2000 MITSUBISHI CARISMA manual transmission

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
5–20
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.

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–21
3 - THIRD/2 - SECOND
(Except for vehicles with Sports
mode)
This position is for extra power when driving
up moderately steep hills, and for engine
braking when descending moderately steep
gradients.
L - LOW
(Except for vehicles with Sports
mode)
This position is for driving up very steep hills
and for engine braking at low speeds when
descending steep gradients.
WARNING
This position can be used for maxi-
mum engine braking.
Be very careful not to shift into “L”
suddenly. Sudden engine braking
may cause the tyres to skid.
Select this position according to the
road conditions and vehicle speed.
I04J053a
A/T mode changeover switch
(Except for vehicles with Sports
mode)
EI04JADa
Two drive modes, “AUTO” and “HOLD”, can
be selected.
Each time you press the switch, the “AUTO”
and “HOLD” modes will switch alternately.
When the “HOLD” mode is selected, the
“HOLD” indicator illuminates on the instru-
ment panel.
AUTOSelect this position for normal driving.
In this position, your vehicle runs with econ-
omical fuel consumption when the acceler-
ator pedal is depressed moderately, and
runs powerfully when the pedal is depressed
heavily.
I04J020a
HOLDSelect the “HOLD” mode when starting your
vehicle on a slippery road surface for
example snow, and the vehicle will start
smoothly.
If you start your vehicle with the selector
lever in other than the “L” position, the ve-
hicle starts in 2nd gear.
When the vehicle speed reaches between
20 to 50 km/h, the gear is fixed in the highest
gear of the selected lever position.
(For example, if you select “D” position, the
vehicle starts in 2nd gear. As the vehicle
speed increases, the gear is shifted up and
when the vehicle speed exceeds approxi-
mately 50 km/h, the gear enters the 4th and
held in the 4th.) Therefore, you can drive like
driving the vehicle with manual transmission
by fully using the selector lever positions.
In the “HOLD” mode, depressing the accel-
erator pedal fully also causes the kick-down
operation.

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–22
I04S040a
Sports mode
(Vehicles with Sports mode)
EI04S-Oa
Whether the vehicle is stationary or in mo-
tion, sports mode is selected by pushing the
selector lever from the “D” (DRIVE) position
into the manual gate (A). To return to “D”
range operation, push the selector lever
back into the main gate (B).
In sports mode, gear shifts can be made
rapidly simply by moving the selector lever
backwards and forwards. In contrast to a
manual transmission, the sports mode al-
lows gear shifts with the accelerator pedal
depressed.
+ (UP): Push the lever forward once to shift
up one gear.
– (DOWN): Pull the lever backwards once to
shift down one gear.
CAUTION
(1) Upward shifts do not take place
automatically in sports mode.
The driver must execute upward
shifts in accordance with prevail-
ing road conditions, taking care
to keep the engine speed below
the red zone.
(2) By rapidly moving the selector
lever backwards (DOWN) twice, it
is possible to skip one gear, i.e.,
3rd to 1st or 4th to 2nd. Since
sudden engine braking and/or
rapid accelera-tion can cause a
loss of traction, however, down-
shifts must be made carefully in
accordance with the vehicle’s
speed.
NOTE
(1) In sports mode, only the 4 forward gears
can be selected. To reverse or park the
vehicle, move the selector lever to the
“R” (REVERSE) or “P” (PARK) position
as required.
(2) To maintain the required levels of ve-
hicle performance and safety, the sys-
tem may not execute certain gear shifts
when the selector lever is operated,
such as 4th gear at low speed.
(3) In sports mode, downward shifts are
made automatically when the vehicle
slows down. When the vehicle stops,
1st gear is automatically selected.
(4) When driving away on a slippery road,
push the selector lever forward into the
+(UP) position. This causes the trans-
mission to shift into the 2nd gear which
is better for smooth driving away on a
slippery road. Push the selector lever to
the – (DOWN) side to shift back to the
1st gear.
(5) Move the selector lever gently between
the manual and main gates and be-
tween positions in the manual gate.
Undue force could damage the selector
lever.

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–25
WaitingEI04G-Ee
For short waiting periods, such as at traffic
lights, the vehicle can be left in gear and held
stationary with the service brake.
For longer waiting periods with the engine
running, the selector lever should be placed
in the “N” (NEUTRAL) position.
CAUTION
(1)Never hold the vehicle stationary
while in gear on a hill with the accel-
erator, always apply the parking
brake and/or service brake.
(2)Unexpected acceleration may occur
if the selector lever is in a position
other than “P” (PARK) or “N” (NEU-
TRAL).
Prior to moving off after having
stopped the vehicle, make sure that
the selector lever is in “D” (DRIVE)
or “Sports mode” position.
ParkingEI04H-Be
To park the vehicle, first bring it to a complete
stop, fully engage the parking brake and
then move the selector lever to the “P”
(PARK) position.
If you are going to leave the vehicle unat-
tended, always switch off the engine and re-
move the ignition key.
NOTE
On a slope, be sure to apply the parking
brake before moving the selector lever to the
“P” (PARK) position. If you move the selector
lever to the “P” (PARK) position without first
applying the parking brake, a stronger than
normal resistance force may be encoun-
tered. In this situation, move the selector
lever strongly when you next wish to drive.
I27A052a
Parking brakeEI07A-Jn
To park the vehicle, first bring it to a complete
stop, fully engage the parking brake and
then move the gear shift lever to 1st (on an
uphill) or Reverse (on a downhill) position, for
vehicles with a manual transmission or set
the selector lever to “P” (PARK) position on
automatic transmission vehicles.
To apply
1-Pull the lever up without pushing the
button at the end of the hand grip.

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–26
I07A045a
To release
1-Pull the lever up slightly.
2-Push the button at the end of the hand
grip.
3-Push the lever downward.
NOTETo prevent the parking brake from being re-
leased unintentionally, the lever must be
pulled upward slightly before it can be
pushed downward. Simply pressing the but-
ton does not enable the lever to be pushed
downward.
When parking on a hill, apply the parking
brake and turn the front wheels towards the
kerb on a downhill grade, away from the kerb
on an uphill grade.
CAUTION
Before driving, be sure that the park-
ing brake is fully released and the
brake warning lamp is off.
If a vehicle is driven without releasing
the parking brake, the brake will be
overheated, resulting in ineffective
braking and possible brake failure.
ParkingEI22A-Al
Parking on a slope
Fully engage the parking brake, and then
move the gearshift lever to 1st (on an uphill)
or reverse (on a downhill) position on manual
transmission vehicle. On automatic trans-
mission vehicle, move the selector lever to
“P” position. When parking on a hill, apply
chocks to wheels for greater safety.
Parking with the engine running
Do not keep the engine running in a closed
or poorly ventilated place. Carbon monoxide
gas is odorless and extremely poisonous
and dangerous.
Where you park
Do not park in a place where there are in-
flammable objects such as dry grass,
leaves, etc... because the exhaust system
with catalyst produces very high tempera-
tures. This may cause a fire.
When leaving the vehicle
Always remove the key from the ignition
switch and lock all doors when leaving the
vehicle unattended.
Always try to park your vehicle in a well lit
area.

STARTING AND DRIVING
5–39
I10A123a
To deactivate
The auto–speed control can be deactivated
by the following ways.
(1) Push the main switch at the end of the
lever. (Main switch OFF)
(2) Pull the auto–speed control lever to-
ward you.
The auto–speed control can be deactivated
automatically in any of the following ways.
(3) By slightly tapping the brake pedal or
depressing it to reduce the speed.
(4) By depressing the clutch pedal (for mo-
dels with the manual transmission).
(5) By moving the selector lever to the “N”
(for models with the automatic trans-
mission).
(6) When, on a steep slope, etc., the ve-
hicle speed decreases to a speed which
is 15 km/h or more below the set speed.(7) When the vehicle speed decreases to
40 km/h or less.
WARNING
Although the auto–speed control can
be deactivated by moving the selec-
tor lever to the “N” position, never
move the selector lever to the “N”
position while driving.
A serious accident could occur; the
engine braking would be lost.
I10A124a
To resume set speed
If the vehicle speed remains 40 km/h or
higher when the auto–speed control is
deactivated by operating the auto–speed
control lever or by any one of the (2) to (7)
conditions noted above, the previously set
speed can be automatically resumed by pul-
ling up the auto–speed control lever.

FOR PLEASANT DRIVING
6–30
Side
H16A063a
Set the ventilator dial (3) to the open position.
Air always flows out from the ventilator when
the blower is switched on.
Adjust the direction of the air flow by moving
the knob (4), and horizontal and vertical ad-
justment can be made.
NOTE
On an air conditioned vehicle, the cool air
from the ventilators may appear as a mist.
This is due to moist air being suddenly
cooled by the air conditioning. This will
clear after a few moments.
LHD
H23A255a
Heater/Manual air
conditioning*
EH04ABO
The heater and the air conditioning can be
operated while the engine is running. The
performance of the heater is directly re-
lated to the temperature of the engine cool-
ant, so operate the heater after the engine
has had a chance to warm up. The amount
of air flow can be regulated by adjusting the
blower speed.
1-Air conditioning switch*
Push the switch when the fan is
switched on, and the air conditioning
unit (cooling/dehumidifying function)
will operate, turning the operation indi-
cator lamp on.
Push the switch again, and the air
conditioning unit will stop.
RHD
H23A254a
NOTE
On an air conditioned vehicle, the cool air
from the ventilators may appear as a mist.
This is due to moist air being suddenly
cooled by the air conditioning. This will
clear after a few moments.
CAUTION
When using the air conditioning, the
idling speed may slightly increase as
the air conditioning compressor is
switched on/off automatically. Espe-
cially for vehicles with an automatic
transmission, while the vehicle is sta-
tionary, fully depress the brake pedal
to prevent the vehicle from creeping.