2003 HONDA PILOT air condition

These settings direct all the air f low
to the defroster vents at the base of
the windshield and the side window
def roster vents. The air f low will get
warmer and clear the windows faster
as the engine warms up. You can
close the corner vents with the dial
underneath each vent. This will send
more warm air to the windshield
defroster vents.
For saf ety, make sure you have a
clear view through all the windows
bef ore driving.
Heating and Cooling
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures126
MODE CONTROL DIAL
TEMPERATURE
CONTROL DIAL
RECIRCULATION
BUTTON REAR WINDOW
DEFOGGER BUTTON
FAN CONTROL
DIAL
AIR CONDITIONING
BUTTON

To put the Automatic Climate
Control in f ully-automatic mode,
press the AUTO button and set the
desired temperature by turning the
temperature control dial. You will
see FULL AUTO in the system’s
display. The light above thebutton also show you which
mode, Recirculation or Fresh Air, is
selected.
The system automatically selects the
proper mix of conditioned and/or
heated air that will, as quickly as
possible, raise or lower the interior
temperature f rom its current level to
the set temperature. Pressing the OFF button shuts the
climate control system completely
of f . Keep the system completely of f
only f or short periods. To keep stale
air and mustiness f rom collecting,
you should have the f an running at
all times.
When you set the temperature to its
lower limit (60°F/18°C) or its upper
limit (90°F/32°C), the system runs
at f ull cooling or heating only. It does
not regulate the interior temperature. When the temperature is set
between the lower and upper limits,
the system regulates the interior
temperature to the set value.
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
Climat e Cont rol Syst em
Fully-automatic Operation
130
RECIRCULATION
BUTTON
REAR WINDOW
DEFOGGER BUTTON
FAN CONTROL
BUTTONS
OFF BUTTON
AUTO BUTTON TEMPERATURE CONTROL DIAL
MODE BUTTON
AIR CONDITIONING BUTTON

Û
You can manually select various
f unctions of the Climate Control
system when it is in FULL AUTO.
All other f eatures remain auto-
matically controlled. Making any
manual selection causes the word
FULL to go out.
Press the A/C button to turn the air
conditioningonandoff.Youwillsee
A/C ON or A/C OFF in the display.
When you turn the A/C of f , the sys-
tem cannot regulate the inside tem-
perature if you set the dial below the
outside temperature. With the A/C
on, use the temperature control dial
to adjust the temperature of the air
flow to a comfortable setting. This button controls the source of
the air going into the system. When
the indicator above this button is lit,
air f rom the vehicle’s interior is sent
through the system again (Recircula-
tion mode). When the indicator is off,
air is brought in f rom outside the
vehicle (Fresh Air mode).
You can, f or example, manually put
the system in recirculation mode
when driving through an area of
smoke or f umes.
You can manually select the f an
speed by pressing the f an control
buttons. When you press either
button, the fan is taken out of
automatic mode and starts to run at
its lowest speed. Pressing the
button repeatedly makes the fan run
f aster. The f an speed is shown by
vertical bars in the display.
CONT INUED
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
Climat e Cont rol Syst em
Semi-automatic Operation
A ir Condit ioning (A /C) But t on
Recirculation Button
Fan Control Buttons
131

Your Honda’s radio can receive the
complete AM and FM bands.
Those bands cover these f requen-
cies:
AM band:
530 to 1,710 kilohertz
FM band:
87.7 to 107.9 megahertz
Radio stations on the AM band are
assigned f requencies at least ten
kilohertz apart (530, 540, 550).
Stations on the FM band are
assigned f requencies at least 0.2
megahertz apart (87.9, 88.1, 88.3).
Stations must use these exact
f requencies. It is f airly common f or
stations to round-of f the f requency in
their advertising, so your radio could
display a f requency of 100.9 even
though the announcer may identif y
the station as ‘‘FM101.’’A radio station’s signal gets weaker
as you get f arther away f rom its
transmitter. If you are listening to an
AM station, you will notice the sound
volume becoming weaker, and the
stationdriftinginandout.If youare
listening to an FM station, you will
see the stereo indicator f lickering of f
and on as the signal weakens.
Eventually, the stereo indicator will
go of f and the sound will f ade
completely as you get out of range of
the station’s signal. How well your Honda’s radio
receives stations is dependent on
many f actors, such as the distance
from the station’s transmitter,
nearby large objects, and atmos-
pheric conditions.
Driving very near the transmitter of
a station that is broadcasting on a
f requency close to the f requency of
the station you are listening to can
also af f ect your radio’s reception.
You may temporarily hear both
stations,orhearonlythestationyou
are close to.
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
Radio Frequencies Radio Reception
176

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. Youshouldfollowthesesamere-
commendations with an overhauled
or exchanged engine, or when the
brakes are replaced.
Do not change the oil until the
recommended time or mileage
intervalshowninthemaintenance
schedule.
Avoidhardbraking.Newbrakes
need to be broken-in by moderate
use f or the f irst 200 miles (300
km). We also recommend that you do not
tow a trailer during the f irst 500
miles (800 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.
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.
Premium f uel is recommended when
towing in certain conditions (see
page ).
256
Break-in Period, Gasoline
Bef ore Driving
Break-in Period Gasoline
216

The condition of your vehicle and
your driving habits are the two most
important things that affect the fuel
mileage you get.
Always maintain your vehicle accord-
ing to the maintenance schedule.
This will keep it in top operating
condition.A cold engine uses more f uel than a
warm engine. It is not necessary to
‘‘warm-up’’ a cold engine by letting it
idle f or a long time. You can drive
away in about a minute, no matter
how cold it is outside. The engine
will warm up f aster, and you get
better f uel economy. To cut down on
the number of ‘‘cold starts,’’ try to
combine several short trips into one.
You can improve f uel economy by
driving moderately. Rapid acceler-
ation, abrupt cornering, and hard
braking use more f uel.
Always drive in the highest gear that
allows the engine to run and acceler-
ate smoothly.
Depending on traf f ic conditions, try
to maintain a constant speed. Every
time you slow down and speed up,
your vehicle uses extra f uel. Use the
cruise control, when appropriate, to
increase f uel economy.
The air conditioning puts an extra
load on the engine which makes it
usemorefuel.Turnoff theA/Cto
cut down on air conditioning use.
Use the f low-through ventilation
when the outside air temperature is
moderate.
In winter, the build-up of snow on
your vehicle’s underside adds weight
and rolling resistance. Frequent
cleaning helps your f uel mileage and
reduces the chance of corrosion. An important part of that mainte-
nance is the (see page ). For
example, an underinf lated tire
causes more ‘‘rolling resistance,’’
which uses f uel. It also wears out
f aster, so check the tire pressure at
least monthly. 281
Vehicle Condition
Driving Habits
Owner Maintenance
Checks
Bef ore Driving
Fuel Economy
222

µµAlways drive
slower than you would in dry
weather. It takes your vehicle longer
to react, even in conditions that may
seem just barely damp. Apply
smooth, 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 f or the f irst f ew miles
(kilometers) of driving while you
adjust to the change in driving
conditions. This is especially true in
snow. A person can f orget some
snow-driving techniques during the
summer months. Practice is needed
to relearn those skills.
Exercise extra caution when driving
in rain af ter a long dry spell. Af ter
months of dry weather, the f irst
rains bring oil to the surf ace of the
roadway, making it slippery.
Rain, f og, and snow conditions re-
quire a dif f erent 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. Being able to see
clearly in all directions and being
visible to other drivers are important
in all weather conditions. This is
more dif f icult in bad weather. To be
seen more clearly during daylight
hours, turn on your headlights.
Inspect your windshield wipers and
washers f requently. Keep the wind-
shield washer reservoir f ull of the
proper f luid. Have the windshield
wiper blades replaced if they start to
streak the windshield or leave parts
unwiped. Use the def rosters and air
conditioning to keep the windows
f rom f ogging up on the inside (see
page ). 125
CONT INUED
Driving T echnique Visibility
Driving in Bad Weather
Driving245

When climbing hills, closely watch
your temperature gauge. If it nears
the red (Hot) mark, turn the air
conditioning of f , reduce speed and, if
necessary, pull to the side of the
road to let the engine cool.
If the transmission shif ts f requently
while going up a hill, shif t down one
gear.
If you must stop when f acing uphill,
use the f oot brake or parking brake.
Do not try to hold the vehicle in
placebypressingontheaccelerator,
as this can cause the automatic
transmission to overheat.
When driving down hills, reduce
your speed and shif t down to D . Do
not ‘‘ride’’ the brakes, and remember
it will take longer to slow down and
stop when towing a trailer.Crosswinds and air turbulence
caused by passing trucks can disrupt
your steering and cause your trailer
to sway. When being passed by a
truck or other large vehicle, keep a
constant speed and steer straight
ahead. Do not try to make quick
steering or braking corrections.
Always drive slowly and have
someone guide you when backing up.
Grip the of the steering
wheel; then turn the wheel to the lef t
to get the trailer to move to the lef t,
andturnthewheelrighttomovethe
trailer to the right.
Follow all normal precautions when
parking, including putting the
transmission in PARK and f irmly
setting the parking brake when you
have f inished parking.
Donotparkonaninclineunlessitis
unavoidable. If you must park on an
incline, turn the vehicle wheels
toward the curb on a downhill and
awayfromthecurbonanuphill.
After parking, place wheel chocks at
each trailer tire, on the downhill side.
If the vehicle wheels slip when
retrieving a boat f rom the water,
shifttofirstgearandturnonVTM-4
Lock (see page ).
Disengage VTM-4 Lock as soon as
the boat is out of the water to
prevent damage to the VTM-4
system.
238
3
bottom
Driving on Hills
Handling Crosswinds and
T urbulence
Backing Up Parking
Ret rieving a Boat
Towing a Trailer
Driving258