Honda Odyssey: Problems & Solutions:(1995-2004 Models)

merscwog

The Odyssey continues...

Maybe I'm strange, but there are rear auxiliary jacks in the (rear entertainment system) RES versions of the Odyssey 2003/2004 (2002?), and I oddly enough tried to use them.

Use the video jack by itself, and you get a fairly clean image on the flip-down display, but hook up anything to either the left or right audio jack and you get terrible ghosting of the image on the screen. Of course, most of the time you want to listen to what you're watching, so the workaround of only using the video jack isn't real helpful.

The service techs checked out several other new and older Odysseys, and switched parts in and out of mine, with exactly the same results. _ALL_ of them had the same ghosting problem once the auxiliary audio jacks are used at the same time!!! They were appalled at what I had brought to their attention, and my service representative said he would be upset (as I am) if he were in my position.

They called Honda corporate about how to correct the problem, but Honda said they had never gotten any complaints about it, so as of right now there is no "Honda recognized" problem, and NO PLAN TO ADDRESS IT UNLESS other people start reporting the problem.

If you have a Honda with the RES, or you plan on test driving one, try out a VCR player (you only need the setup screen as a static image with text highlights the problem the most) or a game console system hooked up to the auxiliary ports (located on the driver's side next to the far back seats).

We brought a DVD to test out the system on our test drive and that worked (and still works) great, but wish we had brought a power inverter (lighter DC adapter to AC power outlet) and a VCR to test out the auxiliary ports. The whole reason we got the RES model was so we didn't have to deal with an after market solution, but it looks like we might have made the wrong choice.

Test it out for yourself! I suspect you'll be surprised with the results, and unless Honda hears from enough unhappy customers (or potential customers) things will remain as they are.

-merscwog

merscwog

Sigh. The auxiliary jacks to the flip-down display can NEVER be a Honda acknowledged problem unless Honda sells RCA cables and an audio/video device that could be plugged into it -- otherwise you're using aftermarket equipment in your Honda.

Since the only thing you'll ever be plugging into the aux jacks qualifies as after market, there cannot be a problem. QED.

If you want a good DVD player pre-installed, then the Odyssey with RES is really nice, but if you ever want to hook anything up to the auxiliary jacks, I cannot recommend going with a factory installed solution -- as any problems will be blamed upon your after market hardware (yes, that would be your ultra high quality RCA cables and standard VCR player that displays super crisp images on the cheapest TV you can find).

-merscwog

fibber2

Spencer,

You are probably not going to want to hear this, but the problem may be related to ground loops and inverter noise in your setup. Here's the deal: Your home VCR is designed to run on 120v AC. House current is a pure sine wave. There is a power supply inside home VCRs which reduce and regulate it for the internal electronics (12v, 5v, etc.). To run it in your car requires a DC to AC stepup converter. Output of these devices is a "modified square wave", very different from a sine wave, and that can create performance problems when you interface it with items installed in your car. By comparison, some TVs and VCRs intended for mobile use have 12v DC direct inputs. This eliminates this step-up (inverter) / step-down (internal transformer) issue by sending low voltage directly into the second stage (DC low voltage regulators and filters) of the appliance.

Solutions:
1) get a VCR intended for 12v mobile use and get rid of the inverter.

2) try and modify your setup to eliminate what sounds like may be a ground loop situation. WARNING: YOU DO THIS STUFF AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! You report that it works OK when the yellow video alone is connected, but gets ghosty when the red/white audio is added?
a) Try adding a ground wire from the shell of the VCR to the auto chassis.
b) If that doesn't help, then try eliminating one of the system ground points. Get yourself a set of audio cables you don't mind experimenting with. Carefully cut/snap off the outer 'ground' taps, leaving only the inner signal lead, and try plugging it in.

Good luck,

Steve

merscwog

Thanks for the response!

Unfortunately, I was not using an inverter (actually was plugged into a garage wall outlet -- exactly what the service techs did also for testing) so I was getting as pure an AC signal as I'm ever going to -- so I'm going to rule out solution 1 for the moment (and yes, my intent is to use a 12V device directly -- a Nintendo GameCube, but I don't have the DC lighter adapter yet).

I agree that it could very well be a ground loop issue, although I'm not ruling out poor shielding, or other potential cause of the echoed video signal. I suppose that it could be something to do with the house ground not jiving with the car ground, but I can't test that just yet (oh wait, UPS shows my adapter has been delivered, so I'll be able to test that later tonight if I have time).

What's really interesting is that there is absolutely NO HUMMING on the audio system, it comes through crystal clear, it's just ghosting on the video side (everything smears to the right a few millimeters).

For grins, here's the text from my workorder:
  "CUSTOMER STATES THAT DVD SCREEN IS INOPERATIVE
   WHEN ANOTHER AUDIO SYSTEM IS PLUGGED IN

   AUDIO SYSTEM IS NORMAL COMPARED WITH THREE
   OTHER ODYSSEY'S"

I was expecting something that actually mentioned GHOSTING. If this is how many problems are logged it's no wonder Honda customer support couldn't find any previous complaints similar to my problem in their records.

I'll post the results of my continued efforts, and will gladly accept additional advice on other potential solutions to my ghosting problem. I'm going to exhaust all my non-destructive options first before considering cutting cables (although messing with a short RCA extender cable is a thought).

If I ever do successfully solve the problem, I'll be sure to pass the information on to Honda, and post here as well.

-merscwog

fibber2

It was worth a try.... Please, let us know what you finally come up with. As an engineer, I would like to know!

Steve

merscwog

I definitely get different behavior with a DC adapter on the gamecube, so it seems I was indeed getting a ground impedance mismatch.

Now plugging in the all cables, or just the video cable, results in a crisp text screen with only very minor ghosting (could be chroma and luminance delay) -- as the image looks almost basically like when I was using the AC wall plug with just the video cable plugged in.

Unfortunately, there is now a rolling diagonal banding effect that wasn't there before at all (which happens even if the video cable is the only one plugged in). From what I've found the two causes of that on an LCD screen are a "ground loop" or "interference from adjacent equipment".

The good thing is that the banding is at least tolerable, even if it is still annoying. I didn't have time to try anything else last night, but will try to ground the gamecube to the chassis (not sure how I'll do this with the totally plastic outer shell, but hopefully I'll think of something).

-merscwog

laurob

We just bought an 03 Odyssey and now have 1600 miles on it. While test driving I noticed a huge "ripple" in the drivers side mirror, "No problem, we'll replace it." was dealers response. Now, after a little driving time, I've noticed there is another one in the rear view mirror, and the worst, several in the windshield. I've not been able to get anyone from the dealership to return a call....
Has anyone else experienced a problem w/this? I'd like to have some facts behind me when I face the service dept. on this issue...

fibber2

Unfortunately, I have yet to have a vehicle without some ripple to the windshield (including the Ody), but most of the other smaller pieces of glass (mirrors, etc.) are usually OK. The real question is whether it bothers you enough to go thru the hassle of getting it replaced. I have never found it bad enough, but every plate of glass is unique, as is your tolerance for distortion.

Steve

merscwog

I tested 4 different ways, and got 3 different undesirable results.

1) AC power from garage socket, video only plugged in.
2) AC power from garage socket, video and audio plugged in.
3) DC power from lighter adapter, video only plugged in.
4) DC power from lighter adapter, video and audio plugged in.

Case 1:
Pro: Very crisp image, but 1 ghost image.
Con: The 1 Ghost image shifted to right about 2 millimeters, so text is blurry.

Case 2:
Pro: None
Con: So many ghosted images, it looks like everything was smeared to the right. Text and images are ugly.

Cases 3 and 4:
Pro: No ghosting, as text and images are crisp.
Con: Rolling bands moving diagonally down the screen that are very noticeable in static images.

From my continued investigations, these are all symptoms of ground loops.

For case 1 to have a ghosted image, there must be a loop between the video jack ground and some other component in the vehicle -- I'm going to speculate the audio system, especially due to the behavior exhibited when using the aux audio jacks at the same time.

Cases 3 and 4 do not differ, and I even tried both lighter outlets to see if that changed anything -- it didn't. If the rolling effect were not there, then the picture would look just like as good as when playing a DVD using the installed player.

Getting rid of the ground loop for the audio is a very inexpensive thing ($15 or less for a ground loop isolator), but finding a ground loop isolator for the video signal which operates up to 6 MHz instead of 100's of kHz involves $100+ devices.

I'm hesitant to remove the ground from the video lead, but may try that on a trial basis (and hope I don't short something out).

Now, it could be RF/EF interference, but it seems odd that I don't get that problem when using an AC power source. Maybe I'll pillage an old monitor for the magnets on the video cable and see if that makes a difference.

I'm leaning towards a ground loop though, but am not aware of a cheap solution to solve the ground loop interference problem from the 0Hz - 6MHz range (as the old balun trick for cable only operates at 54MHz and up -- as that's what the baluns are rated for).

Any suggestions on building an inexpensive ground loop isolator for the video line?

-merscwog

1candyman2

I had my first door problem this morning (I tried to open it, when it was frozen shut). I would like to thank auburn63 and wpalkowski for the information posted in messages 2648 and 2755. It was an easy and quick fix. Thanks again.

user777

are you using for the video and audio inputs?

also, do you know someone with a video camcorder with dubbing cables used to copy the video and audio onto VHS?

initially, i'd try it using the camcorder on battery power. then presuming the cable supplied with the camcorder is OK and you got, clean video and audio, i'd power the camcorder using its ac adapter and see what type of image you got.

i haven't followed all of your posts / experiments, but is it possible the problem is the device your using as a source...ie is it poorly shielded and generating stray RFI?

i.e. do other sources yield similar behavior?

jsw007

We have a 2k odyssey and several times my wife has used the radio while waiting in a parking lot for one of our children. The duration has been 10-15 minutes at the most. The car will not start after this short time. By the time AAA gets there to jump the car (anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes) it has recovered. The dealer tells us this is normal. I have never owned a car that drained it's battery in 15 minutes with only the radio playing. Now this past Sunday we got stuck in a Wendy's parking lot 500 miles from home when we had the doors open for 10 minutes while eating lunch. We waited for the battery to "recover" as the dealer told us to do and nothing. By the time AAA arrived it was over an hour and a half and no battery recovery. Is this "normal"? Do I need to carry a spare battery? If this had been my car, and not my wife's, I would have been at the nearest Toyota, Chrysler, Ford, Chevy dealer trading it in on anything, but another odyssey.

grandtotal

It's not normal. You likely have a faulty battery. Unless you really want to trade the Odyssey, I suggest you find a decent dealer have him/her diagnose the problem, fix it and get on with your life.

wpalkowski

Sounds to me like your battery is getting old and has less reserve left in it. As the days get cooler, battery also cannot supply as much current as on a warm summer day because the chemical reactions slow down. In the near futurue the battery will just be dead, if it didn't already happen.
   I've played the stock radio for more than an hour with no starting problems. We've even managed to leave the interior lights on for several hours - that one surprised me, the van still started. If you have an aftermarket sound system with separate amps and a sub-woofer, then you could drain the battery relatively quickly, otherwise, your battery's remaining days are few.
   Take it to Sears or Autozone and have the battery/charging system checked out. The test is usually inexpensive, and many times they will waive the diagnostic fee if you purchase a battery from them. Of course, you could also have a loose belt or something that's not allowing battery to get a fulll charge. But they can usually figure that out pretty quickly.

wpalkowski

You're welcome. Sure beats having to spend $100 for the diagnostic fee just to reset the door. Not to mention time and hastle of getting van to the dealer.

user777

I think Advance Auto will do the diagnostics for free, and it involves checking both the battery's ability to recover post application of two loads, and also an ammeter/alternator check to see if the alternator is supplying proper power (current and voltage) to charge the battery.

I don't know if this generally holds true, but if you get 4yrs from a battery in an extreme climate (where it gets really hot and/or really cold), I think you're doing really well.

Therefore, I think the previous feedback you've gotten is good. I wouldn't settle for just a check of the battery. Ask that the alternator's output is checked too. If it's weak, a good battery will eventually exhibit the same behavior i think.

merscwog

All devices that I've tried so far have yielded ghosting when hooked up to AC power and rolling results when using DC power. I've used different RCA cables as the devices sometimes have their own, such as the GameCube I've tried. The aux jacks are RCA plugs.

I'll have to see if someone I know has a camcorder with A/V cables, as unfortunately, I don't have any personal devices that deliver a video and audio signal that is powered completely off from an internal battery.

Thanks for the suggestion!

-merscwog

jimmygu3

I purchased a '99 Odyssey with 120k miles in June 2003. It was fully checked over by a Honda expert. About a month later the CEL came on and I was told it needed two O2 sensors. When those were installed and the CEL quickly came back on, It was the catalytic converter (I'll abbreviate it CC). My mechanic recommended a used CC due to the high price of a new one, and he found one from a salvaged Odyssey with 30k miles.

A few months and a few thousand miles later, the CEL came back, again for the CC. He said since it was driving fine, maybe the code was triggered by bad gas or other factors, and he reset the CEL. About 100 miles later, it's back.

Could this be the infamous clogged EGR valve port problem? Is there another explanation besides 2 failed catalytic converters? I'm tempted to just drive with the CEL on until the car shows symptoms of a problem- bad idea?

This car has tranny problems, and now this. I bought a lemon! Any advice would be appreciated!

jimmygu3

My keyless entry remote for our '99 Odyssey was getting weak. I could only use it when standing right next to the car. I replaced the battery, and it stopped working altogether. Is it possible it needs to be reprogrammed? How do I do that? My wife's remote works fine.

robr2

CC - 2 CC's? I find it hard to believe the second one could fail that soon or maybe it had more than 30k on it. It could be the EGR. IMHO, I'd start to wonder about the Honda "expert" after 2 CC's and just resetting the light the last tiem. I'd have someone else look at it for a second opinion.

remote - try the battery from your wife's remote in yours to see if it improves. If not, I'd say new remote.

grandtotal

I posted the solution to your problem but because my post mentioned another (Odyssey specific) site it was deleted. Here are the details you need:

1) Have all remotes for the vehicle on hand.
2) Make sure all the doors and the rear hatch are closed during programming.
3) You only need to use 1 remote to get into programming mode.
4) Each step must be completed within 5 seconds.
5) Sit in the van with all doors closed.
6) Turn the key to the ON position, marked by II in the ignition bezel - dash lights should come on.
7) Within 5 seconds press the "Lock" button on the remote for 1 second or so and release.
8) Turn the key to the OFF position, marked by I on the ignition bezel - dash lights go off.
9) Repeat steps 6-8 two more times. (Total of 3 times at this point).
10) Within 5 seconds of completing last step, turn the key ON (position II) ONE MORE TIME (total of 4 now).
11) Within 5 seconds press the lock button on the remote 1 more time - locks should make a cycling sound (clunk) locks will NOT lock or unlock at this point, they just make a noise. System is now in programming mode.
12) Within 5 seconds of entering programming mode and within 5 seconds of each other, press the lock button for a second or so and release, ON EACH remote you are programming. This step needs to be completed within 10 seconds. Each time the locks should cycle. Up to 3 remotes can be programmed.
13) Turn ignition completely off and remove the key. Step out of the vehicle and close door.

munspups

This is in follow up to another message dated May 2002, from an odyssey owner with an odor problem coming from the air conditioner. I have a 2002 odyssey that exhibited this problem within the first few months we had it as a new vehicle. We have been trying all this time to get to the bottom of the problem. The dealership/repair shop tell us they have "never" heard of this problem before. They are well aware of the severity of our problem because they have smelled it first hand and it is NOT pleasant. At first everyone thought it smelled like a dead animal and then it was described as a "rotten dirty foot" smell. It seems worse the hotter the weather is outside, but we seem to have the odor year round and not just from the air conditioner. It also will come out of the heat vents. This is an on again and off again problem, but VERY BAD at it's worst which is on a regular basis, but not always "daily". Our Honda repair shop has done several things to try to find the problem, from taking "everything" (as they describe it) apart, to changing the AC hemp(?) filter and unit. We still have the smell almost 2 years later. We have the smell whether the recirculate button is on or not, however, we do use that button a lot due to our allergy reaction to bad exhaust from cars, which seems to be most of the time. I'm trying to find others who have had this problem in the past or are now suffering from this problem. If you've had this problem and found a solution to the problem, could you please let me know "how" it was resolved? We have tried everything and have tried to be patient as our Honda repair shop mgr. seems to have put out an honest effort to help us, but to no avail. We know that we can no longer live with this continual odor problem, and fear another odyssey could have the same problem. Any suggestions of a solution that someone with a similar problem has had success with?????? Thanks.

stever

Try an Advanced Search for "mold odor" or similar for past posts like this one:

quickdtoo "Chevy Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Oldsmobile Bravada" Jul 29, 2003 12:40pm

Make sure you rule out wet carpet too.

Steve, Host

khoa

Beside bad battery, your charging system could be faulty.

paddy_tran

I used my home link button to open my garage door (Ody 03) ever since I got the van. Last week I changed the code of the garage door opener, the weird thing was that the homelink button automatically updated its code also. I change the code again and the homelink button updated to the new code again without my reprogramming the homelink button.
How does it know what code to update to? The only way I can think of is that the Ody detected new code when I was testing the handheld transmitter to test the new code. To me this is bad.
Some other Ody visit my place can pick up my code.
Or my Ody can pick up someone else code and I could not open my garage anymore.

Has anyone experienced this ?

Thanks.
Pad.

grandtotal

Not sure I understand exactly what you are doing, but it sounds like you have a numeric keypad that you can use to open your garage door from outside. If that's the case and you are changing the numeric code that you use to open the garage door, then all you are doing when you change the code is re-programming the garage door opener to accept a different code from the numeric keypad opener. You have not changed anything to do with the Homelink settings and so the Homelink opener continues to open the door. I don't think you need be concerned about another vehicle with Homelink being able to open your garage door.

sbpceap

My '03 Ody had some odor, especially after rain, but it turned out to be some wetness in the carpet between the rubber Weathertec mat and the door sill. Moisture trapped in carpet under rubber mats can create odors. If I remember correctly, there is a spray sold in automotive stores that you spray into intake vents under windshield outside car to run it thru A/C vents, to kill mold and odors. I also turn off A/C in hot weather 4 to 5 minutes before I reach destination, so that the vents warm up and do not attract condensation which promotes mold, mildew.

paddy_tran

Thanks for answering my message Grandtotal. My garage door opener does not have keypad outside, just 2 wireless transmitters. Here is how it happened.

1. I pushed and hold the reciever button to clear all codes.

2. I pressed on each transmitter to confirmed that codes were clear. Of course the door would not open since the transmitters did not have the right code. SO at this point the old code was inactive.

3. I hold both reciever and transmitter buttons down to program new code. Now one transmitter had new code and it could open the door. The other one had old code and would not open the door. I programmed the second one also.

4. Now the weird thing happened. The home link, which still had old code, could still open the door. I had not done anything to it yet.

5. I repeated step 1 to 4 the next day and got the same result.

What I think the homelink system picked up the new code as I was re-programming the two handheld transmitters.

Thanks again.

phil47

At step 2, try using your homelink transmitter in the Ody to see if it still works even though your portable units don't.

daveo7

Hi there,
New to the group, hope you can help. I'm looking to save a buck (actually $100) by installing the outside sliding door handle on the passenger side of my '99 Odyssey. I know the inside plastic panel must be removed, and I'm a final step away from doing that. Do you know how I remove the actual black, verticle handle that opens and closes on the inside, to then remove the panel, thus getting to the "back side" screws of the outside handle?

Hope you can help..
Thanks,
Dave

chihsheng

I have a keypad garage door control outside the
garage. The combinatin code change on that keypad won't impact any remote control unit. The homelink sys. of Odyssey learns the code from the remote control system instead of keypad.

pymm

I searched through past discussions for this problem and realize I may be dealing with EGR problem (whatever that means).

My van is a 2001 model with about 40,000 miles. It is not under warranty.

Immediately after I filled up with gas about 3 weeks ago, both the CEL and TCS lights came on and stayed on. I pulled over, referred to the manual, continued driving thinking the lights were a response to a fillup (even though I DID screw the gas cap back on tightly).

After about 30 minutes of driving, both lights went out.

Then, just yesterday, the CEL came back on with half a tank of gas in the tank and has stayed on. The TCS light has not come back on.

I plan to call the dealer on Monday morning about the problem, but I want to know if any of you can advise me what I might ask the dealer to do and whether or not there are any TSB's or other memos on this issue. I would like to be able to refer to them when I go to the dealer. I tried one website to look for such, but couldn't find anything.

Regardless of the fact I am no longer under warranty, I am prepared to advocate for a free fix if this issue is serious. I read some about some owner "quick fixes," but I'm not sure I have the capability of any mechanical tinkering on my own. I would be very nervous about trying to fix this on my own.

 Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

auburn63

If it does turn out to be a EGR(exhaust gas recerculation) problem certain 01s did get covered under warranty but they had too within a certain VIN...2001 Odyssey – From VIN 2HKRL18..1H500001 thru 2HKRL18..1H586575 would be covered under warranty extension if it had a P0401 code on the computer. However there are several things it could be that would not fall under this so you will need to get the code first then go from there, some have said places like Autozone and maybe even PEP boys pull codes for free. try that and post the code and I can tell you what it is and if there is a quick fix or not...Good luck

pymm

Thanks, auburn63. I checked and my van DOES fall into those VIN numbers you provided. Was I supposed to get notice of a warranty extension? I didn't. I did get extended warranty for the automatic transmission.

I will have the code pulled and get back to you for further advice. Thanks again.

auburn63

Well you should have recieved a letter but if not you will not need it as your VIN will be on Hondas computers and report sheet.

pymm

auburn63, hate to bother you again, but today (Sunday) the CEL has gone off. Will they still be able to pull the code tomorrow? Or is that only possible if and when the CEL is on? Thanks.

merscwog

I finally got an A/V cable compatible with my camcorder to output video and audio for testing purposes. I also discovered the video cable for our digital camera, and used that for testing also.

As a recap, all previously tested inputs to the aux jacks for the LCD screen in our Honda Odyssey produced ghosting images, or diagonal banding effects.

1) Camcorder on batteries, with mini-plug to RCA cables output produces ghost image, which as expected gets worse when the audio (red and white) cables are also plugged into the aux jack.

2) Digital camera (also using the battery) has a special cable with a yellow RCA output that looks great on a television, but alas still produces a ghost image on the LCD screen in the Odyssey. With no audio cables though, it only has the one ghost image instead of several.

So I have one final test to conduct once my power inverter arrives, and that's to see what the Nintendo GameCube and VCR output looks like using that.

So far, the best image I've been able to get through the aux jacks is using the GameCube and a lighter adapter, as there is no ghosting, but simply annoying diagonal banding. This really implies to me a grounding problem, that is still slightly there even when directly using the vehicle ground on the power source.

As the last two tests involved devices with just batteries, and the ghosting still occurred, I'm starting to think there is little that can be done to correct the issue without messing with the internal wiring of the vehicle.

-merscwog

user777

If it were me, I'd call Honda again about the ghost imaging.

If you're using a Digital Camcorder on batteries with a supplied cable, I'd tend to think its the design of the unit with the aux input. Is the car wiring at fault? I don't know.

Not owning one of these units myself, does it take S-Video as an input? If so, did you try that?

When you call, ask them what sources *should* work.

It's interesting. Maybe I'm mistaken but in the recent Nissan Quest commercial, the one with the ladies during their night out while the husband is at home with the kids watching the clock, someone in the front passenger seat is using a portable camcorder.

In the back, I *think* they are viewing it on the drop down unit.

Certainly, the aux input should allow the use of a camcorder source. The unit doesn't seem very valuable if it can't do that. I would think it would be the perfect way for a family to review some past event...

stever

'99 rolling hazard fyi:

stevedebi "CR-V Owners: Problems & Solutions" Nov 3, 2003 3:19pm

Steve, Host

auburn63

you probably know by now but the code should still be there but the problem is not at this point..Once the system ran another self check on the system it passed..

sortiz1352

I have a new 2004 Honda Odyssey EX. Is there any way to program the door locks to automatically lock when car is started or vehicle starts moving??

Also, have been hassling with dealer about add on dealer installed security system - they charged us $ 450 for "enhanced security system" with numerous features, come to find out that they installed a simple shock sensor only. They say that factory installed system has all the necessary features including starter disable, siren, auto-arm. But manual says security system only has alarm for CD-audio theft and basic horn honk for forced entry without a key. What gives?? I'm ready to ask for my money back.

Thanks for advice

Smokey

merscwog

> If it were me, I'd call Honda again about the ghost imaging.

Ah, well they made it clear that any ghosting problems are an issue with my 3rd party devices.

> Not owning one of these units myself, does it take S-Video as an input? If so, did you try that?

It does not have an S-Video input, or I'd definitely try that. Although I suspect the DVD player in the vehicle probably uses one to connect to the display.

> When you call, ask them what sources *should* work.

I did ask them that question, and they said only authorized Honda accessories would be guaranteed to work. And of course, my follow up question was answered with, "no, there are no current Honda accessories that make use of the AUX jacks".

> Certainly, the aux input should allow the use of a camcorder source. The unit doesn't seem very valuable if it can't do that. I would think it would be the perfect way for a family to review some past event...

I agree, but it appears to be a feature that simply doesn't work all that well. If you read back through my previous messages, you'll see that my service record claims 3 other Odysseys exhibited the same behavior. I haven't been able to verify that myself yet, but I'm tempted to (as I have reason to not believe everything my service manager tells me, but that's a different story).

-merscwog

raygur1957

I also just got a 2004 EX about 5 weeks ago and asked the same question about reprogramming the door locks to lock when the car is put into gear, during my 1000 mile service. I was told this cannot be done. I was told that the power sliding doors do lock themselves once closed though. You have to manually lock the driver and passenger doors.

I know you can buy an aftermarket alarm that will lock all your doors when you turn the ignition on, but I wouldn't want to mess with that especially while you are under warranty.

I did not purchase an "enhanced security alarm" for my Ody. I have the factory installed alarm with the starter disable, auto-arm and siren.

picapiexe

My Odyssey is an '03 with 11,600 miles on it. I've had this hesitation or bucking problem almost from the start. It's a problem that is totally random -- you can't induce it-- except it happens between 40 and 50 mph. On occasion it will happen in a rapid series of 2 or 3 over a 3 to 5 second span. Kind of worrysome to lose power in traffic.
After tying the van up at the dealer for more than a week the problem was diagnosed as a faulty EGR valve. A new EGR was installed, but the problem persisted. I was told that Honda had a batch of faulty EGR valves in their system and another EGR valve was installed. The problem persists. Honda flew a field engineer out to examine the vehicle, and after a test drive of 126 miles, he pronounce the vehicle "performing as designed", and the van was returned to me. I had been carefully recording dates, mileage,speed and tachometer reading on these occurrences and find that they were totally random, with "gaps" of as much as 339 miles between them, so his 100 mile uneventful drive was meaningless. I've given up on Honda and have started Lemon Law proceedings as I see this as a real safety issue.

doncas

Have you considered bad gasoline as the problem? If you can correlate purchase of gas at a certain station with the hesitation that may explain your problem. I know this is a long shot but just wanted to add my opinion.

user777

FWIW: depending on your willingness to get into this and incurr more frustration, maybe you could ask the dealership to tell you who manufactures the display unit for Honda, and if they don't know, have then dismount it and look inside to obtain a manufacturers name, or call Honda again and tell them you're a glutton for researching the issue, then contact the manufacturer directly as to possible causes.

also, forgive me, one question: have you tried a really good VCR with an excellently shielded RCA video cable (I mean one of quality) so you could eliminate the possibility your source, even the camcorder on battery is the source of significant RF that it's being picked up second source on the units component board traces, or a cable run from the control unit to the display?

here's what i'm thinking...most A/V equipment have some form of selector switch that tells the display unit as to which source to use. is this the case with your unit, or does the unit just "select" the source with the stronger signal? i'd be curious to know that too.

I appologize, I'm just grasping at straws. Your dealer confirmed several cars exhibited the same problem. now maybe, if you knew who made the unit that Honda is packaging in their car, you could make further progress sense you seem to have hit a brick wall?

picapiexe

Wish the problem was as simple as bad gas. The problem goes back to April of '03 and continues to date. Obviously a wide range of fuels were used over that time span. This is our third Odyssey. We had a "00, an '02 and now this '03. The first two were great, but this one is a lemmon. I don't want to be driving it..merging with traffic on an Interstate entrance ramp.. and suddenly lose power.
picapiexe

bori1

Hi,i own a 95 odyssey and this problem just started happening as i woke up in the morning and my car battery was dead. i noticed that with the key completely out of the ignition my ac climate control unit will still turn on and the lights on the climate control 2 arre on and this is with the key out of the ignition so obviuosly that was the parasite that killed my battery. Does n1 have any solutiion to my problem? I just graduated from Lincoln tech institute and have very little experience out in the field so please help. also just noticed that the abs system is making some kind of loud buzzing noise?

merscwog

I've tried an internet search previously to find out the manufacturer of the LCD unit (as I wanted to determine what the actual resolution was) and could not find anything. Maybe a cold call to Honda might work, as I suspect the unit has no manufacturer information on it anywhere.

I tried several different grades of cable, with the same results, so it doesn't appear to be a RF interference problem -- especially since the ghosted images are exact but right-shifted replicas of the orginal image. (I even have one with an RF shield on it just like on a computer monitor, and it didn't change a thing)

> here's what i'm thinking...most A/V equipment have some form of selector switch that tells the display unit as to which source to use. is this the case with your unit, or does the unit just "select" the source with the stronger signal? i'd be curious to know that too.

Hmm, that makes me realize that there is yet another test that I haven't conducted yet. Playing a DVD while there is a device hooked into the RCA AUX jacks (both on and off) On should result in interesting results, but I'm wondering if the circuits created by just having an off device are enough to cause ghosting when playing a DVD.

Again, thanks for the suggestions.

Whoa, I just found a message on a yahoo message board that I hadn't seen before. Looks like I'm not the only one. I'm going to have to track this person down and compare notes.

> From: "rsilberfarb" <rsilberfarb@m...>
> Date: Tue Jul 8, 2003 2:05 pm
> Subject: AUX input for Factory DVD system
>
> I have a 2003 EX-L DVD and am having an issue with the AUX input.
> I have tried both a digital camcorder and Nintendo Gamecube, and
> both show up very fuzzy on the screen. I took it to the dealer and
> they were no help. Has anyone else experienced this?

-merscwog

abiggie

When my Odyssey's mileage was significantly less than the 36,000 mile warranty limit, the air conditioner failed. The Honda dealer refused to fix it at no cost under warranty because it was 40 months after delivery, 4 months after Honda's warranty period. It was hot and humid, so I had the air conditioner fixed.
    The NHTSA web site shows Honda knew about air conditioner compressor failure when it issued a service bulletin in May 2002. Because REPUTABLE companies have fixed known defects at no cost when vehicles have been completely out of warranty, I thought Honda Corporation would reimburse costs to repair the air conditioner. So I wrote Honda at their corporate headquarters in California. On October 8, Honda called me and very politely told me they have no obligation to cover the costs, regardless of the fact Odyssey mileage was less than the 36,000 mileage warranty limit. The fact that the air conditioner compressor failure was a known problem was irrelevant.
Now, my sliding door does not automatically close properly. My Oddysey is still 2,000 miles under the Honda 36,000 mile warranty limit, but Honda has already told me their position on fixing defects that are out of time warranty, which I think is quite disgraceful for a so-called high quality and reputable company to take. I have to push the rear of the door very hard to make sure it is closed properly. Does anyone have a suggestion to fix it? Is there any special lubrication that would work? I don't want to pay Honda another substantial diagnosis fee when a simple fix may take care of another Honda defect.