2000 Acura TL automatic transmission

Your Car at a Glance
MIRROR
CONTROLS(P.98) AIRBAGS
(P.9, 43)
DIGITAL CLOCK
(P. 100)
CLIMATE CONTROL (P.110, 118)
AUDIO SYSTEM (P.123)
AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION (P. 162)
HOOD RELEASE
HANDLE
(P.148)
FUEL FILL DOOR
HANDLE
(P.147)
TRUNK RELEASE
BUTTON
(P.82)
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHES
(P.95) POWER DOOR LOCK
SWITCH
(P.77)

Steering Wheel Controls
RESUME/
accel
3. Press and release the SET/decel
button on the steering wheel. TheCRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel comes on toshow the system is now activated. The 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 to the desired speed. This
will cancel the cruise control. To resume the set speed, press the
RESUME/accel button. TheCRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel comes on.
When climbing a steep hill, the automatic transmission may
downshift to hold the set speed.
Changing the Set Speed
You can increase the set cruisingspeed in any of these ways:
• Press and hold the RESUME/ accel button. The car will acceler-
ate. When you reach the desired
cruising speed, release the button.
• To increase your speed in very small amounts, tap the RESUME/
accel button repeatedly. Each time
you do this, your car will speed up about 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
• Push on the accelerator pedal. Ac- celerate to the desired cruisingspeed and press the SET/decel
button.
Instruments and Controls

Driving
This section gives you tips onstarting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
automatic transmission. It also
includes important information on
parking your car, the braking system,
the Traction Control System, and
facts you need if you are planning to
tow a trailer.Preparing to Drive.................... 160
Starting the Engine.................... 161
Starting in Cold Weather
at High Altitude................. 161
Automatic Transmission........... 162 Shift Lever Position Indicator .. 162
Shift Lever Positions............. 163
Engine Speed Limiter............ 169
Shift Lock Release.............. 169
Parking................................... 171
The Braking System................. 172
Brake Wear Indicators.......... 172
Brake System Design .............. 173
Anti-lock Brakes.................... 173
Important Safety
Reminders................... 174
ABS Indicator.................... 174
Traction Control System ........... 175
TCS ON/OFF Switch ............. 176
TCS Indicator....................... 176
Driving in Bad Weather............. 178
Towing a Trailer........................ 180
Driving

Automatic Transmission
Your Acura's transmission has fiveforward speeds, and is electronically
controlled for smoother shifting. It
also has a "lock-up" torque converter
for better fuel economy. You may feel what seems like another shift
when the converter locks. Shift Lever Position Indicator
This indicator in the tachometer shows which position the shift lever
is in. The illuminated number next to
the "D
5" indicator shows you the
gear you have selected in the Sequential SportShift mode. The "D
5" indicator comes on for a
few seconds when you turn the
ignition switch ON (II). If it flashes
while driving (in any shift position), it indicates a possible problem in thetransmission. Avoid rapid
acceleration and have the
transmission checked by an
authorized Acura dealer as soon as
possible.
Driving

Automatic Transmission
Shift Lever Positions
SHIFT LEVER
SEQUENTIAL
SPORTSHIFT MODE
POSITION
The shift lever has nine positions. It must be in Park or Neutral to start
the engine. When you are stopped inD
5, D4, D3, 2, 1,N,R,or the
Sequential SportShift mode, press
firmly on the brake pedal and keep
your foot off the accelerator pedal. To select the Sequential SportShift
mode, slide the shift lever toward the
left from the "D
5" position.
In this mode the shift lever allows
you to shift up and down manually.
To shift from:
P toR
R to N
N to Ds
D
5 to D4
D4 to D3D3 to2
2 to l
1to2
2 to D
3D3 to D4D4 to D5
N to R R to P Do this:
Press the brake pedal, then
move the shift lever.
Move the lever.
Whenever you move the shift lever, slide it along the guide on the
console.
You cannot shift out of Park with the brake pedal depressed when theignition switch is in LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I).
CONTINUED
Driving

Automatic Transmission
Park (P) - This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use Park whenever you are turning off or
starting the engine. To shift out ofPark, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your foot off the
accelerator pedal. Move the shift lever to the right to shift out of thePark position.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see Shift Lock Release on page 169. To avoid transmission damage, cometo a complete stop before shiftinginto Park. The shift lever must be in
Park before you can remove the key
from the ignition switch. Reverse (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.
Your car has a reverse lockout so
you cannot accidentally shift to Reverse from Neutral or any other
driving position when the vehicle
speed exceeds 7 — 9 mph (12 — 14
km/h).
If you cannot shift to Reverse when
the car is stopped, press the brake
pedal and slowly shift to Neutral
then to Reverse.
If there is a problem in the reverse
lockout system, or your vehicle's
battery is disconnected or goes dead,
you cannot shift to Reverse. (Refer
to Shift Lock Release on page 169).
Driving

Automatic Transmission
Neutral (N) - Use Neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or ifit 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.
Drive (D
5) — Use this position for
your normal driving. The transmission 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. Sequential SportShift Mode - With
the shift lever in "D
5" position, you
can select the Sequential SportShift mode to shift gears; much like a
manual transmission, but without a
clutch pedal.
When the Sequential SportShift Mode is selected, the transmission
will automatically upshift and downshift between first and second
gear.
To enter the Sequential SportShift mode, slide the shift lever further to
the left. To return to "D
5", slide the
shift lever to the right.
When you move the shift lever from "D
5" to the Sequential SportShift
mode, the display shows the selected
gear.
Downshift
In the Sequential SportShift mode,
each time you push forward on the
shift lever, the transmission shifts to
a higher gear. Pull back on the lever
to downshift. The number of the
gear selected is displayed next to the "D
5" indicator (see page 162).
CONTINUED
Driving

Automatic Transmission
When you accelerate away from astop, the transmission will start in
first gear and then automatically upshift to second gear. You have to
manually upshift between secondand fifth gears. Make sure you
upshift before the engine speed
reaches the tachometer's red zone. The transmission remains in the
selected gear (5,4,3). There is no
automatic downshift when you push
the accelerator pedal to the floor. The transmission may automatically
downshift from the higher gear to
the lower gear under the following conditions:
Driving on level roads and downhill
To shift from
4 3
5 4 Speed range
under 18 mph (29 km/h)
under 31 mph (50 km/h)
Driving uphill
To shift from 4 3
5 4 Speed range
under 34 mph (55 km/h)
under 47 mph (75 km/h)
Driving