2001 HONDA ODYSSEY trailer

Help assure your vehicle’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
Avoidhardbraking.Newbrakes
need to be broken-in by moderate
use f or the f irst 200 miles (300
km). Your Honda is designed to operate
on unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 86 or higher. Use
of a lower octane gasoline can cause
a persistent, heavy metallic rapping
noise in the engine that can lead to
mechanical damage.
Youshouldfollowthesesamere-
commendations with an overhauled
or exchanged engine, or when the
brakes are replaced.
We also recommend that you should
not tow a trailer during the f irst 500
miles (800 km).
We recommend gasolines containing
detergent additives that help prevent
f uel system and engine deposits.
Using gasoline containing lead will
damage your vehicle’s emissions
controls. This contributes to air
pollution.
Do not change the oil until the
recommended time or mileage
intervalshowninthemaintenance
schedule.
Break-in Period, Gasoline
Bef ore Driving
Break-in Period
Gasoline
196

Store or secure all items that could
be thrown around and hurt
someone during a crash.
Besureitemsplacedonthefloor
behind the f ront seats cannot roll
under the seats and interf ere with
the driver’s ability to operate the
pedals, or with the proper
operation 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.
This f igure includes the total weight
of all occupants, cargo, accessories,
and the tongue weight if you are
towing a trailer.
The f inal number is the total weight
of cargo you can carry.
If you are towing a trailer, add the
tongue weight to the number
above.
Add up the weight of all occupants.
To f igure out how much 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 and
GAWRareprintedonthetire
information label attached to the
driver’s doorjamb (see page ).
The maximum load f or your vehicle
is 1,277 lbs (580 kg).
Subtract the total f rom 1,277 lbs
(580 kg). 334Carrying Items in the Passenger
Compartment
Load Limit
Carrying Cargo
Bef ore Driving
206 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 thismanual.

This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
automatic transmission. It also
includes important inf ormation on
parking your vehicle, the braking
system, the Traction Control System,
and f acts you need if you are
planning to tow a trailer.........................
Preparing to Drive . 210
.......................
Starting the Engine . 211
Starting in Cold Weather ....................
at High Altitude . 211
..............
Automatic Transmission . 212
.
Shif t Lever Position Indicator . 212
................
Shif t Lever Positions . 213
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 215
....................
Shif t Lock Release . 215
...........................................
Parking . 217
.....................
The Braking System . 218
.............
Brake Wear Indicators . 218
...............
Brake System Design . 219
.......................
Anti-lock Brakes . 219
Important Saf ety .........................
Reminders . 220
........................
ABS Indicator . 220
..............
Traction Control System . 221
...............
TCS ON/OFF Switch . 222
............................
TCS Indicator . 223
...............
Driving in Bad Weather . 224
...........................
Towing a Trailer . 226
Driving
Driving 209

µ
µ
µ
µ This position is similar
to D , except only the first three
gears are selected. Use D when
towing a trailer in hilly terrain, or to
provide engine braking when going
down a steep hill. D can also keep
the transmission f rom cycling
between third and f ourth gears in
stop-and-go driving.
ForfasteraccelerationwheninD or
D , you can get the transmission to
automatically downshif t by pushing
the accelerator pedal to the floor.
The transmission will shif t down one
or two gears, depending on your
speed.
Use Neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Shif t to Park posi-
tion if you need to leave the vehicle
f or any reason. Press on the brake pe-
dal when you are moving the shif t
lever from Neutral to another gear.
Use this position f or
your normal driving. The transmis-
sion automatically selects a suitable
gear f or your speed and acceleration.
You may notice the transmission
shif ting up at higher speeds when
the engine is cold. This helps the
engine warm up f aster.
To shif t to Reverse
f rom Park, see the explanation under
Park. To shif t to Reverse f rom
Neutral, come to a complete stop and
then shift. Pull the shift lever
towards you before shifting into
Reverse f rom Neutral. 4
3
3
3
4
Automatic Transmission
Driving Drive (D )
Neutral (N)
Drive (D )
Reverse (R) 3
4
214

µ
µ To shif t to Second,
pull the shif t lever towards you, then
shif t to the lower gear. This position
locks the transmission in second
gear. It does not downshif t to f irst
gear when you come to a stop.
Second gives you more power when
climbing, and increased engine
braking when going down steep hills.
Usesecondgearwhenstartingout
on a slippery surf ace or in deep snow.
It will help reduce wheelspin.
When driving down hill with a trailer,
use the Second position.
To shif t f rom Second to
First, pull the shift lever towards you,
then shift to the lower gear. With the
lever in this position, the transmis-
sion locks in First gear. By upshif t-
ing and downshif ting through 1, 2,
D and D , you can operate this
transmission much like a manual
transmission without a clutch pedal. If you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer’s
red zone. If this occurs, you may f eel
the engine cut in and out. This is
caused by a limiter in the engine’s
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the
RPM below the red zone.
This allows you to move the shif t
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal and pulling the shif t lever does
not work.
Set the Parking brake.
Remove the key from the ignition
switch.
Place a cloth on the edge of the
shif t lock release slot cover on the
steering column. Remove the
cover by caref ully prying on the
edge with a small f lat-tipped
screwdriver (not included in the
tool kit).
1. 2. 3.
34
CONT INUED
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Second (2)
First (1)
Engine Speed Limiter Shift Lock Release
215

Your Odyssey has been designed to
tow a trailer, as well as f or carrying
passengers and their cargo.
To saf ely tow a trailer, you must
observe the load limits, use the
proper equipment, and f ollow the
guidelines in this section.Towing a load that is too heavy
can seriously af f ect your vehicle’s
handling and perf ormance. It can
also damage the engine and
drivetrain.
As shown
in the load limits table (See page
), 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 f luid cooler. (See
page f or inf ormation about
transmission f luid coolers.) 227
229
Towing a Trailer
T otal T railer Weight:
Load Limits
Driving
226

ÎÎ
Î
ÎÎ
Î
ÎÎ
CONT INUED
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
re-adjust the load as needed.
The weight that
the tongue of a f ully-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 f ront-tire
traction and steering control. Including driver. Based on 150 lbs (70 kg) per occupant.
Weight limited to avoid exceeding rear GAWR (see page ).Maximum Total Trailer Weight
Without TransmissionFluid Cooler
2,000 lbs (900 kg)
1,850 lbs (830 kg)
1,700 lbs (770 kg)
1,550 lbs (700 kg)
1,400 lbs (630 kg) 850 lbs (385 kg)
Number of Occupants
234567 With T ransmission
Fluid Cooler
3,500 lbs (1,580 kg)
3,350 lbs (1,520 kg)
3,200 lbs (1,450 kg)
3,050 lbs (1,380 kg)
2,900 lbs (1,310 kg) 850 lbs (385 kg)
:: 228
Towing a Trailer
Driving
Tongue Load:
227

The best way to conf irm that vehicle
and trailer weights are within limits
is to have them checked at a public
scale.
Using a suitable scale or a special
tongue load gauge, check the tongue
load the f irst time you set up a
towing combination (a f ully-loaded
vehicle and trailer), then recheck the
tongue load whenever the conditions
change.
The total weight of the vehicle, all
occupants, all cargo, and the
tongue load must not exceed:
The total weight of the vehicle, all
occupants, all cargo, the
tongue load must not exceed:
The total weight of the vehicle, all
occupants and cargo, and the
trailer and everything in or on it,
must not exceed:
on the f ront axle
on the rear axle with transmission f luid cooler
without transmission f luid cooler
and
Checking L oads
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR):
Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GA WR): Gross Combined Weight Rating
(GCWR):
Towing a Trailer
Driving
228 5,565 lbs (2,525 kg)
2,775 lbs (1,260 kg)
2,840 lbs (1,290 kg)
8,160 lbs (3,700 kg)
6,660 lbs (3,025 kg)
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
beforestartingtodrive.