fuel Acura MDX 2005 Owner's Manual

2005 MDX Online Reference Owner's Manual
Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through\
this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.h\
elminc.com.
Contents

Introduction ........................................................................\
............................................................... i
A Few Words About Safety........................................................................\
........................................ ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
........................................... 4
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
.................................... 7
Seat belts, SRS, and child protection.
Instruments and Controls........................................................................\
......................................... 57
Indicators, gauges, dashboard, and steering column.
Features ........................................................................\
..................................................................... 105
Climate, audio, rear entertainment, steering wheel, secruity, cruise con\
trol, HomeLink and Onstar
Before Driving........................................................................\
.......................................................... 185
Fuel, vehicle break-in, and cargo loading.
Driving ........................................................................\
..................................................................... . 197
Engine and transmission operation.
Maintenance........................................................................\
............................................................. 227
Schedules, fluid checking, minor services, and vehicle storage.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
.............................. 259
Flat tire, dead battery, overheating, fuses.
Technical Information........................................................................\
............................................ . 281
Vehicle specifications, tires, fuels, and emissions controls.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)................................................................ 295
Warranty and contact information.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
.............................. 299
How to order.
Index........................................................................\
........................................................................\
..... I
Service Information Summary
Fluid capacities and tire pressures.
Important Handling Information. ........................................................................\
................... iii

Your Vehicle at a Glance
4
POWER DOOR LOCK
SWITCHES
MIRROR
CONTROLSPOWER WINDOW
SWITCHES
HOOD RELEASE
HANDLE FUEL FILL DOOR
RELEASE PARKING BRAKE
PEDAL REAR A/C CONTROL ACCESSORY POWER SOCKET GLOVE BOX AUDIO SYSTEM
CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM
GAUGES (P.68)
(P.82)
(P.96)
(P.92)
(P.188) (P.187) (P.94) (P.111)
(P.104)(P.102) (P.112)
(P.106)
(P.93)
MOONROOF
INSTRUMENT PANEL (P. 59)

Control L ocations
58
MIRROR
CONTROLS
HOOD RELEASE
HANDLEPARKING BRAKE
PEDALREAR A/C CONTROL ACCESSORY POWER SOCKET GLOVE BOX AUDIO SYSTEM
CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM
GAUGES
POWER DOOR LOCK
SWITCHES
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHES FUEL FILL DOOR
RELEASE
INSTRUMENT PANEL (P.
59)
(P.68)
(P.82)
(P.96)
(P.92)
(P.188) (P.187) (P.94) (P.111)
(P.104)(P.102) (P.112)
(P.106)
MOONROOF (P.93)

Î
The U.S. instrument panel is shown. Dif f erences f or the Canadian models are noted in the text.
CONT INUED
Instrument Panel
Inst rument s and Cont rols
59
VEHICLE STABILITY ASSIST
SYSTEM (VSA) INDICATOR
MALFUNCTION INDICATOR
LAMP
LOW OIL PRESSURE
INDICATOR
IMMOBILIZER SYSTEM
INDICATORSUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT
SYSTEM INDICATOR
DOOR AND TAILGATE
OPEN MONITOR
TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR
LOW FUEL INDICATOR LIGHTS ON
INDICATOR
WASHER LEVEL
INDICATOR
SEAT BELT
REMINDER
INDICATOR PARKING
BRAKE AND
BRAKE
SYSTEM
INDICATOR
TPMS INDICATOR
LOW TIRE PRESSURE
INDICATOR
BRAKE LAMP
INDICATOR
VSA ACTIVATION
INDICATOR SIDE AIRBAG OFF
INDICATOR
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM
INDICATOR
CRUISE CONTROL
INDICATOR
HIGH BEAM INDICATOR
MAINTENANCE
REQUIRED
INDICATOR
VTM-4 INDICATOR
A/T TEMPERATURE
INDICATOR CHARGING SYSTEM
INDICATOR (P.273)
(P.60)
(P.60)
(P.67) (P.64)
(P.64) (P.62)/
(P.66)
(P. 63)
(P.65) (P.
62)
(P. 65) (P.
61)
(P.66)
(P.
66)
(P.60)
(P.60) (P.64) (P.63)
(P.61) (P.
60)
(P.63)
(P.63) (P.
61)

This indicator comes on when you
turn the ignition switch to ON (II)
with the headlight switch off and the
parking brake set. It should go of f if
youturnontheheadlightsorrelease
the parking brake. If it comes on at
any other time, it means there is a
problem with the DRL. There may
also be a problem with the high
beam headlights.
This indicator comes on when you
set the cruise control. See pagef or inf ormation on operating the
cruise control. This indicator comes on with the
high beam headlights. See page
f or inf ormation on the headlight
controls.
On Canadian models, this indicator
comes on with reduced brightness
when the Daytime Running Lights
(DRL) are on (see page ).
This indicator comes on as a
reminder that you must ref uel soon. This indicator comes on when the
washer f luid level is low. Add washer
fluidwhenyouseethisindicator
comes on (see page ).
146 74
76 241
Canadian models only
‘‘Daytime Running
Lights’’ Indicator
Cruise Control Indicator High Beam Indicator
Low Fuel Indicator
Washer Level Indicator
Instrument Panel Indicators
Inst rument s and Cont rols
63

This shows the total distance your
vehicle has been driven. It measures
miles in U.S. models and kilometers
in the Canadian models.
It is illegal under U.S. f ederal law and
Canadian provincial regulations to
disconnect, reset, or alter the
odometer with the intent to change
the number of miles or kilometers
indicated.
This shows how much f uel you have.
It may show slightly more or less
than the actual amount. The needle
returns to the bottom after you turn
of f the ignition.
Gauges
Odometer
Fuel Gauge
68
TACHOMETERTEMPERATURE
GAUGE
FUEL GAUGE
SPEEDOMETER
TRIP METER RESET
BUTTON
TRIP METER
ODOMETER TRIP METER
SELECT
BUTTON
Avoid driving with an extremely low
f uel level. Running out of f uel could
cause the engine to misf ire, damaging
the catalytic converter.

µ´
Trip Computer
Features
149
INSTANTANEOUS
FUEL MILEAGE
CLOCK
BUTTON
TRIP
BUTTON
RESET
BUTTON
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
CONTROL /CALIBRATE BUTTON
/ZONE BUTTONRESET, SET BUTTONCOMPASS
OUTSIDE
TEMPERATURE
CLOCK

Clock
Direction of travel
Outside temperature
Instantaneous f uel mileageTheAvgdisplayshowsyouthe
average f uel economy since you
last reset the display.
The E/T is the elapsed time that
the ignition has been on. It
automatically resets to 0.0 when it
reaches twelve hours. This display
can be reset at any time.
The display also has manual
f unctions f or the Climate Control
System. Ref er to page .
All models of MDX have a trip
computer. To operate the trip
computer on models with the
navigation system, ref er to the
navigation manual.
The Trip Computer displays the
f ollowing inf ormation.
The temperature sensor is located
in the f ront bumper, and can be
affected by heat from the road
surf ace, engine heat, and the
exhaust f rom the surrounding
traf f ic. Because of these
conditions, it may take a while f or
the temperature to read correctly. The Range, or estimated distance
you can travel on the fuel
remaining in the tank estimated
f rom the f uel economy you have
gotten over the last several miles
(kilometers).
The Trip display shows you the
total distance you have driven
since it was last reset.
Press the TRIP button to show either
the range and Avg f uel economy, or
the E/T and Trip odometer.
To reset the Avg f uel economy, E/T,
and Trip odometer, press and hold
the RESET button until you hear a
beep.
The outside temperature, f uel
economy, range, and trip odometer
can be displayed in either English or
Metric units. To change between
units, press the TRIP button and
hold it f or f ive seconds.
106
(Without Navigation System)
Changing and Resetting the
Display
Changing Units of Measurement
Trip Computer
150

Bef ore you begin driving your
vehicle, you should know what
gasoline to use and how to check the
levels of important f luids. You also
need to know how to properly store
luggage or packages. The
inf ormation in this section will help
you. If you plan to add any
accessories to your vehicle, please
read the information in this section
first..............................
Break-in Period .186
...............................
Gasoline Type .186
.........
Service Station Procedures . 187
....................................
Ref ueling .187
Opening and Closing the ........................................
hood .188
...................................
Oil Check .189
.............
Engine Coolant Check . 190
...............................
Fuel Economy .190
...
Accessories and Modif ications . 191
.............................
Carrying Cargo .193
Bef ore Driving
Bef ore Driving
185

Help assure your vehicle’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
Do not change the oil until the
scheduled maintenance time. Avoidhardbrakingforthefirst
200 miles (300 km).
Do not tow a trailer.
You should also f ollow these
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are replaced. Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance,
and cause the Malfunction Indicator
Lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contact
your authorized Acura dealer f or
service.
Some gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol or
MTBE. Your vehicle is designed to
operate on oxygenated gasoline
containing up to 10 percent ethanol
by volume and up to 15 percent
MTBE by volume. Do not use
gasoline containing methanol.
If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline.
For f urther important f uel-related
inf ormation, please ref er to your
Quick Start Guide.
Use of a gasoline with a pump octane
less than 86 can lead to engine
damage.
In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend, in areas where it is
available, the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain manganese-based
f uel additives such as MMT. Your vehicle is designed to operate
on premium unleaded gasoline with a
pump octane number of 91 or higher.
Useof aloweroctanegasolinecan
cause occasional metallic knocking
noises in the engine and will result in
decreased engine perf ormance.
We recommended using a quality
gasoline containing detergent
additives that help prevent fuel
system and engine deposits.
Break-in Period
Fuel Recommendation
Break-in Period, Fuel Recommendation
186