1999 HONDA ODYSSEY Owners Manual

Traction Control System

TRACTION CONTROLSYSTEM INDICATOR
Driving with TCS requires no special skills or technique. The TCS does
not control your vehicle's whole
braking system and cannot prevent skidding if you enter a corner too
fast. It is still your responsibility to drive at reasonable speeds and to
leave a sufficient margin of safety. When starting out or driving at low
speeds on a loose or slippery roadsurface, you may notice that the
vehicle does not respond to the accelerator in the same way it does
at other times. This is a sign the TCS
is activating. You will see the TCS
indicator light flash.
You should still install winter tires on
your vehicle during the winter. Make sure to use the same size originally
supplied with vehicle. Exercise the
same caution in winter driving as you
would if your vehicle was not equipped with TCS.
Driving with the compact spare tire installed (see page 286) mayactivate the TCS. You should turn off
the system. If the brakes overheat while the TCS
is activating, the TCS indicator will
stop flashing and stay on temporarily.
This indicates that the TCS system has turned off. After the brakes havecooled down (usually about 10
minutes), the TCS will turn back on
and the indicator will turn off.

DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Traction Control System

TCS ON/OFF Switch
This switch is under the side vent. It lets you turn the Traction Control
System on and off. You cannot turn
off the TCS while the TCS indicator
light is flashing.
Deactivate the system by pressing
the TCS On/Off switch. The TCS
indicator light comes on as a reminder. Pressing the switch again
turns the system back on. The Traction Control System turns
on every time you start the engine,
even if you turned it off the last time
you drove the vehicle.
TCS Indicator
The TCS indicator comes on or flashes under the following condi-
tions:
When you turn the ignition switch
to ON (II).

When you manually turn off the
TCS.
It flashes when the TCS is
regulating wheelspin.
If the system's diagnostics senses a problem in the TCS, the indica-
tor will come on and stay on.
If the brakes overheat, the
indicator will come on. If the TCS indicator comes on and
stays on for more than 10 minutes
while driving, pull to the side of the road when it is safe and turn off the
engine. Reset the system by
restarting the engine, and watch the
TCS indicator. If the indicator remains on, or comes back on whiledriving, have the system inspected
by your Honda dealer. You can still drive the vehicle without TCS.
This indicator will come on along with the ABS indicator if there is aproblem in the anti-lock brakesystem (see ABS Indicator on page 206
).
The TCS indicator may occasionally
come on for one or two seconds and
then go out. This is normal.

Driving

TCS ON/OFF

SWITCHProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Driving in Bad Weather

Rain, fog, and snow conditions re-quire a different driving technique
because of reduced traction and
visibility. Keep your vehicle well- maintained and exercise greater
caution when you need to drive in
bad weather. The cruise control should not be used in these condi-

tions.
Driving Technique — Always drive
slower than you would in dry
weather. It takes your vehicle longer to react, even in conditions that mayseem just barely damp. Applysmooth, even pressure to all the
controls. Abrupt steering wheel
movements or sudden, hard appli-
cation of the brakes can cause loss of control in wet weather. Be extra
cautious for the first few miles (kilometers) of driving while you
adjust to the change in driving
conditions. This is especially true in snow. A person can forget some
snow-driving techniques during the
summer months. Practice is needed
to relearn those skills.
Exercise extra caution when driving
in rain after a long dry spell. After
months of dry weather, the first
rains bring oil to the surface of the
roadway, making it slippery. Visibility — Being able to see
clearly in all directions and being
visible to other drivers are important in all weather conditions. This ismore difficult in bad weather. To beseen more clearly during daylight
hours, turn on your headlights.
Inspect your windshield wipers and
washers frequently. Keep the wind- shield washer reservoir full of the
proper fluid. Have the windshield
wiper blades replaced if they start to streak the windshield or leave parts
unwiped. Use the defroster and air conditioning to keep the windows
from fogging up on the inside (see
pages 135 and 144 ).

DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Driving in Bad Weather

Traction — Check your tires frequently for wear and properpressure. Both are important in
preventing "hydroplaning" (loss of
traction on a wet surface). In the
winter, mount snow tires on all four wheels for the best handling.
Watch road conditions carefully, they can change from moment tomoment. Wet leaves can be as slip-
pery as ice. "Clear" roads can have
patches of ice. Driving conditionscan be very hazardous when the
outside temperature is near freezing.
The road surface can become covered with areas of water puddles
mixed with areas of ice, so your
traction can change without warning.
Be careful when downshifting. If
traction is low, you can lock up the drive wheels for a moment and cause

a skid.
Be very cautious when passing, or
being passed by other vehicles. The spray from large vehicles reduces
your visibility, and the wind buffeting can cause you to lose control.

DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Towing a Trailer

Your Odyssey has been designed totow a trailer, as well as for carrying
passengers and their cargo.
To safely tow a trailer, you must observe the load limits, use the
proper equipment, and follow the
guidelines in this section.
Load Limits Total Trailer Weight: As shownin the load limits table, how much
weight you can tow is limited by the number of occupants in your
vehicle and whether or not you
have installed a transmission fluid cooler. (See page 214 for
information about transmission
fluid coolers.) Towing a load that is too heavy can seriously affect
your vehicle's handling and
performance. It can also damage
the engine and drivetrain.
*
Including driver. Based on 150 Ibs (70 kg) per occupant, and no cargo\
.
*
*
Weight limited to avoid exceeding rear GAWR (see page 213).

Tongue Load: The weight that
the tongue of a fully loaded trailer
puts on the hitch should be
approximately 10 percent of the
trailer weight. Too little tongue load can make the trailer unstable
and cause it to sway. Too much
tongue load reduces front-tire
traction and steering control. To achieve a proper tongue load,
start by loading 60 percent of the
load toward the front of the trailer
and 40 percent toward the rear, then
readjust the load as needed.

Driving
ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Towing a Trailer

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating

(GVWR):

The total weight of the vehicle, all occupants, all cargo, and the
tongue load must not exceed: 5,565 Ibs (2,525 kg)

Gross Axle Weight Rating

(GAWR):

The total weight of the vehicle, all occupants, all cargo, and the
tongue load must not exceed:
2,775 Ibs (1,260 kg)
on the front axle
2,840 Ibs (1,290 kg)
on the rear axle
Gross Combined Weight Rating

(GCWR):

The total weight of the vehicle, all occupants and cargo, and the
trailer and everything in or on it,
must not exceed:
8,160 Ibs (3,700 kg)
with transmission fluid cooler
6,660 Ibs (3,025 kg) without transmission fluid cooler
Checking Loads

The best way to confirm that vehicle and trailer weights are within limitsis to have them checked at a public
scale.

Using a suitable scale or a special
tongue load gauge, check the tongue
load the first time you set up a
towing combination (a fully-loaded
vehicle and trailer), then recheck the tongue load whenever the conditions
change.

Driving

Exceeding load limits or
improperly loading your vehicle
and trailer can cause a crash in
which you can be seriously injured or killed.
Check the loading of your
vehicle and trailer carefully before starting to drive.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Towing a Trailer

Towing Equipment and

Accessories

Towing can require a variety of equipment, depending on the size of
your trailer, how it will be used, and how much load you are towing.
Discuss your needs with your trailersales or rental agency, and follow the
guidelines in the rest of this section.
Also make sure that all equipment is properly installed and that it meets
federal, state, province, and local
regulations.

Hitches

Any hitch used on your vehicle must
be properly bolted to the underbody, using the six threaded holes
provided. A hitch designed especially
for your Odyssey can be obtained
from your Honda dealer.
Weight Distributing Hitch

If the total trailer weight is more
than 2,000 Ibs (900 kg), you must also use a weight distributing hitch.
This device transfers weight from the vehicle's rear wheels to the front
wheels, and to the trailer's wheels. Carefully follow the hitch maker's
instructions for proper installation
and adjustment.
Safety Chain
Always use a safety chain. Make sure that it is secured to both the
trailer and hitch, and that it crosses under the tongue so it can catch the
trailer if it becomes unhitched.
Leave enough slack to allow the
trailer to turn corners easily, but do not let the chain drag on the ground. Sway Control
If the total trailer weight exceeds 2,000 Ibs (900 kg), you should install
a sway control device to minimize
swaying that can occur in crosswinds
and in normal and emergency
driving maneuvers. Your trailer
maker can tell you what kind of sway
control you need and how to install it.
Transmission Fluid Cooler
If the total trailer weight is more
than 2,000 Ibs (900 kg), you must
also have a transmission fluid cooler
installed. This device will help
prevent transmission overheating,
which could cause serious damage.
A transmission fluid cooler designed for your Odyssey can be obtainedfrom your Honda dealer.

DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Towing a Trailer

Trailer Brakes

Honda recommends that any trailer
having a total weight of 1,000 Ibs (450 kg) or more be equipped with
its own electric or surge-type brakes.
If you choose electric brakes, be
sure they are electronically actuated.
Do not attempt to tap into your
vehicle's hydraulic system. No matter how successful it may seem,
any attempt to attach trailer brakes
to your vehicle's hydraulic system
will lower braking effectiveness and create a potential hazard.

Your vehicle has a trailer lighting
connector located behind the left
side panel in the cargo area. Refer to
the drawing above for the wiring color code and purpose of each pin.
To use the trailer lighting connector, you will need a wiring harness and converter. This comes with the
Honda hitch (see page 214), or it
may be obtained separately from
your dealer. If you use a non-Honda trailer
lighting harness and converter, you can get the connector and pins that
mate with the connector in your
vehicle from your Honda dealer.
Since lighting and wiring vary with
trailer type and brand, you shouldalso have a qualified technician
install a suitable connector between
the vehicle and the trailer.

Driving
CONTINUED

Trailer Lights

GROUND
(BLACK)
BACK-UP LIGHT

(GREEN/BLACK)
LEFT TURN SIGNAL
(GREEN/BLUE)

TAILLIGHT
(RED/BLACK)

BRAKE LIGHT

(WHITE/BLACK)

RIGHT TURN SIGNAL
(GREEN/YELLOW)ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t