2009 Acura TSX Owner's Manual

Crosswinds and air turbulence
caused by passing trucks can disrupt
your steering and cause the trailer to
sway. When being passed by a large
vehicle, keep a constant speed, and
steer straight ahead. Do not try to
make quick steering or braking
corrections.
Make sure to set the parking brake
whenstartingoff onanincline.
If you must stop when f acing uphill,
use the f oot brake or parking brake.
Do not try to hold the vehicle in
placebypressingontheaccelerator,
as this can cause the automatic
transmission to overheat.
If your vehicle has an automatic
transmission, when driving down
hills, reduce your speed and use the
S mode. You can also use the paddle
shifters to change the gear position.
Select third, second or f irst gear
depending on the vehicle speeds and
road condition. When going down a
steep hill, use second gear to provide
greater engine braking. Shif t down
to f irst gear when driving up steep
hills.
Do not ‘‘ride’’ the brakes, and
remember, it will take longer to slow
downandstopwhentowingatrailer. Always drive slowly and have
someone guide you when backing up.
Grip the of the steering wheel,
then turn the wheel to the left to get
the trailer to move to the lef t. Turn
the wheel to the right to move the
trailer to the right.Your vehicle is not designed to be
towed behind a motor home. If your
vehicle needs to be towed in an
emergency, see page .
Follow all normal precautions when
parking, including f irmly setting the
parking brake and putting the
transmission in Park (automatic) or
in 1st or reverse (manual). Also,
place wheel chocks at each of the
trailer’s tires.
481
bottom
Towing a Trailer
Handling Crosswinds and Buf f et ing
Backing Up Parking
Towing Your Vehicle
406
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This section explains why it is
important to keep your vehicle well
maintained and how to f ollow basic
maintenance saf ety precautions.
This section also includes
instructions on how to read the
maintenance minder messages on
the multi-information display, and
instructions f or simple maintenance
tasks you may want to take care of
yourself .......................
Maintenance Saf ety .408
....................
Maintenance Minder .409
..............................
Fluid Locations .418
........................
Adding Engine Oil .419
Changing the Engine Oil and
...........................................
Filter .421
..............................
Engine Coolant .423
....................
Windshield Washers .424
.......................
Transmission Fluid .425
..........
Automatic Transmission .425
..............
Manual Transmission .427
................
Brake and Clutch Fluid .428
.............................................
Lights .430
................
Cleaning the Seat Belts .442
.....................................
Floor Mats .442
..................
DustandPollenFilter .443
.................................
Exterior Care .443
.................................
Wiper Blades .444
...............................................
Tires .447
...................
Checking the Battery .454
.............................
Vehicle Storage .455
If you have the skills and tools to
perf orm more complex maintenance
tasks on your vehicle, you may want
to purchase the service manual. See
page f or inf ormation on how to
obtain a copy, or see your dealer.
505
Maintenance
Maint enance
407
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All service items not detailed in this
section should be perf ormed by a
certif ied technician or other qualif ied
mechanic.
To eliminate potential hazards, read
the instructions bef ore you begin,
and make sure you have the tools
and skills required.
Make sure your vehicle is parked
on level ground, the parking brake
is set, and the engine is of f .
Some of the most important saf ety
precautions are given here. However,
we cannot warn you of every
conceivable hazard that can arise in
perf orming maintenance. Only you
can decide whether or not you
should perf orm a given task.
Do
not run the engine unless
instructed to do so.
Let the
engine and exhaust system cool
down bef ore touching any parts.
Be sure
there is adequate ventilation
whenever you operate the
engine.
Wear eye protection and
protective clothing when working
with the battery or compressed air.
To reduce the possibility of f ire or
explosion, keep cigarettes, sparks,
and flames away from the battery
and all f uel-related parts.
To clean parts, use a commercially
available degreaser or parts
cleaner, not gasoline.
Maintenance Saf ety
Important Saf ety Precautions
Injury f rom moving parts.
Burns f rom hot parts.
Carbon Monoxide poison
f rom engine exhaust.
Potential Vehicle Hazards
408
Failure to properly follow
maintenance instructions and
precautions can cause you to
be seriously hurt or killed.
Always follow the procedures
and precautions in this owner’s
manual.
Improperly maintaining this
vehicle, or failing to correct a
problem before driving can
cause a crash in which you can
be seriously hurt or killed.
Always follow the inspection
and maintenance
recommendations and
schedules in this owner’s
manual.
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The remaining engine oil lif e is
shownonthedisplayaccordingto
this table:
Calculated Engine Oil Lif e (%)
100% 91% 90% 81%
80% 71%
70% 61%
60% 51%
50% 41%
40% 31%
30% 21%
20% 16%
15% 11%
10% 6% 5% 1% 0% Displayed
Engine Oil Lif e (%)
100% 90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Your vehicle displays engine oil lif e
and maintenance service items on
the multi-information display to show
youwhenyoushouldhaveyour
dealer perf orm engine oil
replacement and indicated
maintenance service.
To see the current engine oil lif e
displayed on the multi-inf ormation
display, turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, and press the
SEL/RESET button on the steering
wheel repeatedly until engine oil lif e
is displayed.
Based on the engine operating
conditions, the onboard computer in
your vehicle calculates the remaining
engine oil lif e and displays it as a
percentage.
CONT INUED
Engine Oil L if e Display
Maintenance Minder
Maint enance
409
ENGINE OIL LIFE DISPLAY
REMAINING ENGINE OIL LIFE
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When the remaining engine oil lif e is
15 to 6 percent, the multi-inf ormation
display shows a ‘‘SERVICE DUE
SOON’’ message along with the
maintenance item code(s) indicating
themainandsubitemsrequiredat
thetimeof theoilchange.Referto
page f or a complete list of the
maintenance main items and sub
items. Pressing either INFO button ( / )
switches the display f rom the
message to another display. Once
you switch the display, this message
will go of f .
Along with the message, the system
message indicator comes on (see
page ).
The message appears on the multi-
inf ormation display each time you
turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position.
This message reminds you that your
vehicle will soon be due f or
scheduled maintenance.
Press the SEL/RESET button on the
steering wheel repeatedly to select
the engine oil lif e inf ormation. Along
with the ‘‘OIL LIFE’’ message, you
will see the percentage of the
remaining engine oil lif e and the
maintenance item codes on the
multi-inf ormation display.
67
417
Maintenance Minder
410
MAIN ITEM(S) REMAINING ENGINE
OIL LIFE
MAINTENANCE SUB ITEM CODE(S)
MAINTENANCE MAIN ITEM CODE(S) SUB ITEM(S)
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Ûݵ
When the remaining oil lif e is 5 to 1
percent, the multi-information
display shows a ‘‘SERVICE DUE
NOW’’ message with the same
maintenance items ‘‘SERVICE DUE
SOON’’ was displayed with. When
you see this message, have the
indicated maintenance perf ormed as
soon as possible. Pressing either INFO button ( / )
switches the display f rom the
message to another display. To see
the message again, press either
INFO button repeatedly.
Press the SEL/RESET button on the
steering wheel repeatedly to select
the engine oil lif e. The message
‘‘SERVICE,’’ along with ‘‘5%,’’ and the
maintenance item code are displayed
on the multi-information display
when the calculated engine oil lif e is
1 5 percent (see page ).409
CONT INUED
Maintenance Minder
Maint enance
411
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Ûݵ
If the indicated maintenance service
is not done and the remaining engine
oil lif e reaches 0%, the multi-
inf ormation display will show the
message ‘‘SERVICE PAST DUE’’
and the maintenance item code(s).
This message is displayed when the
total mileage is less than 10 miles
(f or U.S. models) or 10 km (f or
Canadian models) af ter the engine
oillifebecame0%. These messages will come on every
time you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position.
Immediately have the service
perf ormed, and make sure to reset
the display as described on page .
Pressing either INFO button ( / )
switches the display f rom the
message to another display. To see
the message again, press either
INFO button repeatedly.
Press the SEL/RESET button on the
steering wheel repeatedly to select
the engine oil lif e. The message
‘‘SERVICE,’’ along with ‘‘0%,’’ and the
maintenance item code are displayed
on the multi-information display
when the calculated engine oil lif e is
01percent.
414
Maintenance Minder
412
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ÛÝ
If the indicated required service is
not done and the remaining engine
oil lif e becomes 0%, the multi-
inf ormation display will show a
‘‘SERVICE PAST DUE’’ message,
thetotalmileageaftertheremaining
oillifebecame0%,andthe
maintenance item code(s). Immediately have the service
perf ormed, and make sure to reset
the display as described on page .
Pressing either INFO button ( / )
switches the display f rom the
message to another display. To see
the message again, press either
INFO button repeatedly.
This message is displayed when you
drive over 10 miles (f or U.S. models)
or 10 km (f or Canadian models)
af ter seeing the 0% message.
When you press the SEL/RESET
button to select the engine oil lif e,
the message ‘‘SERVICE,’’ along with
the maintenance item code(s) and
the total negative mileage after the
oil lif e became 0%, will be displayed
on the multi-information display.
414
Maintenance Minder
Maint enance
413
CANADA
U.S.
TOTAL PAST DUE MILEAGE
MAINTENANCE ITEM CODE(S)
U.S. CANADA
TOTAL PAST DUE MILEAGE
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