2000 MITSUBISHI CARISMA Owners Manual

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–13
I27A036a
Starting the engine
(Petrol-powered vehicles)
This vehicle is equipped with an electroni-
cally controlled fuel injection system which
is automatically controlled. When starting
the engine, do not depress the accelerator
pedal.
Normal conditions
The starting procedure is as follows :
1. Insert the ignition key and fasten the
seat belt.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
4. Place the gearshift lever (manual
transmission) in the “N” (Neutral) or
the selector lever (automatic trans-
mission) in the “P” (PARK) position.
5. Fully depress the clutch pedal (man-
ual transmission).
6. After turning the ignition key to the
“ON” position, make certain that all
warning lamps are functioning proper-
ly before starting the engine.
7. Turn the ignition key to the “START”
position without depressing the accel-
erator pedal, and release it when the
engine starts.
NOTE
A ticking noise may be heard after starting
the engine. This is not an abnormal condi-
tion. The noise will disappear after a short
time of engine running.
If the ticking noise continues after the engine
is warmed up, have your vehicle checked at
an authorized MITSUBISHI dealer.
Flooded engine
If the engine has become flooded during
starting, first operate the starter for 5 to 6 sec-
onds while fully depressing the accelerator
pedal, then start the engine without depres-
sing the accelerator pedal.
At extreme cold ambient
temperature
If the engine won’t start, depress the accel-
erator pedal about halfway while cranking
the engine. Once the engine starts, re-
lease the accelerator pedal.
CAUTION
When starting the engine, make sure
that you press on the brake pedal. At
extreme cold ambient temperature,
move your foot to the brake pedal im-
mediately after the engine has
started.

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–14
I27A075a
Starting the engine
(Diesel-powered vehicles)
1. Insert the ignition key and fasten the
seat belt.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
4. Place the gearshift lever in the “N”
(Neutral) position.
5. Fully depress the clutch pedal.
6. Turn the ignition key to the “ON” posi-
tion. The diesel preheat indication
lamp will first illuminate in amber, and
then after a short time go out, indicat-
ing that preheating is completed.
7. Turn the ignition key to the “START”
position without depressing the accel-
erator pedal, and release it when the
engine starts.NOTE
(1) If the engine is cold, the diesel preheat
indication lamp is on for a longer time.
(2) When the engine has not been started
within about 5 seconds after the diesel
preheat indication lamp will go out, re-
turn the ignition key to the “LOCK” posi-
tion. Then, turn the key to the “ON” posi-
tion to preheat the engine again.
(3) When the engine is warm, the diesel
preheat indication lamp does not come
on, even if the ignition key is placed in
the “ON” position.
Start the engine by turning the ignition
key right to the “START” position.
Type 1
I29A014a
Manual transmissionEI29A–Jd
The shift pattern is shown on the gearshift
lever knob. Be sure to always fully depress
the clutch pedal before attempting to shift the
lever.
For smooth gearchanging

Depress the clutch pedal completely.

1st and 2nd gear: first move the gear
lever fully left and then forward or back
into 1st and 2nd gear.

3rd and 4th gear: move the gear lever
forward or back from neutral (N).

5th gear: first move the gear lever right
and then into 5th gear.

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–15
Type 1
I29A015a

Reverse gear (R) (Type 1): Lift the lock
knob (A) under the gear lever knob with
two fingers, move the gear lever to the
far left and then forward into reverse.

Reverse (R) gear (Type 2): First move
the gear level fully right and then back-
ward into reverse.
Type 2, LHD
I29A012a
CAUTION
(1) Do not move the gearshift lever
into reverse while the vehicle is
moving forward; doing so will
damage the transmission.
(2) Do not rest your foot on the clutch
pedal while driving as this will
cause premature clutch wear or
damage.
NOTE
(1) If it is hard to shift into 1st, depress the
clutch pedal again; the shift will then be
easier to make.
(2) To shift into reverse from 5th gear, move
the gearshift lever to the “N” position
(Neutral) and then shift it into reverse.
(Type 2)
Type 2, RHD
I29A010a

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–16
Changing gearsEI03CMKg
Always use care to change the gear with the
vehicle speed matched to the engine speed.
Proper shifting will improve fuel economy
and prolong engine life.
Avoid shifting down at high speed, as this
may cause excessive engine speed (on ve-
hicles with a tachometer, the tachometer
needle into the red zone) and damage the
engine.
Economical driving speedThe following shift points are recommended
to assist fuel economy. The driver may vary
these points to suit driving conditions and
load.
km/h
Petrol-powered
vehiclesDiesel-powered
vehicles
Drive
range
130016001800
(GDI)
Medium
perfor-
mance
engineHigh
perfor-
mance
engine
1st to 2nd3035252520
2nd to
3rd5065505035
3rd to 4th8090808060
4th to 5th11 012510511 085
Possible driving speedkm/h
DrivePetrol-powered vehiclesDiesel-Driverange130016001800
(GDI)powered
vehicles
1st40505035
2nd75959070
3rd12013514011 0
4th160185185150
5th gear is an overdrive ratio and its use re-
duces engine speed below that of the 4th
gear. Use 5th gear whenever vehicle speed
allows, for maximum fuel economy.
Automatic transmission
INVECS–II 4A/T, Sports Mode
4A/T
(Intelligent & Innovative
Vehicle Electronic Control
System II)
EI04AXV
Designed for optimum control and equipped
with adaptive control capabilities, the elec-
tronically controlled transmission optimally
matches gear shifts to almost all driving and
road conditions.
CAUTION
This system is strictly intended to
provide supplementary functions.
When travelling downhill under cer-
tain conditions or immediately after
starting off when the automatic trans-
mission is cold, no automatic shift-
down may be made. The driver should
shiftdown to a lower gear to use en-
gine braking. Try to drive safely at all
time.

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–17
NOTE
During running–in period or immediately
after reconnection of the battery cable, there
may be a case where gearshifts are not
made smoothly. This does not indicate a
faulty transmission.
Gearshifts will become smooth after the
transmission has been shifted several times
by the electronic control system.
I04A235a
Selector lever operation
Except for vehicles with Sports modeThe transmission has 4 forward gears and 1
reverse gear.
The individual gears are selected automati-
cally, depending on the position of the gear
selector lever, the speed of the vehicle and
the position of the accelerator pedal.
The selector lever has 7 positions, and is
equipped with a lock button (A) to avoid inad-
vertent selection of the wrong gear.
Button must be pushed and brake
pedal must be depressed to move
the lever
Button must be pushed to move the
lever.
Button need not be pushed to move
the lever.
I04B008a
Vehicles with Sports modeThe transmission has 4 forward gears and 1
reverse gear.
The individual gears are selected automati-
cally, depending on the position of the gear
selector lever, the speed of the vehicle and
the position of the accelerator pedal.
The selector lever has 2 gates; the main gate
(1) and the manual gate (2).
NOTE
For information on manual gate operation,
please refer to “Sports mode (Vehicles with
Sports mode)” on page 5–22.

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–18
I04A187a
In the main gate, selector lever has 4 posi-
tions, and is equipped with a lock button (A)
to avoid inadvertent selection of the wrong
gear.
I04A209a
Button must be pushed while the
brake pedal is depressed to move
the lever.
Button must be pushed to move the
lever.
Button need not be pushed to move
the lever.
WARNING
(1) If the button is always depressed
to operate the selector lever, the
lever may be accidentally shifted
into the “P”, “R”, “2”, or “L” posi-
tion. Be sure not to depress the
button (A) when performing the
operations indicated by
 in the
illustration.
(2) Always depress the brake pedal
when shifting the selector lever
into a gear from the “P” (PARK) or
“N” (NEUTRAL) position.
When beginning to drive, do not
shift the selector lever form the
“P” (PARK) or “N” (NEUTRAL)
position while depressing the ac-
celerator pedal, doing so is dan-
gerous because the vehicle will
“jump” forward or backward.
NOTE
If the brake pedal is not depressed and held,
the shift-lock device activates to prevent the
selector lever from being moved from the “P”
(PARK) position to another position.

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–19
Except for vehicles with Sports mode
I04A229a
Indicator lamps
A- Selector lever position indicator lamp
B- “N” indicator lamp
The indication lamps in the instrument panel
are for indication the selector lever position
and one of them will be illuminated when the
ignition is switched “ON”.
I04A257a
Vehicles with Sports mode
CAUTION
If the “N” (NEUTRAL) indicator lamp
in the selector lever position indicator
flashes while you are driving, there
could be a malfunction in the auto-
matic transmission. (If the selected
lever position is in the “P” (PARK),
“R” (REVERSE) or “N” (NEUTRAL)
position, the indicator lamp does not
flash.) Identify and rectify the problem
in accordance with the following pro-
cedure.
CAUTION
[The “N” indicator lamp flashes rapid-
ly (twice per second)]
The automatic transmission fluid is
overheating.
Park your vehicle in a safe place but
do not turn off the engine. Move the
selector lever to the “P” (PARK) posi-
tion and open the bonnet. Keep the
engine idling.
After a while, move the selector to the
“D” position and confirm that the “N”
indicator lamp stops flashing. It is safe
to continue driving if the “N” indicator
lamp no longer flashes.
Be sure to carry out this check with
the selector lever in the all forward
position except for “P” (PARK), “R”
(REVERSE) or “N” (NEUTRAL). The
“N” indicator lamp warning function
operates only in these positions.
If the “N” indicator lamp continues
flashing or flashes intermittently,
have your vehicle inspected by an
authorized MITSUBISHI dealer.

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–20
CAUTION
[The “N” indicator lamp flashes slow-
ly (once per second)]
The automatic transmission safety
device may be operating due to a mal-
function.
Have your vehicle inspected by an
authorized MITSUBISHI dealer as
soon as possible.
Selector positionsEI04BALb
P - PARKThis position locks the transmission to pre-
vent the vehicle from moving. The engine
can be started in this position.
R - REVERSEMove the lever to this position only after the
vehicle has come to a complete stop.
CAUTION
Never shift into the “P” (PARK) or “R”
(REVERSE) position while the vehicle
is in motion. If the lever is shifted into
the “P” or “R” position while the ve-
hicle is in motion, the transmission
may be damaged.
N - NEUTRALAt this position, the transmission is disen-
gaged. It is the same as the neutral position
on a manual transmission, and should be
used when the vehicle is stationary for an ex-
tended length of time during driving, such as
in a traffic jam.
WARNING
(1) Never move the selector lever to
the “N” position while driving.
A serious accident could occur
since you could accidentally
move the lever into the “P” or “R”
position and engine braking
would be lost.
(2) On a slope gradient, the engine
should be started in the “P”
(PARK) position, not in the “N”
(NEUTRAL) position.
(3) Always keep your right foot on
the brake pedal when the vehicle
is in “N” (NEUTRAL), or when
shifting into or out of “N” (NEU-
TRAL), to minimize the risk of
loss of control.
D - DRIVEThis position is for normal driving.
The transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear for your speed and acceler-
ation.
Engine braking is automatically applied
when necessary, depending on road condi-
tions.
Please refer to “Uphill/downhill driving” on
page 5–24.