Acura RSX 2005 Owner's Manual

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Quality grades can be f ound where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between the tread shoulder and the
maximum section width. For
example: The treadwear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specif ied government
test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and one-
half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded
100. The relative perf ormance of
tires depends upon the actual condi-
tions of their use, however, and may
depart signif icantly f rom the norm
due to variations in driving habits,
service practices, and dif f erences in
road characteristics and climate.The traction grades, f rom highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. Those
grades represent the tire’s ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on
specif ied government test surf aces
of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction
perf ormance.
Warning: The traction grade
assignedtothistireisbasedon
straight-ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak
traction characteristics.
All passenger vehicle tires must
conf orm to Federal Saf ety
Requirements in addition to these
grades. The tires on your vehicle meet all
U.S. Federal Saf ety Requirements.
All tires are also graded f or
treadwear, traction, and temperature
perf ormance according to
Department of Transportation
(DOT) standards. The f ollowing
explains these gradings.
DOT T ire Quality Grading (U.S. Vehicles)
Unif orm T ire Quality Grading
T readwear 200
Traction AA
Temperature A Treadwear
Traction AA, A, B, C
220

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The temperature grades are A (the
highest), B, and C, representing the
tire’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled
conditions on a specif ied indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the material
of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature
can lead to sudden tire f ailure. The
grade C corresponds to a level of
perf ormance, which all passenger
vehicle tires must meet under the
Federal Motor Vehicle Saf ety
Standard No. 109. Grades B and A
represent higher levels of
perf ormance on the laboratory test
wheel than the minimum required by
law. Warning: The temperature grade f or
this tire is established f or a tire that
is properly inf lated and not over-
loaded. Excessive speed, underinf la-
tion, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combination, can
cause heat buildup and possible tire
f ailure.
DOT T ire Quality Grading (U.S. Vehicles)
Temperature A,B,C
T echnical Inf ormation
221

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Rim diameter in inches.
Load index (a numerical code
associated with the maximum
load the tire can carry).
Speed symbol (an
alphabetical code indicating
the maximum speed rating).
The tires that came on your vehicle
have a number of markings. Those
you should be aware of are described
below.
Tire Identif ication Number (TIN) is
a group of numbers and letters that
look like the f ollowing example TIN.
This indicates that the tire
meets all requirements of
the U.S. Department of
Transportation.Manuf acturer’s
identification mark.
Tire type code.
Date of manufacture.
Whenever tires are replaced, they
should be replaced with tires of the
same size. The f ollowing is an
exampleof tiresizewithan
explanation of what each component
means.
Tire construction code (R
indicates radial). Aspect ratio (the tire’s section
height as a percentage of its
width). Tire width in millimeters. Vehicletype(Pindicates
passenger vehicle).
P
55
R V 16
DOT
B97R
FW6X
2202
205 89
Tire Labeling
Tire Size
T ire Ident if icat ion Number
222
DOT B97R FW6X 2202
P205/55R16 89V

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The burning of gasoline in your
vehicle’s engine produces several by-
products. Some of these are carbon
monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen
(NOx) and hydrocarbons (HC).
Gasoline evaporating f rom the tank
also produces hydrocarbons. Con-
trolling the production of NOx, CO,
and HC is important to the environ-
ment. Under certain conditions of
sunlight and climate, NOx and HC
react to f orm photochemical ‘‘smog.’’
Carbon monoxide does not contri-
bute to smog creation, but it is a
poisonous gas.
In Canada, Acura vehicles comply
with the Canadian emission
requirements, as specif ied in an
agreement with Environment
Canada, at the time they are
manuf actured. Your vehicle has a positive
crankcase ventilation system. This
keeps gasses that build up in the
engine’s crankcase f rom going into
the atmosphere. The positive
crankcase ventilation valve routes
them from the crankcase back to the
intake manif old. They are then
drawn into the engine and burned.
As gasoline evaporates in the f uel
tank, an evaporative emissions
control canister f illed with charcoal
adsorbs the vapor. It is stored in this
canister while the engine is of f . Af ter
the engine is started and warmed up,
the vapor is drawn into the engine
and burned during driving.
The United States Clean Air Act
sets standards f or automobile
emissions. It also requires that
automobile manufacturers explain to
owners how their emissions controls
workandwhattodotomaintain
them. This section summarizes how
the emissions controls work.
Scheduled maintenance is on pages
and .
157 158
Emissions Cont rols
Crankcase Emissions Control
System
Evaporative Emissions Control
System
The Clean Air Act
T echnical Inf ormation
223

The onboard ref ueling vapor
recovery (ORVR) system captures
the f uel vapors during ref ueling. The
vapors are adsorbed in a canister
f illed with activated carbon. While
driving, the f uel vapors are drawn
into the engine and burned of f .
The exhaust emissions controls
include three systems: PGM-FI,
ignition timing control, and three
way catalytic converter. These three
systems work together to control the
engine’s combustion and minimize
the amount of HC, CO, and NOx that
comes out the tailpipe. The exhaust
emissions control systems are
separate f rom the crankcase and
evaporative emissions control
systems.The PGM-FI System uses sequential
multiport f uel injection.
It has three subsystems: air intake,
engine control, and f uel control. The
powertrain control module (PCM) in
automatic transmission vehicles or
the engine control module (ECM) in
manual transmission vehicles uses
various sensors to determine how
much air is going into the engine. It
then controls how much f uel to inject
under all operating conditions. The emissions control systems are
covered by warranties separate from
the rest of your vehicle. Read your
warranty manual for more inf orma-
tion. The emissions control systems are
designed and certif ied to work
together in reducing emissions to
levels that comply with the Clean Air
Act. To make sure the emissions
remain low, you should use only new
Acura replacement parts or their
equivalent f or repairs. Using lower
quality parts may increase the
emissions f rom your vehicle.
The three way catalytic converter is
in the exhaust system. Through
chemical reactions, it converts HC,
CO, and NOx in the engine’s exhaust
to carbon dioxide (CO ), nitrogen
(N ), and water vapor. This system constantly adjusts the
ignition timing, reducing the amount
of HC, CO, and NOx produced.
2
2
Emissions Cont rols
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor
Recovery
Exhaust Emissions Controls Replacement PartsPGM-FI Syst em
Three Way Catalytic Converter
Ignit ion T iming Cont rol Syst em
224

The three way catalytic converter
contains precious metals that serve
as catalysts, promoting chemical
reactions to convert the exhaust
gasses without af f ecting the metals.
The catalytic converter is ref erred to
as a three-way catalyst, since it acts
on HC, CO, and NOx. A replacement
unit must be an original Acura part
or its equivalent.
The three way catalytic converter
must operate at a high temperature
for the chemical reactions to take
place. It can set on f ire any com-
bustible materials that come near it.
Parkyourvehicleawayfromhigh
grass, dry leaves, or other f lamma-
bles.A defective three way catalytic
converter contributes to air pollution,
and can impair your engine’s per-
f ormance. Follow these guidelines to
protect your vehicle’s three way
catalytic converter.
Always use unleaded gasoline.
Even a small amount of leaded
gasoline can contaminate the
catalyst metals, making the three
way catalytic converter inef f ective. Keep the engine tuned-up.
Have your vehicle diagnosed and
repaired if it is misf iring, back-
f iring, stalling, or otherwise not
running properly.
Three Way Catalytic Converter
T echnical Inf ormation
225
THREE WAY CATALYTIC CONVERTER

If you take your vehicle f or a state
emissions test shortly af ter the
battery has been disconnected or
gone dead, it may not pass the test.
This is because of certain ‘‘readiness
codes’’ that must be set in the on-
board diagnostics f or the emissions
systems. These codes are erased
when the battery is disconnected,
and set again only after several days
of driving under a variety of
conditions.
If the testing f acility determines that
the readiness codes are not set, you
will be requested to return at a later
date to complete the test. If you must
get the vehicle re-tested within the
next two or three days, you can
condition the vehicle f or retesting by
doing the f ollowing.Make sure the gas tank is nearly,
but not completely, f ull (around
3/4). Make sure the vehicle has been
parked with the engine of f f or 8
hours or more.
Make sure the ambient
temperature is between 20° and
95°F.
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, start the engine, and let it
idle f or 20 seconds.
Keep the vehicle in Park
(automatic transmission) or
Neutral (manual transmission).
Increase the engine speed to 2,000
rpm,andholditthereuntilthe
temperature gauge rises to at least
1/4of thescale(about3minutes).
Select a nearby lightly traveled
major highway where you can
maintain a speed of 50 to 60 mph
(80to97km/h)foratleast20
minutes. Drive on the highway in
D (A/T) or 5th (M/T). Do not usethecruisecontrol.Whentraffic
allows, drive f or 90 seconds
without moving the accelerator
pedal. (Vehicle speed may vary
slightly; this is okay.) If you cannot
do this f or a continuous 90
seconds because of traf f ic
conditions, drive f or at least 30
seconds, then repeat it two more
times (for a total of 90 seconds).
Then drive in city/suburban
traffic for at least 10 minutes.
When traf f ic conditions allow, let
the vehicle coast f or several
seconds without using the
accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal.
If the testing facility determines the
readiness codes are still not set, see
your dealer.
St at e Emissions T est ing
T esting of Readiness Codes
226

Customer Relations................................
Inf ormation .228
....................
Warranty Coverages .229
Reporting Saf ety Def ects ..........................
(U.S. Vehicles) .230
.....................
Authorized Manuals .231
Warranty and Customer Relations
Warrant y and Cust omer Relat ions
227

If you are dissatisf ied with the
decision made by the dealership’s
management, contact the Acura
Customer Relations Of f ice.
U.S. Owners:In Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands:
Bella International Corp.
C-1 Bechara St. Segarra Corner
Puerto Nuevo, Puerto Rico 00920
Tel:(787) 620-7028
When you call or write, please give
us this inf ormation:
Vehicle Identif ication Number
(see page )
Name and address of the dealer
who services your vehicle
Date of purchase
Mileage on your vehicle
Your name, address, and tele-
phone number
A detailed description of the
problem
Name of the dealer who sold the
vehicle to you
Canadian Owners:
Acura dealership personnel are
trained prof essionals. They should
be able to answer all your questions.
If you encounter a problem that your
dealership does not solve to your
satisf action, please discuss it with
the dealership’s management. The
service manager or general manager
can help. Almost all problems are
solved in this way.
217
Cust omer Relat ions Inf ormat ion
228
CUSTOMER RELATIONS
RELATIONS AVEC LA CLIENTÈLE
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Acura Client Services
Mail Stop 500-2N-7E
1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501-2746
Tel: (800) 382-2238 Honda Canada Inc.
715 Milner Avenue
Toronto, ON
M1B 2K8
Tel:1-888-9-ACURA-9
Fax:Toll-free 1-877-939-0909
Toronto (416) 287-4776

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covers your new vehicle, except f or
the battery, emissions control
systems and accessories, against
def ects in materials and
workmanship.
these two
warranties cover your vehicle’s
emissions control systems. Time,
mileage, and coverage are
conditional. Please read your
warranty manual f or exact
inf ormation. a seat
belt that f ails to f unction properly is
covered f or the usef ul lif e of the
vehicle.
all exterior body panels are
covered f or rust-through f rom the
inside f or the specif ied time period
with no mileage limit.
Acura accessories are covered under
this warranty. Time and mileage
limits depend on the type of
accessory and other factors. Please
read your warranty manual f or
details.
covers all Acura
replacement parts against defects in
materials and workmanship. provides prorated
coverage f or a replacement battery
purchased f rom an Acura dealer.
provides
coverageforaslongasthepur-
chaser of the muf f ler owns the
vehicle.
Restrictions and exclusions apply to
all these warranties. Please read the
2005 Acura Warranty Inf ormation
booklet that came with your vehicle
f or precise inf ormation on warranty
coverages. Your vehicle’s original
tires are covered by their
manuf acturer. Tire warranty
inf ormation is in a separate booklet.
Please ref er to the 2005 Warranty
Manual that came with your vehicle.
this warranty gives up
to 100 percent credit toward a
replacement battery. Your new vehicle is covered by these
warranties:
Warranty Coverages
U.S. Owners
Canadian Owners
New Vehicle L imit ed Warrant yEmissions Cont rol Syst ems Def ect sWarrant y and EmissionsPerf ormance Warranty Seat Belt Limited Warranty
Rust Perf orat ion L imit ed Warrant y
Accessory Limited Warranty
Replacement Part s L imit edWarranty Replacement Bat t ery L imit ed
Warranty
Replacement Muf f ler L if et imeLimited Warranty
Original Equipment Bat t ery L imit ed WarrantyWarrant y and Cust omer Relat ions
229