engine Acura RSX 2005 Owner's Guide

Youshoulddothefollowingchecks
and adjustments every day bef ore
you drive your vehicle.Make sure all windows, mirrors,
and outside lights are clean and
unobstructed. Remove f rost, snow,
or ice. Check the seat adjustment (see
page ).
Check the adjustment of the
inside and outside mirrors (see
page ).
Check the steering wheel
adjustment (see page ).
Make sure the doors and the
hatch are securely closed and
locked.When you start the engine, check
the gauges and indicators in the
instrument panel (see page ).
Check that the hood is f ully closed. Fasten your seat belt. Check that
your passengers have f astened
their seat belts (see page ).
Check that the hatch is f ully
closed.
Check that any items you may be
carrying are stored properly or
f astened down securely. Visually check the tires. If a tire
looks low, use a gauge to check its
pressure.
1.
2.
3.
9. 8. 7. 6.
5. 4. 10. 11.
71
79 63
15 51
Preparing to Drive
134

Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. Do not hold
the key in START for more than
15 seconds at a time. If the engine
does not start right away, pause
f or at least 10 seconds bef ore
trying again.If the engine does not start within
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step
4with the
accelerator pedal pressed halfway
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.
If the engine still does not start,
return to step 5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Manual Transmission:
Automatic Transmission: 65
Starting the Engine
Driving
135
Immobilizer System T he immobilizer system protects your
vehicle f rom thef t. If an improperly-
coded key (or other device) is used, the
engine’s f uel system is disabled. See
on page . The engine is harder to start in cold
weather. Also, the thinner air f ound at
altitudes above 8,000 f eet (2,400
meters) adds to this problem.

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.Come to a full stop before you shift
into Reverse. You can damage the
transmission by trying to shift into
Reverse with the vehicle 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.’’
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 the engine speed will not
go into the tachometer’s red zone in
the lower gear.
Manual T ransmissions
136
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.

Drive in the highest gear that lets
the engine run and accelerate
smoothly. This will give you the best
f uel economy and ef f ective emis-
sions control. The f ollowing shif t
points are recommended:If you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer’s
red zone. If this occurs, you may f eel
the engine cut in and out. This is
caused by a limiter in the engine’s
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the
RPM below the red zone.
Bef ore downshif ting, make sure the
engine will not go into the
tachometer’s red zone.
Shif t up
1st to 2nd
2nd to 3rd 3rd to 4th4th to 5th Normal acceleration
14 mph (23 km/h)
25 mph (40 km/h)
40 mph (64 km/h)
49 mph (79 km/h)
Shif t up
1st to 2nd
2nd to 3rd 3rd to 4th4th to 5th
5th to 6th Normal acceleration
13 mph (21 km/h)
23 mph (37 km/h)
37 mph (59 km/h)
45 mph (73 km/h)
50 mph (80 km/h)
5-speed
6-speedRecommended Shif t Points Engine Speed L imiter
Manual T ransmissions
Driving
137

With the clutch pedal pressed,
move the shift lever to the first/
second gear side of the Neutral
gate, then shif t to Reverse.If you are still unable to shif t to
Reverse, apply the parking brake,
andturntheignitionkeyto
ACCESSORY (I) or LOCK (0).
Press the clutch pedal, and shif t to
Reverse.
With the clutch pedal still pressed,
start the engine.
The 6-speed manual transmission
has an electric lockout so you cannot
accidentally shif t f rom Fif th to
Reverse instead of Sixth while the
vehicle is moving. If you cannot shif t
to Reverse when the vehicle is
stopped:
If you need to use this procedure to
shif t to Reverse, your vehicle may be
developing a problem. Have the
vehicle checked by your dealer.
1. 2.
3.
4.
Reverse Lockout
Manual T ransmissions
138

µµµµµ
This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning of f or
starting the engine. To shif t out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see on
page .
To avoid transmission damage, come
to a complete stop bef ore shif ting
into Park. The shif t lever must be in
Park bef ore you can remove the key
from the ignition switch. Press the brake
pedal, and move the shif t lever f rom
Park to Reverse. To shif t f rom
Reverse to Neutral, come to a
completestop,andthenshift.
Your vehicle has a reverse lockout so
you cannot accidentally shif t to
Reverse when the vehicle speed
exceeds 5 mph (8 km/h). Use Neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Shif t to the Park
position if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason. Press on the
brake pedal when you are moving
the shift lever from Neutral to
another gear.
Use this position f or
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear f or acceleration.
This position is simi-
lartoD,exceptonlythefirstthree
gears are selected. Use D when
towing a trailer in hilly terrain, or to
provide engine braking when going
down a steep hill. D can also keep
the transmission f rom cycling third,
f ourth and f if th gears in stop-and-go
driving.
If you cannot shif t to Reverse when
the vehicle is stopped, press the
brake pedal and slowly shift to
Neutral, and then to Reverse.
If there is a problem in the reverse
lockout system, or your vehicle’s
battery is disconnected or goes dead,
you cannot shif t to Reverse. (Ref er
to
on page ).
144
144
3
3
Automatic Transmission
Park (P)
Shif t L ock Release Reverse (R)
Neutral (N)
Drive (D)
Drive (D )
Shif t L ock Release
3
140

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.
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 ).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.
139
CONT INUED
Automatic Transmission
Sequent ial Sport Shif t Mode
Driving
141
Up shift
Down shift

à
à
൵
ൠµ à
à
à
à
The transmission may automatically
downshif t f rom the higher gear to
the lower gear under the f ollowing
conditions:
The vehicle speeds drops below5 4:33mph(52km/h)
4 3:20mph(32km/h)
If you drive uphill between 54:4533mph
(72 52 km/h)
43:3320mph
(52 32 km/h)
If you press the brake pedal as you
drive downhill. Downshif ting gives you more power
when climbing or provides engine
braking when going down a steep hill.
The transmission will also shif t
automatically as the vehicle comes to
a complete stop. It will downshif t to
f irst gear when the vehicle speed is
under 6 mph (10 km/h).
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 vehicle 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 table shows the speed ranges
f or upshif ting and downshif ting.
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
142

à
à
à
à
To shift from
21
32
43
54 Speed range
under 31 mph (50 km/h)
under 63 mph (100 km/h)
under 94 mph (150 km/h)
under 131 mph (210 km/h) When you are in Sequential
Sportshif t mode, and the vehicle is
stopped, push f orward on the shif t
lever to shif t to second gear. You will
see ‘‘2’’ in the display. Starting out in
second gear will help to reduce
wheelspin in deep snow or on a
slippery surf ace.
If you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the
tachometer’s red zone. If this
occurs,youmayfeeltheengine
cut in and out. This is caused by a
limiter in the engine’s computer
controls. The engine will run
normally when you reduce the
rpm below the red zone.
Automatic Transmission
Starting in Second Gear
Engine Speed L imiter
Driving
143

Do this if pushing on the brake pedal
does not shif t the transmission out of
Park:Set the Parking brake.
Make sure the ignition switch is in
the LOCK (0) position.
Put a cloth on the edge of the Shif t
Lock Release slot cover next to
the shif t lever. Using a small f lat-
tipped screwdriver or a metal
f ingernail f ile, caref ully pry on the
edge of the cover. Insert the key in the Shift Lock
Release slot.
Push down on the key while you
move the shift lever out of Park to
Neutral.Remove the key from the Shift
Lock Release slot. Press the brake
pedal and restart the engine.
If you need to use the Shif t Lock
Release, it means your vehicle is
developing a problem. Have it
checked by your dealer.
5. 4.
3.
2. 1.
6.
Automatic Transmission
Shif t L ock Release
144
SHIFT LOCK
RELEASE SLOT