battery Acura RSX 2002 Owner's Guide

Block the rear wheels.
Fill the f uel tank.
Change the engine oil and f ilter
(see page ).
Wash and dry the exterior
completely.
Cleantheinterior.Makesurethe
carpeting, floor mats, etc. are
completely dry.
If you need to park your car f or an
extended period (more than one
month), there are several things you
should do to prepare it f or storage.
Proper preparation helps prevent
deterioration and makes it easier to
get your car back on the road. If
possible, store your car indoors.
If the car is to be stored for a
longer period, it should be
supported on jackstands so the
tires are of f the ground.
Leave one window open slightly (if
the car is being stored indoors).
Disconnect the battery.
Support the f ront and rear wiper
blade arms with a f olded towel or
ragsotheydonottouchthe
windshield.
To minimize sticking, apply a
silicone spray lubricant to all door
and hatch seals. Also, apply a body
wax to the painted surf aces that
mate with the door and hatch seals.If possible, run the engine f or a
while periodically (pref erably once
amonth).
If you store your car f or 12 months
or longer, have your Acura dealer
perf orm the inspections called f or in
the 24 months/30,000 miles (48,000
km) maintenance schedule (Normal
Conditions) as soon as you take it
out of storage (see page ). The
replacements called f or in the
maintenance schedule are not
needed unless the car has actually
reached that time or mileage. Coverthecarwitha‘‘breathable’’
cover, one made f rom a porous
material such as cotton.
Nonporous materials, such as
plastic sheeting, trap moisture,
which can damage the paint.
Leave the parking brake off. Put
the transmission in Reverse
(manual) or Park (automatic). 209
198
Maint enance
St oring Your Car
252

When you turn the ignition switch to
START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying to
start. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at all.
Check these things:
Diagnosing why your engine won’t
start f alls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
key to START (III):
You hear nothing, or almost
nothing. The engine’s starter
motor does not operate at all, or
operates very slowly.
You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, or the starter
motor sounds like it is spinning
f aster than normal, but the engine
does not start up and run.
Store the tool kit.
Store the wheel cover or center
cap in the cargo area. Make sure it
will not get scratched or damaged.
Reinstall the f loor mat and spare
tire cover, then close the hatch.
Check the transmission interlock.
If you have a manual transmission,
the clutch pedal must be pushed
all the way to the f loor or the
starter will not operate. With an
automatic transmission, it must be
in Park or Neutral.
Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights and check
their brightness. If the headlights
are very dim or don’t light at all,
the battery is discharged. See
on page .
22.
23.
24.
270
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
If Your Engine Won’t Start
Jump Starting
Changing a Flat Tire, If Your Engine Won’t Start
268
Loose items can fly around the
interior in a crash and could
seriously injure the occupants.
Store the wheel, jack, and tools
securely before driving.

Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim,
check the condition of the f uses. If
thefusesareOK,thereisproba-
bly something wrong with the
electrical circuit for the ignition
switch or starter motor. You will
need a qualif ied technician to
determine the problem. (Seeon page .)
If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the
engine, either the battery is dis-
charged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of
the battery and terminal connec-
tions (see page ). You can
then try jump starting the car from
a booster battery (see page ). In this case, the starter motor’s
speed sounds normal, or even f aster
than normal, when you turn the
ignition switch to START (III), but
the engine does not run.
Your car has the Immobilizer
System. You should use a
properly-coded master or valet key
to start the engine (see page ).
A key that is not properly coded
will cause the immobilizer system
indicator in the dash panel to blink
rapidly.
Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to on page .
Do you have f uel? Turn the
ignition switch to ON (II) for a
minute and watch the f uel gauge.
The low f uel level warning light
may not be working, so you were
not reminded to f ill the tank. There may be an electrical
problem, such as no power to the
f uel pump. Check all the f uses
(see page ).
If youfindnothingwrong,youwill
need a qualif ied technician to f ind
the problem. See on page .280
285
285
226 270 16975
If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Emergency T owing T he Starter Operates Normally
Starting the
Engine Emergency
Towing
269

´´
If your car’s battery has run down,
you may be able to start the engine
by using a booster battery. Although
this seems like a simple procedure,
you should take several precautions.
You cannot start an Acura with an
automatic transmission by pushing
or pulling it. To jump start your car, f ollow these
directions closely:
Open the hood and check the
physical condition of the battery
(see page ). In very cold
weather, check the condition of
the electrolyte. If it seems slushy
or like ice, do not try jump starting
until it thaws.
Turn of f all the electrical acces-
sories: heater, A/C, stereo system,
lights, etc.
Put the transmission in Neutral or
Park, and set the parking brake. Connect one jumper cable to the
positive ( ) terminal on your
Acura’s battery. Connect the other
end to the positive ( ) terminal
on the booster battery.
1.
2.
3.
191
Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Jump Starting
270
A battery can explode if you do
not follow the correct procedure,
seriously injuring anyone
nearby.
Keep all sparks, open flames,
and smoking materials away
from the battery.
If a battery sits in extreme cold, the
electrolyte inside can f reeze.
Attempting to jump start with a f rozen
battery can cause it to rupture.

µ
Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative ( ) terminal on
the booster battery. Connect the
other end to the grounding strap
as shown. Do not connect this
jumper cable to any other part of
the engine.The numbers in the illustration show
you the order to connect the jumper
cables. Make sure to disconnect the
cables in the reverse order.
If the booster battery is in another
vehicle, have an assistant start
that vehicle and run it at a fast idle. Once your car is running, discon-
nectthenegativecablefromyour
car, then from the booster battery.
Disconnect the positive cable f rom
your car, then the booster battery. Start your car. If the starter motor
still operates slowly, check the
jumper cable connections to make
sure they have good metal-to-
metal contact.
Keep the ends of the jumper cables
away from each other and any metal
on the vehicle until all are
disconnected. Otherwise, you may
cause an electrical short.
5.
4. 6.
7.
Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed271
B BO
OO OSSTTE
ER
R B
BAA T
TT
TE
ER
RY Y

This indicator should come on when
the ignition switch is ON (II), and go
out af ter the engine starts. If it
comes on brightly when the engine
is running, it indicates that the
charging system has stopped
charging the battery.By eliminating as much of the
electrical load as possible, you can
drive several miles (kilometers)
before the battery is too discharged
to keep the engine running. Drive to
a service station or garage where
you can get technical assistance.
Immediately turn of f all electrical
accessories: radio, heater, A/C, rear
def ogger, cruise control, etc. Try not
to use other electrically-operated
controls such as the power windows.
Keep the engine running and take
extra care not to stall it. Starting the
engine will discharge the battery
rapidly.
Charging System Indicator
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed275
C CH
H A
AR
RGGI INNG G S
SYYSSTTE
EM
M I
INND DI
ICCA A T
TO
OR R

Your car has certain ‘‘readiness
codes’’ that are part of the on-board
diagnostics f or the emissions
systems. In some states, part of the
emissions testing is to make sure
these codes are set. If they are not
set, the test cannot be completed.
If your car’s battery has been
disconnected or gone dead, these
codes are erased. It takes several
days of driving under various
conditions to set the codes again.If possible, do not take your car f or a
state emissions test until the
readiness codes are set. To check if
they are set, turn the ignition ON (II),
but do not start the engine. The
Malf unction Indicator Lamp will
come on f or 20 seconds. If it then
goes of f , the readiness codes are set.
If it blinks 5 times, the readiness
codes are not set. See State
Emissions Testing on pages and
.
300 299
Readiness Codes
Malf unction Indicator L amp
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed277

The under-hood f use box is located
in the engine compartment next to
the battery. To open it, push the tab
as shown.
All the electrical circuits in your car
have fuses to protect them from a
short circuit or overload. These
fusesarelocatedintwoorthreefuse
boxes.
The interior f use box is underneath
the dashboard on the driver’s side.
Removethefuseboxbyturningthe
knob and pulling the lid straight out
of its hinges.
Fuses
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed280
I IN
NT TE
ER
RI IOOR R U
UN
NDDE
ER
R- -H
H O
OO ODD T
TA
A B
B

µ
No.Circuits Protected
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21 25 Condenser f an
Small Light
Interior Light
Cooling Fan
Hazard
FI ECU
Horn, Stop
ABS (F/S)
Back Up
ABS Motor
Rear Demister
Heater Mortor
Power Window
Option
Lef t Headlight
Door Lock
Right Headlight
Not Used
Main Fuse Battery
Main Fuse Ignition
Spare Fuse
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Fuses
284
UNDER HOOD FUSE BOX

If you decide to tow your car with all
f our wheels on the ground, make
sure you use a properly-designed and
attached tow bar. Prepare the car for
towing as described above, and leave
the ignition switch in Accessory (I)
so the steering wheel does not lock.
Make sure the radio and any
electrical accessories are turned of f
so they do not run down the battery.
Emergency T owing
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed286
Trying to lif t or tow your car by the
bumpers will cause serious damage.
The bumpers are not designed to
support the car’s weight.
The steering system can be damaged if
the steering wheel is locked. Leave the
ignition switch in Accessory (I), and
make sure the steering wheel turns
f reely bef ore you begin towing.