engine Acura RSX 2006 Owner's Manual

2006 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.helminc.com.

Contents
Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
............................................................................. i
A Few Wo r

ds About Safety ........................................................................\
.................................................. ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
.......................................................4
Driver and Pas

senger Safety ........................................................................\
...............................................7
P r

oper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restraint System.
Instruments and Cont r
ols........................................................................\
...................................................49
Instrument panel indica tor and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features........................................................................\
............................... 87
How t o
op era

te the climate control system, the audio system, and other convenience features.
Before Driving ........................................................................\
...................................................... .
............. .

131
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving........................................................................\
...................................................................................145
The proper way to start

the engine, shift the transmission, and park, plus towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.........................................................................165
T h
e Ma int

enance Schedule shows you when you need to take your vehicle to the dealer.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
.......................................203
This section covers severa l pr

oblems motorists someti mes experience, and how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
.......................................................227
ID numbers, dimensions, capaciti es, and techni

cal information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)..................................................................... 239
A summary of th
e warr anties coverin

g your new Honda, and how to contact us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
.......................................243
How t o
order manuals an

d other technical literature.
Index ........................................................................\
......................................................................................... I
Service Inf ormat

ion Summary
A summary of informat

ion you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

If a seat belt does not seem to work
properly, it may not protect the
occupant in a crash.This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash.
Using a seat
belt that is not working properly can
result in serious injury or death.
Have your dealer check the belt as
soon as possible.
See page f or additional
inf ormation about your seat belts
and how to take care of them.
If necessary, pull up on the belt again
to remove any slack, then check that
the belt rests across the center of
your chest and over your shoulder.
This spreads the f orces of a crash
over the strongest bones in your
upper body.
After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and put on seat belts, it is
very important that they continue to
sit upright, well back in their seats,
with their feet on the floor, until the
vehicle is parked and the engine is
of f .
Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. For
example, if an occupant slouches,
lies down, turns sideways, sits
forward, leans forward or sideways,
or puts one or both f eet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased.
19
Protecting A dults and Teens
Never place t he shoulder port ion of a
lap/shoulder belt under your arm orbehind your back.
No one should sit in a seat wit h aninoperat ive seat belt .Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
5.
16
Improperly positioning the seat
belts can cause serious injury
or death in a crash.
Make sure all seat belts are
properly positioned before
driving.

If you see any of these indications,
the airbags and seat belt tensioners
may not work properly when you
need them.
If the side airbag of f indicator comes
on (see page ), have the
passenger sit upright. Once the
passenger is out of the airbag’s
deployment path, the system will
turn the airbag back on, and the
indicator will go out.
There will be some delay between
the moment the passenger moves
into or out of the airbag deployment
pathandwhentheindicatorcomes
on or goes of f .
A f ront seat passenger should not
use a cushion or other object as a
backrest. It may prevent the cutof f
system f rom working properly.
When you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, this indicator
comes on brief ly then goes out. This
tells you the system is working
properly.
If the indicator comes on or
flashesonandoff whileyoudrive. If the indicator stays on after the
engine starts. If the SRS indicator does not come
on after you turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position.
If the indicator comes on at any
other time, or does not come on at all,
you should have the system checked
by your dealer. For example: The SRS indicator alerts
you to a potential problem
with your airbags, sensors, or seat
belt tensioners.
27
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
How the SRS Indicator Works
26
Ignoring the SRS indicator can
result in serious injury or death
if the airbag systems or
tensioners do not work properly.
Have your vehicle checked by a
dealer as soon as possible if
the SRS indicator alerts you to
a possible problem.

Your vehicle’s exhaust contains
carbon monoxide gas. You should
have no problem with carbon
monoxide entering the vehicle in
normal driving if you maintain your
vehicle properly.High levels of carbon monoxide can
collect rapidly in enclosed areas,
such as a garage. Do not run the
engine with the garage door closed.
Even with the door open, run the
engine only long enough to move the
vehicle out of the garage.
Have the exhaust system inspected
f or leaks whenever:
The vehicle is raised f or an oil
change.
You notice a change in the sound
of the exhaust.
The vehicle was in an accident
that may have damaged the
underside. Select the f resh air mode.
Select the mode.
Turn the f an on high speed.
Set the temperature control to a
comfortable setting.
If you must sit in your parked vehicle
with the engine running, even in an
unconfined area, adjust the climate
control system as f ollows: With the hatch open, airflow can pull
exhaust gas into your vehicle’s
interior and create a hazardous
condition. If you must drive with the
hatch open, open all the windows,
and set the climate control system as
shown below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Carbon Monoxide Hazard
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
45
Carbon monoxide gas is toxic.
Breathing it can cause
unconsciousness and even kill
you.
Avoid any enclosed areas or
activities that expose you to
carbon monoxide.

This indicator has two f unctions:If this indicator comes on when the
engine is running, the battery is not
being charged. For more inf ormation,
see page .
The engine can be severely damaged
if this indicator f lashes or stays on
when the engine is running. For
more information, see page .
See page .
Itcomesonwhenyouturnthe
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. It is a reminder to check
the parking brake. Driving with
the parking brake not f ully
released can damage the brakes
and tires.
If it remains lit af ter you f ully
release the parking brake while
the engine is running, or if it
comes on while driving, there
could be a problem with the brake
system. For more inf ormation, see
page . This indicator normally comes on f or
a f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position, and when the ignition
switch is turned to the START (III)
position. If it comes on at any other
time, there is a problem with the
ABS. If this happens, have your
vehicle checked at a dealer. With the
indicator on, your vehicle still has
normal braking ability but no anti-
lock brakes. For more inf ormation,
see page .
1.
2. 216
216
217
159
218 Parking Brake
and Brake
System
Indicator
Charging System
Indicator
L ow Oil Pressure
Indicator
Malf unction Indicator
Lamp
Anti-lock Brake System
(A BS) Indicator
Instrument Panel Indicators
Inst rument s and Cont rols
53
U.S. Canada

Only on models equipped with CruiseControl System
This indicator comes on when you
set the cruise control. See page f or inf ormation on operating the
cruise control. This indicator comes on f or a f ew
seconds when you turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position. It will
gooffifyouhaveinserteda
properly-coded ignition key. If it is
not a properly-coded key, the
indicator will blink and the engine
will not start (see page ).
This indicator also blinks several
times when you turn the ignition
switch f rom the ON (II) position to
the ACCESSORY (I) or the LOCK
(0) position.
The lef t or right turn signal indicator
blinks when you signal a lane change
or turn. If an indicator does not blink
or blinks rapidly, it usually means
one of the turn signal bulbs is
burned out (see page ). Replace
the bulb as soon as possible, since
other drivers cannot see that you are
signaling.
When you press the hazard warning
button, both turn signal indicators
and all turn signals on the outside of
the vehicle f lash.
This indicator comes on if either
door or the hatch is not closed
tightly.
This indicator comes on with the
high beam headlights. For more
inf ormation, see page .
On Canadian models, this indicator
comes on with reduced brightness
when the daytime running lights
(DRL) are on (see page ). 65
186
61
61
127
Instrument Panel Indicators
Cruise Control Indicator
Turn Signal and
Hazard Warning
Indicators Immobilizer System
Indicator
Door and Hatch Open
Indicator
High Beam Indicator
54

This indicator comes on when the
security system is set. See pagef or more inf ormation on the
security system.
If you exceed 10,000 miles (16,000
km) without having the scheduled
maintenance perf ormed, this
indicator will remain on as a constant
reminder.
Your dealer will reset this indicator
af ter completing the scheduled
maintenance. If this maintenance is
done by someone other than your
dealer, reset the indicator as f ollows.
Turn of f the engine. Press and hold the select/reset
knob in the instrument panel, then
turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position.
Hold the knob f or about10
seconds until the indicator goes
off.
1.
2.
3. 126
Security System Indicator
Instrument Panel Indicators
56
SECURITY SYSTEM INDICATOR
SELECT/RESET KNOB

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.(Odometer/trip meter message)
This shows the temperature of the
engine’s coolant. During normal
operation, the pointer should rise
from the bottom white mark to about
the middle of the gauge. In severe
driving conditions, such as very hot
weather or a long period of uphill
driving, the pointer may rise to near
the upper white mark. If it reaches
the red (Hot) mark, pull safely to the
side of the road. Turn to page f or
instructions and precautions on
checking the engines cooling system. If your f uel cap is loose or missing, a
‘‘CHECK FUEL CAP’’ message
appears as text in the odometer/trip
meter display after you start the
engine. Turn the engine of f and
conf irm the f uel cap is installed. If it
is, loosen the cap, then retighten it
until it clicks at least once. When you
restart the engine, the message
appears again. To clear the message,
press and hold the select/reset knob
until the message is replaced on the
odometer/trip meter display.
If the system still detects a loose or
missing f uel f ill cap, the malf unction
indicator lamp (MIL) comes on.
Turn the engine of f , and check or
retighten the f uel f ill cap until it
clicks at least once. The MIL goes
out af ter 3 days of normal driving
once the cap is tightened or replaced.
If it does not go out, have your
dealer inspect the vehicle. For more
inf ormation, see page .
214
217
Fuel Gauge
T emperature GaugeCheck Fuel Cap Indicator
Gauges
58
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.

The valet key works only in the
ignition and the door locks. You can
keepthegloveboxlockedwhenyou
leave your vehicle and the valet key
at a parking f acility.
Youshouldhavereceivedakey
number tag with your keys. You will
need this key number if you ever
have to get a key replaced. Use only
an Acura-approved key blank.These keys contain electronic
circuits that are activated by the
immobilizer system. They will not
work to start the engine if the
circuits are damaged.
Protect the keys f rom direct
sunlight, high temperature, and
high humidity.
Donotdropthekeysorsetheavy
objects on them.
Keep the keys away f rom liquids.
If they get wet, dry them
immediately with a sof t cloth.
The keys do not contain batteries.
Do not try to take them apart.
The master key fits all the locks on
your vehicle.
Keys and Locks
64
KEY
NUMBER
TAG
MASTER KEY
(BLACK)
VALET
KEY
(GREY)

When you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, the immobilizer
system indicator should come on f or
a f ew seconds, then go out. If the
indicator starts to blink, it means the
system does not recognize the
coding of the key. Turn the ignition
switch to the LOCK (0) position,
remove the key, reinsert it, and turn
the ignition switch to the ON (II)
position again.If the system repeatedly does not
recognize the coding of your key,
contact your dealer.
Do not attempt to alter this system
or add other devices to it. Electrical
problems could result that may make
your vehicle undriveable.
If you lose your key and you cannot
start the engine, contact your dealer.
The 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.
The system may not recognize your
key’s coding if another immobilizer
key or other metal object (i.e. key
f ob) is near the ignition switch when
you insert the key.
As required by the FCC:
This device complies with Part 15 of theFCC rules. Operation is subject to thef ollowing two conditions: (1) This devicemay not cause harmf ul interf erence, and(2) this device must accept anyinterf erence received, includinginterf erence that may cause undesiredoperation.
Changes or modif ications not expresslyapproved by the party responsible f orcompliance could void the user’sauthority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with IndustryCanada Standard RSS-210.Operation is subject to the f ollowing twoconditions: (1) this device may not causeinterf erence, and (2) this device mustaccept any interf erence that may causeundesired operation of the device.
Immobilizer System
Inst rument s and Cont rols
65