2003 Acura RSX air condition

Excessive speed is a major f actor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed the greater the
risk, but serious accidents can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
f aster than is saf e f or current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
While airbags can save lives, they
can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Inf ants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to f ollow all instructions and
warnings in this manual. (See page
.)
Children are saf est when they are
properly restrained in the back seat,
notthefrontseat.Achildwhoistoo
smallforaseatbeltmustbeproperly
restrained in a child saf ety seat. (See
page .) Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical f ailure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition f requently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance. (See page .)
You’ll f ind many saf ety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
Therecommendationsonthispage
are the ones we consider to be the
most important.
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags
supplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inf late only in a
moderate to severe f rontal collision.
So even though your car is equipped
with airbags, make sure you and
your passengers always wear your
seat belts, and wear them properly.
(See page .)
Alcohol and driving don’t mix. Even
one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse with
every additional drink. So don’t drink
and drive, and don’t let your f riends
drink and drive, either.
16
21 196
13
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Be Aware of Airbag Hazards Control Your Speed
Restrain All Children K eep Your Car in Saf e Condition
Don’t Drink and Drive
6

For saf ety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts regularly.
Pull each belt out f ully and look f or
f rays, cuts, burns, and wear. Check
that the latches work smoothly and
that the lap/shoulder belts retract
easily. Any belt not in good condition
or not working properly will not
provide good protection and should
be replaced as soon as possible.
When the tensioners are activated,
the seat belts will remain tight until
they are unbuckled in the normal
way.
The SRS indicator light will
come on if there is a
problem with your automatic seat
belt tensioners (see page ).
Acura provides a lif etime warranty
on seat belts. Acura will repair or
replace any seat belt component that
f ails to f unction properly during
normal use. Please see yourbooklet f or
details.
51
Acura
Warranty Inf ormation
Seat Belt Maintenance
U.S. Models
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety46
Not checking or maintaining
seat belts can result in serious
injury or death if the seat belts
do not work properly when
needed.
Check your seat belts regularly
and have any problem
corrected as soon as possible.

Push the button.
Select the mode.
Turn the f an on high speed.
Set the temperature control to a
comfortable setting.
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.
Your car’s exhaust contains carbon
monoxide gas. You should have no
problem with carbon monoxide
entering the car in normal driving if
you maintain your car properly.
Have the exhaust system inspected
f or leaks whenever:
The car is raised f or an oil change.
You notice a change in the sound
of the exhaust.
Thecarwasinanaccidentthat
may have damaged the underside. If you must sit in your parked car,
even in an unconf ined area, with the
engine running, adjust the heating
and cooling system as f ollows: With the hatch open, air flow can
pull exhaust gas into your car’s
interior and create a hazardous
condition. If you must drive with the
hatch open, open all the windows
and set the heating and cooling
system as shown below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Carbon Monoxide Hazard
Driver and Passenger Saf ety54
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.

The engine must be running f or the
heater and air conditioning to
generate hot and cold air. The heater
uses engine coolant to warm the air.
If the engine is cold, it will be several
minutes bef ore you f eel warm air
coming from the system.
The heating and cooling system
draws air through the exterior vents
at the bottom of the windshield.
Keep these vents clear of leaves and
other debris.
The direction of air f low f rom the
vents in the center and each side of
the dashboard is adjustable.
Open each vent by pushing on the
recess. Adjust the direction of air
flow by rotating the vent. The heating and cooling system in
your Acura has f ull heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning
capabilities. In combination with the
air conditioning, the system
maintains the interior temperature
you select. The system also adjusts
the fan speed and air flow direction
automatically depending on the set
temperature.
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
Heating and Cooling
102
SIDE VENTS
CENTER VENTS

To use the heating and cooling
system in automatic mode, set the
system as f ollows.Set the f an control dial to AUTO.
Set the mode control dial to AUTO.
Turn the temperature control dial
to the desired temperature.
Select Fresh Air mode by pressing
the Recirculation button. The
indicator in the switch should be
off.
Turn on the A/C by pressing the
button. TurningthefancontroldialtoOFF
shuts the heating and cooling system
completely off. Keep the system
completely of f only f or short periods.
To keep stale air and mustiness from
collecting, you should have the f an
running at all times.
To heat or cool the interior f aster,
select Recirculation mode and set
the temperature control dial to the
upper or lower limit. The system runs of f ull cooling or
heating only. It does not regulate the
interior temperature. When the
temperature is set between the lower
and upper limits, the system
regulates the interior temperature to
the set value.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Heating and Cooling
Automatic Operation
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures104
FAN CONTROL DIAL
TEMPERATURE CONTROL DIAL
RECIRCULATION BUTTON AIR CONDITIONING BUTTON MODE CONTROL DIAL

CONT INUED
When you turn the A/C of f , the
system cannot regulate the inside
temperature if you set the dial below
the outside air temperature.
With A/C on, use the temperature
control dial to adjust the temperature
of the air f low to a comf ortable
setting.Air conditioning also removes mois-
ture from the air as it operates. You
can use it to def og the windows
quickly in cool or damp weather.
Used in combination with the heater,
it also makes the interior warm and
dry.Air conditioning places an extra load
on the engine. Watch the engine
coolant temperature gauge (see page
) when using the A/C in heavy
traf f ic or driving up long hills. If it
moves near the red zone, turn of f the
air conditioning until the gauge
reads normally.
You can manually set the system
controls f or ventilation, air condi-
tioning, heating, air f low direction,
and fan speed in various combination.
Pressing the A/C button turns the
air conditioning ON and OFF. The
indicator in the button lights when
the A/C is ON.
67
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
Manual Operation
Heating and Cooling
A ir Condit ioning But t on
105
AIR CONDITIONING BUTTON

You can use the instrument panel
brightness control dial to adjust the il-
lumination of the audio system (see
page ). The audio system
illuminates when the parking lights
are on, even if the radio is turned of f .
Those bands cover these f requen-
cies:
AM band:
530 to 1,710 kilohertz
FM band:
87.7 to 107.9 megahertz
Radio stations on the AM band are
assigned f requencies at least ten
kilohertz apart (530, 540, 550).
Stations on the FM band are
assigned f requencies at least 0.2
megahertz apart (87.9, 88.1, 88.3).Stations must use these exact
f requencies. It is f airly common f or
stations to round-of f the f requency in
their advertising, so your radio could
display a f requency of 100.9 even
though the announcer may identif y
the station as ‘‘FM101.’’
A radio station’s signal gets weaker
as you get f arther away f rom its
transmitter. If you are listening to an
AM station, you will notice the sound
volume becoming weaker, and the
stationdriftinginandout.If youare
listening to an FM station, you will
see the stereo indicator f lickering of f
and on as the signal weakens.
Eventually, the stereo indicator willgo of f and the sound will f ade
completely as you get out of range of
the station’s signal.
Driving very near the transmitter of
a station that is broadcasting on a
f requency close to the f requency of
the station you are listening to can
also af f ect your radio’s reception.
You may temporarily hear both
stations,orhearonlythestationyou
are close to.
How well your Acura’s radio receives
stations is dependent on many
f actors, such as the distance f rom
the station’s transmitter, nearby
large objects, and atmospheric
conditions.
Your Acura’s radio can receive the
complete AM and FM bands. 70
A udio System L ighting
Radio Frequencies
Radio Reception
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures131

A cold engine uses more f uel than a
warm engine. It is not necessary to
‘‘warm-up’’ a cold engine by letting it
idle f or a long time. You can drive
away in about a minute, no matter
how cold it is outside. The engine
will warm up f aster, and you get
better f uel economy. To cut down on
the number of ‘‘cold starts,’’ try to
combine several short trips into one.
You can improve f uel economy by
driving moderately. Rapid acceler-
ation, abrupt cornering, and hard
braking use more f uel.
Always drive in the highest gear that
allows the engine to run and acceler-
ate smoothly.
The air conditioning puts an extra
load on the engine which makes it
usemorefuel.Turnoff theA/Cto
cut down on air conditioning use.
Use the f low-through ventilation
when the outside air temperature is
moderate.
Always maintain your car according
to the maintenance schedule. This
will keep it in top operating condition.
An important part of that mainte-
nance is the
(see page ). For
example, an underinf lated tire
causes more ‘‘rolling resistance,’’
which uses f uel. It also wears out
f aster, so check the tire pressure at
least monthly.
In winter, the build-up of snow on
your car’s underside adds weight and
rolling resistance. Frequent cleaning
helps your f uel mileage and reduces
thechanceof corrosion. Depending on traf f ic conditions, try
to maintain a constant speed. Every
time you slow down and speed up,
your car uses extra f uel. Use the
cruise control, when appropriate, to
increase f uel economy.
The condition of your car and your
driving habits are the two most
important things that affect the fuel
mileage you get.
205
Vehicle Condition
Driving Habits
Owner Maintenance
Checks
Bef ore Driving
Fuel Economy
161