Key
s an d Lock s
To close the trunk, press down on the trunk lid.
See page 128 for cargo loading and
weight limit information. Keep the
trunk lid closed at all times while
driving to avoid damaging the lid,
and to prevent exhaust gas from
getting into the interior. See Carbo n
Monoxid e Hazar d on page 49 . To protect items in the trunk when
you need to give the key to someone
else, lock the trunk release handle
with the master key and give the other person the valet key.
Instrument s an d Control s
MASTE
R KE Y
MASTER
KE Y
Key
s an d Locks , Sea t Adjustment s
Glov e Bo x
Open the glove bohx by pulling the
bottom of the handle. Close it with a
firm push. Lock or unlock the glove
box with the master key. The glove box light comes on only
when the instrument panel lights are
on.
Sea
t Adjustment s
See pages 12 — 13 for important safety
information and warnings about how to properly position seats and seat-backs.
Adjust the seat before you start
driving.
To adjust the seat forward and
backward, pull up on the lever under the seat cushion's front edge. Move
the seat to the desired position and
release the lever. Try to move the seat to make sure it is locked in
position.
Instrument s an d Control s
CONTINUED
An open glove box can cause
serious injury to your passenger
in a crash, even if the
passenger is wearing the seat
belt.
Always keep the glove box
closed while driving.
Foldin
g Rea r Sea t
To fold down the seat-back from
inside the car, insert the master key
in the lock on the rear shelf. Turn
the key clockwise, pull down the top of the seat-back, then release the
key. To release the seat-back from inside
the trunk, pull the release loop under
the rear shelf.
To lock the seat-back upright, push it
firmly against the rear shelf. Make
sure it is latched in place by pulling
on the top of the seat. Make sure all items in the trunk, or
items extending through the opening
into the back seat, are secured.
Loose items can fly forward and
cause injury if you have to brake
hard. See Carryin
g Carg o on page
127.
Never drive with the seat-back
folded down and the trunk lid open. See Carbo n Monoxid e Hazar d on
page 49 .
Instrument s an d Control s RELEAS
E
Pul
l
MASTE
R KE Y
Startin
g th e Engin e
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. In cold weather, turn off all electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
3. Manual Transmission:
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way. START (III) does not
function unless the clutch pedal is
depressed.
Automatic Transmission:
Make sure the shift lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.
4. Without touching the accelerator pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. If the enginedoes not start right away, do not
hold the key in START (III) for
more than 15 seconds at a time.
Pause for at least 10 seconds
before trying again. 5. If the engine does not start within
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 4 with the
accelerator pedal pressed half-way
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race.
6. 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 flooding.
As before, keep the ignition key in
the START (III) position for no
more than 15 seconds. Return to
step 5 if the engine does not start.
If it starts, lift your foot off the
accelerator pedal so the engine
does not race.
Startin g in Col d Weathe r a t Hig h
Altitud e (Abov e 8,00 0 feet /
2,40 0 meters )
An engine is harder to start in cold weather. The thinner air found at
high altitude above 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) adds to the problem.
Use the following procedure:
1. Turn off all electrical accessories to reduce the drain on the battery.
2. Push the accelerator pedal half- way to the floor and hold it there
while starting the engine. Do not
hold the ignition key in START
(III) for more than 15 seconds.
When the engine starts, release
the accelerator pedal gradually as
the engine speeds up and smooths
out.
3. If the engine fails to start in step 2, push the accelerator pedal to the
floor and hold it there while you
try to start the engine for no more
than 15 seconds. If the engine
does not start, return to step 2.
Driving
Automati
c Transmissio n
Par k (P ) — This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning off or starting the engine. To shift out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your foot off the accelerator pedal. Press the release
button on the side of the shift lever
to move it. If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see Shift Lock Release on page
139.
You must also press the release button to shift into Park. To avoid
transmission damage, come to a
complete stop before shifting into
Park. The shift lever must be in Park
before you can remove the key from
the ignition switch. Revers
e (R ) — To shift to Reverse
from Park, see the explanation under Park. To shift to Reverse from
Neutral, come to a complete stop and
then shift. Press the release button before shifting into Reverse from
Neutral.
Neutra l (N ) — Use Neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop briefly with
the engine idling. Shift to Park posi-
tion if you need to leave the car for any reason. Press on the brake pedal
when you are moving the shift lever
from Neutral to another gear.
Driv e (D 4) — Use this position for
your normal driving. The transmis- sion automatically selects a suitable
gear for your speed and acceleration.
You may notice the transmission shifting up at higher speeds when
the engine is cold. This helps the
engine warm up faster.
Driving
CONTINUED
Automati
c Transmissio n
Shif t Loc k Releas e
This allows you to move the shift
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal and pressing the release
button does not work.
1. Set the Parking brake.
2. Remove the key from the ignition
switch.
3. Put a cloth on the edge of the Shift Lock Release slot cover next to
the shift lever.
Use a small flat-tipped screwdriveror small metal plate (neither are
included in the tool kit) to remove
the cover. Carefully pry off the
edge of the cover. 4. Insert the key in the Shift Lock
Release slot.
5. Push down on the key while you press the release button on the
shift lever and move the shift lever
out of Park to Neutral. 6. Remove the key from the shift
lock release slot, then reinstall the
cover.
Depress the brake pedal and
restart the engine.
If you need to use the Shift Lock
Release, it means your car is developing a problem. Have the car
checked by your Acura dealer.
Driving
RELEAS
E BUTTO N
SHIF T LOC K
RELEAS E SLO T
I
f You r Engin e Won' t Star t
Diagnosing why your engine won't start falls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
key to START (III): You hear nothing, or almost
nothing. The engine's starter
motor does not operate at all, or
operates very slowly. You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, or the starter
motor sounds like it is spinning faster than normal, but the engine
does not start up and run.
Nothin g Happen s o r th e Starte r
Moto r Operate s Ver y Slowl y
When you turn the ignition switch to
START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying to start. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at all.
Check these things: Your car has the Immobilizer
System. You should use a
properly-coded master or valet key
to start the engine (see page 69 ).
A key that is not properly coded will cause the immobilizer system indicator in the dash panel to blink
rapidly. Check the transmission interlock.
If you have a manual transmission,
the clutch pedal must be pushed all the way to the floor or thestarter will not operate. With an
automatic transmission, it must be in Park or Neutral. Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights and check
their brightness. If the headlightsare very dun or don't light at all,
the battery is discharged. See
Jum p Startin g on page 227. Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim, check the condition of the fuses. If
the fuses are OK, there is proba-
bly something wrong with the electrical circuit for the ignitionswitch or starter motor. You will
need a qualified technician to determine the problem. (See
Emergenc y Towin g on page 241 .)
If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the engine, either the battery is dis-
charged or the connections are corroded. Check the condition of
the battery and terminal connec-
tions (see page 186 ). You can
then try jump starting the car from a booster battery (see page 227 ).
Takin g Car e o f th e Unexpecte d
Inde
x
Accessories and Modifications.... 125 Accessories................................. 125
Additional Safety Precaution.... 126 Modifications............................. 126
ACCESSORY (Ignition Key Position)........................................ 71
Adding Automatic Transmission
Fluid........................................ 178
Brake Fluid................................. 179 Clutch Fluid................................ 181
Engine Coolant........................... 172
Engine Oil................................... 167
Manual Transmission Fluid..... 179
Power Steering Fluid................. 181
Windshield Washer Fluid......... 177
Additional Information About Your Seat Belts........................ 42
Lap Belt......................................... 43
Lap/Shoulder Belt....................... 42 Seat Belt Maintenance................ 44
Seat Belt System Components... 42
Additional Information About
Your SRS................................... 45
Additional Safety Precautions.... 48
How the SRS Indicator Light
Works........................................ 47
How Your Airbags Work............ 45
SRS Components......................... 45
Additives, Engine Oil..................... 169
Adjustments
Headlights.................................. 200
Head Restraints........................... 76
Mirrors.......................................... 81
Seats.............................................. 76
Steering Wheel............................ 65
Airbag (SRS)...................................... 9
Air Cleaner Element...................... 182
Air Conditioning............................... 90 Maintenance............................... 190
Usage............................................. 90
Air Outlets (Vents).......................... 92
Air Pressure, Tires........................ 192
Alcohol in Gasoline........................ 250
Aluminum Wheels, Cleaning........ 213 Antifreeze....................................... 172
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) Indicator Light.................... 55, 144 Operation.................................... 142
Anti-theft Steering Column
Lock............................................... 71
Appearance Care........................... 211
Ashtrays............................................ 86
Audio System................................... 98
Automatic Speed Control................ 66 Automatic Transmission............... 136
Capacity, Fluid........................... 247
Checking Fluid Level................ 178
Shifting........................................ 136
Shift Lever Position Indicator.. 136
Shift Lever Positions................. 136
Shift Lock Release..................... 139
Battery Charging System Indicator........................... 54, 232
Jump Starting............................. 227
Maintenance............................... 186
Specifications............................. 247
Before Driving............................... 117
CONTINUED