2004 Acura TSX towing

Many states and Canadian provinces
require special outside mirrors when
towing a trailer. Even if they don’t,
you should install special mirrors if
you cannot clearly see behind you, or
if the trailer creates a blind spot.
Askyourtrailersalesorrental
agency if any other items are
recommended or required f or your
towing situation.When preparing to tow, and bef ore
driving away, be sure to check the
f ollowing:
All weights and loads are within
limits (see pages and ).
Thehitch,safetychains,andany
other attachments are secure.
Allitemsonandinthetrailerare
properly secured and cannot shif t
while you drive. The car has been properly
serviced, and the tires, brakes,
suspension, and cooling system
are in good operating condition.
The lights and brakes on your car
and the trailer are working
properly. Your car tires and spare are
properly inf lated (see page ),
and the trailer tires and spare are
inflated as recommended by the
trailer maker.
221 222 274
Additional Trailer EquipmentPre-T ow Checklist
Towing a Trailer
Driving225

The added weight, length, and
height of a trailer will af f ect your car’s
handling and perf ormance, so
driving with a trailer requires some
special driving skills and techniques.
Foryoursafetyandthesafetyof
others,taketimetopracticedriving
maneuvers bef ore heading f or the
open road, and f ollow the guidelines
discussed below.Drive slower than normal in all
driving situations, and obey posted
speed limits f or cars with trailers. If
you have an automatic transmission,
use D position when towing a trailer
on level roads. D is the proper shif t
lever position to use when towing a
trailer in hilly terrain. (See ‘‘
’’inthenextpagefor
additional gear information.)
When towing a trailer in the
Sequential SportShif t mode, select
Fourth, Third, Second, or First gear;
depending on the vehicle speed and
road condition. Do not use Fif th gear. If the automatic transmission f luid
temperature increases and exceeds
the specif ied limit, the transmission
will also automatically downshif t to
the first gear even with the
Sequential Sportshif t mode. This
prevents the automatic transmission
f rom overheating. In this case, the
gear position ‘‘1’’ in the instrument
panel between tachometer and
speedometer blinks about f or f ive
seconds, then it stays on.
3
Driving Saf ely With a T railer
Towing a Trailer
Driving
T owing Speeds and Gears
Driving
on Hills
226

Maketurnsmoreslowlyandwider
than normal. The trailer tracks a
smaller arc than your car, and it can
hit or run over something the car
misses. Allow more time and
distance f or braking. Do not brake or
turn suddenly as this could cause the
trailer to jackknif e or turn over.
When climbing hills, closely watch
your temperature gauge. If it nears
the red (Hot) mark, turn the air
conditioning of f , reduce speed and, if
necessary, pull to the side of the
road to let the engine cool.When driving down hills, reduce
your speed and shif t down to 2nd
gear. Do not ‘‘ride’’ the brakes, and
remember it will take longer to slow
downandstopwhentowingatrailer. If you must stop when f acing uphill,
use the f oot brake or parking brake.
Do not try to hold the car in place by
pressing on the accelerator, as this
can cause the automatic
transmission to overheat.
If the automatic transmission shif ts
f requently within 3rd, 4th, and 5th
gears while going up a hill, shif t to
D. Crosswinds and air turbulence
caused by passing trucks can disrupt
your steering and cause trailer
swaying. When being passed by a
large car, keep a constant speed and
steer straight ahead. Do not try to
make quick steering or braking
corrections.Always drive slowly and have
someone guide you when backing up.
Grip the of the steering
wheel; then turn the wheel to the lef t
to get the trailer to move to the lef t,
andturnthewheelrighttomovethe
trailer to the right.
Follow all normal precautions when
parking, including f irmly setting the
parking brake and putting the
transmission in Park (automatic) or
in 1st or Reverse (manual). Also,
place wheel chocks at each of the
trailer’s tires.
3
bottom
Towing a Trailer
Driving
Making T urns and Braking
Driving on Hills Handling Crosswinds and Buf f et ingBacking Up
Parking
227

µÌU.S. Cars:
Trailer towing, driving with a roof
rack, or driving in mountainous
conditions.
Driving on muddy, dusty, or
deiced roads.
Follow the
Maintenance Schedule f or Severe
Conditions. NOTE: If you only
drive under a ‘‘severe’’ condition, you
should f ollow the Maintenance
Schedule f or Normal Conditions. Your authorized Acura dealer knows
your car best and can provide
competent, ef f icient service.
However, service at a dealer is not
mandatory to keep your warranties
in effect. Maintenance may be done
by any qualif ied service f acility or
person who is skilled in this type of
automotive service. Keep all the
receipts as proof of completion, and
have the person who does the work
f ill out the Maintenance Record.
Check your warranty booklet f or
more inf ormation.
According to state and federal
regulations, f ailure to perf orm
maintenance on the items marked
with will not void your emissions
warranties. However, Acura
recommends that all maintenance
services be perf ormed at the
recommended time or mileage
period to ensure long-term reliability.
We recommend the use of Acura
parts and f luids whenever you have
maintenance done. These are
manuf actured to the same high-
quality standards as the original
components, so you can be conf ident
of their perf ormance and durability.
OCCASIONALLY
Maintenance Schedule
Maint enance
Maintenance, replacement, or
repair of emissions control
devices and systems may be done
by any automotive repair
establishment or individual using
parts that are ‘‘certif ied’’ to EPA
standards.
Canadian Owners
233

This section covers the more-
common problems that motorists
experience with their cars. It gives
you inf ormation about how to saf ely
evaluate the problem and what to do
to correct it. If the problem has
stranded you on the side of the road,
you may be able to get going again.
If not, you will also f ind instructions
on getting your car towed.......................
Compact Spare Tire .304
....................
Changing a Flat Tire .305
..........
If Your Engine Won’t Start . 310
Nothing Happens or the Starter Motor Operates ............................
Very Slowly .310
The Starter Operates ................................
Normally .311
................................
Jump Starting .312
............
If Your Engine Overheats . 315
.........
Low Oil Pressure Indicator . 317
..........
Charging System Indicator . 318
.......
Malf unction Indicator Lamp . 319
.......................
Readiness Codes .320
...............
Brake System Indicator . 321
..................
Closing the Moonroof . 322
..............................................
Fuses .323
..........
Checking and Replacing . 324
......................
Emergency Towing .328
Taking Care of the Unexpected
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed303

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.
Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to on page .
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. 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 .
328
312
265 199
324
328
79
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
311

If the temperature gauge stays at
the red mark, turn of f the engine.
Wait until you see no more signs
of steam or spray, then open the
hood.
If there was no coolant in the
reserve tank, you may also have to
add coolant to the radiator. Let the
engine cool down until the pointerreaches the middle of the tempera-
ture gauge, or lower, bef ore check-
ing the radiator.
Using gloves or a large heavy
cloth, turn the radiator cap
counterclockwise, without pushing
down, to the f irst stop. This
releases any remaining pressure in
the cooling system. After the
pressure releases, push down on
the cap and turn it until it comes
off.
If you don’t f ind an obvious leak,
check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank (see page
). If the level is below the
MIN mark, add coolant to halfway
between the MIN and MAX marks. Look f or any obvious coolant leaks,
such as a split radiator hose.
Everything is still extremely hot,
so use caution. If you f ind a leak, it
must be repaired bef ore you
continue driving (see on page ). Start the engine and set the
temperature control to its upper
limit, . Add coolant to the
radiator up to the base of the f iller
neck. If you do not have the
proper coolant mixture available,
you can add plain water.
Remember to have the cooling
system drained and ref illed with
the proper mixture as soon as you
can.
Put the radiator cap back on
tightly. Run the engine and watch
the temperature gauge. If it goes
back to the red mark, the engine
needs repair. (See
on page .)
If the temperature stays normal,
check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. If it has
gone down, add coolant to the
MAX mark. Put the cap back on
tightly.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. 9.10.
328
189 11.
12.
328
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
If Your Engine Overheats
Emergency
Towing
Emergency
Towing
316
Removing the radiator cap
while the engine is hot can
cause the coolant to spray out,
seriously scalding you.
Always let the engine and
radiator cool down before
removing the radiator cap.

This indicator should light when the
ignition switch is ON (II), and go out
af ter the engine starts. It should
never come on when the engine is
running. If it starts f lashing, it
indicates that the oil pressure
dropped very low f or a moment, then
recovered. If the indicator stays on
with the engine running, it shows
that the engine has lost oil pressure
and serious engine damage is
possible. In either case, you should
take immediate action.Saf ely pull of f the road and shut
of f the engine. Turn on the hazard
warning indicators.
If necessary, add oil to bring the
level back to the full mark on the
dipstick (see page ). Letthecarsitforaminute.Open
the hood and check the oil level
(see page ). Although oil level
and oil pressure are not directly
connected, an engine that is very
low on oil can lose pressure during
cornering and other driving
maneuvers.Start the engine and watch the oil
pressure indicator. If the light
does not go out within ten seconds,
turn of f the engine. There is a
mechanical problem that needs to
be repaired bef ore you can
continue driving. (See
on page .)
1.
2.
3. 4.
187 244 328
L ow Oil Pressure Indicator
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Emergency
Towing
317
LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR
Running the engine with low oil
pressure can cause serious mechanical
damage almost immediately. Turn of f
the engine as soon as you can saf ely get
the car stopped.