmission much like a manual transmission without a clutch pedal.

DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Automatic Transmission

Maximum Speeds

The speeds in this table are the maximums for the given position. If
you exceed these speeds, you will feel the engine cut in and out. This iscaused by a limiter in the engine's
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce speed or shift. Shift Lock Release
This allows you to move the shift lever out of Park if the normal
method 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. Insert the key in the Shift Lock Release slot on the steering

column.

4. Push down on the key while you pull the shift lever towards youand move the shift lever out of
Park to Neutral. 5. Remove the key from the Shift
Lock Release slot. Depress the
brake pedal and restart the engine.
If you need to use the Shift Lock
Release, it could mean your car is developing a problem. Have the car
checked by your Honda dealer.
Driving
SHIFT LOCK RELEASE SLOTProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

The Braking System
If this happens, you will immediately
notice that the brake pedal goes down much farther and you need to
press on it much harder. A much
longer distance will be needed to stop the car.
Slow the car by downshifting to a
lower gear and removing your foot
from the accelerator pedal. Pull to the side of the road as soon as it issafe. Because of the longer stopping
distance needed, brake system
failure is very hazardous. It is best to
have your car towed, but if you must drive the car in this condition, be
extremely cautious. Have your car
repaired as soon as possible.

Anti-lock Brakes
All U.S. models and the Canadian six-passenger model have an Anti-lockBrake System (ABS) as standard
equipment. It is optional on the

Canadian seven-passenger model.

ABS helps you maintain steering control. It does this by helping you to
prevent the wheels from locking up and skidding.
The ABS is always "On". It requires no special effort or driving technique.
You will feel a pulsation in the brake pedal when the ABS activates.
Activation varies with the amount of traction your tires have. On dry
pavement, you will need to press on
the brake pedal very hard before you
feel the pedal pulsation that means
the ABS has activated. However, youmay feel the ABS activate immedi-
ately if you are trying to stop on
snow or ice. Under all conditions, the
ABS is helping to prevent the wheels from locking so you can retainsteering control. You should con-
tinue to press on the brake pedal
with the same force.
You may feel a slight movement of the brake pedal just after you start
the engine. This is the ABS working. ABS INDICATOR*
* U.S. indicator shown
The ABS is self-checking. If anything goes wrong, the ABS indicator on
the instrument panel comes on (see page 37). This means the Anti-lock
function of the braking system has shut down. The brakes still work like
a conventional system, providing
normal stopping ability. You should
have the dealer inspect your car as soon as possible.

CONTINUED

DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Towing a Trailer

Your Honda is designed primarily tocarry passengers and their cargo.
You can use it to tow a trailer if you
carefully observe some general rules.

The total weight of the trailer andeverything loaded in it must not
exceed the weights shown in the

table below.

* 1 : Including driver. Based on 70 kg (150 Ibs)

passenger

* 2 : Seven-passenger model only
The "tongue load" should never
exceed 72 kg (160 Ibs). This is the
amount of weight the trailer puts
on the hitch when it is fully-loaded.
As a rule of thumb, the tongue load should be 10% of the totaltrailer package.
For example, if the trailer and its
load weigh 450 kg (1,000 Ibs), the
tongue load should be 45 kg (100
Ibs). Adjust the trailer's cargo to
change the tongue load. Start by
putting approximately 60% of the cargo toward the front and 40%
toward the rear. Never load the
trailer so the back is heavier than
the front. The combined weight of the car,
all passengers and their luggage,and tongue load must not exceed
the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
The GVWR is printed on the Certification label attached to thedriver's doorjamb (see page 216).
The combined weight of the car, all passengers and their luggage,
and tongue load also must not
exceed the Gross Axle Weight
Rating. The GAWR is also shown on the Certification label. It tells
you the maximum load for the front and rear axles. It is possiblethat your towing package does notexceed the GVWR but does
exceed the GAWR. Improper
trailer loading, and/or too much
luggage in the cargo area can overload the rear axle. Redis-
tribute the load and check the axle
weights again.

DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Towing a Trailer
The best way to confirm that your total towing package is within thesespecifications is to get it weighed.
Load the car and trailer as you
normally would while towing, and
take them to a public scale. Have
them check the total weight and the
weight at each axle, then compare
them to the specifications.
Trailer Hitches

Your Honda dealer, or the Honda Customer Relations Zone Office, can
give you advice on the proper hitch
for your car. Never use a hitch that mounts only to the rear bumper. The
bumper is not designed to handle
that type of load. The hitch shouldbolt to the underbody of the car anddistribute the load over a wide area.
Always have a trailer hitch installed by a qualified technician.

A trailer hitch that is not adequate for the size of the trailer, or a hitch that isimproperly installed, can cause damage
to the underside of your car.

Driving

NOTICE
Improperly loading your car and
trailer can seriously affect its
steering and braking performance, causing a crashin which you can be seriously
injured.
Check the loading of your car
and trailer carefully before starting to drive.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Towing a Trailer

MirrorsMany states and provinces have laws
requiring special outside mirrors
when you are towing a trailer. Check
the laws in your area. You may want
to install mirrors, even if they are not required. Hook up the trailer and see
how much it obscures your ability to see behind you with the standard
mirrors. If you cannot see directly
behind you, or have a large blind spot next to the trailer or the car,
you should install mirrors intended for towing.
Connecting the Trailer

Most trailers that have a gross
weight of 450 kg (1,000 Ibs) do not have their own braking system. If
you are thinking of getting a trailer that does have brakes, make sure

they are electrically-operated. There
are no provisions in your car to tap
into its hydraulic braking system.
Any attempt to attach the trailer's brakes to your car's hydraulicsystem, no matter how successful it
may seem, will lower braking effectiveness and create a potential

hazard.
Always use a safety chain when
towing a trailer. Connect the safetychain securely at both ends. Makesure the chain crosses under the
tongue so it will catch the trailer if it
becomes unhitched. Leave enough slack in the chain so it can't bind in asharp turn. Do not let it drag on the
ground.
DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t