2002 Acura RSX Owner's Manual

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.

µµ
Thediagramsinthissectiongive
you the dimensions and capacities of
your Acura, and the locations of the
identif ication numbers. It also
includes inf ormation you should
know about your vehicle’s tires and
emissions control systems. ................
Identif ication Numbers . 288
................................
Specif ications .290
DOT Tire Quality Grading .............................
(U.S.Cars) .292
.................................
Treadwear .292
...........
Traction AA, A, B, C . 292
...........
Temperature A,B,C .293
.........................
Oxygenated Fuels .294
......
Driving in Foreign Countries . 295.......................
Emissions Controls .296
.....................
The Clean Air Act .296
Crankcase Emissions Control ....................................
System .296
Evaporative Emissions Control ....................................
System .296
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor ................................
Recovery .297
...
Exhaust Emissions Controls . 297
....................
PGM-FI System .297
Ignition Timing Control ................................
System .297
Three Way Catalytic ...........................
Converter .297
....................
Replacement Parts . 297
..
Three Way Catalytic Converter . 298
..............
State Emissions Testing . 299
T echnical Inf ormat ion
T echnical Inf ormation287

Your car has several identif ying
numbers located in various places.
The Vehicle Identif ication Number
(VIN) is the 17-digit number your
Acura dealer uses to register your
car f or warranty purposes. It is also
necessary f or licensing and insuring
your car. The easiest place to find
the VIN is on a plate fastened to the
top of the dashboard. You can see it
by looking through the windshield
on the driver’s side. It is also on the
Certification label attached to the
driver’s doorjamb, and is stamped on
the engine compartment bulkhead.
The VIN is also provided in bar code
on the Certification label.
Identif ication Numbers
T echnical Inf ormation288
V VE
EH
H I
ICCL LEE I
IDD E
EN
NT TI
IFFI ICCA A T
TI
IOON N N
NUUMM B
BEER
R
C
CE ER
RT TI
IFFI ICCA A T
TI
IOON N L
LAA B
BEEL
L

The Engine Number is stamped into
the engine block.
The Transmission Number is on a
label on top of the transmission.
Identif ication Numbers
T echnical Inf ormation289
A AU
UT TO
OM M A
AT
TI
ICC T
TR
RA A N
NS SMM I
ISSS SIIOON N N
NUUMM B
BEER
R
M
M
A
AN
NU UAAL
L T
TR
RA A N
NS SMM I
ISSS SIIOON N N
NUUMM B
BEER
R
E
E N
NG GIINNE E N
NUUMM B
BEER
R

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T echnical Inf ormation
Specif ications
290
Air Conditioning
Dimensions
Weights
Engine Capacities
173.0 in (4,395 mm)
67.9 in (1,725 mm)
55.1 in (1,400 mm)
HFC-134a (R-134a)
17.6 19.4 oz (500 550 g) SP-10
13.2 US gal (50
, 11.0 Imp gal)
1.35 US gal (5.1
, 1.12 Imp gal)
Refrigerant type
Charge quantity
Lubricant type
Length
Width
Height
Wheelbase
Track
101.2 in (2,570 mm)
58.3 in (1,482 mm)
58.3 in (1,481 mm)
Gross vehicle weight rating See the certification label attached to the driver’s doorjamb.
Water cooled 4-strokeDOHC VTEC in line,
4-cylinder gasoline engine. 3.19 x 3.50 in (86.0 x 86.0) 121.9 cu-in (1,998 cm
)
9.8 : 1
11.0 : 1
Type
BorexStroke
Displacement
Compression ratio
Spark plugs 1.32 US gal (5.0
, 1.10 Imp gal)
1.69 US gal (6.4
, 1.41 Imp gal)
1.66 US gal (6.3, 1.39 Imp gal)
4.4 US qt (4.2
, 3.7 Imp qt)
5.0 US qt (4.7, 4.1 Imp qt)
4.4 US qt (4.2, 3.7 Imp qt)
5.0 US qt (4.7, 4.1 Imp qt)
5.6 US qt (5.3, 4.7 Imp qt)
6.1 US qt (5.8, 5.1 Imp qt)
Fuel tank
Engine
coolant
Engine oil
Including the coolant in the reserve tank and that remaining in the
engine.
Reserve tank capacity:
0.16 US gal (0.6
, 0.13 Imp gal)
Excluding the oil remaining in the engine.
See spark plug maintenance sec-
tion page 224 . Approx.
1:
2:
3:
4:
Front
Rear
ChangeManual
Automatic
Total Manual
Automatic
Change Including filter
Without filter
Total
RSX and Premium models
Type-S
1:
2:
RSX and Premium models
Type-S
12 1
4
2
3
2
3
2
3

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Specif ications
T echnical Inf ormation291
Fuses
Capacities
Lights
Battery Alignment
Tires
0.0in(0mm)
0.08 in (2.0 mm) 0°00’
Interior
Under-hood
1.8 US qt (1.7
, 1.5 Imp qt)
1.6 US qt (1.5, 1.3 Imp qt)
2.9 US qt (2.7
, 2.4 Imp qt)
6.9 US qt (6.5, 5.7 Imp qt)
2.6 US qt (2.5, 2.2 Imp qt)
4.8 US qt (4.5, 4.0 Imp qt)
Manual
transmission
fluid
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V55 W
55 W
21 W
21 W
21 W/5 W
21 W
5W
21 W
5W
8W
5W
8W See page
283or the fuse label
attached to the inside of the fuse
box door under the dashboard.
See page 284or the fuse box
cover.
12 V 5 W (Amber)
Headlights
Front turn signal
Front position lights
Rear turn signal lights
Stop/Taillights
High-mount brake light
Rear side marker lights
Back-up lights
License plate lights
Ceiling light
Cargo area light
Spotlights
Glove Box light
Capacity
12 V 36 AH/5 HR3.4 W
12 V 0°45’
1°30’
Toe-in
Camber
Caster
Size
Pressure
P205/55R16 89V
T135/70D15 99M
T125/70D16 96M P195/65R15 89H
33 psi (230 kPa , 2.3 kgf/cm
)
31 psi (220 kPa , 2.2 kgf/cm)
60 psi (420 kPa , 4.20 kgf/cm)
Change
Total
Change
Total
U.S. cars
Canadian cars
Front/Rear
Spare
Front
Rear
Spare
High
Low
1:
2:
3:
4:Front
Rear
Front
Rear
Front
Canadian RSX
U.S. RSX
Canadian Premium
Type-S
Automatic trans-
mission fluid
Windshield
washer reservoir
1
2, 3, 4
1, 2, 3
4

µ
The treadwear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specif ied government
test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and one-
half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded
100. The relative perf ormance of
tires depends upon the actual condi-
tions of their use, however, and may
depart signif icantly f rom the norm
due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and dif f erences in
road characteristics and climate. The traction grades, f rom highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. Those
grades represent the tire’s ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on
specif ied government test surf aces
of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction
perf ormance.
Warning: The traction grade
assignedtothistireisbasedon
straight-ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak
traction characteristics.
Quality grades can be f ound where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between the tread shoulder and the
maximum section width. For
example: The tires on your car meet all U.S.
Federal Saf ety Requirements. All
tires are also graded for treadwear,
traction, and temperature perform-
ance according to Department of
Transportation (DOT) standards.
The f ollowing explains these
gradings.
All passenger car tires must conf orm
to Federal Saf ety Requirements in
addition to these grades.
T echnical Inf ormation
DOT T ire Quality Grading (U.S. Cars)
Treadwear
Traction AA, A, B, C
T readwear 200
Traction AA
Temperature A
Unif orm T ire Quality Grading
DOT Quality Grades
292

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
DOT T ire Quality Grading (U.S. Cars)
Temperature A,B,C
293