1996 HONDA ODYSSEY ignition

If Your Engine Won't Start
Diagnosing why your engine won't start falls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
key to START (III): You hear nothing, or almost
nothing. The engine's starter
motor does not operate at all, oroperates very slowly. You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, but the engine
does not start up and run. Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
When you turn the ignition switch to START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying to start. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at all.Check these things:
Check the transmission interlock.
The transmission must be in Park or Neutral or the starter will not

operate.
Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights and check their brightness. If the headlights are very dim or don't light at all,
the battery is discharged. See
Jump Starting on page 200. Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim,
check the condition of the fuses. If
the fuses are OK, there is proba-
bly something wrong with the electrical circuit for the ignition
switch or starter motor. You will
need a qualified technician todetermine the problem. (See
Towing on page 213.)
If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start theengine, either the battery is dis-
charged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of
the battery and terminal connec- tions (see page 162 ). You can
then try jump starting the car from a booster battery (see page 200 ).
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If Your Engine Won't Start, Jump Starting

The Starter Operates Normally In this case, the starter motorsounds normal when you turn the
ignition switch to START (III), but
the engine does not run. Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Refer to Starting the
Engine on page 119 . Do you have fuel? Turn the
ignition switch to ON (II) for a
minute and watch the fuel gauge.
The low fuel level warning light may not be working, so you were
not reminded to fill the tank. There may be an electrical
problem, such as no power to the
fuel pump. Check all the fuses (see page 208).
If you find nothing wrong, you will
need a qualified technician to find
the problem. See Towing on page
213.
Jump Starting
If your car's battery has run down,
you may be able to start the engine by using a booster battery. Although
this seems like a simple procedure,
there are several precautions you should take. Follow the directions
closely.
You cannot start a Honda by pushing or pulling it. To jump start your car:
1. Open the hood and check the physical condition of the battery(see page 162 ). In very cold
weather, check the condition of the electrolyte. If it seems slushyor like ice, do not try jump starting
until it thaws.

If a battery sits in extreme cold, the
electrolyte inside can freeze.

Attempting to jump start with a frozen battery can cause it to rupture or
explode.

2. Turn off all the electrical acces- sories: heater, A/C, stereo system
lights, etc. Put the transmission in Neutral or
Park and set the parking brake.
Taking Care of the Unexpected
NOTICE

A battery can explode if you do
not follow the correct procedure,
seriously injuring anyone nearby.
Keep all sparks, open flames,
and smoking materials away
from the battery.ProCarManuals.coms t Main Menu Table of Contents

Low Oil Pressure

This indicator should light when the ignition is ON (II), and go out after
the engine starts. It should nevercome on when the engine is running.
If it starts flashing, it indicates that
the oil pressure dropped very low for a moment, then recovered. If the
indicator stays on with the engine
running, it shows that the engine has
lost oil pressure and serious engine damage is possible. In either case,
you should take immediate action.
Running the engine with low oil
pressure can cause serious mechanical damage almost immediately. Turn offthe engine as soon as you can safely get
the car stopped.

1. Safely pull off the road and shut off the engine.
2. Let the car sit for a minute. Open the hood and check the oil level(see page 146). Although oil level
and oil pressure are not directly
connected, an engine that is very
low on oil can lose pressure during cornering and other driving

maneuvers.

3. If necessary, add oil to bring the level back to the full mark on thedipstick (see page 146). 4. Start the engine and watch the oil
pressure light. If the light does nogo out within ten seconds, turn of
the engine. There is a mechanical problem that needs to be repaired
before you can continue driving.
(See Towing on page 213 .)

Taking Care of the Unexpected
NOTICE

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Charging System Indication

This indicator should come on when the ignition is ON (II), and go out
after the engine starts. If it comes on
brightly when the engine is running,it indicates that the charging system
has stopped charging the battery. Immediately turn off all electrical
accessories: radio, heater, A/C, rear defogger, cruise control, etc. Try not
to use other electrically-operated
controls such as the power windows. Keep the engine running and takeextra care not to stall it. Starting the
engine will discharge the battery
rapidly. By eliminating as much of the
electrical load as possible, you can
drive several miles before the
battery is too discharged to keep the engine running. Drive to a servicestation or garage where you can get
technical assistance.

Taking Care of the Unexpected

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Malfunction Indicator Lamp

MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP

This indicator comes on for a few seconds when you turn the ignition
switch ON (II). If it comes on at any
other time, it indicates that one of
the engine's emissions control systems may have a problem. Even
though you may feel no difference in
your car's performance, it can reduce your fuel economy and cause
your car to put out excessive emissions. Continued operation may
cause serious engine damage. If this indicator light comes on, have
your car checked by the dealer as
soon as possible. Drive moderately
until the dealer has inspected the
problem. Avoid full-throttle accelera- tion and driving at high speed.
If you keep driving with the malfunc-
tion indicator lamp/check engine light
on, you can damage your car's
emission controls and engine. Those
repairs may not be covered by your
car's warranties.

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Fuses

ABS FUSE BOX
Cars equipped with ABS have a third
fuse box for the ABS. It is in the engine compartment on the right
side.
Checking and Replacing Fuses

If something electrical in your car
stops working, the first thing youshould check for is a blown fuse.
Determine from the chart on pages 211 and 212 , or the diagram on the
fuse box lid, which fuse or fuses control that component. Check those
fuses first, but check all the fuses
before deciding that is not the cause. Replace any blown fuses and check
the component's operation.
1. Turn the ignition switch to LOCK (0). Make sure the headlights and
all other accessories are off.
2. Remove the cover from the fuse box. 3. Check each of the large fuses in
the under-hood fuse box by
looking through the top at the wire
inside. Removing these fusesrequires a Phillips-head screw-driver.

CONTINUED

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Technical Information

The diagrams in this section give
you the dimensions and capacities of
your Honda, and the locations of the identification numbers. The expla-
nations of several electronic and
mechanical systems on your Honda
are for the more technically-orientedowner. Identification Numbers................. 216
Specifications................................. 218
Anti-lock Brake System................ 220 Tire Information............................ 221
Tire Size Designation................ 221Wheel Size Designation............ 221
Tire Speed Ratings.................... 221 Tire Pressure Adjustment For High Speed Driving........ 222
DOT Tire Quality Grading....... 222
Treadwear.............................. 222
Traction.................................. 223
Temperature.......................... 223 Emission Controls......................... 224
The Clean Air Act...................... 224Crankcase Emission Control System..................................... 224
Evaporative Emission Control
System.....................................224

Exhaust Emission Controls...... 225 PGM-FI System..................... 225
Ignition Timing Control System................................. 225
Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) System.................... 225
Three Way Catalytic Converter............................ 225
Replacement Parts..................... 225
Three Way Catalytic Converter... 226
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Emission Controls

Exhaust Emission Controls

The exhaust emission controls include four systems: PGM-FI,
Ignition Timing Control, ExhaustGas Recirculation and Three Way
Catalytic Converter. These foursystems work together to control the
engine's combustion and minimize
the amount of HC, CO, and NOx that comes out the tailpipe. The exhaust
emission control systems areseparate from the crankcase and
evaporative emission control

systems.

PGM-FI System
The PGM-FI System uses sequential multiport fuel injection.It has three subsystems: Air Intake,
Engine Control, and Fuel Control.
The Powertrain Control Module (PCM) uses various sensors to
determine how much air is going
into the engine. It then controls how much fuel to inject under all operat-
ing conditions. Ignition Timing Control System
This system constantly adjusts the ignition timing, reducing the amount
of HC, CO and NOx produced.
Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR)
System

The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system takes some of the
exhaust gas and routes it back into
the intake manifold. Adding exhaust gas to the air/fuel mixture reduces
the amount of NOx produced when
the fuel is burned.
Three Way Catalytic Converter
The three way catalytic converter is in the exhaust system. Throughchemical reactions, it converts HC, CO, and NOx in the engine's exhaust
to carbon dioxide (CO 2), dinitrogen

(N 2), and water vapor.
Replacement Parts

The emission control systems are designed and certified 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
genuine Honda replacement parts or
their equivalent for repairs. Usinglower quality parts may increase theemissions from your car.
The emissions control systems are covered by warranties separate from
the rest of your car. Read your
warranty manual for more informa-
tion.

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