2011 HONDA RIDGELINE Owners Manual

CONT INUED
Put on the spare tire. Put the
wheel nuts back on f inger-tight,
then tighten them in a crisscross
pattern with the wheel nut wrench
until the wheel is f irmly against
the hub. Do not try to tighten the
wheel nuts f ully.
Lower the vehicle to the ground,
and remove the jack.
Bef ore mounting the spare tire,
wipeanydirtoff themounting
surface of the wheel and hub with
a clean cloth. Wipe the hub
carefully;itmaybehotfrom
driving.
The wheel cap cannot be removed
without first removing the wheel
nuts.
Remove the wheel nuts and the
wheel cap (on RT and Canadian
DX models) then remove the f lat
tire. Handle the wheel nuts
caref ully; they may be hot f rom
driving. Place the f lat tire on the
ground with the outside surf ace
f acing up.
14. 15. 16. 17.
On RT and Canadian DX models
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
365
BRAKE HUB
WHEEL CAP
RT/DX model is shown.
Main MenuTable of Contents

Tighten the wheel nuts securely in
the same crisscross pattern. Have
the wheel nut torque checked at
the nearest automotive service
f acility.
Tighten the wheel nuts to:Place the flat tire face up on the
tire tray.
Remove the spacer cone f rom the
wing bolt, turn it over, and put it
back on the bolt.
Securetheflattirebyscrewing
the wing bolt back into its hole.Release the tire tray and slide it
back in place.
Tighten the tire tray holding bolts
securely.
Remove the center cap from the
flat tire.
18. 19.
20. 21. 22.23. 24.
On RTS, RTL, and Canadian VP, EX-L
models
Changing a Flat T ire
366
WING BOLT
SPACER CONE For normal tireFor sparetire
94 lbf·ft (127 N·m , 13 kgf·m)
Main MenuTable of Contents

Store the wheel cap or center cap
in the In-Bed Trunk. Make sure it
does not get scratched or
damaged.
When storing the f lat tire, place
the tool box at the right side of the
In-Bed Trunk as shown.
Store the jack and the tools in the
tool box.
Refer to(see page or ).
25. 26. 27. 28.
280 285
Changing a Flat T ire
Changing a T ire with
TPMS
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
367
TOOL BOX
Loose items can be thrown out
of the vehicle in a crash and
could seriously injure theoccupants.
Store the wheel, jack, and tools
securely before driving.
Main MenuTable of Contents

As a temporary mounting location,
you can secure a spare tire on the
pickup bed, if needed.Placethesparetireonthepickup
bed as shown.
Place the spacer cone in the wheel
hub,andsecurethesparetireto
the pickup bed with the wing bolt.If youremovethesparetirefromthe
pickup bed, reinstall the clip back
into its hole.
Remove the clip by pushing the
center of its top.
Remove the spare tire from the
tire tray (see page ). Store or secure the tool box.
1. 2. 3.4. 5.
362
Changing a Flat T ire
Securing a Spare Tire on the
Pickup Bed
368
SPACER CONE
WING BOLT
Main MenuTable of Contents

Diagnosing why the engine won’t
start f alls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
ignition switch to the START (III)
position:Check the transmission interlock.
The transmission must be in Park
or neutral or the starter will not
operate.
Turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position. Turn on the
headlights, and check their
brightness. If the headlights are
very dim or do not come on at all,
the battery is discharged. See
on page . If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the
engine, either the battery is
discharged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of
the battery and terminal connec-
tions (see page ). You can
then try jump starting the vehicle
f rom a booster battery (see page
).
In this case, the starter motor’s
speed sounds normal, or even f aster
than normal, when you turn the
ignition switch to the START (III)
position, but the engine does not run. Are you using a properly coded
key? An improperly coded key will
cause the immobilizer system
indicator in the instrument panel
to blink rapidly (see page ).
Turn the ignition switch to the
START (III) position. If the
headlights do not dim, check the
condition of the f uses. If the f uses
areOK,thereisprobably
something wrong with the
electrical circuit for the ignition
switch or starter motor. You will
need a qualif ied technician to
determine the problem. See
on page .
Check these things:
When you turn the ignition switch to
the START (III) position, you do not
hear the normal noise of the engine
trying to start. You may hear a
clicking sound, a series of clicks, or
nothing at all. You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, or the starter
motor sounds like it is spinning
f aster than normal, but the engine
does not start up and run.
You hear nothing, or almost
nothing. The engine’s starter
motor does not operate at all, or
operates very slowly.
370
383 356
370
101
CONT INUED
Jump Starting T he Starter Operates Normally
Emergency T owing
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
If theEngineWon’tStart
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
369
Main MenuTable of Contents

Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er toon page .
There may be an electrical
problem, such as no power to the
f uel pump. Check all the f uses
(see page ).
If youfindnothingwrong,youwill
need a qualif ied technician to f ind
the problem. See on page . Although this seems like a simple
procedure, you should take several
precautions.
You cannot start your vehicle by
pushing or pulling it.
Do you have f uel? Check the f uel
gauge; the low f uel indicator may
not be working.
Turn of f all electrical accessories:
heater, A/C, climate control, audio
system, lights, etc. Put the
transmission in Park, and set the
parking brake.
Open the hood, and check the
physical condition of the battery.
In very cold weather, check the
condition of the electrolyte. If it
seems slushy or f rozen, do not try
jump starting until it thaws.
1. 2.
270
378 383 Starting the
Engine
Emergency
Towing Jump Starting
If the Engine Won’t Start, Jump Starting
To Jump Start Your Vehicle:
370
A battery can explode if you do
not follow the correct procedure,
seriously injuring anyonenearby.
Keep all sparks, open flames,
and smoking materials away
from the battery.
If a battery sits in extreme cold, the
electrolyte inside can f reeze.
Attempting to jump start with a f rozen
battery can cause it to rupture.
Main MenuTable of Contents

µ
´ ´ If the booster battery is in another
vehicle, have an assistant start
that vehicle and run it at a fast idle.
Start the vehicle. If the starter
motor still operates slowly, check
that the jumper cables have good
metal-to-metal contact.
Keep the ends of the jumper cables
away from each other and any metal
on the vehicle until everything is
disconnected. Otherwise, you may
cause an electrical short.
Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative ( ) terminal on
the booster battery. Connect the
other end to the grounding strap
as shown. Do not connect this
jumper cable to any other part of
the engine.
Connect one jumper cable to the
positive ( ) terminal on your
vehicle’s battery. Connect the
other end to the positive ( )
terminal on the booster battery.
The numbers in the illustration show
you the order to connect the jumper
cables.
Once your vehicle is running,
disconnect the negative cable f rom
your vehicle, then f rom the
booster battery. Disconnect the
positive cable f rom your vehicle,
then from the booster battery.
4. 6. 7.
5.
3.
Jump St art ing
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
371
BOOSTER BATTERY
Main MenuTable of Contents

If you see steam and/or spray
coming f rom under the hood, turn
of f the engine. Wait until you see
no more signs of steam or spray,
then open the hood.
If you do not see steam or spray,
leave the engine running and
watch the temperature gauge. If
the high heat is due to overloading,
the engine should start to cool
down almost immediately. If it
does, wait until the temperature
gauge comes down to the midpoint,
then continue driving.
Saf ely pull to the side of the road.
Put the transmission in Park, and
set the parking brake. Turn of f all
the accessories, and turn on the
hazard warning lights.
The pointer of your vehicle’s
temperature gauge should stay in
the midrange under most conditions.
If it climbs to the red mark, you
should determine the reason (hot
day, driving up a steep hill, etc.).
If the vehicle overheats, you should
take immediate action. The only
indication may be the temperature
gauge climbing to or above the red
mark. Or you may see steam or
spray coming f rom under the hood. 1.
2.
3.
If theEngineOverheats
372
Steam and spray from an
overheated engine can
seriously scald you.
Do not open the hood if steam
is coming out.
Driving with the temperature gauge
pointer at the red mark can cause
serious damage to the engine.
Main MenuTable of Contents