2002 Acura TL transmission

2002 TL Online Reference Owner's Manual
Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through\
this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.h\
elminc.com. Contents
Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safety........................................................................\
.........................................ii
Your Car at a Glance ........................................................................\
...................................................2
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
......................................5
Proper use and care of your car's seat belts, and Supplemental Restraint\
System.
Instruments and Controls........................................................................\
.........................................55
Instrument panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features ........................................................................\
......................115
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
..........................................................163
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new car, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
......................................................................177
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................209
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your car to the\
dealer.
Appearance Care........................................................................\
......................................................269
Tips on cleaning and protecting your car. Things to look for if your car ever needs\
body repairs.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
..............................277
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, and\
how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
.............................................305
ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)................................................................319
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................325
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index........................................................................\
.............................................................................. I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

Push the appropriate edge of the
adjustment switch to move the
mirrorright,left,up,ordown.When you f inish, move the
selector switch to the center (off)
position. This turns of f the
adjustment switch so you can’t
move a mirror out of position by
accidentally bumping the switch.
With the selector switch in the
center (of f ) position, the passenger’s
side mirror will pivot downward
slightly when you shif t the
transmission into reverse. This will
give you a better view of that side of
the vehicle while parallel parking.
The mirror returns to its original
position when you take the
transmission out of reverse.
Outside mirror positions can be
stored in the driving position
memory system (see page ). The outside mirrors are heated to re-
move fog and frost. With the ignition
switchON(II),turnontheheaters
by pressing the button. The light in
the button comes on as a reminder.
Press the button again to turn the
heaters off.
3. 4.
96
Mirrors
Inst rument s and Cont rols95
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EN
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SWWI ITT C
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Press and release the SET/decel
buttononthesteeringwheel.The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel comes on to
show the system is now activated.You can increase the set cruising
speed 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 cruising
speed and press the SET/decel
button.
Thecruisecontrolmaynotholdthe
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. The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel comes on.
When climbing a steep hill, the
automatic transmission may
downshif t to hold the set speed.
3.
Changing t he Set Speed
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures154
R RE ES
SU UM M E
E/
/
a
ac ccceel l
S
SE ET
T/
/d
d e
ecceel l
C
CA
A N
NC CEEL
L
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This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
automatic transmission. It also
includes important inf ormation on
parking your car, the braking system,
the Traction Control System, and
f acts you need if you are planning to
tow a trailer.........................
Preparing to Drive . 178
.......................
Starting the Engine . 179
Starting in Cold Weather ....................
at High Altitude . 179
..............
Automatic Transmission . 180
.
Shif t Lever Position Indicator . 180
................
Shif t Lever Positions . 181
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 187
....................
Shif t Lock Release . 187
...........................................
Parking . 189
.....................
The Braking System . 190
.............
Brake Wear Indicators . 190
...............
Brake System Design . 191
.......................
Anti-lock Brakes . 191
Important Saf ety .........................
Reminders .192
........................
ABS Indicator . 192
..............
Traction Control System . 193
...............
TCS ON/OFF Switch . 194
............................
TCS Indicator . 195
...
Vehicle Stability Assist System . 196
...............
Driving in Bad Weather . 199
...........................
Towing a Trailer . 201
Driving
Driving177
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Your Acura’s transmission has f ive
f orward speeds, and is electronically
controlled f or smoother shif ting. It
also has a ‘‘lock-up’’ torque converter
forbetterfueleconomy.Youmay
f eel what seems like another shif t
when the converter locks.This indicator in the tachometer
shows which position the shif t lever
is in. The illuminated number next to
the ‘‘D ’’ indicator shows you the
gear you have selected in the
Sequential SportShif t mode.The ‘‘D ’’ indicator comes on f or a
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch ON (II). If it f lashes
while driving (in any shif t position),
it indicates a possible problem in the
transmission. Avoid rapid
acceleration and have the
transmission checked by an
authorized Acura dealer as soon as
possible.
5 5
Driving
Automatic Transmission
Shif t L ever Position Indicator
180
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CONT INUED
The shif t lever has nine positions. It
must be in Park or Neutral to start
the engine. When you are stopped in
D,D,D,2,1,N,R,orthe
Sequential SportShif t mode, press
f irmly on the brake pedal and keep
your f oot of f the accelerator pedal.To select the Sequential SportShif t
mode, slide the shif t lever toward the
lef t f rom the ‘‘D ’’ position.
In this mode the shif t lever allows
youtoshiftupanddownmanually.
YoucannotshiftoutofParkwiththe
brake pedal depressed when the
ignition switch is in LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I). Whenever you move the shif t lever,
slide it along the guide on the
console.
543 5
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoN
NtoD
DtoD
DtoD Dto22to1
1to2
2toD
DtoD
DtoD DtoN NtoRRtoP Do this:
Press the brake pedal, then
move the shift lever.
Move the lever.
5
54
43 3
3
34
45 5
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Shif t L ever Positions
181
S SH H I
IFFT T L
LEE V
V E
ER
R
S
SE EQ
QU UEEN
NT TI
IAA L
L
S
SP PO
OR RTTS
SH H I
IFFT T
M
M O
ODDE
E
P
P O
OS SIITT I
IOON N
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µµ
µµ
This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning of f or
starting the engine. To shif t out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal. Move the shif t
lever to the right to shif t out of the
Park position.
To avoid transmission damage, come
to a complete stop bef ore shif ting
into Park. The shif t lever must be in
Park bef ore you can remove the key
from the ignition switch. To shif t to Reverse
f rom Park, see the explanation under
Park. To shif t to Reverse f rom
Neutral, come to a complete stop and
then shift.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see Shif t Lock Release on page . If you cannot shif t to Reverse when
the car is stopped, press the brake
pedal and slowly shif t to Neutral, and
then to Reverse. Your car has a reverse lockout so
you cannot accidentally shif t to
Reverse from Neutral or any other
driving position when the vehicle
speed exceeds 7 9 mph (12 14
km/h).
If there is a problem in the reverse
lockout system, or your car’s battery
is disconnected or goes dead, you
cannot shif t to Reverse. (Ref er to
Shif t Lock Release on page ).
187
187
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Park (P)Reverse (R)
182
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µ
µ µ
´
´
µ
µ
CONT INUED
Use Neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Shif t to Park posi-
tion if you need to leave the car for
any reason. Press on the brake pedal
when you are moving the shif t lever
f rom Neutral to another gear.
Use this position f or
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear for your speed and
acceleration. You may notice the
transmission shif ting up at higher
speeds when the engine is cold. This
helps the engine warm up f aster. With
the shif t lever in ‘‘D ’’ position, you
can select the Sequential SportShif t
mode to shif t gears; much like a
manual transmission, but without a
clutch pedal.
To enter the Sequential SportShif t
mode, move the shif t lever to the lef t.
To return to ‘‘D ’’, move the shif t
lever to the right.
When you move the shif t lever f rom
‘‘D ’’ to the Sequential SportShift
mode, the display shows the selected
gear.
In the Sequential SportShif t mode,
each time you push f orward on the
shif t lever, the transmission shif ts to
a higher gear. Pull back on the lever
to downshif t. The number of the
gear selected is displayed next to the
‘‘D ’’ indicator (see page ). Even with the Sequential SportShift
Mode selected, the transmission will
automatically upshif t and downshif t
between f irst and second gear.
180
5
5
5
5
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Neutral (N)
Drive (D )
5
Sequent ial Sport Shif t Mode
183
D D o
ow
wn ns
shh i
iff t
t
U
Up
ps
shh i
iff t
t
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