2005 Acura MDX Owner's Manual

Remove the bracket from the
spare tire. Keep turning the wheel nut
wrench to create slack in the cable.Loosen each wheel nut 1/2 turn
with the wheel nut wrench.
Put the wheel nut wrench on the
hoist shaf t. Turn the wrench
counterclockwise to lower the
spare tire to the ground. 11.
10.
8. 9.
CONT INUED
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
263
BRACKET
WHEEL NUT WRENCH
The wheel nut wrench supplied with
your vehicle is specially adapted to f it
the hoist shaf t. Do not use any other
tool.

Ú
Place the jack under the jacking
point nearest the tire you need to
change. It is pointed to by a
mark molded into the underside of
the body. Turn the end bracket
clockwise until the top of the jack
contacts the jacking point. Make
sure the jacking point tab is
restinginthejacknotch. Use the extension and the wheel
nut wrench as shown to raise the
vehicle until the f lat tire is of f the
ground.
Remove the wheel nuts, then
remove the f lat tire.
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.
12.
13.
14. 15.
Changing a Flat T ire
264
JACKING POINT EXTENSION
BRAKE HUB
WHEEL NUT WRENCH

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:
Remove the center cap from the
flat tire.Place the f lat tire f ace up under
the hoist.
Insert the hoist bracket into the
center hole of the f lat tire.
Put on the spare tire. Put the
wheel nuts back on f inger-tight,
then tighten them in a crisscross
pattern with the wheel nut wrench
until the wheel is f irmly against
the hub. Do not try to tighten
them f ully.
Lower the vehicle to the ground
and remove the jack. 20.
21.
18.
19.
17. 16.
CONT INUED
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
265
80 lbf·ft (108 N·m , 11 kgf·m)

Slowly turn the wheel nut wrench
clockwisetotakeuptheslackof
the hoist cable. Make sure the
bracketisseatedinthecenter
hole of the spare tire.
Turn the wheel nut wrench
clockwise until the f lat tire rests
against the underbody of the
vehicle and you hear the hoist
click.Store the jack in its holder. Turn
the jack’s end bracket to lock it in
place. Store the tools, and install
the cover.
Turn of f VSA (see page ).
Ref er to Changing a f lat tire with
TPMS (see page ).
22.
23. 26. 25. 24.
212
206
Changing a Flat T ire
266
Loose items can fly around the
interiorinacrashandcould
seriously injure the occupants.
Store the wheel, jack, and tools
securely before driving.
Always raise the spare tire hoist, even
if you are not stowing a tire. If the
hoist is lef t down, it will be damaged
during driving and need to be replaced.

Diagnosing why the 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.
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: Check the transmission interlock.
The transmission must be in Park
orNeutralorthestarterwillnot
operate.
Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights, and check
their brightness. If the headlights
areverydimordonotcomeonat
all, the battery is discharged. See
on page .
Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim,
check the condition of the f uses. If
thefusesareOK,thereis
probably something wrong with
the electrical circuit f or the
ignition switch or starter motor.
You will need a qualif ied
technician to determine the
problem (see
on 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 vehicle
f rom 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 a properly coded
key? An improperly coded key will
cause the immobilizer system
indicator in the dash panel to blink
rapidly(seepage ).
268
274 257
268
80
CONT INUED
If Your Engine Won’t Start
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly Jump Starting
Emergency T owing T he Starter Operates Normally
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
267

´´
Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to
on page .
Do you have f uel? Check the f uel
gauge; the warning indicator may
not be working.
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 . Although this seems like a simple
procedure, you should take several
precautions.
To jump start your vehicle:
You cannot start your vehicle by
pushing or pulling it. Connect one jumper cable to the
positive ( ) terminal on your
vehicle’s battery. Connect the
other end to the positive ( )
terminal on the booster battery. Put the transmission in Neutral or
Park, and set the parking brake. Turn of f all the electrical acces-
sories: heater, A/C, climate
control, audio system, lights, etc. Open the hood, and check the
physical condition of the battery.
In very cold weather, check the
condition of the electrolyte. If it
seems slushy or f rozen, do not try
jump starting until it thaws.
1.
2.
3.
276
274199
Starting the
Engine
Emergency
Towing Jump Starting
If the Engine Won’t Start, Jump Starting
268
A battery can explode if you do
not follow the correct procedure,
seriously injuring anyone
nearby.
Keep all sparks, open flames,
and smoking materials away
from the battery.
If a battery sits in extreme cold, the
electrolyte inside can f reeze.
Attempting to jump start with a f rozen
battery can cause it to rupture.

µ
The numbers in the illustration show
you the order to connect the jumper
cables.If the booster battery is in another
vehicle, have an assistant start
that vehicle and run it at a fast idle. Start your vehicle. If the starter
motor still operates slowly, check
that the jumper cables have good
metal-to-metal contact.
Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative ( ) terminal on
the booster battery. Connect the
other end to the grounding strap
as shown. Do not connect this
jumper cable to any other part of
the engine. Once the vehicle is running,
disconnect the negative cable f rom
the grounding strap on your
vehicle, then from the booster
battery. Disconnect the positive
cable f rom your vehicle, then f rom
the booster battery.
Keep the ends of the jumper cables
away from each other and any metal
on the vehicle until everything is
disconnected. Otherwise, you may
cause an electrical short.
5. 7.
4. 6.
Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
269
BOOSTER BATTERY

Saf ely pull to the side of the road.
Put the transmission in Neutral or
Park, and set the parking brake.
Turn of f all accessories, and turn
on the hazard warning indicators.
If you see steam and/or spray
coming f rom under the hood, turn
of f the engine. Wait until you see
no more signs of steam or spray,
then open the hood.
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,
the engine should start to cool
down almost immediately. If it
does, wait until the temperature
gauge comes down to the midpoint,
then continue driving.
The pointer of your vehicle’s
temperature gauge should stay in
the midrange. If it climbs to the red
mark, you should determine the
reason.
If the vehicle overheats, you should
take immediate action. 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.
1.
2.
3.
If Your Engine Overheats
If Your Engine Overheats
270
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.