2004 HONDA ODYSSEY service

2004 Odyssey 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
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restraint System.
Instruments and Controls........................................................................\
...................................................57
Instrument panel indica tor and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features........................................................................\
............................... 115
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other convenience features.
Before Driving ........................................................................\
....................................................... ..............167
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving........................................................................\
...................................................................................181
The proper way to start the engine, shift the tr ansmission, and park, plus towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
....................................................... ..................201
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your vehicle to the dealer.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
.......................................237
This section covers several problems motorists someti mes experience, and how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
....................................................... 263
ID numbers, dimensions, capaciti es, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)......................................................................277
A summary of the warranties covering your new Honda, and how to contact us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
....................................... 281
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.

µ
This section gives you important
inf ormation about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It
shows you how to use seat belts
properly. It explains how your airbag
work, and it tells you how to properly
restrain inf ants and children in your
vehicle.
.........
Important Safety Precautions . 6
.......
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features . 7
.......................................
Seat Belts .8
...........................................
Airbags .9
.........
Protecting Adults and Teens . 11
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors . 11
...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats . 11
............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 12
...
4. Adjust the Head Restraints . 13
5. Fasten and Position the Seat .....................................
Belts .14
....
6. Adjust the Steering Wheel . 17
7. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .17
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women . 18 ...
Additional Safety Precautions . 18
Additional Inf ormation About Your .................................
Seat Belts .20
..
Seat Belt System Components . 20
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .20
Automatic Seat Belt .............................
Tensionners .22
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance . 22
Additional Inf ormation About Your .....................................
Airbags .24
......
Airbag System Components . 24
How Your Front Airbags .........................................
Work .25
How Your Side Airbags .........................................
Work .29
..
How the SRS Indicator Works . 30
How the Side Airbag Of f ......................
Indicator Works .31
How the Passenger Airbag ...............
Of f Indicator Works . 32
.............................
Airbag Service .33
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 34
Protecting Children General ................................
Guidelines .35
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .35 Children Should Sit in a Back
...........................................
Seat .36
The Passenger’s Front Airbag .........
Can Pose Serious Risks . 36
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .38
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .38
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 39
Protecting Inf ants and Small ...................................
Children .40
.......................
Protecting Inf ants .40
.........
Protecting Small Children . 41
.................
Selecting a Child Seat . 42
....................
Installing a Child Seat .43
Installing a Child Seat Using .....................................
LATCH .44
Installing a Child Seat with a ..................
Lap/Shoulder Belt . 46
Installing a Child Seat with a ......................................
Tether .48
...........
Protecting Larger Children . 50
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 54
...................................
Saf ety Labels .55
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety5

Your airbag systems are virtually
maintenance-f ree, and there are no
parts you can saf ely service.
However, you must have your
vehicle serviced if:Any airbag
that has deployed must be
replaced along with the control
unit and other related parts. If a
f ront airbag inf lates the seat belt
tensioners must also be replaced.
Do not try to remove or replace
anyairbagbyyourself.Thismust
be done by a Honda dealer or a
knowledgeable body shop.
Take your vehicle to an
authorized Honda dealer as soon
as possible. If you ignore this
indication, your airbags may not
operate properly. your dealer
should inspect the driver’s seat
position sensor and the f ront
passenger’s weight sensors to
make sure they are operating
properly.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Airbag Service
An airbag ever inf lates.
T he SRS indicat or alert s you t o aproblem. If your vehicle has a moderat e t o
severe impact , and even if yourairbags do not inf late,
33

Bef ore you begin driving your Honda,
youshouldknowwhatgasolineto
use, and how to check the levels of
important f luids. You also need to
know how to properly store luggage
or packages. The inf ormation in this
section will help you. If you plan to
add any accessories to your vehicle,
please read the inf ormation in this
section f irst...............................
Break-in period .168
...............................
Gasoline Type .168
.........
Service Station Procedures . 169
...............................
Fuel Economy .173
....................................
Accessories .174
.................................
Modif ications .175
.............................
Carrying Cargo .176
Bef ore Driving
Bef ore Driving167

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.
Avoidhardbrakingforthefirst
200 miles (300 km).
Do not change the oil until the
scheduled maintenance time.
We also recommend that you should
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 f ailure.
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.
Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance,
and cause the Malfunction Indicator
Lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contact
your authorized Honda dealer f or
service.
Some gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol or
MTBE. Your vehicle is designed to
operate on oxygenated gasoline
containing up to 10 percent ethanol
by volume and up to 15 percent
MTBE by volume. Do not use
gasoline containing methanol.
In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend, in areas where it is
available, the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain manganese-based
f uel additives such as MMT.
You should also f ollow these same
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are replaced.
If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline.
For f urther important f uel-related
inf ormation, please ref er to your
.
Break-in Period, Gasoline T ype
Bef ore Driving
Break-in Period Gasoline Type
Quick Start Guide
168

Open the f uel f ill door by pulling
onthehandletotheleftof the
driver’s seat.
Bef ore ref ueling, make sure the rear
sliding door on the driver’s side is
closed. Remove the f uel f ill cap slowly.
You may hear a hissing sound as
pressure inside the tank escapes.
Place the cap in the holder on the
fuel fill door.
Stop f illing the tank af ter the f uel
nozzle automatically clicks of f . Do
not try to ‘‘top off’’ the tank. Leave
some room f or the f uel to expand
with temperature changes.
even
though the tank is not full, there may
be a problem with your vehicle’s f uel
vapor recovery system. The system
helps keep f uel vapors f rom going
into the atmosphere. Consult your
dealer.
Park with the driver’s side closest
to the service station pump.
1.
2. 3.
4.
If the f uel nozzle keeps clicking of f
CONT INUED
Ref ueling
Bef ore Driving
Service Station Procedures
169
Pull
FUEL FILL CAP
Gasoline is highly flammable
and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured
when handling fuel.Stop the engine and keep
heat, sparks, and flames
away.
Handle fuel only outdoors.
Wipe up spills immediately.

Screw the fuel fill cap back on
until it clicks at least three times.
If you do not properly tighten the
cap, the Malf unction Indicator
Lampmaycomeon(seepage).
Push the f uel f ill door closed until
it latches.
Park the vehicle, and set the
parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower lef t corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly.Put your f ingers under the f ront
edge of the hood. The hood latch
handle is above the ‘‘H’’ logo. Pull
up on this handle until it releases
the hood. Lif t the hood.
If the hood latch handle moves stif f ly,
or if you can open the hood without
lifting the handle, the mechanism
should be cleaned and lubricated
(see page ).
1.
5.
6.
253
2.
220
Opening the Hood
Bef ore Driving
Service Station Procedures
170
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
LATCH

Pull the support rod out of its clip
and insert the end into the hole on
the driver’s side of the hood.
Lif t it up slightly to remove the
support rod f rom the hole. Put the
support rod back into its holding clip.
Lower the hood to about a f oot (30
cm) above the f ender, then let it
drop. Make sure it is securely
latched. Wait a f ew minutes af ter turning the
engine of f bef ore you check the oil.
Remove the dipstick (orange
handle).
Wipe of f the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel.
Insert it all the way back in its hole. Remove the dipstick again and
check the level. It should be
between the upper and lower
marks.
If it is near or below the lower mark,
see on page .
1.
3.
2.
3.4.
211
Bef ore Driving
T o Close t he Hood:
Oil Check
A dding Oil
Service Station Procedures
171
DIPSTICK
SUPPORT ROD
UPPER MARK
LOWER MARK