Acura TSX 2004 Owner's Manual

µWarning: 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.
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 car
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.
T echnical Inf ormation
Temperature A,B,C
DOT T ire Quality Grading (U.S. Cars)
338

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Whenever tires are replaced, they
should be replaced with tires of the
same size. Following is an example
tire size with an explanation of what
each component means. Vehicletype(Pindicates
passenger vehicle).
Tire width in millimeters.
Aspect ratio (the tire’s section
height as a percentage of its
width).
Tire construction code (R
indicates radial). Load index (a numerical code
associated with the maximum
load the tire can carry). Rim diameter in inches.
Speed symbol (an
alphabetical code indicating
the maximum speed rating).
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 manuf acture.
The tires that came on your vehicle
have a number of markings. Those
you should be aware of are described
below.
P
225
55
R 94
V 16
DOT
B97R
FW6X2202
Tire Labeling
Tire Size
T ire Ident if icat ion Number
Tire Inf ormation
T echnical Inf ormation339
P225/55R16 94VDOT B97R FW6X 2202

Some conventional gasolines are
being blended with alcohol or an
ether compound. These gasolines
are collectively ref erred to as
oxygenated f uels. To meet clean air
standards, some areas of the United
States and Canada use oxygenated
f uels to help reduce emissions.
If you use an oxygenated f uel, be
sure it is unleaded and meets the
minimum octane rating requirement.
Bef ore using an oxygenated f uel, try
to conf irm the f uel’s contents. Some
states/provinces require this
informationtobepostedonthe
pump.The f ollowing are the U.S. EPA and
Canadian CGSB approved
percentages of oxygenates:
If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline.
Fuel system damage or perf ormance
problems resulting f rom the use of
an oxygenated f uel containing more
than the percentages of oxygenates
given above are not covered under
warranty.
(Methyl Tertiary Butyl
Ether)
You may use gasoline containing up
to 15 percent MTBE by volume. (ethyl or grain alcohol)
You may use gasoline containing up
to 10 percent ethanol by volume.
Gasoline containing ethanol may be
marketed under the name ‘‘Gasohol.’’
(methyl or wood
alcohol)
Your car was not designed to use
fuel that contains methanol.
Methanol can corrode metal parts in
the fuel system, and also damage
plastic and rubber components. This
damage would not be covered by
your warranties. MT BE ET HA NOL
MET HA NOL
Oxygenated Fuels
T echnical Inf ormation340

If you are planning to take your
Acura outside the U.S. or Canada,
contact the tourist bureaus in the
areas you will be traveling in to f ind
out about the availability of unleaded
gasoline with the proper octane
rating.
If unleaded gasoline is not available,
be aware that using leaded gasoline
in your Acura will af f ect perf or-
mance and fuel mileage, and damage
its emissions controls. It will no
longer comply with U.S. and
Canadian emissions regulations, and
will be illegal to operate in North
America. To bring your car back into
compliance will require the replace-
ment of several components, such as
theoxygensensorsandthethree
way catalytic converter. These re-
placements are not covered under
warranty.
Driving in Foreign Countries
T echnical Inf ormation341

Î
ÎThe burning of gasoline in your car’s
engine produces several byproducts.
Some of these are carbon monoxide
(CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and
hydrocarbons (HC). Gasoline
evaporating from the tank also
produces hydrocarbons. Controlling
the production of NOx, CO, and HC
is important to the environment.
Under certain conditions of sunlight
and climate, NOx and HC react to
f orm photochemical ‘‘smog.’’ Carbon
monoxide does not contribute to
smog creation, but it is a poisonous
gas. 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 page
.
Your car has a Positive Crankcase
Ventilation System. This keeps
gasses that build up in the engine’s
crankcase from 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.
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 . 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.
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. 232
The Clean Air Act
Crankcase Emissions Control
System
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor
Recovery Evaporative Emissions Control
System
Emissions Cont rols
T echnical Inf ormation342

The emissions control systems are
covered by warranties separate from
the rest of your car. Read your
warranty manual f or more informa-
tion. The emissions control systems are
designed and certif ied to work to-
gether 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
qualitypartsmayincreasethe
emissions f rom your car.
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 from 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 Fuel Control.
The Engine Control Module (ECM)
or the Powertrain Control Module
(PCM) uses various sensors to
determine how much air is going
into the engine. It then controls how
much f uel to inject under all operat-
ing conditions. This system constantly adjusts the
ignition timing, reducing the amount
of HC, CO, and NOx produced.
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.
2
2
Replacement Parts
Exhaust Emissions Controls
Emissions Cont rols
T echnical Inf ormation
PGM-FI Syst em Ignit ion T iming Cont rol Syst em
Three Way Catalytic Converter
343

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.
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.
Park your car away f rom high grass,
dry leaves, or other f lammables.
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 car’s three way catalytic
converter.
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.
Keep the engine tuned-up.
Have your car diagnosed and
repaired if it is misf iring, back-
f iring, stalling, or otherwise not
running properly.
Three Way Catalytic Converter
T echnical Inf ormation344
THREE WAY CATALYTIC CONVERTER

Make sure the gas tank is nearly,
but not completely, f ull (around
3/4).
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.
If you take your car for 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.
Make sure the car has been
parked with the engine of f f or 8
hours or more.Keep the car in Park (automatic
transmission) or Neutral (manual
transmission). Increase the engine
speed to 2,000 rpm and hold it
there until the temperature gauge
rises to at least 1/4 of the scale
(approximately 3 minutes).
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 car re-tested within the next
two or three days, you can condition
the car for re-testing by doing the
f ollowing.
CONT INUED
T esting of Readiness Codes
St at e Emissions T est ing
T echnical Inf ormation345

Then drive in city/suburban
traffic for at least 10 minutes.
When traf f ic conditions allow, let
the car coast for several seconds
without using the accelerator
pedal or the brake pedal.
If the testing f acility determines the
readiness codes are still not set, see
your Acura dealer.
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 6th (M/T). Do not use
thecruisecontrol.Whentraffic
allows, drive f or 90 seconds
without moving the accelerator
pedal. (Car 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).
St at e Emissions T est ing
T echnical Inf ormation346

Customer Relations................................
Inf ormation .348
....................
Warranty Coverages .349
Reporting Saf ety Def ects .................................
(U.S.Cars) .350
.....................
Authorized Manuals .351
Warranty and Customer Relations
Warrant y and Cust omer Relat ions347