1997 HONDA ODYSSEY service

Service Station Procedures

1. Shift to Park or Neutral and set the parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower left corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly. 2. Standing in front of the car, put
your fingers under the front edgeof the hood to the right of center.
Slide your hand to the left until
you feel the hood latch handle. Push this handle up until it
releases the hood. Lift the hood. 3. Pull the support rod out of its clip
and insert the end into the hole on
the left side of the hood.
To close the hood, lift it up slightly to remove the support rod from the
hole. Put the support rod back into
its holding clip. Lower the hood toabout a foot above the fender, then
let it drop.

Before Driving
CONTINUED

Opening the Hood
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE

LATCH


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Service Station Procedures

Oil Check
Check the engine oil level every time
you fill the car with fuel. Wait at least two minutes after turning the engineoff before you check the oil.
1. Remove the dipstick (orange handle). 2. Wipe the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel.

Before Driving
DIPSTICK
3. Insert it all the way back in its tube.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Service Station Procedures

4. 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 Adding Oil on page 148 . Engine Coolant Check
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 Adding
Engine Coolant on page 152 for
information on adding the proper

coolant.
Refer to Owner Maintenance
Checks on page 146 for information
on checking other items in your
Honda.

Before Driving

UPPER MARK
LOWER MARK MIN
MAX
RESERVE TANKProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Towing a Trailer

Towing Safety

Your car will not stop as quickly with a trailer in tow. Leave extra distance
between your car and other vehicles.
Avoid braking or turning suddenly.
This could cause the trailer to
jackknife or possibly turn over.
Keep in mind that your total vehicle
is now much longer. Leave more
room when making turns. The trailer
tracks a smaller arc than the car and
can hit or run over something that
the car misses. When passing another vehicle, make sure the
trailer is clear before changing lanes. The car/trailer combination is more
affected by crosswinds and buffeting.
When being passed by a large vehicle, keep a constant speed and steer straight ahead. If there is too
much wind buffeting, slow down to
get out of the other vehicle's air

turbulence.

Towing a trailer puts an extra load on your car. You should have your
car serviced according to the
"Maintenance Schedule under
severe driving conditions" on page 143. This extra load is magnified when
you are driving in hilly terrain.
Watch the temperature gauge closely when climbing hills. If it gets
near the hot area, turn off the air
conditioning (if it is on). If this does
not reduce the heat, it may be
necessary to pull to the side of the
road and wait for the engine to cool.
If the automatic transmission shifts
frequently between 3rd and 4th gears, put it in D3. This will help
prevent the transmission fromoverheating. Help keep the brakes
from overheating by shifting to a lower gear when going downhill.

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Maintenance

This section explains why it is important to keep your car well
maintained and to follow basic
maintenance safety precautions.
This section also includes Maintenance Schedules for normaldriving and severe driving conditions,
a Maintenance Record, and instruc-
tions for simple maintenance tasks
you may want to take care of
yourself.
If you have the skills and tools to per-
form more complex maintenance
tasks on your Honda, you may want to purchase the Service Manual. See
page 235 for information on how toobtain a copy, or see your Honda

dealer.
Maintenance Safety....................... 138

Important Safety Precautions.. 139

Maintenance Schedule.................. 140

Maintenance Record..................... 144

Owner Maintenance Checks........ 146

Fluid Locations............................... 147

Engine Oil....................................... 148
Adding Oil................................... 148Recommended Oil..................... 148
Synthetic Oil............................... 149

Additives..................................... 150

Changing the Oil and Filter...... 150

Cooling System.............................. 152

Adding Engine Coolant............. 152Replacing Engine Coolant........ 154

Windshield Washers..................... 156

Automatic Transmission Fluid..... 157
Brake Fluid..................................... 158

Brake System............................. 158

Anti-lock Brake System............ 159

Power Steering............................... 159

Air Cleaner Element...................... 160
Spark Plugs..................................... 162
Replacement............................... 162

Specifications............................. 163

Battery............................................ 164
Windshield Wipers........................ 166
Air Conditioning System............... 169
Drive Belts...................................... 170
Timing Belt..................................... 170
Tires................................................ 171 Inflation....................................... 171
Inspection................................... 173
Maintenance............................... 173
Tire Rotation.............................. 174 Replacing Tires and Wheels .... 174
Wheels and Tires....................... 175
Winter Driving........................... 175 Snow Tires.............................. 176
Tire Chains............................. 176
Lights.............................................. 177
Headlight Aiming...................... 177
Replacing Bulbs......................... 179
Storing Your Car............................ 184
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Maintenance Safety
Regularly maintaining your car is the
best way to protect your investment. Proper maintenance is essential to
your safety and the safety of your passengers. It will also reward you
with more economical, trouble-free driving and help reduce air pollution. This section includes instructions for
simple maintenance tasks, such as
checking and adding oil. Any service
items not detailed in this section should be performed by a Honda
technician or other qualified
mechanic. Some of the most important safety
precautions are given here. However,
we cannot warn you of every conceivable hazard that can arise in
performing maintenance. Only you can decide whether or not youshould perform a given task.

Maintenance

Improperly maintaining this car
or failing to correct a problem before driving can cause a

crash in which you can be

seriously hurt or killed.
Always follow the inspection and maintenance recommendations and
schedules in this owner's manual. Failure to properly follow
maintenance instructions and
precautions can cause you to
be seriously hurt or killed.
Always follow the procedures and precautions in this owner'smanual.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Maintenance Schedule

The Maintenance Schedule specifies how often you should have your carserviced and what things need
attention. It is essential that you have
your car serviced as scheduled to retain its high level of safety,dependability, and emission control
performance.
The services and time or distance
intervals shown in the maintenance
schedule assume you will use your
car as normal transportation for
passengers and their possessions.
You should also follow these
recommendations:

Avoid exceeding your car's loadlimit. This puts excess stress on
the engine, brakes, and manyother parts of your car. The load
limit is shown on the label on the driver's doorjamb.
Operate your car on reasonable
roads within the legal speed limit.
Drive your car regularly over a
distance of several miles
(kilometers).

Always use unleaded gasoline with the proper octane rating (see page
108
).
Which Schedule to Follow:
Service your car according to the
time and mileage periods on one of
the Maintenance Schedules on the
following pages. Select the schedule
for "Severe Conditions" if most of
your driving is done under one or more of the conditions listed on that
page. Otherwise, follow the schedule
for "Normal Conditions."

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Maintenance Schedule

Your authorized Honda dealer knows your car best and can provide
competent, efficient service.
However, service at a dealer is not
mandatory to keep your warranties
in effect. Maintenance may be done
by any qualified service facility or
person who is skilled in this type of
automotive service. Keep all the
receipts as proof of completion, and
have the person who does the work
fill out the Maintenance Record. Check your warranty booklet for
more information. We recommend the use of Genuine
Honda parts and fluids whenever you
have maintenance done. These are
manufactured to the same high- quality standards as the original
components, so you can be confident
of their performance and durability.

U.S. Cars:

Maintenance, replacement or
repair of emission control devices
and systems may be done by any
automotive repair establishment or individual using parts that are
"certified" to EPA standards. According to state and federal
regulations, failure to perform
maintenance on the items marked
with an asterisk (*) will not void your emissions warranties. However,Honda recommends that all mainte-
nance services be performed at the
recommended time or mileage
period to ensure long-term reliability.

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