2004 Acura TSX brake

This section gives you tips on
starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
manual and automatic transmissions.
It also includes important inf orma-
tion on parking your car, the braking
system, the vehicle stability assist
system, and f acts you need if you are
planning to tow a trailer.........................
Preparing to Drive .198
.......................
Starting the Engine .199
Starting in Cold Weather ....................
at High Altitude .200
....
6-speed Manual Transmission . 201
.....
Recommended Shif t Points . 202
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 202
.......................
Reverse Lockout .203
..............
Automatic Transmission . 204
.
Shif t Lever Position Indicator . 204
................
Shif t Lever Positions . 204
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 209
....................
Shif t Lock Release . 210
...........................................
Parking .211
..............................
Parking Tips .211
.....................
The Braking System .212
.............
Brake Wear Indicators . 212
...............
Brake System Design . 213
.......................
Anti-lock Brakes .213
Important Saf ety .........................
Reminders .214
........................
ABS Indicator .214
...
Vehicle Stability Assist System . 216
...............
Driving in Bad Weather . 219
...........................
Towing a Trailer .221
Driving
Driving197

Push the clutch pedal down all the
way. START (III) does not
f unction unless the clutch pedal is
depressed. 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 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.
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 within
15 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.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.6.
Automatic Transmission:
Manual Transmission:
Starting the Engine
Driving199

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.
The manual transmission is synchro-
nizedinallforwardgearsforsmooth
operation. It has a lockout so you
cannot accidentally shif t f rom Fif th
to Reverse instead of sixth (see page
) while the car is moving. When
shif ting up or down, make sure you
push the clutch pedal down all the
way, shif t 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. 203
Driving
6-speed Manual T ransmission
201
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.

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: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).
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.
With the clutch pedal pressed,
move the shift lever to the First/
Second gear side of the Neutral
gate, then shif t to Reverse. Press the clutch pedal, and shif t to
Reverse.
With the clutch pedal still pressed,
start the engine.
1. 2.
3.
4.
Driving
6-speed Manual T ransmission
Reverse Lockout
203

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.The shift lever has five positions. It
must be in Park or Neutral to start
the engine. When you are stopped in
D, D , N, R or the manual mode,
press firmly on the brake pedal and
keep your f oot of f the accelerator
pedal.
This indicator on the instrument
panel shows which position the shif t
lever is in.
The ‘‘D’’ indicator comes on f or a
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch ON (II). If it f lashes
at any time (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.
3
Driving
Automatic Transmission
Shif t L ever Position Indicator Shif t L ever Positions
204
SHIFT LEVER

µIf you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see Shif t Lock Release 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.
YoucannotshiftoutofParkwiththe
brake pedal pressed when the
ignition switch is in the LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I). 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 side to shif t out of Park. 210
CONT INUED
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoN
NtoD
DtoD
DtoD DtoNNtoR RtoP Do this:
Press the brake pedal, then
move the shift lever.
Move the lever.
3
3
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Park (P)
205

µ
µµ µµ
µ
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.
Your car has a reverse lockout so
you cannot accidentally shif t to
Reverse from Neutral or any other
driving position when the car speed
exceeds 5 6 mph (8 10 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 ). 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. This position is simi-
lartoD,exceptonlythefirstthree
gears are selected. Use D when
towing a trailer in hilly terrain, or to
provide engine braking when going
down a steep hill. D can also keep
the transmission f rom cycling third,
fourth and fifth gears in stop-and-go
driving.
ForfasteraccelerationwheninD
or D, you can get the transmission
to automatically downshift by push-
ing the accelerator pedal to the
f loor. The transmission will shif t
down one, two or three gears,
depending on your speed.
Use this position f or
your normal driving. The transmis-
sion automatically selects a suitable
gear f or your speed and acceleration.
210
3
3
3
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Reverse (R) Neutral (N)Drive (D )
Drive (D)3
206

à
à
൵
ൠµ
ൠµ à
à
à
à
The car speeds drops below
5 4:33mph(52km/h)
4 3:20mph(32km/h) The transmission will also shif t
automatically as the car comes to a
complete stop. It will downshif t to
f irst gear when the car speed is
under 6 mph (10 km/h).
If you try to manually downshif t at a
speed that would cause the engine to
exceed the redline in a lower gear,
the transmission will not downshif t.
Thegearindicatorwillflashthe
numberof thelowergearseveral
times, then return to the higher gear. If the car speed slows to below the
redline of the selected lower gear
position while the indicator is
f lashing, the transmission will
downshif t and the display will show
the selected lower gear.
The table shows the speed ranges
f or upshif ting and downshif ting.
Speed rangeover 0 mph (0 km/h)
over 6 mph (10 km/h)
over 20 mph (32 km/h)
over 33 mph (52 km/h)
The transmission may automatically
downshif t f rom the higher gear to a
lower gear under the f ollowing
conditions:
If you drive uphill between54:4533mph
(72 52 km/h)
43:3320mph
(52 32 km/h)
32:2010mph
(32 16 km/h)
If you press the brake pedal as you
drive downhill. Downshif ting gives you more power
when climbing, and provides engine
braking when going down a steep hill.
To shift from12
23
34
45
Automatic Transmission
Driving208