2004 CR-V Online Reference Owner's Manual Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.helminc.com. Contents
Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
............................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safety ........................................................................\
.................................................. ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
.......................................................2
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
...............................................5
Important information about proper use and care of your vehicle's seat b\
elts, an overview of Supplemental
Instruments and Controls........................................................................\
.................................................. .53
Explains the purpose of each instrument panel indica tor and gauge, and how to use controls on
Comfort and Convenience Features........................................................................\
.................................97
How to operate the heating and air conditioning system, the audio system, and other convenience
Before Driving ........................................................................\
.....................................................................123
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving........................................................................\
...................................................... .............................135
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park.
Maintenance........................................................................\
...................................................... ...................163
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your vehicle to the dealer. There is also
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
.......................................199
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, and details how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
...................................................... .223
ID numbers, dimensions, capaciti es, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada only).............................................................237
A summary of the warranties covering your new Honda, and how to contact us for any reason. Refer to
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
.......................................241
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index ........................................................................\
......................................................................................... I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.
Restraint System, and valuable information on how to protect children w\
ith child restraints.
the dashboard and steering column.
features.
a list of things to check and instructions on how to check them.
your warranty manual for detailed information.
To adjust the height of the driver’s
seat, turn the dial on the outside of
the seat bottom.
To change the angle of the rear seat-
back, pull up on the release lever on
the outside of the seat-back. The rear seat armrest is located in
the center of the rear seat. Pivot it
down to use it.
Each front seat has an armrest on
thesideof theseat-back.Touseit,
pivotitdown.
When using the center seating
position, adjust the lef t and right side
of the rear seats to the same position.
Make sure all rear shoulder belts are
positioned in f ront of the rear seat-
backs af ter you adjust the rear seats.
Only on vehicles with an automatic
transmission
Seats
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Driver’s Seat Height A djustment A rmrestsRear Seat
78
This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
5-speed manual and automatic
transmissions. It also includes
important inf ormation on parking
your vehicle, the braking system,
and f acts you need if you are plan-
ning to tow a trailer or drive off-
highway.........................
Driving Guidelines .136
........................
Preparing to Drive .137
.......................
Starting the Engine .138
....
5-speed Manual Transmission . 139
..............
Automatic Transmission . 141
..................................
Parking Tips .146
.............................
Braking System .147
...............
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) . 148
.................
Towing Weight Limits . 150
...........................
Towing a Trailer .152
......................
Trailer Driving Tips .155
Towing Your Vehicle Behind a ................................
Motorhome .157
Of f -Highway Driving ..................................
Guidelines .159
Driving
Driving135
Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. Do not hold
the key in START for more than
15 seconds at a time. If the engine
does not start right away, pause
f or at least 10 seconds bef ore
trying again.
If the engine does not start within
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 4 with the
accelerator pedal pressed halfway
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race.If the engine still does not start,
press the accelerator pedal all the
way down and hold it there while
starting in order to clear f looding.
If the engine still does not start,
return to step 5.
1.
2.
3. 4.
5.6.
Manual Transmission:
Automatic Transmission:
Starting the Engine
Driving138
NOTICE: The engine is harder to start
in cold weather. Also, the thinner air
f ound at altitudes above 8,000 f eet
(2,400 meters) adds to this problem.
The manual transmission is syn-
chronizedinallforwardgearsfor
smooth operation. It has a lockout so
you cannot shift directly from Fifth
to Reverse. When shif ting up or
down,makesureyoupushtheclutch
pedal down all the way, shift to the
next gear, and let the pedal up
gradually. When you are not shif ting,
do not rest your f oot on the clutch
pedal. This can cause your clutch to
wear out faster.Come to a full stop before you shift
into Reverse. You can damage the
transmission by trying to shif t into
Reverse with the vehicle moving.
Push down the clutch pedal, and
pause f or a f ew seconds bef ore
shif ting into Reverse, or shif t into
one of the f orward gears f or a
moment. This stops the gears so
they won’t ‘‘grind.’’
When slowing down, you can get
extra braking f rom the engine by
shifting to a lower gear. This extra
braking can help you maintain a safe
speed and prevent your brakes f rom
overheating while going down a
steep hill. Bef ore downshif ting,
make sure engine speed will not go
into the tachometer’s red zone in the
lower gear.
5-speed Manual T ransmission
Driving139
Rapid slowing or speeding-up
can cause loss of control on
slippery surfaces. If you crash,
you can be injured.
Use extra care when driving on
slippery surfaces.
These indicators on the instrument
panel show which position the shif t
lever is in.The ‘‘D’’ indicator comes on f or a
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to ON (II). If it
f lashes while driving (in any shif t
position), it indicates a possible
problem in the transmission.
If the malf unction indicator lamp
comes on along with the ‘‘D’’
indicator, there is a problem in the
automatic transmission control
system. Avoid rapid acceleration and
havethetransmissioncheckedbya
Honda dealer as soon as possible.
To shif t f rom any position, press
f irmly on the brake pedal and pull
the lever toward you. You cannot
shif t out of Park when the ignition
switch is in LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I).
CONT INUED
Shif t L ever Position Indicators Shif ting
Automatic Transmission
Driving141
SHIFT LEVER
µµ
This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning of f or
starting the engine. To shif t out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal. If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see
on
page .
To avoid transmission damage, come
to a complete stop bef ore shif ting
into Park. The shif t lever must be in
Park bef ore you can remove the key
from the ignition switch.
To shift from Park
to Reverse, press the pedal, then
move the shift lever. To shif t from
Reverse to Neutral, come to a
completestop,andthenshift. Your vehicle has a reverse lockout so
you cannot accidentally shif t to
Reverse when the vehicle speed
exceeds 5 mph (8 km/h).
If you cannot shif t to Reverse when
the vehicle is stopped, press the
brake pedal and slowly shift to
Neutral, and then to Reverse.
If there is a problem in the reverse
lockout system, or your vehicle’s
battery is disconnected or goes dead,
you cannot shif t to Reverse. (Ref er
to Shif t Lock Release on page ).
144
144
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoN
NtoD Dto2 2to1
1to2
2toD
DtoN NtoR RtoP Do this:
Press the brake pedal, then
move the shift lever.
Move the lever.
Park (P) Shif t L ock Release
Reverse (R)
Automatic Transmission
Driving142
µ
µ 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 the Park
position if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason. Press on the
brake pedal when you are moving
the shift 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. TheOver-drive(O/D)ison
whenever you turn the ignition to
ON (II). Pressing the O/D switch on
the edge of the shif t lever to turn it
of f ; the O/D OFF indicator comes
on.Over-drivecanbeturnedonoroff
only when the ignition switch is in
the ON (II) position and the shif t
lever is in any position.
CONT INUED
Neutral (N)
Drive (D)Over-drive (O/D) Mode
Automatic Transmission
Driving143
OVER-DRIVE OFF INDICATOR