2003 Acura CL brake

Covering the outside edge of a
f ront seat-back, with a non-Acura
seat cover for example, could
prevent the airbag from inflating
properly.If a side airbag
inflates,acupholderorotherhard
object attached on or near the
door could be propelled inside the
car and hurt someone.
Removing parts f rom your vehicle,
or replacing components with non-
Acura (aftermarket) components
could seriously af f ect your vehicle’s
handling, stability, and reliability.
Some examples are:
Lowering the vehicle with an
aftermarket suspension kit that
signif icantly reduces ground
clearance can allow the
undercarriage to impact speed
bumps or other raised objects,
which could cause the airbags to
deploy.
Raising the vehicle with an
af termarket suspension kit can
af f ect the handling and stability.
Af termarket wheels, because they
are a universal design, can cause
excessive stress on suspension
components. Any object
attached to or placed on the covers
marked ‘‘SRS AIRBAG,’’ in the
center of the steering wheel and
on top of the dashboard, could
interf ere with the proper operation
of the airbags. Or, if the airbags
inf late, the objects could be
propelled inside the car and hurt
someone.
Do not modif y your steering wheel
or any other part of your
Supplemental Restraint System.
Modif ications could make the
system inef f ective.
Larger or smaller wheels and tires
can interf ere with the operation of
your vehicle’s anti-lock brakes and
other systems.
If you plan to modif y your vehicle,
consult with your Acura dealer.
Modif ications
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Do not place any object s over t heoutsideedgeof afront seat-back.
Do not at t ach hard object s on or
near a door.
Do not at t ach or place object s on the f ront airbag covers.
A ccessories and Modif ications
Bef ore Driving186

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, the
Vehicle Stability Assist System, and
f acts you need if you are planning to
tow a trailer.........................
Preparing to Drive .192
.......................
Starting the Engine .193
Starting in Cold Weather ....................
at High Altitude .193
....
6-speed Manual Transmission . 194
.....
Recommended Shif t Points . 195
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 195
.......................
Reverse Lockout .196
..............
Automatic Transmission . 197
.
Shif t Lever Position Indicator . 197
................
Shif t Lever Positions . 198
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 203
....................
Shif t Lock Release . 204
...........................................
Parking .205
.....................
The Braking System .206
.............
Brake Wear Indicators . 206
...............
Brake System Design . 207
.......................
Anti-lock Brakes .207
Important Saf ety .........................
Reminders .208
........................
ABS Indicator .208
..............
Traction Control System . 209
...
Vehicle Stability Assist System . 212
...............
Driving in Bad Weather . 215
...........................
Towing a Trailer .217
Driving
Driving191

Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way. START (III) does not
f unction unless the clutch pedal is
depressed.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. If the engine
does not start right away, do not
hold the key in START (III) f or
more than 15 seconds at a time.
Pause f or at least 10 seconds
bef ore trying again.
If the engine does not start within15 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.
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 f looding.
As bef ore, keep the ignition key in
the START (III) position f or no
more than 15 seconds. Return to
step 5 if the engine does not start.
If it starts, lif t your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal so the engine
does not race.
An engine is harder to start in cold
weather. The thinner air f ound at
high altitude above 8,000 f eet (2,400
meters) adds to the problem. Use the f ollowing procedure:
Turn of f all electrical accessories
to reduce the drain on the battery.
Push the accelerator pedal half-
way to the f loor and hold it there
while starting the engine. Do not
hold the ignition key in START
(III) f or more than 15 seconds.
When the engine starts, release
the accelerator pedal gradually as
the engine speeds up and smooths
out.
If the engine fails to start in step 2,
push the accelerator pedal to the
f loor 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.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
1.
2.
3.
Manual Transmission:
Automatic Transmission:
Driving
Starting the Engine
Starting in Cold Weather at High
A ltitude (A bove 8,000 f eet/
2,400 meters)
193

The manual transmission is synchro-
nizedinallforwardgearsforsmooth
operation. It has a lockout so you
cannot shift directly from Fifth to
Reverse instead of sixth (see page). When shif ting up or down,
make sure you push the clutch pedal
down all the way, shift to the next
gear, and let the pedal up gradually.
When you are not shif ting, do not
rest your f oot on the clutch pedal.
This can cause your clutch to wear
out f aster. Come to a full stop before you shift
into Reverse. You can damage the
transmission by trying to shif t into
Reverse with the car moving. Push
down the clutch pedal, and pause f or
a f ew seconds bef ore shif ting into
Reverse, or shif t into one of the
f orward gears f or a moment. This
stops the gears so they won’t ‘‘grind.’’
When slowing down, you can get
extra braking f rom the engine by
shifting to a lower gear. This extra
braking can help you maintain a safe
speed and prevent your brakes f rom
overheating while going down a
steep hill. Bef ore downshif ting,
make sure engine speed will not go
into the tachometer’s red zone in the
lower gear.
196
Driving
6-speed Manual T ransmission
194
Rapid slowing or speeding-up
can cause loss of control on
slippery surfaces. If you crash,
you can be injured.
Use extra care when driving on
slippery surfaces.

With the clutch pedal depressed,
move the shift lever to the First/
Second gear side of the Neutral
gate, then shif t to Reverse.If you are still unable to shif t to
Reverse, apply the parking brake
and turn the ignition key to
ACCESSORY (I) or LOCK (0).
Depress the clutch pedal and shif t
to Reverse.
With the clutch pedal still de-
pressed, start the engine.
If you need to use this procedure to
shif t to Reverse, your car may be
developing a problem. Have the car
checked by your Acura dealer.
The 6-speed manual transmission
has an electric lockout so you cannot
accidentally shif t f rom Fif th to
Reverse instead of Sixth while the
car is moving. If you cannot shif t to
Reverse when the car is stopped:
1.2.
3.
4.
Driving
6-speed Manual T ransmission
Reverse Lockout
196

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
Shif t L ever Positions
Automatic Transmission
Driving198
S SH H I
IFFT T L
LE
E 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

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 . 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 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.
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 ).
204
204
CONT INUED
Park (P)Reverse (R)
Automatic Transmission
Driving199

µ
µ µ
´
´
µ
µ
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.
Even with the Sequential SportShift
Mode selected, the transmission will
automatically upshif t and downshif t
between f irst and second gear.
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 ).
197
5
5
5
5
Neutral (N)
Drive (D )
5
Sequent ial Sport Shif t Mode
Automatic Transmission
Driving200
D D o
ow
wn ns
shh i
iff t
t
U
Up
ps
shh i
iff t
t