2000 HONDA ODYSSEY rear

Climate Contro l Syste m
The heating/cooling/air flow control
dial selects the temperature and
level of the air flow.
When the dial is in the
position, heated air flows
from the rear floor vents.
When the dial is in the
position cooled air flows
from the rear ceiling vents. Cooled air can be selected when the A/C
switch on the front control panel is
turned on.
Rear Ceiling Vents
The direction and quantity of air flow from each rear ceiling vent is
adjustable.
To adjust the direction of the air coming from a rear ceiling vent,
move the tab in the center of each
vent back-and-forth, and rotate the
vent with the tab. The lever next to each vent can be opened and closed
to regulate the amount of air flow.
Comfor t an d Convenienc e Feature s
TAB
LEVE R

Gasoline, Servic e Statio n Procedure s
In Canada, some gasolines contain
an octane-enhancing additive called
MMT. If you use such gasolines,
your emission control system performance may deteriorate and
the Malfunction Indicator Lamp on
your instrument panel may turn on. If this happens, contact yourauthorized Honda dealer for service.Fillin g th e Fue l Tan k
1. Because the fuel fill cap is on the
driver's side of the vehicle, park
with that side closest to the service station pumps.
2. Open the fuel fill door by pulling on the handle to the left of the
driver's seat.
Before refueling, make sure the rear sliding door on the driver's side is
closed.CONTINUED
Befor e Drivin g
Gasoline is highly flammable
and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured
when handling fuel.
Stop the engine and keep
heat, sparks, and flame away. Handle fuel only outdoors.
Wipe up spills immediately.
FUE L FIL L CA P
Pull

Carrying Carg o
Load Limi t
The maximum load for your vehicle
is 1,277 Ibs (580 kg).
This figure includes the total weight
of all occupants, cargo, accessories,
and the tongue weight if you are
towing a trailer.
To figure out how much cargo you
can carry:
Add up the weight of all occupants.
If you are towing a trailer, add the
tongue weight to the number
above.
Subtract the total from 1,277 Ibs
(580 kg).
The final number is the total weight
of cargo you can carry.
When you load luggage, the total
weight of the vehicle, all passengers, cargo, and trailer tongue load must
not exceed the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR). The load for the front and rear axles also must not exceed the Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR). The GVWR andGAWR are printed on the tire
information label attached to the
driver's doorjamb (see page 322). Carryin
g Item s i n th e Passenge r
Compartmen t
Store or secure all items that could
be thrown around and hurt someone during a crash.
Be sure items placed on the floor
behind the front seats cannot roll
under the seats and interfere with the driver's ability to operate the
pedals, or with the properoperation of the seats.
Keep the glove box closed while
driving. If the lid is open, a
passenger could injure their knees during a crash or sudden stop.
Befor e Drivin g
Overloading or improper
loading can affect handling and
stability and cause a crash in
which you can be hurt or killed.
Follow all load limits and other
loading guidelines in this
manual.

Parking
Always use the parking brake when
you park your vehicle. The indicator on the instrument panel shows that
the parking brake is not fully
released; it does not indicate that the
parking brake is firmly set. Makesure the parking brake is set firmly
or your vehicle may roll if it is
parked on an incline.
Set the parking brake before you put
the transmission in Park. This keeps
the vehicle from moving and putting
pressure on the parking mechanismin the transmission — making it
easier to move the shift lever out of
Park when you want to drive away. If the vehicle is facing uphill, turn
the front wheels away from the curb.
If the vehicle is facing downhill, turn
the front wheels toward the curb.Make sure the parking brake is fully
released before driving away. Driving with the parking brake
partially set can overheat or damage
the rear brakes. Parkin
g Tip s
Make sure the windows are closed.
Turn off the lights.
Place any packages, valuables, etc.,
in the cargo area or take them
with you.
Lock the doors with the key or the
remote transmitter.
Never park over dry leaves, tall
grass, or other flammable materials. The three way catalytic
converter gets very hot, and could
cause these materials to catch on
fire.
Drivin g

The Brakin g Syste m
Your Honda is equipped with front
disc brakes. The brakes on the rear
wheels are drum. A power assist helps reduce the effort needed on
the brake pedal. The ABS helps you
retain steering control when braking
very hard.
Put your foot on the brake pedal only
when you intend to brake. Resting
your foot on the pedal keeps the brakes applied lightly, causing them
to build up heat. Heat build-up canreduce how well your brakes work. It
also keeps your brake lights on all
the time, confusing drivers behind
you.
Constant application of the brakes
when going down a long hill builds up heat and reduces their effective-
ness. Use the engine to assist the
brakes by downshifting to a lower
gear and taking your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Check your brakes after driving
through deep water. Apply the
brakes moderately to see if they feel normal. If not, apply them gently and
frequently until they do. Since a
longer distance is needed to stop
with wet brakes, be extra cautious and alert in your driving. Brak
e Wea r Indicator s
The front disc brakes on all vehicles have audible brake wear indicators.
When the brake pads need replacing,
you will hear a distinctive metallic "screeching" sound when you apply
the brakes. If you do not have the
brake pads replaced, they will begin screeching all the time.
Your brakes may sometimes squeal or squeak when you apply them
lightly. Do not confuse this with the
brake wear indicators. They make a
very audible "screeching."
Drivin g

The Brakin g Syste m
Brake Syste m Desig n
The hydraulic system that operates the brakes has two separate circuits.
Each circuit works diagonally across
the vehicle (the left-front brake isconnected with the right-rear brake,
etc.). If one circuit should develop a
problem, you will still have braking
at two wheels.Anti-loc k Brake s
Your vehicle has an Anti-lock Brake
System (ABS) as standard
equipment. ABS helps to prevent the
wheels from locking up and skidding during hard braking, allowing you to
retain steering control.
When the front tires skid, you lose steering control; the vehicle
continues straight ahead even
though you turn the steering wheel.
The ABS helps to prevent lock-up and helps you retain steering control
by pumping the brakes rapidly; much
faster than a person can do it.
The ABS also balances the front-to rear braking distribution according
to vehicle loading. Yo
u shoul d neve r pum p th e
brak e pedal , this defeats the
purpose of the ABS. Let the ABS
work for you by always keeping firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal
as you steer away from the hazard.
This is sometimes referred to as
"stomp and steer."
You will feel a pulsation in the brake pedal when the ABS activates, and
you may hear some noise. This is normal, it is the ABS rapidly
pumping the brakes.
Activation varies with the amount of traction your tires have. On drypavement, you will need to press on
the brake pedal very hard before youactivate the ABS. However, you may
feel the ABS activate immediately if
you are trying to stop on snow or ice.
Drivin g
CONTINUED
Front

The Brakin g System , Tractio n Contro l Syste m
If the ABS indicator and the brake
system indicator come on together,
and the parking brake is fully
released, the front-to-rear braking
distribution system may also shut
down.
Test your brakes as instructed on page 310. If the brakes feel normal,drive slowly and have your vehicle
repaired by your dealer as soon as
possible. Avoid sudden hard braking
which could cause the rear wheels to lock up and possibly lead to a loss of
control.
On EX model
The TCS indicator will come on
along with the ABS indicator. Tractio
n Contro l Syste m
On EX model
Your Honda is equipped with a
Traction Control System (TCS) to assist you in maintaining traction
while driving slowly on loose or
slippery surfaces. The TCS assists
only in low-speed, low-traction
conditions; up to approximately 18
mph (30km/h).
The TCS monitors the speed of all four wheels. When it senses a front
wheel losing traction, it applies
braking to that wheel. The TCS
indicator flashes when this occurs. 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.
Drivin g
CONTINUED
TRACTIO N COTRO L
SYSTE M INDICATO R

Towing a Traile r
Your Odyssey has been designed to
tow a trailer, as well as for carryingpassengers 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 Limit s
Tota l Traile r Weight : As shown
in 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 220 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.
* *: Weight limited to avoid exceeding rear GAWR (see page 219).
Tongu
e 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.
Drivin g