1998 HONDA ODYSSEY air condition

Important Safety Precautions

You'll find many safety recommendations throughout thissection, and throughout this manual.
Following are a few
recommendations we consider most
important.
Always Wear Your Seat Belt A seat belt is your best protection in all types of collisions. Airbags
supplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inflate only in a
severe frontal collision. So even with
airbags, make sure you and your
passengers always wear your seat
belts, and wear them properly. (See
page 13.)
Restrain All Children
Children are safest when they are
properly restrained in a back seat, not the front seat. A child who is too
small for a seat belt must be properly
restrained in a child safety seat. (See
page 19.) Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
While airbags save lives, they can cause serious or fatal injuries tooccupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Infants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to follow all instructions and
warnings in this manual. (See page 5.)

Don't Drink and Drive

Alcohol and driving don't mix. Even one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions and
your reaction time gets worse with every additional drink. So don't drink
and drive, and don't let your friends drink and drive, either. Control Your Speed
Excessive speed is a major factor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed the greater the
risk, but serious accidents can also occur at lower speeds. Never drive
faster than is safe for current conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Keep Your Vehicle in Safe
Condition
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical failure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition frequently, and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance. (See page 164.)
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Additional Information About Your Seat Belts

To deactivate the locking mechanism, unlatch the buckle and
let the seat belt fully retract. To
refasten the belt, pull it out only as
far as needed.
See page 13 for instructions on how
to wear the lap/shoulder belt
properly.
Lap Belt
Seven-passenger model only

The lap belt has one manually- adjusted belt that fits across the hips.

To fasten the belt, insert the latch
plate into the buckle markedCENTER, then tug on the belt to
make sure the buckle is latched.
To unlock the belt, push the red PRESS button on the buckle.
See page 14 for how to lengthen the lap belt, and how to properly position
the belt. Seat Belt Maintenance
For safety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts regularly.
Pull each belt out fully and look for
frays, cuts, burns, and wear. Check
that the latches work smoothly and
that the lap/shoulder belts retract easily. Any belt not in good condition
or not working properly will not
provide good protection and should
be replaced as soon as possible.
Honda provides a lifetime warranty
on seat belts. Honda will repair or
replace any seat belt component that
fails to function properly during normal use.

Please see your Honda WarrantyInformation booklet for details.
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Carbon Monoxide Hazard
Your vehicle's exhaust contains carbon monoxide gas. You should
have no problem with carbon monoxide entering the vehicle in
normal driving if you maintain your
vehicle properly.
Have the exhaust system inspected
for leaks whenever: The vehicle is raised for an oil

change.
You notice a change in the sound
of the exhaust. The vehicle was in an accident
that may have damaged the under-
side.
High levels of carbon monoxide can
collect rapidly in enclosed areas,
such as a garage. Do not run the
engine with the garage door closed.
Even with the door open, run the
engine only long enough to move the
vehicle out of the garage. With the tailgate open, air flow can
pull exhaust gas into your vehicle's
interior and create a hazardouscondition. If you must drive with the
tailgate open, open all the windows and set the heating and coolingsystem as shown below.
If you must sit in your parked vehicle,
even in an unconfined area, with the engine running, adjust the heating
and cooling system as follows:
1. Select the Fresh Air mode. 2. Select the mode.
3. Turn the fan on high speed.
4. Set the temperature control to a
comfortable setting.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Carbon monoxide gas is toxic.
Breathing it can cause
unconsciousness and even kill
you.
Avoid any enclosed areas or
activities that expose you to
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Comfort and Convenience Features

The heating and air conditioning systems in your Honda provide a
comfortable driving environment in all weather conditions.
The standard audio system has
many features. This section de-
scribes those features and how to
use them. (If you selected an optional audio system, refer to the
operating instructions that came
with it.)
Some models have an anti-theft
audio system that requires a code
number to enable it.
Heating and Cooling........................ 94
What Each Control Does............ 94How to Use the System............... 96

To Turn Everything Off........... 101
Rear A/C Unit............................ 102
Audio System (U.S. LX and

Canadian EX)......................... 103

Operating the Radio.................. 104
Adjusting the Sound.................. 106
Audio System Lighting............. 106
Radio Frequencies and Reception................................ 106
Operating the Cassette Player...................................... 107
Tape Search Functions............. 108 Caring for Cassettes.................. 109
Operating the Optional CD Player/Changer..................... 110
Audio System (U.S. EX)................ 112 Operating the Radio.................. 113
Adjusting the Sound.................. 116 Radio Frequencies..................... 117
Radio Reception......................... 117
Operating the Cassette Player...................................... 119
Tape Search Functions............. 120 Caring for the Cassette
Player...................................... 121
Operating the Optional CD Player/Changer..................... 122
Protecting Compact Discs........ 124 CD Changer Error

Indications.............................. 125

Theft Protection........................ 126
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Heating and Cooling

Proper use of the Heating and

Cooling system can make the

interior dry and comfortable, and

keep the windows clear for best

visibility.

What Each Control Does Fan Control Lever
Sliding this lever to the right
increases the fan's speed, which
increases air flow.
Temperature Control Lever
Sliding this lever to the right
increases the temperature of the air

flow.

Air Conditioning (A/C) Button This button turns the air condi-tioning ON and OFF. The indicator
in the button lights when the A/C is
on.
Fresh Air and Recirculation
Buttons
These two buttons control the source of air going into the system. In Fresh Air mode air
comes from outside the car. In
Recirculation mode the
interior air recycles through the
system.

Comfort and Convenience Features MODE BUTTONS

RECIRCULATION

BUTTON FRESH AIR BUTTON
TEMPERATURE CONTROL LEVER FAN CONTROL

LEVER
AIR CONDITIONING
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Heating and Cooling

Vent Controls
You can adjust the direction of the air coming from the dashboard vents
by moving the tab in the center of
each vent up-and-down and side-to-

side.
CORNER VENT
The vents in the corners of the dashboard can be opened and closed
with the dials next to them. How to Use the System
This section covers how to set up the system controls for ventilation,
heating, cooling, dehumidifying, and defrosting.
The engine must be running for the heater and air conditioning to
generate hot and cold air. The heateruses engine coolant to warm the air.
If the engine is cold, it will be several
minutes before you feel warm air
coming from the system.
The air conditioning does not rely on engine temperature.
Comfort and Convenience Features
CENTER VENTProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Heating and Cooling

It is best to leave the system in mode under almost all
conditions. Keeping the system in mode, particularly with the
A/C off, can cause the windows to fog up. Switch to mode when
you are driving through smoky or dusty conditions, then switch back to mode when the condition

clears.

The outside air intakes for the heating and cooling system are at
the base of the windshield. Keep
these clear of leaves and other
debris.
Ventilation
The flow-through ventilation system draws in outside air, circulates it
through the interior, then exhausts it
through vents near the rear side

panels.
1. Slide the temperature control lever
all the way to the left.
Make sure the A/C is off. 2. Select and
3. Set the fan to the desired speed.

CONTINUED

Comfort and Convenience Features

MODE BUTTONS

RECIRCULATION

BUTTON
FRESH AIR BUTTON
TEMPERATURE CONTROL LEVER FAN CONTROL

LEVER
AIR CONDITIONING

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Heating and Cooling

To Cool with A/C
1. Turn on the A/C by pressing the button. The light in the button
should come on.
2. Make sure the temperature control lever is all the way to the
left.
3. Select and Fresh Air mode.

4. If the outside air is humid, select

Recirculation mode. If the outside

air is dry, select Fresh Air mode.

5. Set the fan to the desired speed.
If the interior is very warm from
being parked in the sun, you can cool it down more rapidly by setting up
the controls this way:
1. Start the engine.
2. Turn on the A/C by pressing the button. Make sure the tempera-
ture control lever is all the way to
the left.
3. Set the fan to maximum speed.
4. Open the windows partially. Select
and
When the interior has cooled down
to a more comfortable temperature,close the windows and set the
controls as described for normal

cooling.
Air conditioning places an extra load
on the engine. Watch the engine
coolant temperature gauge (see page 56) when driving in stop-and-go
traffic or climbing a long, steep hill. If it moves near the red zone, turn
off the A/C until the gauge reads
normally.
Comfort and Convenience Features MODE BUTTONS


RECIRCULATION
BUTTONFRESH AIR BUTTON
TEMPERATURE CONTROL LEVER

FAN CONTROL

LEVER
AIR CONDITIONING
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