2004 Acura TL ignition

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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.
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 5 6 mph (8 10
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
your normal driving. The transmis-
sion automatically selects a suitable
gear f or your speed and acceleration.
ForfasteraccelerationwheninD,
you can get the transmission to
automatically downshif t by pushing
the accelerator pedal to the floor.
The transmission will shif t down one,
two or three gears, depending on
your speed.
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 . Press the brake
pedal to shift from Park to Reverse.
To shift from Neutral to Reverse,
come to a complete stop and then
shif t.
185 185
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoN
NtoD DtoL
LtoD
DtoN NtoR RtoP Do this:
Press the brake pedal, then
move the shift lever.
Move the lever.
Neutral (N)
Drive (D)
Park (P)
Shif t L ock Release Reverse (R)
Automatic Transmission
Driving182

à
à
à
To shift from
32
43
54 When you are in Sequential
Sportshif t mode, and the vehicle is
stopped, push f orward on the shif t
lever to shif t to second gear. You will
see ‘‘2’’ in the display. Starting out in
second gear will help to reduce
wheelspin in deep snow or on a
slippery surf ace.
If you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer’s
red zone. If this occurs, you may f eel
the engine cut in and out. This is
caused by a limiter in the engine’s
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the
RPM below the red zone. This allows you to move the shif t
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal does not work. This procedure
is also used to release the Reverse
Lockout.
Set the Parking brake.
Make sure the ignition switch is in
the LOCK (0) position.
To release the Reverse Lockout,
make sure the ignition switch is in
the ACCESSORY (I) position.
Speed range
under 63 mph
(102 km/h)
under 97 mph
(156 km/h)
under 149 mph
(240 km/h) 1.
2.
CONT INUED
Starting in Second Gear
Engine Speed L imiterShif t L ock Release
Driving
Automatic Transmission
185

If the indicator does not come on
when the ignition switch is turned to
ON(II),theremaybeaproblem
with the VSA system. Have an Acura
dealer inspect your vehicle as soon
as possible.
Without VSA, your vehicle will have
normal braking and cornering ability,
but it will not have VSA traction and
stability enhancement.This switch is under the lef t vent.
Press it to turn the Vehicle Stability
Assist system on and of f .
When VSA is off, the VSA Activation
Indicator comes on as a reminder.
Pressing the switch again turns the
system back on.VSA is turned on every time you
start the engine, even if you turned it
off the last time you drove the
vehicle.
Driving with varying tire or wheel
sizes may cause the VSA to
malf unction. When replacing tires,
make sure they are the same size
and type as your original tires (see
page ).
Deactivate the VSA system if you
need to drive with the compact spare
tire installed (see page ).
If you install winter tires, make sure
they are the same size as those that
were originally supplied with your
vehicle. Exercise the same caution
during winter driving as you would if
your vehicle was not equipped with
VSA.
224
230
VSA Of f Switch
VSA and Tire Sizes
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) System
Driving191
VSA OFF SWITCH

One of the most convenient and
important f eatures of the Multi-
Inf ormation Display on your Acura is
the Maintenance Minder.
Based on engine operating
conditions and accumulated engine
revolutions, the onboard computer in
your Acura calculates the remaining
engine oil lif e.When the remaining engine oil lif e is
15 percent, you will see the message
‘‘SERVICE DUE SOON’’ along with
all maintenance items that are
needed at oil change time. Ref er to
page f or a complete list of the
maintenance main items and sub
items.
The system also displays the code
f or other scheduled maintenance
items needing service.
The remaining engine oil lif e is
displayed on the Multi-Inf ormation
Display as a percentage when you
turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
199
CONT INUED
Maintenance Minder
Maint enance195
MAINTENANCE
MAIN ITEMMAINTENANCE
SUB ITEMS

»¼»¼
When the remaining oil lif e is less
than5percent,youwillseethe
message ‘‘SERVICE DUE NOW’’
with the same maintenance items
you saw when ‘‘SERVICE DUE
SOON’’ was displayed. When you
see this message, have the indicated
maintenance perf ormed as soon as
possible. Your Acura dealer will reset the
display af ter completing the required
maintenance service. You will see
‘‘OIL LIFE 100%’’ on the display the
next time you turn the ignition
switch to ON (II).
If maintenance service is done by
someone other than your Acura
dealer, reset the display as f ollows:
Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Press the or button
repeatedly until the oil lif e is
displayed.
Press and hold the Select/Reset
button f or 10 seconds. The Multi-
Inf ormation Display will ask f or a
conf irmation.If you are sure you want to reset
the display, press the Select/
Reset button to select ‘‘OK’’.
If you do not want to reset the
display, press the or
button to select ‘‘Cancel’’.
1.
2.
3.
Maintenance Minder
Maint enance196

If you have a f lat tire while driving,
stop in a saf e place to change it.
Drive slowly along the shoulder until
you get to an exit or an area to stop
that is far away from the traffic lanes.Park the vehicle on f irm, level, and
non-slippery ground. Put the
transmission in Park (automatic)
or Reverse (manual). Apply the
parking brake.
Turn on the hazard warning lights,
and turn the ignition switch to
LOCK (0). Have all the
passengers get out of the vehicle
while you change the tire.Open the trunk. Raise the trunk
f loor by lif ting up on the back edge.
Take the tool case out of the spare
tire.
Unscrew the wing bolt and take
the spare tire out of its well.
5. 4.
3.
2. 1.
CONT INUED
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed231
TOOL CASE
JACK
TRUNK FLOOR
SPARE TIRE
The vehicle can easily roll off
the jack, seriously injuring
anyone underneath.
Follow the directions for
changing a tire exactly, and
never get under the vehicle
when it is supported only by the
jack.

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.
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
the f uses are OK, there is
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 ).
Check these things:
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).
Check the transmission interlock.
If you have a manual transmission,
the clutch pedal must be pushed
all the way to the f loor or the
starter will not operate. With an
automatic transmission, the shif t
lever must be in Park or Neutral.
238 226
238 249
If theEngineWon’tStart
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
Jump Starting Emergency T owing
236

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 instrument panel
to blink rapidly (see page ).
Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to on page . There may be an electrical
problem, such as no power to the
f uel pump. Check all the f uses
(see page ).
If youfindnothingwrong,youwill
need a qualif ied technician to f ind
the problem. See
on page .
Do you have f uel? Check the f uel
gauge; the warning indicator may
not be working.
56
177 245
249
If theEngineWon’tStart
T he Starter Operates Normally
Starting the
Engine Emergency
Towing
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed237