1999 HONDA ODYSSEY check engine

Taking Care of the Unexpected

This section covers the more- common problems that motorists
experience with their vehicles. It
gives you information about how to safely evaluate the problem and what
to do to correct it. If the problem has stranded you on the side of the road,
you may be able to get going again. If not, you will also find instructions
on getting your vehicle towed. Compact Spare Tire....................... 286
Changing a Flat Tire..................... 287
If Your Engine Won't Start........... 296
Nothing Happens or the Starter Motor OperatesVery Slowly......................... 296
The Starter Operates
Normally.................................297

Jump Starting................................. 297 If Your Engine Overheats............. 299
Low Oil Pressure Indicator.......... 301
Charging System Indicator........... 302
Malfunction Indicator Lamp ........ 303
Brake System Indicator................ 304

Fuses............................................... 305

Checking and Replacing........... 306

Emergency Towing....................... 311

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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, or the starter
motor sounds like it is spinning
faster than normal, 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 tostart. 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 headlightsare very dim or don't light at all,
the battery is discharged. See

Jump Starting on page 297.
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 ignitionswitch or starter motor. You will
need a qualified technician to determine the problem. (See

Emergency Towing on page 311.)
If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the
engine, either the battery is dis-
charged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of
the battery and terminal connec-
tions (see page 251). You can then try jump starting the vehicle
from a booster battery (see page 297).
The Starter Operates Normally In this case, the starter motor'sspeed sounds normal, or even faster
than 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 197.

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If Your Engine Won't Start, Jump Starting
Your vehicle has the Immobilizer
System. You should use a
properly-coded master or valet key
to start the engine (see page 77).
A key that is not properly coded
will cause the immobilizer system indicator in the dash panel to blink
rapidly. 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 305).
If you find nothing wrong, you will
need a qualified technician to find
the problem. See Emergency
Towing on page 311. Jump Starting
If your vehicle'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, you should take several

precautions.

You cannot start a Honda by pushing or pulling it. To jump start your vehicle, follow
these directions closely:
1. Open the hood and check the physical condition of the battery(see page 251). 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.

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

CONTINUED

Taking Care of the Unexpected

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.
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Jump Starting

3. Connect one jumper cable to the positive ( + ) terminal on the
booster battery. Connect the otherend to the positive ( + ) terminal
on your Honda's battery. 4. Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative ( — ) terminal on
the booster battery. Connect theother end to the grounding strap
as shown. Do not connect this
jumper cable to any other part of the engine.
5. If the booster battery is in another vehicle, have an assistant startthat vehicle and run it at a fast idle. 6. Start your vehicle. If the starter
motor still operates slowly, check
the jumper cable connections to make sure they have good metal-
to-metal contact.
7. Once your vehicle is running, disconnect the negative cable from
your vehicle, then from the booster battery. Disconnect the
positive cable from your vehicle,
then the booster battery.

Taking Care of the Unexpected
BOOSTER

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If Your Engine Overheats

4. If the temperature gauge stays at
the red mark, turn off the engine.
5. Wait until you see no more signs of steam or spray, then open the

hood.

6. Look for any obvious coolant leaks, such as a split radiator hose.
Everything is still extremely hot, so use caution. If you find a leak, it
must be repaired before you
continue driving (see Emergency
Towing on page 311).
7. If you don't find an obvious leak, check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank (see page187). If the level is below the
MIN mark, add coolant to halfway
between the MIN and MAX marks.
8. If there was no coolant in the reserve tank, you may also have to
add coolant to the radiator. Let the
engine cool down until the pointer reaches the middle of the tempera-
ture gauge, or lower, before check-
ing the radiator.
9. Using gloves or a large heavy cloth, turn the radiator cap
counterclockwise, without pushing
down, to the first stop. This
releases any remaining pressure in
the cooling system. After the
pressure releases, push down on
the cap and turn it until it comes off. 10.Start the engine and set the
temperature control dial tomaximum (climate control to
FULL AUTO at 90°F/32°C). Add
coolant to the radiator up to the
base of the filler neck. If you do not have the proper coolant
mixture available, you can add
plain water. Remember to have
the cooling system drained and refilled with the proper mixture assoon as you can.
11.Put the radiator cap back on tightly. Run the engine and watch
the temperature gauge. If it goes
back to the red mark, the engineneeds repair. (See Emergency
Towing on page 311.)
12.If the temperature stays normal, check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. If it has
gone down, add coolant to the MAX mark. Put the cap back on

tightly.

Taking Care of the Unexpected
Removing the radiator cap
while the engine is hot can
cause the coolant to spray out,
seriously scalding you.
Always let the engine and radiator cool down before
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Low Oil Pressure Indicator

This indicator should light when the ignition switch is ON (II), and go out
after the engine starts. It should
never come 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 vehicle stopped.

1. Safely pull off the road and shut off the engine. Turn on the hazard
warning indicators.
2. Let the vehicle sit for a minute. Open the hood and check the oil
level (see page 186). Although oil
level and oil pressure are not directly connected, an engine that
is very low on oil can lose pressureduring cornering and other driving

maneuvers.

3. If necessary, add oil to bring the level back to the full mark on thedipstick (see page 233). 4. Start the engine and watch the oil
pressure indicator. If the lightdoes not go out within ten seconds,
turn off the engine. There is a mechanical problem that needs to
be repaired before you can continue driving. (See Emergency
Towing on page 311.)

Taking Care of the Unexpected

LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR

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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 one of the
engine's emissions control systems may have a problem. Even though
you may feel no difference in your
vehicle's performance, it can reduce
your fuel economy and cause your
vehicle to put out excessive emissions. Continued operation may
cause serious damage.
If you have recently refueled your
vehicle, the cause of this indicator coming on could be a loose or
missing fuel fill cap. Check the cap and tighten it until it clicks at least
three times. Replace the fuel fill cap if it is missing. Tightening the cap
will not make the indicator turn off immediately; it takes three driving

trips.

If the indicator remains on past threedriving trips, or the fuel cap was not
loose or missing, have the vehicle checked by the dealer as soon as
possible. Drive moderately until the dealer has inspected the problem.
Avoid full-throttle acceleration and driving at high speed.
You should also have the dealer inspect your vehicle if this indicator
comes on repeatedly, even though it
may turn off as you continue driving.
If you keep driving with the
malfunction indicator lamp on. you can
damage your vehicle's emissionscontrols and engine. Those repairs may
not be covered by your vehicle's
warranties.

This indicator may also come on along with the "D 4
" indicator.
Taking Care of the Unexpected

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Brake System Indicator

BRAKE SYSTEM INDICATOR*

The Brake System Indicator light comes on when you turn the ignitionON (II). If the parking brake is not
set, it goes off after you start the
engine. If the parking brake is set, it
goes off when you fully release the
parking brake with the engine
running.
If it comes on at any other time, it
indicates a problem with the vehicle's
brake system. In most cases, the
problem is a low fluid level in the
brake fluid reservoir. Press lightly on
the brake pedal to see if it feels
normal. If it does, check the brake
fluid level the next time you stop at a service station (see page 244 ). If the
fluid level is low, take the vehicle to
your dealer and have the brake system inspected for leaks or worn
brake pads.
However, if the brake pedal does not
feel normal, you should take immediate action. Because of the
brake system's dual-circuit design, a
problem in one part of the system
will still give you braking at two
wheels. You will feel the brake pedal go down much farther before the
vehicle begins to slow down, and you
will have to press harder on the pedal. The distance needed to stop
will be much longer. Slow down by shifting to a lower
gear, and pull to the side of the road
when it is safe. Because of the
longer distance needed to stop, it is
hazardous to drive the vehicle. You should have it towed, and repaired assoon as possible. (See Emergency
Towing on page 311 .)
If you must drive the vehicle a shortdistance in this condition, drive
slowly and cautiously.
If the ABS indicator and the TCS
indicator (on EX model) come on
with this indicator, have the vehicle inspected by your dealer
immediately.
Taking Care of the Unexpected

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