2010 HONDA ELEMENT Owners Manual

The tires that came on your vehicle
have a number of markings. Those you
should be aware of are described below.Tire Size
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.P215/70R16 99S
P －Vehicle type (P indicates
passenger vehicle).
215 －Tire width in millimeters.
70 －Aspect ratio (the tire's section
height as a percentage of itswidth).
R －Tire construction code (R
indicates radial).
16 －Rim diameter in inches.
99 －Load index (a numerical code
associated with the maximum
load the tire can carry).
S －Speed symbol (an
alphabetical code indicating
the maximum speed rating).
Tire Identification Number (TIN)
The tire identification number (TIN)
is a group of numbers and letters that
look like the following example. TIN
is located on the sidewall of the tire.
DOT B97R FW6X 2202
DOT －This indicates that the tire
meets all requirements of
the U.S. Department ofTransportation.
B97R －Manufacturer's
identification mark.
FW6X －Tire type code.
TIRE LABELING EXAMPLE
(1) Tire Size
(2) Tire Identification Number (TIN)
(3) Maximum Tire Pressure
(4) Maximum Tire Load (1)
(2) (1)
(3)
(4)
2202 －
Year Week
Date of manufacture.
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Tire Labeling
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Glossary of Tire Terminology
Cold Tire Pressure - The tire air
pressure when the vehicle has been
parked for at least three hours or
driven less than 1 mile (1.6km).
Load Rating - Means the maximum
load that a tire is rated to carry for a
given inflation presure.
Maximum Inflation Pressure - the
maximum tire air pressure that the
tire can hold.
Maximum Load Rating - Means the
load rating for a tire at the maximum
permissible inflation pressure for thattire.
Recommended Inflation Pressure -
The cold tire inflation pressure
recommended by the manufacturer.
Treadwear Indicators (TWI) - Means
the projections within the principal
grooves designed to give a visual
indication of the degrees of wear of
the tread.Tire Pressure Monitoring System(TPMS)
Each tire, including the spare (if
provided), should be checked
monthly when cold and inflated to
the inflation pressure recommended
by the vehicle manufacturer on the
vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure label.
(If your vehicle has tires of a different
size than the size indicated on the
vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure label, you should determine
the proper tire inflation pressure for
those tires.)
As 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
significantly under-inflated.
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.
Tire Labeling, Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
－Required Federal Explanation
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Driving on a significantly under-
inflated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inflation also reduces fuel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may
affect 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-inflation has
not reached the level to trigger
illumination of the TPMS low tire
pressure telltale.Your vehicle has also been equipped
with a TPMS malfunction indicator to
indicate when the system is not
operating properly. The TPMS
malfunction indicator is provided by
a separate telltale, which displays thesymbol
‘‘TPMS ’’when illuminated.
When the malfunction indicator isilluminated,
the system may not be able to detect
or signal low tire pressure asintended.
TPMS malfunctions may occur for a
variety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or
alternate tires or wheels on the
vehicle that prevent the TPMS from
functioning properly. Always check the TPMS malfunction
telltale after 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 functionproperly.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
－Required Federal Explanation
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The 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 from 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 form photochemical‘‘smog. ’’Carbon
monoxide does not contribute to
smog creation, but it is a poisonousgas. The Clean Air Act
The United States Clean Air Actꭧsets
standards for automobile emissions. It
also requires that automobile
manufacturers explain to owners how
their emissions controls work and
what to do to maintain them. This
section summarizes how the
emissions controls work.
ꭧIn Canada, Honda vehicles comply
with the Canadian emission
requirements, as specified in an
agreement with Environment Canada,
at the time they are manufactured.
Crankcase Emissions Control System
Your vehicle has a positive crankcase
ventilation system. This keeps gasses
that build up in the engine's crankcase
from going into the atmosphere. The
positive crankcase ventilation valve
routes them from the crankcase back
to the intake manifold. They are then
drawn into the engine and burned. Evaporative Emissions Control System
As gasoline evaporates in the fuel
tank, an evaporative emissions
control canister filled with charcoal
adsorbs the vapor. It is stored in this
canister while the engine is off. After
the engine is started and warmed up,
the vapor is drawn into the engine
and burned during driving.
Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery
The onboard refueling vapor
recovery (ORVR) system captures
the fuel vapors during refueling. The
vapors are adsorbed in a canister
filled with activated carbon. While
driving, the fuel vapors are drawn
into the engine and burned off.
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Exhaust Emissions Controls
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 from the crankcase and
evaporative emissions control systems.PGM-FI System
The PGM-FI system uses sequential
multiport fuel injection. It has three
subsystems: air intake, engine
control, and fuel 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 fuel to inject
under all operating conditions.
Ignition Timing Control System
This system constantly adjusts the
ignition timing, reducing the amount
of HC, CO, and NOx produced.
Three Way Catalytic Converter
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 (CO2), nitrogen
(N 2), and water vapor. Replacement Parts
The emissions control systems are
designed and certified to work
together 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 for repairs. Using lower
quality parts may increase the
emissions from your vehicle.
The emissions control systems are
covered by warranties separate from
the rest of your vehicle. Read your
warranty manual for moreinformation.
Emissions Controls
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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 affecting the metals.
The catalytic converter is referred 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.
The three way catalytic converter
must operate at a high temperature
for the chemical reactions to take
place. It can set on fire any
combustible materials that come
near it. Park your vehicle away from
high grass, dry leaves, or otherflammables.
A defective three way catalytic
converter contributes to air pollution,
and can impair your engine's
performance. Follow these
guidelines to protect your vehicle's
three way catalytic converter.● Always use unleaded gasoline.
Even a small amount of leaded
gasoline can contaminate the
catalyst metals, making the three
way catalytic converter ineffective. ●
Keep the engine well maintained.
● Have your vehicle diagnosed and
repaired if it is misfiring,
backfiring, stalling, or otherwise
not running properly.
THREE WAY CATALYTIC CONVERTER
Three Way Catalytic Converter
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Testing of Readiness Codes
If you take your vehicle for an
emissions test shortly after 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 for 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 facility 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 for retesting by
doing the following.
1. Make sure the fuel tank is nearly,
but not completely full (around 3/4).
2. Make sure the vehicle has been parked with the engine off for 6
hours or more.
3. Make sure the ambient temperature is between 40° and
95°F (4° and 35°C). 4. Without touching the accelerator
pedal, start the engine, and let it
idle for 20 seconds.
5. Keep the vehicle in Park (automatic transmission) or
neutral (manual transmission).
Increase the engine speed to 2,000
rpm, and hold it there until the
temperature gauge rises to at least
1/4 of the scale (about 3 minutes).
6. Without touching the accelerator pedal, let the engine idle for 20seconds.
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7. Select a nearby lightly traveledmajor highway where you can
maintain a speed of 50 to 60 mph
(80 to 97 km/h) for at least 20
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 for a continuous 90
seconds because of traffic
conditions, drive for at least 30
seconds, then repeat it two more
times (for a total of 90 seconds). 8. Then drive in city/suburban traffic
for at least 10 minutes. When
traffic conditions allow, let the
vehicle coast for several seconds
without using the accelerator pedal
or the brake pedal.
9. Make sure the vehicle has been parked with the engine off for 30minutes.
If the testing facility determines the
readiness codes are still not set, see
your dealer.
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