2006 Acura RSX 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.

µµ
µ
µ
The ignition switch has f our
positions: LOCK (0), ACCESSORY
(I), ON (II), and START (III).
You can insert or
remove the key only in this position.
To turn the key, you must push the
key in slightly. If your vehicle has an
automatic transmission, the shif t
lever must also be in park. If the f ront wheels are turned, the
anti-thef t lock may make it dif f icult
to turn the key. Firmly turn the
steering wheel to the lef t or right as
you turn the key.
This is the normal key
position when driving. Several of the
indicators on the instrument panel
come on as a test when you turn the
ignition switch f rom the
ACCESSORY (I) to the ON (II)
position. You can
operate the audio system and the
accessory power socket in this
position.
Use this position
only to start the engine. The switch
returns to the ON (II) position when
you let go of the key. You will hear a reminder beeper if
you leave the key in the LOCK (0) or
the ACCESSORY (I) position and
open the driver’s door. Remove the
key to turn of f the beeper.
If your vehicle has an automatic
transmission, the shif t lever must be
in Park bef ore you can remove the
key f rom the ignition switch.
Ignition Switch
LOCK (0)
ON (II) A CCESSORY (I)
ST A RT (III)
66
Removing the key from the
ignition switch while driving
locks the steering. This can
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle.
Remove the key from the
ignition switch only when
parked.

Press and release the SET/decel
buttononthesteeringwheel.The
CRUISE CONTROL indicator on
the instrument panel comes on to
show the system is now activated.You can increase the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:
Press and hold the RESUME/
accel button. When you reach the
desired cruising speed, release the
button.
Push on the accelerator pedal.
Accelerate to the desired cruising
speed, and press the SET/decel
button.
To increase your speed in very
small amounts, tap the RESUME/
accel button. Each time you do
this, your vehicle will speed up
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
When climbing a steep hill, the
automatic transmission may
downshif t to hold the set speed. Cruise control may not hold the set
speed when you are going up and
down hills. If your speed increases
going down a hill, use the brakes to
slow down. This will cancel cruise
control. To resume the set speed,
press the RESUME/accel button.
The CRUISE CONTROL indicator
on the instrument panel will come
back on.
3.
Cruise Control
Changing the Set Speed
128
RESUME/accel
CANCEL
SET/decel

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

These indicators on the instrument
panel show which position the shif t
lever is in.To shif t f rom any position, move the
shiftlever.Youcannotshiftoutof
Park when the ignition switch is in
the LOCK (0) or ACCESSORY (I)
position.
The ‘‘D’’ indicator comes on f or a
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. If it f lashes at any time (in
any shif t position), it indicates a
possible problem in the transmission.
CONT INUED
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoN
NtoD
DtoD
DtoD DtoNNtoR RtoP Do this:
Press the brake pedal, then
move the shift lever.
Move the shift lever.
3
3
Shif t L ever Position Indicators Shif ting
Automatic Transmission
Driving
151
SHIFT LEVER
SHIFT LEVER POSITION INDICATORS SELECTED GEAR