2010 Acura TSX service

Bef ore you begin driving your
vehicle, you should know what
gasoline to use and how to check the
levels of important f luids. You also
need to know how to properly store
luggage or packages. The
inf ormation in this section will help
you. If you plan to add any
accessories to your vehicle, please
read the information in this section
first..............................
Break-in Period .346
.................
Fuel Recommendation . 346
...........
Service Station Procedure . 347
....................................
Ref ueling .347
.....
Tighten Fuel Cap Message . 349
OpeningandClosingthe .......................................
Hood .350
...................................
Oil Check .352
.............
Engine Coolant Check . 353
...............................
Fuel Economy .354
...
Accessories and Modif ications . 357
.............................
Carrying Cargo .359
Bef ore Driving
Bef ore Driving
345
2010 TSX

Help assure your vehicle’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
Do not change the oil until the
scheduled maintenance time.
Avoidhardbrakingforthefirst
200 miles (300 km).
Do not tow a trailer.
You should also f ollow these
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are replaced. Your vehicle is designed to operate
on premium unleaded gasoline with a
pump octane number of 91 or higher.
Useof aloweroctanegasolinecan
cause occasional metallic knocking
noises in the engine and will result in
decreased engine perf ormance. Use
of a gasoline with a pump octane
number less than 87 can lead to
engine damage.
Your vehicle is designed to operate
on premium unleaded gasoline with a
pump octane of 91 or higher. If this
octane grade is unavailable, regular
unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane of 87 or higher may be used
temporarily. The use of regular
unleaded gasoline can cause metallic
knocking noises in the engine and
will result in decreased engine
perf ormance. The long-term use of
regular-grade gasoline can lead toengine damage.
We recommend using quality
gasolines containing detergent
additives that help prevent fuel
system and engine deposits.
In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend, in areas where it is
available, the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain manganese-based
f uel additives such as MMT.
Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance,
and cause the malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contact
your authorized dealer f or service.4-cylinder models
6-cylinder models On all models
Break-in Period, Fuel Recommendation
Break-in Period
Fuel Recommendation
346
2010 TSX

CONT INUED
Some gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol or
MTBE. Your vehicle is designed to
operate on oxygenated gasoline
containing up to 10% ethanol by
volume and up to 15% MTBE by
volume. Do not use gasoline
containing methanol.
If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline.The vehicle doors and the f uel f ill
door will automatically relock if
the remote transmitter unlock
f unction is used. In this instance,
the security relock f unction can be
deactivated by brief ly opening
then closing the driver’s door. Make sure the driver’s door is
unlocked. The f uel f ill door always
locks or unlocks in conjunction
with the driver’s door.
Outside of the vehicle, push on the
right side edge of the f uel f ill door
in the middle. The f uel f ill door
will pop up slightly. Pull it outward
to open it.
Park with the driver’s side closest
to the gas pump.
You may hear a knocking noise from
the engine if you drive the vehicle at
low engine speed (below about 1,000
rpm) in a higher gear. To stop this,
raise the engine speed by shif ting to
a lower gear.
For f urther important f uel-related
inf ormation f or your vehicle, or
inf ormation on gasoline that does not
contain MMT, contact your dealer or
visit My Acura at
(In Canada, visit 1.2.
3.On vehicles with manual transmission
owners.acura.com
www.myacura.ca).
Service Station Procedure
Ref uelingBef ore Driving
347
Push
Pull out
FUEL FILL DOOR
2010 TSX

Stop f illing the tank af ter the f uel
nozzle automatically clicks of f . Do
not try to ‘‘top off’’ the tank. This
leaves some room in the f uel tank
for the fuel to expand with
temperature changes.
even though the tank is not f ull,
there may be a problem with your
vehicle’s fuel vapor recovery
system. The system helps keep
f uel vapor f rom going into the
atmosphere. Try f illing at another
pump. If this does not f ix the
problem, consult your dealer.
Remove the f uel f ill cap slowly.
You may hear a hissing sound as
pressure inside the tank equalizes.
The fuel fill cap is attached to the
f uel f iller with a tether. Place the
cap in the holder on the f uel f ill
door.
4. 5.
If the f uel nozzle keeps clicking of f
Service Station Procedures
348
HOLDER
FUEL FILL CAP
TETHER
Gasoline is highly flammable
and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured
when handling fuel. Stop the engine, and keep
heat, sparks, and flame away.
Handle fuel only outdoors.
Wipe up spills immediately.
2010 TSX

If the system still detects a leak in
the vehicle’s evaporative emissions
system, the malf unction indicator
lamp (MIL) comes on. If the f uel f ill
cap was not already tightened, turn
the engine of f , and check or
retighten the f uel f ill cap until it
clicks at least once. The MIL should
go off after several days of normal
driving once the cap is tightened or
replaced. If the MIL does not go of f ,
have your vehicle inspected by a
dealer. For more inf ormation, see
page . The ‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL CAP’’
message will appear each time you
restart the engine until the system
turns the message off.
Turn the engine of f , and conf irm the
f uel f ill cap is installed. If it is, loosen
it, then retighten it until it clicks at
least once. The message should go off after several days of normal
driving once you tighten or replace
thefuelfillcap.Toscrolltoanother
message, press the INFO button.
Your vehicle’s on board diagnostic
system will detect a loose or missing
f uel f ill cap as an evaporative system
leak. The f irst time a leak is detected
a ‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL CAP’’ message
appears on the multi-inf ormation
display.
Screw the fuel fill cap back on
until it clicks at least once. If you
do not properly tighten the cap,
you will see a ‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL
CAP’’ message on the multi-
inf ormation display. If the system
still detects an evaporative system
leak af ter retightening the cap, the
malf unction indicator lamp may
come on (see page ).
Push the f uel f ill door closed until
it latches. If the door won’t close
f ully, do not f orce it. Unlock the
drivers door f irst.
6.
7.
472
472
Service Station Procedure
Tighten Fuel Cap Message
Bef ore Driving
349
The f uel door and its latching
mechanism can be permanently
damaged if the f uel door is f orced
closed when the driver’s door is
locked.
2010 TSX

Reach in between the hood and
the f ront grille with your f ingers.
The hood latch handle is above
the ‘‘A’’ logo. Push this handle up
to the right until it releases the
hood. Lif t the hood.
Park the vehicle, and set the
parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower lef t corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly. If the hood latch handle moves stif f ly,
or if you can open the hood without
lif ting the handle, the mechanism
should be cleaned and lubricated.
2.
1.
Service Station Procedure
Opening and Closing the Hood
350
LATCH
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
2010 TSX

Lif t the hood up most of the way.
The hydraulic supports will lif t it
uptherestof thewayandholdit
up.
To close the hood, lif t it up slightly to
remove the support rod f rom the
hole. Put the support rod back into
its holding clip. Lower the hood to
about a f oot (30 cm) above the
f ender, then let it drop. Make sure it
is securely latched.
To close the hood, lower it to
about a f oot (30 cm) above the
f ender, then press down f irmly
with your hands. Make sure the
hood is securely latched.
Holding the grip, pull the support
rod out of its clip. Insert the end
into the designated hole in the
hood marked by an arrow.
3.
4-cylinder models
6-cylinder models
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
351
CLIPSUPPORT ROD
GRIP
4-cylinder models 6-cylinder models
2010 TSX

Wipe the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel.
Wait a f ew minutes af ter turning the
engine of f bef ore you check the oil. Park the vehicle on a level surf ace.
Remove the dipstick again, and
check the level. It should be
between the upper and lower
marks.
Insert the dipstick all the way back
into its hole.
Remove the dipstick (orange
handle/loop).
1.
2. 3.
4.
Oil Check
Service Station Procedure
352
UPPER MARK
LOWER MARK
DIPSTICK (orange handle)
4-cylinder models 4-cylinder models
6-cylinder models
2010 TSX