2000 HONDA PASSPORT engine

Depending on the type of problem,
the "CHECK TRANS" light will
flash but the transmission may continue to shift automatically. If
the transmission is shifting
normally, you do not have tochoose gears with the shift lever.
However, continued operation of the vehicle with this light flashingcan cause serious mechanical
damage. You should have the vehicle serviced by your Honda
dealer as soon as possible.
Winte r Driv e Indicato r
Automatic Transmission only

The "Winter Drive" light will

come on when you push the

Winter Drive button with the
engine running and the
transmission lever in the "D"

range.
It also comes on for a few seconds
when you turn the ignition switch
to the "ON" position.
Refer to "Driving PatternSelector" later in this section.
Powe r Driv e Indicato r
Automatic Transmission only
The "Power Drive" light will

come on when you push the
Power Drive button with the
engine running.
It also comes on for a few seconds
when you turn the ignition switch
to the "ON" position.
Refer to "Driving PatternSelector" later in this section.
Instrument s an d Control s

NOTIC
E

Automati
c Transmissio n
Flui d Temperatur e Indicato r
The "A/T OIL TEMP" indicator

light warns that the automatic
transmission fluid temperature is

high.
The indicator light should turn onwhen the ignition switch is turned
to the "ON" position, but should
go out after a few seconds. If this light comes on while you are
driving, slow down and pull off the
road. Stop the vehicle at a safe
place and put the shift lever in "P"
position. With the engine idling,
wait until the light goes off. If thelight goes off, you can drive the
vehicle again. If the light does not
go off, have the automatic
transmission lubricating system
checked as soon as possible by
your Honda dealer.
Driving with the "AIT OIL TEMP" light constantly on will cause
serious mechanical damage to the
automatic transmission. Windshiel
d Wiper/Washe r
The lever on the right side of the steering column controls the
windshield wipers. Move the lever
down to select the various windshield wiper speeds.
In INT, the wipers operate every
few seconds. In LO and HIGH, the
wipers run continuously.
In INT, you can vary how often the
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Switche
s

NOTIC E

Do not use engine antifreeze or
a vinegar/water solution in the

windshield washer reservoir.

Antifreeze can damage your vehicle's paint, while a
vinegar/water solution can
damage the windshield washer
pump. Use only commercially available windshield washer fluid.

In cold weather, warm the

windshield with the defrosters

before using the washers. This

will help prevent icing of the

windshield that may block your

vision.
Headlight
s

The rotating switch on the left lever controls the lights. Rotating this switch to the position
turns on the instrument panel
lights and all exterior lights
except the headlights. Rotating the switch to the position turns
on the headlights.
To change between low beamsand high beams, pull back on the lever until you hear a click, then
let go. The high beam indicator will light (see page 60) when the
high beams are selected.
To flash the high beams, pull the
lever back about half way and
then let it go. The high beams will stay on for as long as you hold the
lever back, no matter what
position the headlight switch is in.
Instrument s an d Control s
NOTIC
E

Headlights-On Reminder

You will hear a continuous tone
when the key is out of the ignitionswitch and the driver's door is
opened with the headlight switch in the "ON" position. This will
remind you to turn the headlights off. Never leave the headlights onwhen the engine is not running.
They can rapidly discharge the

battery.
Fo
g Light s

EX model only
When fog or heavy mist reducesyour forward vision, push thisswitch to turn the fog lights on.
The indicator light in the switch
turns on. Push the switch again to turn off the fog lights.
The fog lights operate only when the headlight low beams are in

use.
Illuminatio
n Contro l

The instrument panel lights turn on when the light switch is on.
Brightness of the instrument panel
lights is controlled by turning the illumination control knob
clockwise for brighter or counterclockwise for dimmer.
Instrument s an d Control s
DIMMER BRIGHTE
R

and the forward driving ranges.
The shift lever can be shifted freely into any position indicated by the arrow The lever
cannot be shifted into any position
indicated by the arrow
without pushing the button located on the end of the shift
lever. In this 4-speed automatic
transmission, the following three
modes can be selected by pressing the "POWER" or "WINTER"switch on the floor console, with
the key switch in the "ON"
position: NORMAL mode
POWER mode
WINTER mode
P (Park ) — Used to lock the
transmission when the vehicle is
parked or while starting the engine. Never move the shift lever
to Park until your vehicle is fullystopped. Use this position
together with the parking brake.
The shift lever can be moved from
PARK position if the regular brake is applied.
Refer to "Starting" in this section.R (Reverse ) — Used for backing
the vehicle. Bring your vehicle to a complete stop before shifting to

Reverse.

N (Neutral ) — The out-of-gear
position. You may restart a stalled
engine while the vehicle is still moving with the selector in
Neutral. Refer to "Starting" in thissection. This position is also used
when towing the vehicle. See "In
Case of Emergency" for towing information.

D (Drive ) (Firs t t o Fourt h

Gear ) — This position is for all
normal forward driving. For
normal driving, we recommend that you put the shift lever in the
"D" range. This will reduce
vehicle noise and improve fuel

economy.

Instrument s an d Control s

PAR
K
RE V

NEU T

DRIV E

3R D
2N D
1S T

3
(Third ) — When operating your
vehicle on slippery roads, on a
long descending slope, or on a
road with many sharp curves, you
will want to use engine braking. At this time, put the shift lever into this range.
2 (Second ) — You may choose this
position when traveling down a
moderate grade where you want to slow down a little without using
the brake itself. Change back to the
"D" position to return to normal
driving. With the shift lever in "2," the vehicle will start in first gear
and automatically shift to second

gear.

L (First ) — This position may be
selected for maximum braking
down severe grades. Return the
selector lever to the "D" position
to resume normal driving. It is
possible to move the lever into first gear at any speed. However,
the transmission will not actually
shift to first gear until vehicle
speed is below 35 mph (Power
Mode) or 25 mph (Normal Mode).
When starting out in "L," the transmission will not upshift.
Startin g — Start the engine with
the lever in the "P" or "N"
position. It will not start in any other position. If it does, have
your vehicle checked by your
Honda dealer.
Always apply the foot brake
before shifting into any driving
position. This prevents the vehicle from creeping.
Do not press the accelerator pedal
while shifting from "P" or "N" to
any driving position. Shif
t Loc k — As a safety measure
for vehicles with an automatic
transmission, you cannot shift
from "P" (Park) position into any
other position unless the brake
pedal is depressed when the key switch is in the "ON" position or
the engine is running.
The shift lever may not move if
the pushbutton on the shift lever is
pressed before the brake pedal is
depressed. In this case, release the pushbutton, press the brake
pedal and try again.
If the shift lever won't move from
the "P" position even when theseinstructions are followed, perform
the following steps:
Instrument s an d Control s

1. Check that the parking brake
is fully applied.
2. Turn the key switch to "ACC" position.
3. Move the shift lever from "P" to "N" position, depress the
brake pedal, and start the
engine again.
4. Operate the shift lever.
Have the transmission checked by
your Honda dealer as soon as
possible. Drivin
g Tip s
Before going down a steep or long
grade, reduce speed and shift the
transmission into a lower gear or
range to control the vehicle's speed. This will provide engine
braking to help slow the vehicle.
Try not to hold the brake pedal
down too long or too often. This
could cause the brakes to get hot
and not work properly.
Downshifting to a lower gear is
especially important when towing a trailer in mountainous terrain.
Do not hold the vehicle on a hill
by pressing on the accelerator. Do
not press on the accelerator pedal and brake pedal at the same time.
Either of these actions can
overheat the automatic
transmission and cause damage. Always keep your foot off the
accelerator pedal when shifting
from "P" or "N" to another gear.
Do not shift to "P" (Park) when
the vehicle is moving; you could
damage the automatic
transmission. Always come to a
complete stop.
Be careful that you do not exceed
the following maximum allowable speeds when accelerating.
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mph (km/h)

5-Spee
d Manua l Transmissio n
The transmission has five fully synchronized forward speeds. The
gear shift pattern is provided on the transmission lever knob. The
backup lights turn on whenshifted into the reverse gear. Drivin
g Tip s
Always depress and release the
clutch pedal fully when shifting.
Do not rest your foot on the clutch
pedal while driving; this can cause the clutch to slip, resultingin damage to the clutch.
When you are stopped on an upgrade, do not hold the vehicle
in place by letting the clutch pedal
up part-way. Use the foot brake or
the parking brake.
Never shift into reverse gear until
the vehicle is completely stopped. Do not "over-speed" the engine
when shifting down to a lower gear.
The shift lever cannot be shifted directly from fifth gear into
Reverse. When shifting into
Reverse gear from fifth gear,
depress the clutch pedal and shift
completely into Neutral position,then shift into Reverse gear.Instrument s an d Control s