2004 Acura MDX key battery

Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.
If the engine does not start within
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 4 with the
accelerator pedal pressed halfway
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race.If the engine fails to start, press
the accelerator pedal all the way
downandholdittherewhile
starting to clear flooding. If the
engine still does not start, return
to step 5.
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. Do not hold
the key in START (III) f or more
than 15 seconds at a time. If the
engine does not start right away,
pause f or at least 10 seconds
bef ore trying again.
5. 6.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Starting the Engine
Driving171
NOTICE: The engine is harder to start
in cold weather. Also, the thinner air
f ound at altitudes above 8,000 f eet
(2,400 meters) adds to this problem.

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CONT INUED
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.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see on
page .
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. Press the brake
pedal to shift from Park to Reverse.
To shif t f rom Reverse to Neutral,
come to a complete stop and then
shif t.
Your vehicle 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 vehicle is stopped, press the
brake pedal and slowly shift to
Neutral, and 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 shif t to Reverse. (Ref er
to Shif t Lock Release on page ). 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 the Park
position if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason. Press on the
brake pedal when you are moving
the shift lever from Neutral to
another gear.
Use this position f or
normal driving. The transmission
automatically selects a suitable gear
f or 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.
175
175
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Park (P)Shif t L ock Release Reverse (R)
Neutral (N)
Drive (D )
5
173

Diagnosing why the engine won’t
start f alls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
key to START (III):You hear nothing, or almost
nothing. The engine’s starter
motor does not operate at all, or
operates very slowly.
You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, or the starter
motor sounds like it is spinning
f aster than normal, but the engine
does not start up and run.
When you turn the ignition switch to
START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying to
start. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at all.
Check these things: Check the transmission interlock.
The transmission must be in Park
orNeutralorthestarterwillnot
operate.
Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights, and check
their brightness. If the headlights
are very dim or don’t light at all,
the battery is discharged. See
on page .
Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim,
check the condition of the f uses. If
thefusesareOK,thereis
probably something wrong with
the electrical circuit f or the
ignition switch or starter motor.
You will need a qualif ied
technician to determine the
problem (see
on page ). If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the
engine, either the battery is dis-
charged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of
the battery and terminal connec-
tions (see page ). You can
then try jump starting the vehicle
f rom a booster battery (see page
).
In this case, the starter motor’s
speed sounds normal, or even f aster
than normal, when you turn the
ignition switch to START (III), but
the engine does not run. Are you using a properly coded
key? An improperly coded key will
cause the immobilizer system
indicator in the dash panel to blink
rapidly(seepage ).
238
244 226
238
78
CONT INUED
If Your Engine Won’t Start
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly Jump Starting
Emergency T owing T he Starter Operates Normally
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed237

CONT INUED
...
Accessories and Modif ications . 163
ACCESSORY (Ignition Key .......................................
Position) .79
............
Accessory Power Sockets . 101
....................
Additives, Engine Oil . 206
...............................
Airbag (SRS) .9, 22
..............
Air Conditioning System . 104
.....................
Rear A/C Control .109
.........................................
Usage .105
.......................
Air Outlets (Vents) .106
.......................
Air Pressure, Tires .221
......................................
Antif reeze .208
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) ....................
Indicator Light .59, 181
...................................
Operation .181
..............
Anti-thef t, Audio System . 129
.
Anti-thef t Steering Column Lock . 79
................
Audio System . 110,115,125
...
Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners . 20
.........................
Automatic Lighting .73
.............
Automatic Speed Control . 144
..............
Automatic Transmission . 172
..........................
Capacity, Fluid .254
...............
Checking Fluid Level . 210.......................................
Shif ting .172
.
Shif t Lever Position Indicator . 172
................
Shif t Lever Positions . 172
....................
Shif t Lock Release . 175
...........................
Automatic Wipers .70
Battery Charging System ...........................
Indicator .58, 242
............................
Jump Starting .238
..............................
Maintenance .226
............................
Specif ications .255
..............................
Bef ore Driving .157
....................................
Belts,Seat .8,19
...........................
Beverage Holders .99
..................................
Booster Seats .48
Brakes ...........
Anti-lock System (ABS) . 181
.............
Break-in, New Linings . 158
...........................................
Fluid .212
....................
Bulb Replacement .216
.........................................
Parking .92
.................
System Indicator . 59,244
........................
Wear Indicators .180 .............................
Braking System .180
.................
Break-in, New Vehicle . 158
..
Brightness Control, Instruments . 74
........................
Brights, Headlights .72
Bulb Replacement ..........................
Back-up Lights .216
..............................
Brake Lights .216
................
Front Parking Lights . 215
........
Front Side Marker Lights . 215
.................................
Headlights .214
.........
High-mount Brake Light . 217
.................................
Rear Bulbs .216
............................
Specif ications .255
....................
Turn Signal Lights . 215
..............................
Bulbs, Halogen .214
Index
A
B
I

.............................
SRS Indicator .28 ,58
....
START (Ignition Key Position) . 79
.......................
Starting the Engine .171
................
With a Dead Battery . 238
........
Steam Coming f rom Engine . 240
Steering Wheel ..................................
Adjustment .76
.............
Anti-theft Column Lock . 79
...
Stereo Sound System . 110,115,125
....................
Storing Your Vehicle .227
........................................
Sun Visor .100
Supplemental Restraint System ......................................
Servicing .31
.........................
SRS Indicator .28 ,58
...................
System Components . 22
..................................
Synthetic Oil .206
.....................................
Tachometer .66
......
Taillights, Changing Bulbs in . 216
.
Taking Care of the Unexpected . 229
....................................
Tape Player .125
Technical Descriptions ......
DOT Tire Quality Grading . 256
.....
Emissions Control Systems . 259Three Way Catalytic
...............................
Converter .261
.......................
Temperature Gauge .67
...................
Tensioners, Seat Belts . 20
............................
Thef t Protection .129
..
Three Way Catalytic Converter . 261
....................................
Timing Belt .213
....................................
Tire Chains .225
.........
Tire, How to Change a Flat . 231
.................................
Tire Labeling .258
Tire Pressure Monitoring ....................
System (TPMS) .178
Low Tire Pressure ...........................
Indicator .64, 177
.......
Tire Pressure Monitor . 64,178
..................
TPMS Indicator . 64,178
...............................................
Tires .221
..............................
Air Pressure .221
.........................
Checking Wear .222
..........................
Compact Spare .230
......
DOT Tire Quality Grading . 256
......................................
Inf lation .221
..................................
Inspection .222
..............................
Maintenance .223
...................................
Replacing .224
......................................
Rotating .223 ...........................................
Snow .225
............................
Specif ications .255
................................
Tire Chains .225
Towing .....................................
A Trailer .188
................
Emergency Wrecker . 244
....
Equipment and Accessories . 188
.............................
Weight Limit .185
Your Vehicle Behind a ............................
Motorhome .190
.........................
Trailer Loading .185
.................
Trailer Towing Tips . 189
.............
Transf er Assembly Fluid . 211
Transmission ...............
Checking Fluid Level . 210
...........................
Fluid Selection .210
..............
Identif ication Number . 252
.............
Shif ting the Automatic . 172
.....................................
Treadwear .256
.......................................
Trip Meter .67
....................................
Turn Signals .72
...................
Tools, Tire Changing . 231
Index
T
VIII