manual transmission Acura RSX 2003 Owner's Manual

2003 RSX 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
Owner's Identification Form

Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safety ........................................................................\
......................................... ii
Your Car at a Glance ........................................................................\
................................................... 2
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
...................................... 5
Proper use and care of your car's seat belts, and Supplemental Restraint\
System.
Instruments and Controls ........................................................................\
......................................... 57
Instrument panel indicator and gauge, and how to use da shboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features ........................................................................\
...................... 101
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
.......................................................... 153
What gasoline to use, how to break -in your new car, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
...................................................................... 167
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance ........................................................................\
............................................................. 193
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your car to the\
dealer.
Appearance Care ........................................................................\
...................................................... 253
Tips on cl eaning and protecting your car. Things to look for if your car ever need\
s body repairs.
Taking Care of the Unexpected ........................................................................\
.............................. 261
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, and\
how to handle them.
Technical Information ........................................................................\
............................................. 287
ID numbers, dim ensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada) ................................................................301
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only) ........................................................................\
.............................. 306
How to order manuals and other technical li terature.
Index........................................................................\
........................................................................\
...... I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
5-speed and 6-speed manual
transmissions and automatic
transmission. It also the includes
important inf ormation on parking
your car, the braking system, and
f acts you need if you are planning to
tow a trailer.........................
Preparing to Drive .168
.......................
Starting the Engine .169
Starting in Cold Weather ....................
at High Altitude .169
5-speed and 6-speed .........
Manual Transmissions . 170
.....
Recommended Shif t Points . 171
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 171
.......................
Reverse Lockout .172
..............
Automatic Transmission . 173
.
Shif t Lever Position Indicator . 173
................
Shif t Lever Positions . 173
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 178
....................
Shif t Lock Release . 179
...........................................
Parking .180
.....................
The Braking System .181
.............
Brake Wear Indicators . 181
...............
Brake System Design . 182
.......................
Anti-lock Brakes .182
Important Saf ety .........................
Reminders .183
........................
ABS Indicator .183
...............
Driving in Bad Weather . 184
...........................
Towing a Trailer .186
Driving
Driving167

If the engine does not start within
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 4 with the
accelerator pedal pressed half-way
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race.
If the engine still does not start,
press the accelerator pedal all the
way down and hold it there while
starting in order to clear f looding.
As bef ore, keep the ignition key in
the START (III) position f or no
more than 15 seconds. Return to
step 5 if the engine does not start.
If it starts, lif t your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal so the engine
does not race.
Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. If the engine
does not start right away, do not
hold the key in START (III) f or
more than 15 seconds at a time.
Pause f or at least 10 seconds
bef ore trying again.
An engine is harder to start in cold
weather. The thinner air f ound at
high altitude above 8,000 f eet (2,400 meters) adds to the problem.
Use the f ollowing procedure:
Turn of f all electrical accessories
to reduce the drain on the battery.
Push the accelerator pedal half-
way to the f loor and hold it there
while starting the engine. Do not
hold the ignition key in START
(III) f or more than 15 seconds.
When the engine starts, release
the accelerator pedal gradually as
the engine speeds up and smooths
out.
If the engine fails to start in step 2,
push the accelerator pedal to the
f loor and hold it there while you
try to start the engine for no more
than 15 seconds. If the engine
does not start, return to step 2.
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way. START (III) does not
f unction unless the clutch pedal is
depressed.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.
1.
2.
3.
4. 5.
6.
1.
2.
3.
Manual Transmission:
Automatic Transmission:
Starting the Engine
Driving
Starting in Cold Weather at High
A ltitude (A bove 8,000 f eet/
2,400 meters)
169

The manual transmission is syn-
chronizedinallforwardgearsfor
smooth operation. It has a lockout so
you cannot shift directly from Fifth
to Reverse. When shif ting up or
down,makesureyoupushtheclutch
pedal down all the way, shift to the
next gear, and let the pedal up
gradually. When you are not shif ting,
do not rest your f oot on the clutch
pedal. This can cause your clutch to
wear out faster.When slowing down, you can get
extra braking f rom the engine by
shifting to a lower gear. This extra
braking can help you maintain a safe
speed and prevent your brakes f rom
overheating while going down a
steep hill. Bef ore downshif ting,
make sure engine speed will not go
into the tachometer’s red zone in the
lower gear. Come to a full stop before you shift
into Reverse. You can damage the
transmission by trying to shif t into
Reverse with the car moving. Push
down the clutch pedal, and pause f or
a f ew seconds bef ore shif ting into
Reverse, or shif t into one of the
f orward gears f or a moment. This
stops the gears so they won’t ‘‘grind.’’
Driving
5-speed and 6-speed Manual T ransmissions
170
Rapid slowing or speeding-up
can cause loss of control on
slippery surfaces. If you crash,
you can be injured.
Use extra care when driving on
slippery surfaces.

The 6-speed manual transmission
has an electric lockout so you cannot
accidentally shif t f rom Fif th to
Reverse instead of Sixth. If you
cannot shif t to Reverse when the car
is stopped:If you are still unable to shif t to
Reverse, apply the parking brake
and turn the ignition key to
ACCESSORY (I) or LOCK (0).
Depress the clutch pedal and shif t
to Reverse.
With the clutch pedal still de-
pressed, start the engine.
If you need to use this procedure to
shif t to Reverse, your car may be
developing a problem. Have the car
checked by your Acura dealer.
With the clutch pedal depressed,
move the shift lever to the First/
Second gear side of the Neutral
gate, then shif t to Reverse.
1. 2.
3.
4.
Driving
5-speed and 6-speed Manual T ransmissions
Reverse Lockout
172

The shift lever has five positions. It
must be in Park or Neutral to start
the engine. When you are stopped in
D, D , N, R or the manual mode,
press firmly on the brake pedal and
keep your f oot of f the accelerator
pedal.
Your Acura’s transmission has f ive
f orward speeds, and is electronically
controlled f or smoother shif ting. It
also has a ‘‘lock-up’’ torque converter
forbetterfueleconomy.Youmay
f eel what seems like another shif t
when the converter locks.
This indicator on the instrument
panel shows which position the shif t
lever is in.
The ‘‘D’’ indicator comes on f or a
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch ON (II). If it f lashes
at any time (in any shif t position), it
indicates a possible problem in the
transmission. Avoid rapid
acceleration and have the
transmission checked by an
authorized Acura dealer as soon as
possible.
3
CONT INUED
Shif t L ever Position Indicator Shif t L ever Positions
Automatic Transmission
Driving173
SHIFT LEVER

µ
´µ
With
the shif t lever in ‘‘D’’ position, you
can select the Sequential SportShif t
Mode to shif t gears; much like a
manual transmission, but without a
clutch pedal. When you accelerate away f rom a
stop, the transmission will be in f irst
gear. The transmission will not
automatically upshift. Watch the
tachometer and upshif t manually
bef ore the engine reaches redline.
The transmission remains in the
selectedgear(5,4,3,2,or1).There
is no automatic downshif t when you
push the accelerator pedal to the
f loor.
To enter the Sequential SportShif t
Mode, move the shif t lever f urther to
the driver’s side. To return to ‘‘D’’,
move the shift lever to the
passenger’s side.
When you move the shif t lever f rom
‘‘D’’ to the Sequential SportShift
mode, the display shows the selected
gear.
In Sequential SportShif t mode, each
time you push f orward on the shif t
lever the transmission will shif t to a
higher gear. Pull back on the lever to
downshif t. The number of the gear
selected is displayed on the
instrument panel (see page ).
227Sequent ial Sport Shif t Mode
Automatic Transmission
Driving176
Up shift
Down shift

൵
ൠµ
à
à
à
à
à
à
Downshif ting gives you more power
when climbing or provides engine
braking when going down a steep hill.
If you try to manually downshif t at a
speed that would cause the engine to
exceed the redline in a lower gear,
the transmission will not downshif t.
Thegearindicatorwillflashthe
numberof thelowergearseveral
times, then return to the higher gear.
If the car speed slows to below the
redline of the selected lower gear
position while the indicator is
f lashing, the transmission will
downshif t and the display will show
the selected lower gear.
The transmission will also shif t
automatically as the car comes to a
complete stop. It will downshif t to
f irst gear when the car speed is
under 6 mph (10 km/h).
The transmission may automatically
downshif t f rom the higher gear to
the lower gear under the f ollowing
conditions:
If you drive uphill between54:4533mph
(72 52 km/h)
43:3320mph
(52 32 km/h)
The car speeds drops below
5 4:33mph(52km/h)
4 3:20mph(32km/h) Thetableshowsthespeedranges
f or upshif ting and downshif ting.
If you press the brake pedal as you
drive downhill. To shift from
12
23
34
45 Speed range
over 0 mph (0 km/h)
over 6 mph (10 km/h)
over 20 mph (32 km/h)
over 33 mph (52 km/h)
Automatic Transmission
Driving177

µMake sure the moonroof and the
windows are closed.
Turn of f the lights.
Make sure the parking brake is f ully
released bef ore driving away.
Driving with the parking brake
partially set can overheat or damage
the rear brakes.
Always use the parking brake when
you park your car. The indicator on
the instrument panel shows that the
parking brake is not f ully released; it
does not indicate that the parking
brakeisfirmlyset.Makesurethe
parking brake is set f irmly or your
car may roll if it is parked on an
incline.
If your car has an automatic
transmission, set the parking brake
bef ore you put the transmission in
Park.Thiskeepsthecarfrom
moving and putting pressure on the
parking mechanism in the
transmission making it easier to
move the shift lever out of Park
when you want to drive away. If the car is f acing uphill, turn the
f ront wheels away f rom the curb. If
you have a manual transmission, put
it in f irst gear.
If the car is f acing downhill, turn the
f ront wheels toward the curb. If you
have a manual transmission, put it in
reverse gear.
Place any packages, valuables, etc.,
in the cargo area or take them
with you.
Never park over dry leaves, tall
grass, or other f lammable
materials. The three way catalytic
converter gets very hot, and could
cause these materials to catch on
fire. Lock the doors.
Parking T ips
Parking
Driving180

Follow all normal precautions when
parking, including f irmly setting the
parking brake and putting the
transmission in Park (automatic) or
in 1st or Reverse (manual). Also,
place wheel chocks at each of the
trailer’s tires.
Always drive slowly and have
someone guide you when backing up.
Grip the of the steering
wheel; then turn the wheel to the lef t
to get the trailer to move to the lef t,
andturnthewheelrighttomovethe
trailer to the right. Crosswinds and air turbulence
caused by passing trucks can disrupt
your steering and cause trailer
swaying. When being passed by a
large vehicle, keep a constant speed
and steer straight ahead. Do not try
to make quick steering or braking
corrections.
If you must stop when f acing uphill,
use the f oot brake or parking brake.
Do not try to hold the vehicle in
placebypressingontheaccelerator,
as this can cause the automatic
transmission to overheat.
When driving down hills, reduce
your speed and shif t down to 2nd
gear. Do not ‘‘ride’’ the brakes, and
remember it will take longer to slow
downandstopwhentowingatrailer.
bottom Parking
Backing Up
Handling Crosswinds and Buf f et ing
Towing a Trailer
Driving192