light Acura RSX 2003 Service Manual

You can use the instrument panel
brightness control dial to adjust the il-
lumination of the audio system (see
page ). The audio system
illuminates when the parking lights
are on, even if the radio is turned of f .
Those bands cover these f requen-
cies:
AM band:
530 to 1,710 kilohertz
FM band:
87.7 to 107.9 megahertz
Radio stations on the AM band are
assigned f requencies at least ten
kilohertz apart (530, 540, 550).
Stations on the FM band are
assigned f requencies at least 0.2
megahertz apart (87.9, 88.1, 88.3).Stations must use these exact
f requencies. It is f airly common f or
stations to round-of f the f requency in
their advertising, so your radio could
display a f requency of 100.9 even
though the announcer may identif y
the station as ‘‘FM101.’’
A radio station’s signal gets weaker
as you get f arther away f rom its
transmitter. If you are listening to an
AM station, you will notice the sound
volume becoming weaker, and the
stationdriftinginandout.If youare
listening to an FM station, you will
see the stereo indicator f lickering of f
and on as the signal weakens.
Eventually, the stereo indicator willgo of f and the sound will f ade
completely as you get out of range of
the station’s signal.
Driving very near the transmitter of
a station that is broadcasting on a
f requency close to the f requency of
the station you are listening to can
also af f ect your radio’s reception.
You may temporarily hear both
stations,orhearonlythestationyou
are close to.
How well your Acura’s radio receives
stations is dependent on many
f actors, such as the distance f rom
the station’s transmitter, nearby
large objects, and atmospheric
conditions.
Your Acura’s radio can receive the
complete AM and FM bands. 70
A udio System L ighting
Radio Frequencies
Radio Reception
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures131

Û
The ignition switch must be in
ACCESSORY (I) or ON (II).
Make sure the tape opening on the
cassette is facing to the right, then
insert the cassette most of the way
into the slot. The system will pull it
in the rest of the way, and begin to
play.
The tape direction indicator will light
to show you which side of the
cassette is playing. The indicates
thesideyouinsertedfacingupward
is now playing. If you want to play
the other side, press the PROG
button. If you turn the system of f while a
tape is playing, either with the PWR/
VOL knob or by turning of f the
ignition, the cassette will remain in
the drive. When you turn the system
back on, the tape will begin playing
where it lef t of f .
To switch to the radio or CD
changer while listening to a tape,
presstheAM,FMorCDbutton.To
change back to the cassette player,
press the TAPE button.
Dolby noise reduction turns on when
you insert a cassette. The indi-
cator will light in the display. If the
tape was not recorded with Dolby
noise reduction, turn it of f by
pressing the button.
Noise reduction remains of f until you
turn it on by pressing the button
again.
You can remove the cassette with
the ignition switch in any position,
even if the audio system is turned of f . When the system reaches the end of
the tape, it will automatically reverse
direction and play the other side. If
you want to remove the cassette
f rom the drive, press the EJECT
button.
Operating the Cassette Player
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures133

The cassette player picks up dirt and
oxides f rom the tape. This contami-
nation builds up over time and
causes the sound quality to degrade.
To prevent this, you should clean the
player af ter every 30 hours of use.
Your dealer has a cleaning kit
available.
If you do not clean the cassette
player regularly, it may eventually
become impossible to remove the
contamination with a normal
cleaning kit.
Use 100-minute or shorter cassettes.
Cassettes longer than that use
thinner tape that may break or jam
the drive.When they are not in use, store
cassettes in their cases to protect
them f rom dust and moisture. Never
place cassettes where they will be
exposed to direct sunlight, high heat,
or high humidity. If a cassette is
exposed to extreme heat or cold, let
it reach a moderate temperature
bef ore inserting it in the player.
Never try to insert f oreign objects
into the cassette player.If you see the error indication
‘‘ ’’ on the display, press the
EJECT button to remove the
cassette from the unit. Make sure
thetapeisnotdamaged.If the
cassette will not eject or the error
indication stays on after the cassette
ejects, take the car to your Acura
dealer.
If the label is peeling of f , remove it
from the cassette or it could cause
the cassette to jam in the player.
Never try to insert a warped or
damaged cassette in the player. Look at the cassette before you
insert it. If the tape is loose, tighten
it by turning a hub with a pencil or
your f inger.
Caring f or the Cassette Player
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures137

Never try to insert f oreign objects in
the CD player or the magazine. A new CD may be rough on the
inner and outer edges. The small
plastic pieces causing this roughness
can f lake of f and f all on the re-
cording surf ace of the disc, causing
skipping or other problems. Remove
these pieces by rubbing the inner
and outer edges with the side of a
pencil or pen.
To clean a disc, use a clean sof t cloth.
Wipe across the disc f rom the center
to the outside edge. When a CD is not being played, store
it in its case to protect it f rom dust
and other contamination. To prevent
warpage, keep CDs out of direct
sunlight and extreme heat.
Handle a CD by its edges; never
touch either surf ace. Do not place
stabilizer rings or labels on the CD.
These, along with contamination
f rom f ingerprints, liquids, and f elt-tip
pens, can cause the CD to not play
properly, or possibly jam in the drive. Protecting Compact Discs
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures145

Once the security system is set,
opening either door (without using
the key or the remote transmitter),
or the hood, will cause it to alarm. It
also alarms if the radio is removed
f rom the dashboard or the wiring is
cut.Do not attempt to alter this system
or add other devices to it.
The security system sets auto-
matically fifteen seconds after you
lock the doors, hood, and hatch. The
security system indicator on the
instrument panel starts blinking
immediately to show you the system
is setting itself . The security system will not set if
the hood, hatch, or either door is not
f ully closed. If the system will not set,
check the Door Open Indicator on
the instrument panel (see page ),
to see if the doors are f ully closed.
Since they are not part of the
monitor display, manually check the
hood and hatch.
The security system helps to protect
your car and valuables f rom thef t.
The horn sounds and a combination
of headlights, parking lights, side
marker lights and taillights f lashes if
someone attempts to break into your
carorremovetheradio.Thisalarm
continues f or two minutes, then the
alarm stops. To reset an alarming
system bef ore the two minutes have
elapsed, unlock either door with the
key or the remote transmitter.
61
Security System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures148
SECURITY SYSTEM LIGHT

CONT INUED
Accelerate to the desired cruising
speedabove25mph(40km/h). Push in the Cruise Control Master
Switch to the lef t of the steering
column. The indicator in the
switch will light.
Cruise control allows you to maintain
asetspeedabove25mph(40km/h)
without keeping your f oot on the
accelerator pedal. It should be used
f or cruising on straight, open
highways. It is not recommended f or
conditions such as city driving,
winding roads, slippery roads, heavy
rain, or bad weather. You should
have f ull control of the car under
those conditions.
1.
2.
U.S.: Canada: All models
Premium and Type-Smodels only
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
Using t he Cruise Cont rol
149
CRUISE CONTROL MASTER SWITCHImproper use of the cruise
control can lead to a crash.
Use the cruise control only
when traveling on open
highways in good weather.

Press and release the SET/decel
buttononthesteeringwheel.The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel comes on to
show the system is now activated.Thecruisecontrolmaynotholdthe
set speed when you are going up and
down hills. If your speed increases
going down a hill, use the brakes to
slow down to the desired speed. This
will cancel the cruise control. To
resume the set speed, press the
RESUME/accel button. The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel comes on.
When climbing a steep hill, the
automatic transmission may
downshifttoholdthesetspeed.
3.
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures150
RESUME/accel
CANCEL
SET/decel

CONT INUED
You can increase the set cruising
speed in either of two ways:Press and hold the RESUME/
accel button. The car will
accelerate. When you reach the
desired cruising speed, release the
button. You can decrease the set cruising
speed in either of two ways:
Press and hold the SET/decel
button. The car will decelerate.
Release the button when you
reach the desired speed. Even with the cruise control turned
on, you can still use the accelerator
pedal to speed up f or passing. Af ter
completing the pass, take your foot
of f the accelerator pedal. The car
will return to the set cruising speed.
Resting your f oot on the brake or
clutch pedal will cause the cruise
control to cancel.
Tap the brake or clutch pedal
lightly with your f oot. The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel will go out.
When the car slows to the desired
speed, press the SET/decel button.
The car will then maintain the
desired speed. To slow down in very small
amounts, tap the SET/decel
button repeatedly. Each time you
do this, your car will slow down
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
To increase your speed in very
small amounts, tap the RESUME/
accel button repeatedly. Each time
you do this, your car will speed up
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h). Push on the accelerator pedal.
Accelerate to the desired cruising
speed and press the SET/decel
button.
Changing t he Set Speed
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures151

Youcancancelthecruisecontrolin
any of these ways:Tap the brake or clutch pedal. Pressing the Cruise Control Master
Switch turns the system completely
of f and erases the previous cruising
speed f rom memory. To use the
system again, ref er to
.
Push the CANCEL button on the
steering wheel. The system remembers the
previously-set cruising speed. To
return to that speed, accelerate to
above25mph(40km/h),thenpress
the RESUME/accel button. The
CRUISE CONTROL light comes on,
and the car will accelerate to the
same cruising speed as bef ore.
Press the Cruise Control Master
Switch.
When you push the CANCEL button,
or tap the brake or clutch pedal, the
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel will go out and the
car will begin to slow down. You can
use the accelerator pedal in the
normal way.
Cancelling t he Cruise Cont rol
Using t he
Cruise Cont rol
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures152

CONT INUED
Shift to Park or Neutral and set
the parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower lef t corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly.
Screw the f uel f ill cap back on,
tighten it until it clicks several
times. If you do not properly
tighten the cap, the Malfunction
Indicator Lamp may come on (see
page ).
Push the f uel f ill door closed until
it latches.
To f ind the hood latch handle, put
your f ingers under the f ront edge
of the hood just to lef t of center.
Lif t up the hood latch handle until
it releases the hood. Lif t the hood.
1.
2.
5.
6.
276
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
Opening the Hood
157
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE LATCH