2002 Acura RSX Owner's Manual

Thecompactsparetirehasashorter
tread lif e than a regular tire. Replace
it when you can see the tread wear
indicator bars. The replacement
should be the same size and design
tire, mounted on the same wheel.
Thecompactsparetireisnot
designed to be mounted on a regular
wheel, and the compact wheel is not
designed f or mounting a regular tire.
Check the inf lation pressure of the
compact spare tire every time you
check the other tires. It should be
inf lated to:
Follow these precautions whenever
you are using the compact spare tire:
Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h)
under any circumstances.
This tire gives a harsher ride and
less traction on some road sur-
f aces than the regular tire. Use
greater caution while driving on
this tire. Do not mount snow chains on the
compact spare.
Your car has a compact spare tire
that takes up less space. Use this
sparetireasatemporaryreplace-
ment only. Get your regular tire
repaired or replaced and put it back
on your car as soon as you can. The wheel of the compact spare
tire is designed especially to f it
your car. Do not use your spare
tire on another vehicle unless it is
thesamemakeandmodel.
Compact Spare Tire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed262
I IN
ND DI
ICCA A T
TO
OR R L
LOOC CAA T
TI
IOON N M
MA
AR
RKK
T
T R
RE EA
A D
D W
WE EA
A R
R I
INND DI
ICCA A T
TO
OR R B
BAA R
R
60 psi (420 kPa , 4.20 kgf/cm)

If you have a f lat tire while driving,
stop in a saf e place to change it.
Stopping in traf f ic or on the shoulder
of a busy road is dangerous. Drive
slowly along the shoulder until you
gettoanexitoranareatostopthat
is far away from the traffic lanes.Park the car on f irm, level and
non-slippery ground away f rom
traf f ic. Put the transmission in
Park (automatic) or Reverse
(manual). Apply the parking brake.Open the hatch. Pull up the f loor
mat and remove the spare tire
cover. Turn on the hazard warning lights
andturntheignitionswitchto
LOCK (0). Have all the
passengers get out of the car while
you change the tire.
If you are towing a trailer, unhitch
the trailer. Unscrew the wing bolt.
1. 2.
3.
4.
CONT INUED
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed263
J JA
A C
CKK T
T
O
OO OLL K
KIITTThe car can easily roll off the
jack, seriously injuring anyone
underneath.
Follow the directions for
changing a tire exactly, and
never get under the car when it
is supported only by the jack.

Turn the jack’s end bracket
counterclockwise to loosen it, then
remove the jack.Loosen the f ive wheel nuts 1/2
turn with the wheel wrench.
Take the spare tire out of its well. Lift the bass speaker out of the
spare tire and set it aside. Do not
pull on the wiring harness going to
the speaker.
5.
6. 7.
8.
Type-S only:
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Changing a Flat T ire
264
J JA A C
CKK
W
WHHE
EE
EL
L W
WR REEN
NC CHH
B
BA
A S
SSS S
SPPE
EA
A K
KEER
R
(
( T
T y
ypp e
e--S
S o
on
nl
lyy) )

CONT INUED
Use the extension and wheel
wrench as shown to raise the
vehicle until the f lat tire is of f the
ground.
Remove the wheel nuts and f lat
tire. Temporarily place the flat tire
on the ground with the outside
surf ace of the wheel f acing up.
You could scratch the wheel if you
putitfacedown.
Find the jacking point nearest the
wheel you are removing. Place the
jack under the jacking point. Turn
the end bracket clockwise until
the top of the jack contacts the
jacking point. Make sure the
jacking point tab is resting in the
jack notch. Bef ore mounting the spare tire,
wipe any dirt of f the mounting
surface of the wheel and hub with
a clean cloth. Wipe the hub
carefully,itmaybehotfrom
driving.
9. 10.
11. 12.
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed265
E E
X
X T
TE
EN
NS SIIOON N
W
WH HE
EE
EL
L W
WR REEN
NC CHH
J
JA
A C
CKKIINNG G P
PO
OI INNT T

Put on the spare tire. Put the
wheel nuts back on f inger-tight,
then tighten them in a crisscross
pattern with the wheel wrench
until the wheel is f irmly against
the hub. Do not try to tighten
them f ully.Tighten the wheel nuts securely in
the same crisscross pattern. Have
the wheel nut torque checked at
the nearest automotive service
f acility.
Tighten the wheel nuts to:
Lower the car to the ground and
remove the jack.
13.
14.15.
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Changing a Flat T ire
266
( (E
E x
xcceep p t
t T
Ty
ypp e
e--R
R) )
80 lbf·ft (108 N·m , 11 kgf·m)

Remove the wheel cover or center
cap.
Place the flat tire face down in the
spare tire well.
Store the jack in its holder. Turn
the jack’s end bracket clockwise to
raisethejackandlockitinplace.
Screw the adapter into the hole in
the spare tire well.
Remove the spacer cone from the
wing bolt, turn it over, and put it
back on the bolt.Secure the f lat tire with the wing
bolt. Set the bass speaker inside the
wheel.
18.
19.
16.
17.
20.
21.
Type-S only:
All except Type-S:Type-S only:
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Changing a Flat T ire
267
A A
D
DA
AP
PT
TE
ER
R (
(T
T y
ypp e
e--S
S o
on
nl
lyy) )
S
SPPA
A C
CEER
R
C
CO ON NEE
W
WI
INNG G
B
BO OL LTT

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