2008 HONDA RIDGELINE Owners Manual

This section explains why it is
important to keep your vehicle well
maintained and how to f ollow basic
maintenance saf ety precautions.
If you have the skills and tools to
perf orm more complex maintenance
tasks on your vehicle, you may want
to purchase the service manual. See
page f or inf ormation on how to
obtain a copy, or see your dealer.
This section also includes
instructions on how to read the
maintenance minder messages on
the information display, and
instructions f or simple maintenance
tasks you may want to take care of
yourself .......................
Maintenance Saf ety .238
....................
Maintenance Minder .239
..............................
Fluid Locations .247
........................
Adding Engine Oil .248
Changing the Engine Oil and
...........................................
Filter .249
..............................
Engine Coolant .251
....................
Windshield Washers .252
....
Automatic Transmission Fluid .253
.................
Rear Dif f erential Fluid .254
.............
Transf er Assembly Fluid .255
....................................
Brake Fluid .255
....................
Power Steering Fluid .256
....................................
Timing Belt .256
.............................................
Lights .257
................
Cleaning the Seat Belts .263
.....................................
Floor Mats .263
..................
Dust and Pollen Filter .264
.................................
Wiper Blades .264
...........................................
Wheels .266
...............................................
Tires .266
...................
Checking the Battery .272
.............................
Vehicle Storage .274
321
Maintenance
Maint enance
237
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To eliminate potential hazards, read
the instructions bef ore you begin,
and make sure you have the tools
and skills required.
All service items not detailed in this
section should be perf ormed by a
certif ied technician or other qualif ied
mechanic.Make sure your vehicle is parked
on level ground, the parking brake
is set, and the engine is of f .
To clean parts, use a commercially
available degreaser or parts
cleaner, not gasoline.
To reduce the possibility of f ire or
explosion, keep cigarettes, sparks,
and flames away from the battery
and all f uel-related parts.
Wear eye protection and
protective clothing when working
with the battery or compressed air. Be sure there is
adequate ventilation whenever you
operate the engine. Some of the most important saf ety
precautions are given here. However,
we cannot warn you of every
conceivable hazard that can arise in
perf orming maintenance. Only you
can decide whether or not you
should perf orm a given task.Do
not run the engine unless
instructed to do so.
Let the
engine and exhaust system cool
down bef ore touching any parts.
Maintenance Saf ety
Important Saf ety Precautions
Carbon Monoxide poison f rom
engine exhaust.
Potential Vehicle Hazards Injury f rom moving parts.
Burns f rom hot parts.
238
Improperly maintaining this
vehicle, or failing to correct a
problem before driving can
cause a crash in which you can
be seriously hurt or killed.
Always follow the inspection
and maintenance
recommendations and
schedules in this owner’s
manual. Failure to properly follow
maintenance instructions and
precautions can cause you to
be seriously hurt or killed.
Always follow the procedures
and precautions in this owner’s
manual.
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CONT INUED
Calculated Engine Oil Lif e (%)
100 % 91 % 90 % 81 %
80 % 71 %
70 % 61 %
60 % 51 %
50 % 41 %
40 % 31 %
30 % 21 %
20 % 16 %
15 % 11 %10 % 6 % 5% 1% 0% Displayed
Engine Oil Lif e (%) 100 %90 %
80 %
70 %
60 %
50 %
40 %
30 %
20 %
15 %
10 %5%
0%
The remaining engine oil lif e is
displayed on the engine oil lif e
display according to the table shown
below.
Based on the engine operating
conditions and accumulated engine
revolutions, the onboard computer in
your vehicle calculates the remaining
engine oil lif e and displays it as a
percentage.
Your vehicle displays engine oil lif e
and maintenance service items on
the inf ormation display to show you
when you should have your dealer do
engine oil replacement and indicated
maintenance service.
To see the current engine oil lif e,
turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position, and press the SELECT
button repeatedly until the engine oil
life display appears (see page ).70
Maintenance Minder
Engine Oil L if e Display
Maint enance
239
MAINTENANCE MINDER
INDICATOR
ENGINE OIL LIFE
DISPLAY
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The message changes between
SERVICE and dUE SOON
repeatedly.The message changes between
SERVICE and dUE NOW repeatedly.
If theengineoillifeis15to6percent,
you will see a ‘‘SERVICE dUE
SOON’’ message in the inf ormation
display every time you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. The maintenance minder
indicator will also come on, and the
maintenance item code(s) for other
scheduled maintenance items
needing service will be displayed
below the message. When the remaining engine oil lif e is
5 to 1 percent, you will see a
‘‘SERVICE dUE NOW’’ message
along with the same maintenance
item code(s), every time you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position.
The maintenance item code(s)
indicate the main and sub items
required at the time of the oil change
(see page ).
Press the SELECT button repeatedly
to select the engine oil lif e.
The 15 and 10 percent oil lif e display
reminds you that the time is coming
soon to take your vehicle in for the
required maintenance.
246
Maintenance Minder
240
MAINTENANCE ITEM CODES MAINTENANCE MAIN ITEM
MAINTENANCE SUB ITEMS MAINTENANCE ITEM CODES
MESSAGE
MESSAGE
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When you see this message, have
the indicated maintenance
perf ormed by your dealer as soon as
possible.
When the remaining engine oil lif e is
0percent,youwillseea‘‘SERVICE
PAST dUE’’ message every time you
turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position.
The message changes between
SERVICE and PAST dUE repeatedly. If you still do not perf orm the
indicated maintenance, you will see a
negative mileage, f or example ‘‘34
MI (54 KM)’’ with the message
‘‘PAST dUE.’’ This negative mileage
means that you should have
perf ormed the indicated
maintenance 34 miles (54
kilometers) ago. Immediately have
the indicated maintenance
perf ormed, and make sure to reset
the display as described on page .
242
CONT INUED
Maintenance Minder
Maint enance
241
NEGATIVE MILEAGE
U.S.
Canada
NEGATIVE MILEAGE
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You can change the display to the
engine oil lif e display, or the
odometer and trip meter by pushing
the SELECT button on the
instrument panel.All maintenance items displayed in
the trip meter are in code. For an
explanation of these maintenance
codes, see page .Your dealer will reset the display
af ter completing the required
maintenance service. You will see
‘‘OIL LIFE 100%’’ on the inf ormation
display the next time you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position.
If maintenance service is done by
someone other than your dealer,
reset the maintenance minder as
f ollows:
Press the SELECT button
repeatedly until the engine oil lif e
display or the service message is
displayed.
Turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position.
1.
2.
246
Maintenance Main Items and Sub
Items
Resetting the Engine Oil Lif e
Display
Maintenance Minder
242
MAINTENANCE MAIN ITEM
MAINTENANCE SUB ITEMS
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¼
¼
¼¼ ¼
Press the RESET button f or about
10 seconds. You will see a
‘‘MAINT RESET’’ message. Select the appropriate answer,
‘‘MAINT RESET N’’ (NO) or
‘‘MAINT RESET Y’’ (YES) by
pressing the SELECT button.
‘‘ N’’ or ‘‘ Y’’ is displayed on the
outside temperature display.Select the ‘‘MAINT RESET Y’’
(YES),andpressandholdthe
RESET button again to reset the
engine oil lif e to ‘‘100.’’
3. 4. 5.
Maintenance Minder
Maint enance
243
YES is shown.
NO is shown.
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Ì
If you have the required service
done but do not reset the display, or
reset the display without doing the
service, the system will not show the
proper maintenance intervals. This
canleadtoseriousmechanical
problems because you will no longer
have an accurate record of when
maintenance is needed.
Your authorized Honda dealer
knows your vehicle best and can
provide competent, ef f icient service. U.S. Vehicles:
According to state and federal
regulations, f ailure to perf orm
maintenance on the items marked
with will not void your emissions
warranties. However, all
maintenance services should be
perf ormed in accordance with the
intervals indicated by the
inf ormation display.
However, service at a dealer is not
mandatory to keep your warranties
in effect. Maintenance may be done
by any qualif ied service f acility or
person who is skilled in this type of
automotive service. Make sure to
have the service f acility or person
reset the display as previously
described. Keep all receipts as proof
of completion, and have the person
who does the work f ill out your
Honda Service History or Canadian
Maintenance Log. Check your
warranty booklet f or more
inf ormation.
We recommend the use of Honda
parts and f luids whenever you have
maintenance done. These are
manuf actured to the same high-
quality standards as the original
components, so you can be conf ident
of their perf ormance and durability.
Maintenance Minder
Important Maintenance
Precautions Maintenance, replacement, or
repair of emissions control
devices and systems may be done
by any automotive repair
establishment or individual using
parts that are ‘‘certif ied’’ to EPA
standards.
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