2008 HONDA ELEMENT Owners Manual

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The tires that came on your vehicle
have a number of markings. Those
you should be aware of are described
below.
This indicates that the tire
meets all requirements of
the U.S. Department of
Transportation.
Manuf acturer’s
identification mark.
Tire type code.
Date of manuf acture.
The tire identif ication number (TIN)
is a group of numbers and letters
that look like the f ollowing example.
TIN is located on the sidewall of the
tire.
Speed symbol (an
alphabetical code indicating
the maximum speed rating).
Load index (a numerical code
associated with the maximum
load the tire can carry).
Rim diameter in inches.
Tire construction code (R
indicates radial).
Aspect ratio (the tire’s section
height as a percentage of its
width).
Tire width in millimeters.
Vehicletype(Pindicates
passenger vehicle).
Whenever tires are replaced, they
should be replaced with tires of the
same size. Following is an example
of tire size with an explanation of
what each component means.
P
R
16
DOT
B97R
FW6X
2202
215
70
99
S
Year
Week
CONT INUED
Tire Labeling
T ire Ident if icat ion Number (T IN)
Tire Size
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TIRE LABELING EXAMPLE
(1)
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(1) Tire Size
(2) Tire Identification Number (TIN)
(3) Maximum Tire Pressure
(4) Maximum Tire Load
DOT B97R FW6X 2202
P215/70R16 99S
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µAs an added safety feature, your
vehicle has been equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
that illuminates a low tire pressure
telltale
when one or more of your tires is
signif icantly under-inf lated.
Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you
should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inflate them to
the proper pressure.
Each tire, including the spare (if
provided), should be checked
monthly when cold and inf lated to
the inf lation pressure recommended
by the vehicle manuf acturer on the
vehicle placard or tire inf lation
pressure label.
(If your vehicle has tires of a
dif f erent size than the size indicated
on the vehicle placard or tire
inf lation pressure label, you should
determine the proper tire inf lation
pressure f or those tires.)
The maximum air
pressurethetirecan
hold.
The maximum load the
tire can carry at
maximum air pressure.
Max Press
Max Load
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(T PMS)
Maximum T ire Pressure
Maximum T ire L oad
Tire Labeling, Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Required Federal Explanation
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Always check the TPMS malf unction
telltale af ter replacing one or more
tires or wheels on your vehicle to
ensure that the replacement or
alternate tires and wheels allow the
TPMS to continue to f unction
properly.
Your vehicle has also been equipped
with a TPMS malf unction indicator
to indicate when the system is not
operating properly. The TPMS
malf unction indicator is provided by
a separate telltale, which displays the
symbol ‘‘TPMS’’ when illuminated.
When the malf unction indicator is
illuminated,
the system may not be able to detect
or signal low tire pressure as
intended.
TPMS malf unctions may occur f or a
variety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or
alternate tires or wheels on the
vehicle that prevent the TPMS f rom
f unctioning properly.
Driving on a signif icantly under-
inf lated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inf lation also reduces f uel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may
af f ect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire
maintenance, and it is the driver’s
responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inf lation has
not reached the level to trigger
illumination of the TPMS low tire
pressure telltale.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Required Federal Explanation
Technical Inf ormation
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Î
ÎThe burning of gasoline in your
vehicle’s engine produces several by-
products. Some of these are carbon
monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen
(NOx), and hydrocarbons (HC).
Gasoline evaporating f rom the tank
also produces hydrocarbons.
Controlling the production of NOx,
CO, and HC is important to the
environment. Under certain
conditions of sunlight and climate,
NOx and HC react to f orm
photochemical ‘‘smog.’’ Carbon
monoxide does not contribute to
smog creation, but it is a poisonous
gas. The United States Clean Air Act
sets standards f or automobile
emissions. It also requires that
automobile manufacturers explain to
owners how their emissions controls
workandwhattodotomaintain
them. This section summarizes how
the emissions controls work.
In Canada, Honda vehicles comply
with the Canadian emission
requirements, as specif ied in an
agreement with Environment
Canada, at the time they are
manuf actured.
Your vehicle has a positive
crankcase ventilation system. This
keeps gasses that build up in the
engine’s crankcase f rom going into
the atmosphere. The positive
crankcase ventilation valve routes
them from the crankcase back to the intake manif old. They are then
drawn into the engine and burned.
As gasoline evaporates in the f uel
tank, an evaporative emissions
control canister f illed with charcoal
adsorbs the vapor. It is stored in this
canister while the engine is of f . Af ter
the engine is started and warmed up,
the vapor is drawn into the engine
and burned during driving.
The onboard ref ueling vapor
recovery (ORVR) system captures
the f uel vapors during ref ueling. The
vapors are adsorbed in a canister
f illed with activated carbon. While
driving, the f uel vapors are drawn
into the engine and burned of f .
The Clean Air Act
Crankcase Emissions Control
System
Evaporative Emissions Control
System
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor
Recovery
Emissions Cont rols
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The PGM-FI system uses sequential
multiport f uel injection. It has three
subsystems: air intake, engine
control, and f uel control. The
powertrain control module (PCM) in
automatic transmission vehicles or
the engine control module (ECM) in
manual transmission vehicles uses
various sensors to determine how
much air is going into the engine. It
then controls how much f uel to inject
under all operating conditions.The emissions control systems are
designed and certif ied to work to-
gether in reducing emissions to
levels that comply with the Clean Air
Act. To make sure the emissions
remain low, you should use only new
Honda replacement parts or their
equivalent f or repairs. Using lower
qualitypartsmayincreasethe
emissions f rom your vehicle.
The exhaust emissions controls
include three systems: PGM-FI,
ignition timing control, and three
way catalytic converter. These three
systems work together to control the
engine’s combustion and minimize
the amount of HC, CO, and NOx that
comes out the tailpipe. The exhaust
emissions control systems are
separate f rom the crankcase and
evaporative emissions control
systems. The emissions control systems are
covered by warranties separate from
the rest of your vehicle. Read your
warranty manual for more informa-
tion.
The three way catalytic converter is
in the exhaust system. Through
chemical reactions, it converts HC,
CO, and NOx in the engine’s exhaust
to carbon dioxide (CO ), nitrogen
(N ), and water vapor.
This system constantly adjusts the
ignition timing, reducing the amount
of HC, CO, and NOx produced.
2
2
Exhaust Emissions Controls Replacement PartsPGM-FI System
Three Way Catalytic Converter
Ignit ion T iming Cont rol Syst em
Emissions Cont rols
Technical Inf ormation
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The three way catalytic converter
contains precious metals that serve
as catalysts, promoting chemical
reactions to convert the exhaust
gasses without af f ecting the metals.
The catalytic converter is ref erred to
as a three-way catalyst, since it acts
on HC, CO, and NOx. A replacement
unit must be an original Honda part
or its equivalent.Always use unleaded gasoline.
Even a small amount of leaded
gasoline can contaminate the
catalyst metals, making the three
way catalytic converter inef f ective.Keep the engine well maintained.
The three way catalytic converter
must operate at a high temperature
for the chemical reactions to take
place. It can set on f ire any
combustible materials that come
near it. Park your vehicle away from
high grass, dry leaves, or other
f lammables. A defective three way catalytic
converter contributes to air pollution,
and can impair your engine’s per-
f ormance. Follow these guidelines to
protect your vehicle’s three way
catalytic converter. Have your vehicle diagnosed and
repaired if it is misf iring, back-
f iring, stalling, or otherwise not
running properly.
Three Way Catalytic Converter
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THREE WAY CATALYTIC CONVERTER
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Without touching the accelerator
pedal, start the engine, and let it
idle f or 20 seconds.
If you take your vehicle f or an
emissions test shortly af ter the
battery has been disconnected or
gone dead, it may not pass the test.
This is because of certain ‘‘readiness
codes’’ that must be set in the on-
board diagnostics f or the emissions
systems. These codes are erased
when the battery is disconnected,
and set again only after several days
of driving under a variety of
conditions. If the testing f acility determines that
the readiness codes are not set, you
will be requested to return at a later
date to complete the test. If you must
get the vehicle retested within the
next two or three days, you can
condition the vehicle f or retesting by
doing the f ollowing.
Make sure the f uel tank is nearly,
but not completely f ull (around
3/4).
Make sure the vehicle has been
parked with the engine of f f or 6
hours or more.
Make sure the ambient
temperature is between 40° and
95°F. Without touching the accelerator
pedal and let the engine idle f or 20
seconds.
Keep the vehicle in Park
(automatic transmission) or
Neutral (manual transmission).
Increase the engine speed to 2,000
rpm,andholditthereuntilthe
temperature gauge rises to at least
1/4of thescale(about3minutes).
1.
2. 4.
3. 5.
6.
CONT INUED
T esting of Readiness Codes
Emissions T esting
Technical Inf ormation
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Then drive in city/suburban
traffic for at least 10 minutes.
When traf f ic conditions allow, let
the vehicle coast f or several
seconds without using the
accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal.
Select a nearby lightly traveled
major highway where you can
maintain a speed of 50 to 60 mph
(80to97km/h)foratleast20
minutes. Drive on the highway in
D (Automatic) or 5th (Manual).
Do not use cruise control. When
traffic allows, drive for 90 seconds
without moving the accelerator
pedal. (Vehicle speed may vary
slightly; this is okay.) If you cannot
do this f or a continuous 90
seconds because of traf f ic
conditions, drive f or at least 30
seconds, then repeat it two more
times (for a total of 90 seconds). Make sure the vehicle has been
parked with the engine of f f or 30
minutes.
If the testing f acility determines the
readiness codes are still not set, see
your dealer.
7. 8.
9.
Emissions T esting
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