2006 Acura RSX manual transmission

2006 RSX Online Reference Owner's Manual
Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.helminc.com.

Contents
Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
............................................................................. i
A Few Wo r

ds About Safety ........................................................................\
.................................................. ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
.......................................................4
Driver and Pas

senger Safety ........................................................................\
...............................................7
P r

oper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restraint System.
Instruments and Cont r
ols........................................................................\
...................................................49
Instrument panel indica tor and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features........................................................................\
............................... 87
How t o
op era

te the climate control system, the audio system, and other convenience features.
Before Driving ........................................................................\
...................................................... .
............. .

131
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving........................................................................\
...................................................................................145
The proper way to start

the engine, shift the transmission, and park, plus towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.........................................................................165
T h
e Ma int

enance Schedule shows you when you need to take your vehicle to the dealer.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
.......................................203
This section covers severa l pr

oblems motorists someti mes experience, and how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
.......................................................227
ID numbers, dimensions, capaciti es, and techni

cal information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)..................................................................... 239
A summary of th
e warr anties coverin

g your new Honda, and how to contact us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
.......................................243
How t o
order manuals an

d other technical literature.
Index ........................................................................\
......................................................................................... I
Service Inf ormat

ion Summary
A summary of informat

ion you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
manual and automatic transmissions.
It also includes important
information on parking your vehicle,
the braking system, and f acts you
need if you are planning to tow a
trailer.........................
Preparing to Drive .146
.......................
Starting the Engine .147
.................
Manual Transmissions .148
..............
Automatic Transmission .151
...........................................
Parking .157
.............................
Braking System .158
...............
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) .159
...........................
Towing a Trailer .160
Driving
Driving
145

Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. Do not hold
the key in the START (III)
position f or more than 15 seconds
at a time. If the engine does not
start right away, pause for at least
10 seconds bef ore trying again.If the engine does not start within
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 4 with the
accelerator pedal pressed halfway
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race.
If the engine still does not start,
press the accelerator pedal all the
way down and hold it there while
starting in order to clear f looding.
If the engine still does not start,
return to step 5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Manual Transmission:
Automatic Transmission: 65
Starting the Engine
Driving
147
T he immobilizer system protects your
vehicle f rom thef t. If an improperly-
coded key (or other device) is used, the
engine’s f uel system is disabled. For
more inf ormation, see page .
The engine is harder to start in cold
weather. Also, the thinner air f ound at
altitudes above 8,000 f eet (2,400
meters) adds to this problem.

The manual transmission is
synchronized in all f orward gears f or
smooth operation. It has a lockout so
you cannot shift directly from fifth to
reverse. When shif ting up or down,
make sure you push the clutch pedal
down all the way, shift to the next
gear, and let the pedal up gradually.
Do not skip gears. When you are not
shif ting, do not rest your f oot on the
clutch pedal. This can cause your
clutch to wear out f aster.Come to a full stop before you shift
into reverse. You can damage the
transmission by trying to shif t into
reverse with the vehicle moving.
Push down the clutch pedal, and
pause f or a f ew seconds bef ore
shif ting into reverse, or shif t into one
of the f orward gears f or a moment.
This stops the gears so they won’t
‘‘grind.’’
When slowing down, you can get
extra braking f rom the engine by
shifting to a lower gear. This extra
braking can help you maintain a safe
speed and prevent your brakes f rom
overheating while going down a
steep hill. To prevent serious engine
and transmission damage, do not
skip gears when downshif ting, and
do not let the engine speed go into
the red zone of the tachometer.
Manual T ransmissions
148
Rapid slowing or speeding-up
can cause loss of control on
slippery surfaces. If you crash,
you can be injured.
Use extra care when driving on
slippery surfaces.

With the clutch pedal pressed,
move the shift lever to the first/
second gear side of the neutral
gate, then shif t to reverse.If you are still unable to shif t to
reverse, apply the parking brake,
and turn the ignition key to the
ACCESSORY (I) or LOCK (0)
position.
If you need to use this procedure to
shif t to reverse, your vehicle may be
developing a problem. Have the
vehicle checked by your dealer. With the clutch pedal still pressed,
start the engine. Press the clutch pedal, and shif t to
reverse.
The 6-speed manual transmission
has an electric lockout, so you
cannot accidentally shif t f rom f if th to
reverse instead of sixth while the
vehicle is moving. If you cannot shif t
to reverse when the vehicle is
stopped, do this:
1.2.
3.
4.
Reverse Lockout
Manual T ransmissions
150

µ
´µ
With
the shif t lever in ‘‘D’’ position, you
can select the Sequential SportShif t
Mode to shif t gears; much like a
manual transmission, but without a
clutch pedal.
To enter the Sequential SportShif t
mode, move the shif t lever f urther to
the driver’s side. To return to ‘‘D,’’
move the shift lever to the
passenger’s side.
When you move the shif t lever f rom
‘‘D’’ to the Sequential SportShift
mode, the display shows the selected
gear. In Sequential SportShif t mode, each
time you push f orward on the shif t
lever, the transmission will shif t to a
higher gear. Pull back on the lever to
downshif t. The number of the gear
selected is displayed on the
instrument panel (see page ).When you accelerate away f rom a
stop, the transmission will be in f irst
gear. The transmission will not
automatically upshift. Watch the
tachometer and upshif t manually
bef ore the engine reaches redline.
The transmission remains in the
selectedgear(5,4,3,2,or1).There
is no automatic downshif t when you
push the accelerator pedal to the
f loor.
151
CONT INUED
Automatic Transmission
Sequential SportShif t Mode
Driving
153
Up shift
Down shift

à
à
൵
ൠµ à
à
à
à
The transmission may automatically
downshif t f rom the higher gear to
the lower gear under the f ollowing
conditions:
The vehicle speeds drops below5 4:33mph(52km/h)
4 3:20mph(32km/h)
If you drive uphill between 54:4533mph
(72 52 km/h)
43:3320mph
(52 32 km/h)
If you press the brake pedal as you
drive downhill. Downshif ting gives you more power
when climbing or provides engine
braking when going down a steep hill.
The transmission will also shif t
automatically as the vehicle comes to
a complete stop. It will downshif t to
f irst gear when the vehicle speed is
under 6 mph (10 km/h).
If you try to manually downshif t at a
speed that would cause the engine to
exceed the redline in a lower gear,
the transmission will not downshif t.
Thegearindicatorwillflashthe
numberof thelowergearseveral
times, then return to the higher gear. If the vehicle speed slows to below
the redline of the selected lower gear
position while the indicator is
f lashing, the transmission will
downshif t and the display will show
the selected lower gear.
The table shows the speed ranges
f or upshif ting and downshif ting.
To shift from 12
23
34
45 Speed range
over 0 mph (0 km/h)
over 6 mph (10 km/h)
over 20 mph (32 km/h)
over 33 mph (52 km/h)
Automatic Transmission
154

Always use the parking brake when
you park your vehicle. Make sure
the parking brake is set f irmly or
your vehicle may roll if it is parked
on an incline.
If your vehicle has an automatic
transmission, set the parking brake
bef ore you put the transmission in
Park. This keeps the vehicle f rom
moving and putting pressure on the
parking mechanism in the
transmission.If the vehicle is f acing uphill, turn
the front wheels away from the
curb. If you have a manual
transmission, put it in f irst gear.
If the vehicle is f acing downhill,
turn the front wheels toward the
curb. If you have a manual
transmission, put it in reverse gear.
Make sure the parking brake is
f ully released bef ore driving away.
Driving with the parking brake
partially set can overheat or
damage the rear brakes.
Make sure the moonroof (if
equipped) and the windows are
closed.
Never park over dry leaves, tall
grass, or other f lammable
materials. The hot three way
catalytic converter could cause
these materials to catch on fire. Lock the doors. Place any packages, valuables, etc.
in the cargo area or take them
with you. Turn of f the lights.
Check the indicator on the driver’s
door to verify that the security
system is set.
On vehicles with security system
Parking T ips
Parking
Driving
157