2004 Acura TSX warning

Check the battery condition by
looking at the test indicator window
on the battery. The label on the
battery explains the test indicator’s
colors.
Check the condition of your car’s
battery monthly. You should check
the color of the test indicator window,
and f or corrosion on the terminals.
Check the battery terminals for
corrosion (a white or yellowish
powder). To remove it, cover the
terminals with a solution of baking
soda and water. It will bubble up and
turn brown. When this stops, wash it
of f with plain water. Dry of f the
battery with a cloth or paper towel.
Coat the terminals with grease to
help prevent f uture corrosion.
Battery posts,
terminals, and related accessories
contain lead and lead compounds.
CONT INUED
Battery
Maint enance
WARNING:
Wash hands af ter handling.
265
TEST INDICATOR WINDOW

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
traffic. Put the transmission in
Park (automatic) or Reverse
(manual). Apply the parking brake.
Turn on the hazard warning lights,
and turn the ignition switch to
LOCK (0). Have all the
passengers get out of the car while
you change the tire.
2. 1.
CONT INUED
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed305
TRUNK FLOOR
JACK TOOLS
TOOL TRAY
The 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 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

CONT INUED
The pointer of your car’s tempera-
ture gauge should stay in the mid-
range under most conditions. It may
go higher if you are driving up a long
steep hill on a very hot day. If it
climbs to the red mark, you should
determine the reason.Your car can overheat f or several
reasons, such as lack of coolant or a
mechanical problem. The only
indication may be the temperature
gauge climbing to or above the red
mark. Or you may see steam or
spray coming f rom under the hood.
In either case, you should take
immediate action. Saf ely pull to the side of the road.
Put the transmission in Neutral or
Park and set the parking brake.
Turn of f the climate control and all
otheraccessories.Turnonthe
hazard warning indicators.
If you see steam and/or spray
coming f rom under the hood, turn
of f the engine.
If you do not see steam or spray,
leave the engine running and
watch the temperature gauge. If
the high heat is due to overloading
(climbing a long, steep hill on a
hot day with the A/C running, for
example), the engine should start
to cool down almost immediately.
If it does, wait until the tempera-
ture gauge comes down to the mid-
point, then continue driving.
1.
2.
3.
If Your Engine Overheats
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed315
Steam and spray from an
overheated engine can
seriously scald you.
Do not open the hood if steam
is coming out.
Driving with the temperature gauge
pointer at the red mark can cause
serious damage to your engine.

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.

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.
All passenger car tires must conf orm
to Federal Saf ety Requirements in
addition to these grades. 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.
T echnical Inf ormation
Treadwear Traction AA, A, B, C
T readwear 200
Traction AA
Temperature A
Unif orm T ire Quality Grading
DOT T ire Quality Grading (U.S. Cars)
337

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
Temperature A,B,C
DOT T ire Quality Grading (U.S. Cars)
338

CONT INUED
..................
Dust and Pollen Filter . 270
............................
Fabric, Cleaning .299
...................................
Fan, Interior .115
Features, Comfort and ..............................
Convenience .113
....................
Filling the Fuel Tank . 184
Filter .........................
Dust and Pollen .270
...............................................
Oil .246
.............
Flashers, Hazard Warning . 75
...................
Flat Tire, Changing a . 305
Fluids ..........
Automatic Transmission . 256..........................................
Brake .259
.........................................
Clutch .260
..............
Manual Transmission . 257
..........................
Power Steering .260
..................
Windshield Washer . 255
...........................
Folding Rear Seat .94
.....
Foreign Countries, Driving in . 341
..........................
Four-way Flashers .75
.................................................
Fuel .184
......................
Fill Door and Cap .185
...........................................
Gauge .67
................
Octane Requirement . 184
...............................
Oxygenated .340
........................
Tank, Filling the .184
.....................
Fuses, Checking the .324
...............
Gas Mileage, Improving . 190
..........................................
Gasohol .340
.........................................
Gasoline .184
...........................................
Gauge .67
................
Octane Requirement . 184
........................
Tank, Filling the .184
..............................
Economy, Fuel .190
............
Emergencies on the Road . 303
.............
Battery, Jump Starting . 312
...........
Brake System Indicator . 321
................
Changing a Flat Tire . 305
.....
Charging System Indicator . 318
..................
Checking the Fuses . 324
.....
Low Oil Pressure Indicator . 317
...
Malf unction Indicator Lamp . 319
...
Manually Closing Moonroof . 322
..................
Overheated Engine . 315
.........................
Emergency Brake .104
......................
Emergency Flashers .75
......................
Emergency Towing .328
.......................
Emissions Controls .342
Engine ............................................
Belts .272
....
Coolant Temperature Gauge . 66
Malf unction Indicator ................................
Lamp .60, 319
........
Oil Pressure Indicator . 60,317
..............
Oil, What Kind to Use . 244...............................
Overheating .315
............................
Specif ications .335
....................
Speed Limiter . 202,209
.......................................
Starting .199
..........
Engine Speed Limiter . 202,209
......................
Ethanol in Gasoline .340
.
Evaporative Emissions Controls . 342
...............................
Exhaust Fumes .53
Expectant Mothers, Use of Seat ........................................
Belts by .19
..................
Exterior, Cleaning the . 296
Index
E
FG
III