2004 HONDA PILOT service

2004 Pilot 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
P roper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restraint System.
Instruments and Controls........................................................................\
...................................................45
Instrument panel indica tor and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features........................................................................\
................................. 81
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other convenience features.
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 tr ansmission, and park, plus towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
....................................................... ..................159
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your vehicle to the dealer.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
.......................................195
This section covers several problems motorists someti mes experience, and how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
....................................................... 215
ID numbers, dimensions, capaciti es, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)...................................................................... 229
A summary of the warranties covering your new Honda, and how to contact us.
Index ........................................................................\
......................................................................................... I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

µµ
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
airbags work. And it tells you how to
properly restrain infants 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 . 10
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors . 10
...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats . 10
............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 11
...
4. Adjust the Head Restraints . 12
5. Fasten and Position the ...
Lap/Shoulder Seat Belts . 12
....
6. Adjust the Steering Wheel . 14
7. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .14 .....
Advice f or Pregnant Women . 15
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 16
Additional Inf ormation About Your .................................
Seat Belts .17
..
Seat Belt System Components . 17
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .17
Automatic Seat Belt ...............................
Tensioners .18
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance . 19
Additional Inf ormation About ..........................
Your Airbags .19
......
Airbag System Components . 19
How Your Front Airbags .........................................
Work .20
...
How Your Side Airbags Work . 22
How the SRS Indicator Light .......................................
Works .23
How The Side Airbag Of f ......................
Indicator Works .23
.............................
Airbag Service .24
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 24
Protecting Children General ................................
Guidelines .25
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .25 All Children Should Sit in the
.................................
Back Seat .26
The Passenger’s Front Airbag .........
Can Pose Serious Risks . 26
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .28
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .28
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 28
...........................
Protecting Inf ants .29
.............
Protecting Small Children . 30
.....................
Selecting a Child Seat .31
....................
Installing a Child Seat .32
Installing a Child Seat Using .....................................
LATCH .33
Installing a Child Seat with a ..................
Lap/shoulder Belt . 35
Installing a Child Seat with a ......................................
Tether .37
...........
Protecting Larger Children . 38
...............
Checking Seat Belt Fit . 39
..................
Using a Booster Seat . 39
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 41
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 42
...................................
Saf ety Labels .43
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety5

Together, airbags and
seat belts provide the best
protection.
Tampering could cause
the airbags to deploy, possibly
causing very serious injury.
If water or another liquid
soaks into a seat-back, it can
prevent the side airbag cutof f
system f rom working properly.
Improperly
replacing or covering f ront seat-
back covers can prevent your side
airbags f rom inf lating during a
side impact.
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.
Objects placed on the f ront
passenger seat can also cause the
side airbag to shut off.
To get the best protection f rom the
side airbags, front seat occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Airbag Service
Donotattempttodeactivateyour
airbags.
Do not t amper wit h airbagcomponent s or wiring f or anyreason.
Do not expose t he f ront seat -backsto liquid.
Do not cover or replace f ront seat -back covers wit hout consult ing aHonda dealer.
An airbag ever inf lates.
T he SRS indicat or light alert s yout o a problem.
24

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 .124
.................
Fuel Recommendation . 124
.........
Service Station Procedures . 125
...............................
Fuel Economy .128
...
Accessories and Modif ications . 129
.............................
Carrying Cargo .131
Bef ore Driving
Bef ore Driving123

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.
Do not change the oil until the
scheduled maintenance time.
Avoidhardbrakingforthefirst
200 miles (300 km).
Do not tow a trailer.
You should also f ollow these re-
commendations with an overhauled
or exchanged engine, or when the
brakes are replaced. We recommend using gasoline
containing detergent additives that
help prevent f uel system and engine
deposits. 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
occasional metallic knocking noises
in the engine and will result in
decreased engine perf ormance.
Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance,
and cause the Malfunction Indicator
Lamp on your instrument panel tocome on. If this happens, contact
your authorized Honda dealer f or
service.
For f urther important f uel-related
inf ormation, please ref er to your
.
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. If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline.
Premium f uel is recommended when
towing in certain conditions (see
page ).
152
Break-in Period, Fuel Recommendation
Break-in Period Fuel Recommendation
Quick Start Guide
Bef ore Driving124

Park with the driver’s side closest
to the gas pump.
Open the f uel f ill door by pulling
onthehandletotheleftof the
driver’s seat.
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.Screw the f uel f ill cap back on
until it clicks at least three times.
If you do not properly tighten the
cap, the Malfunction Indicator
Lampmaycomeon(seepage
).
Push the f uel f ill door closed until
it latches.
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 f ull,
there may be a problem with your
vehicle’s fuel vapor recovery
system. The system helps keep
f uel vapors f rom going into the
atmosphere. Consult your dealer.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.207
If the f uel nozzle keeps clicking of f
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
Ref ueling
125
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.

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 to the left of the
center. Slide you hand to the lef t
until you f eel the hood latch
handle. Push this handle up to
release it. Lift up 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.
Pull the support rod out of its clip,
and insert the end into the hole at
the center of the hood or the hole
on the lef t 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.
3.
2. 1.
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
Opening the Hood T o Close the Hood
126
LATCHSUPPORT ROD
CLIP
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE

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 into its
tube. 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 . Look at the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. Make sure it is
between the MAX and MIN lines. If
it is below the MIN line, see
on page f or
inf ormation on adding the proper
coolant.
Refer to on page f or inf ormation
on checking other items in your
Honda.
1.
2.
3. 4.
163174
171
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
Oil Check
A dding OilEngine Coolant Check
A dding
Engine Coolant
Owner’s Maintenance
Checks
127
UPPER MARK
LOWER MARK MAX
MINRESERVE TANK
DIPSTICK