2006 Acura RSX Owner's Manual

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Quality grades can be f ound where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between the tread shoulder and the
maximum section width. For
example: 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 vehicle tires must
conf orm to Federal Saf ety
Requirements in addition to these
grades. The tires on your vehicle meet all
U.S. Federal Saf ety Requirements.
All tires are also graded f or
treadwear, traction, and temperature
perf ormance according to
Department of Transportation
(DOT) standards. The f ollowing
explains these gradings.
DOT Tire Quality Grading (U.S. Vehicles)
Unif orm T ire Quality Grading
T readwear 200
Traction AA
Temperature A Treadwear
Traction AA, A, B, C
232

µWarning: The temperature grade f or
this tire is established f or a tire that
is properly inf lated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinf lation, 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. Grade
C corresponds to a level of
perf ormance that 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.
DOT Tire Quality Grading (U.S. Vehicles)
Temperature A,B,C
Technical Inf ormation
233

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µ Rim diameter in inches.
Load index (a numerical code
associated with the maximum
load the tire can carry).
Speed symbol (an
alphabetical code indicating
the maximum speed rating).
The tires that came on your vehicle
have a number of markings. Those
you should be aware of are described
below.
The tire identif ication number (TIN)
is a group of numbers and letters
that look like this example:This indicates that the tire
meets all requirements of
the U.S. Department of
Transportation.Manuf acturer’s
identification mark.
Whenever tires are replaced, they
should be replaced with tires of the
same size. Below is an example of
tire size with an explanation of what
each component means.
Vehicletype(Pindicates
passenger vehicle).
Tire width in millimeters.
Aspect ratio (the tire’s section
height as a percentage of its
width).
Tire construction code (R
indicates radial). Tire type code.
Date of manufacture.
Max Press The maximum air pressurethetirecan
hold.
Max Load The maximum load the tire can carry at
maximum air pressure.
P
55
R V 16
DOT
B97RFW6X
2202
205 89
Tire Labeling
Tire Size
T ire Ident if icat ion NumberMaximum T ire Pressure
Maximum T ire L oad
234
DOT B97R FW6X 2202
P205/55R16 89V

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The burning of gasoline in your
vehicle’s engine produces several by-
products. Some of these are carbon
monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen
(NOx), and hydrocarbons (HC).
Gasoline evaporating f rom the tank
also produces hydrocarbons. Con-
trolling the production of NOx, CO,
and HC is important to the environ-
ment. Under certain conditions of
sunlight and climate, NOx and HC
react to f orm photochemical ‘‘smog.’’
Carbon monoxide does not contri-
bute to smog creation, but it is a
poisonous gas.
In Canada, Acura vehicles comply
with the Canadian emission
requirements, as specif ied in an
agreement with Environment
Canada, at the time they are
manuf actured. Your vehicle has a positive
crankcase ventilation system. This
keeps gasses that build up in the
engine’s crankcase f rom going into
the atmosphere. The positive
crankcase ventilation valve routes
them from the crankcase back to the
intake manif old. They are then
drawn into the engine and burned.
As gasoline evaporates in the f uel
tank, an evaporative emissions
control canister f illed with charcoal
adsorbs the vapor. It is stored in this
canister while the engine is of f . Af ter
the engine is started and warmed up,
the vapor is drawn into the engine
and burned during driving.
The United States Clean Air Act
sets standards f or automobile
emissions. It also requires that
automobile manufacturers explain to
owners how their emissions controls
workandwhattodotomaintain
them. This section summarizes how
the emissions controls work.
Scheduled maintenance is on pages
and .170
169
Emissions Cont rols
Crankcase Emissions Control
System
Evaporative Emissions Control
System
The Clean Air Act
Technical Inf ormation
235

The onboard ref ueling vapor
recovery (ORVR) system captures
the f uel vapors during ref ueling. The
vapors are adsorbed in a canister
f illed with activated carbon. While
driving, the f uel vapors are drawn
into the engine and burned of f .
The exhaust emissions controls
include three systems: PGM-FI,
ignition timing control, and three
way catalytic converter. These three
systems work together to control the
engine’s combustion and minimize
the amount of HC, CO, and NOx that
comes out the tailpipe. The exhaust
emissions control systems are
separate f rom the crankcase and
evaporative emissions control
systems.The emissions control systems are
covered by warranties separate from
the rest of your vehicle. Read your
warranty manual for more informa-
tion. The emissions control systems are
designed and certif ied to work
together in reducing emissions to
levels that comply with the Clean Air
Act. To make sure the emissions
remain low, you should use only new
Acura replacement parts or their
equivalent f or repairs. Using lower
qualitypartsmayincreasethe
emissions f rom your vehicle.
The three way catalytic converter is
in the exhaust system. Through
chemical reactions, it converts HC,
CO, and NOx in the engine’s exhaust
to carbon dioxide (CO ), nitrogen
(N ), and water vapor. This system constantly adjusts the
ignition timing, reducing the amount
of HC, CO, and NOx produced. The PGM-FI system uses sequential
multiport f uel injection. It has three
subsystems: air intake, engine
control, and f uel control. The
powertrain control module (PCM) in
automatic transmission vehicles or
the engine control module (ECM) in
manual transmission vehicles use
various sensors to determine how
much air is going into the engine. It
then controls how much f uel to inject
under all operating conditions.
2
2
Emissions Cont rols
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor
Recovery
Exhaust Emissions Controls Replacement PartsPGM-FI System
Three Way Catalytic Converter
Ignit ion T iming Cont rol Syst em
236

The three way catalytic converter
contains precious metals that serve
as catalysts, promoting chemical
reactions to convert the exhaust
gasses without af f ecting the metals.
The catalytic converter is ref erred to
as a three-way catalyst, since it acts
on HC, CO, and NOx. A replacement
unit must be an original Acura part
or its equivalent.
The three way catalytic converter
must operate at a high temperature
for the chemical reactions to take
place. It can set on f ire any
combustible materials that come
near it. Park your vehicle away from
high grass, dry leaves, or other
f lammables.A defective three way catalytic
converter contributes to air pollution,
and can impair your engine’s per-
f ormance. Follow these guidelines to
protect your vehicle’s three way
catalytic converter.
Always use unleaded gasoline.
Even a small amount of leaded
gasoline can contaminate the
catalyst metals, making the three
way catalytic converter inef f ective. Keep the engine tuned-up.
Have your vehicle diagnosed and
repaired if it is misf iring, back-
f iring, stalling, or otherwise not
running properly.
Three Way Catalytic Converter
Technical Inf ormation
237
THREE WAY CATALYTIC CONVERTER

If you take your vehicle f or a state
emissions test shortly af ter the
battery has been disconnected or
gone dead, it may not pass the test.
This is because of certain ‘‘readiness
codes’’ that must be set in the on-
board diagnostics f or the emissions
systems. These codes are erased
when the battery is disconnected,
and set again only after several days
of driving under a variety of
conditions.
If the testing f acility determines that
the readiness codes are not set, you
will be requested to return at a later
date to complete the test. If you must
get the vehicle retested within the
next two or three days, you can
condition the vehicle f or retesting by
doing the f ollowing.Make sure the gas tank is nearly,
but not completely f ull (around
3/4). Make sure the vehicle has been
parked with the engine of f f or 8
hours or more.
Make sure the ambient
temperature is between 20° and
95°F.
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, start the engine, and let it
idle f or 20 seconds.
Select a nearby lightly traveled
major highway where you can
maintain a speed of 50 to 60 mph
(80to97km/h)foratleast20
minutes. Drive on the highway in
D (A/T) or 5th (M/T). Do not usethecruisecontrol.Whentraffic
allows, drive f or 90 seconds
without moving the accelerator
pedal. (Vehicle speed may vary
slightly; this is okay.) If you cannot
do this f or a continuous 90
seconds because of traf f ic
conditions, drive f or at least 30
seconds, then repeat it two more
times (for a total of 90 seconds).
Then drive in city/suburban
traffic for at least 10 minutes.
When traffic conditions allow, let
the vehicle coast f or several
seconds without using the
accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal.
If the testing f acility determines the
readiness codes are still not set, see
your dealer.
Keep the vehicle in Park
(automatic transmission) or
neutral (manual transmission).
Increase the engine speed to 2,000
rpm,andholditthereuntilthe
temperature gauge rises to at least
1/4of thescale(about3minutes).
State Emissions T esting
T esting of Readiness Codes
238

Customer Relations................................
Inf ormation .240
....................
Warranty Coverages .241
Reporting Saf ety Def ects ..........................
(U.S. Vehicles) .242
.....................
Authorized Manuals .243
Warranty and Customer Relations
Warrant y and Cust omer Relat ions
239