2007 Acura TSX transmission

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
information on parking your vehicle,
the braking system, the vehicle
stability assist (VSA) system, the tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS),
and f acts you need if you are
planning to tow a trailer.........................
Preparing to Drive .242
.......................
Starting the Engine .243
...................
Manual Transmission . 244
..............
Automatic Transmission . 246
...........................................
Parking .253
.............................
Braking System .254
...............
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) . 255
Tire Pressure Monitoring ........................
System (TPMS) .257
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) ........................................
System .262
...........................
Towing a Trailer .264
Driving
Driving
241

Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn off all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery. If
the engine fails to start, press
the accelerator pedal all the way
downandholdittherewhile
starting to clear flooding. Return
to step 5 if the engine does not
start.
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way.
Make sure the shift lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal. Without
touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. Do not hold
the key in the START (III)
position for more than 15 seconds
at a time. If the engine does not
start right away, pause for at least
10 seconds before 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 halfway
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.6.
Manual
transmission:
Automatic transmission:
127
Starting theEngine
Driv ing
243
The engine is harder to start in cold
weather. Also, the thinner air found at
altitudes above 8,000 feet (2,400
meters) adds to this problem.
T he immobilizer system protects your
vehicle f rom thef t. If an improperly-
coded key (or other device) is used, the
engine’s f uel system is disabled. For
more inf ormation, see page .

Come to a full stop before you shift
into reverse. You can damage the
transmission by trying to shift into
reverse with the vehicle 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.’’
The manual transmission is syn-
chronizedinallforwardgearsfor
smooth operation. 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 faster. 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 the engine speed will not
go into the tachometer’s red zone in
the lower gear. Downshif t one gear
at a time.
Drive in the highest gear that lets
the engine run and accelerate
smoothly. This will give you good
f uel economy and ef f ective emis-
sions control. The f ollowing shif t
points are recommended:
Shif t up
1st to 2nd
2nd to 3rd 3rd to 4th4th to 5th
5th to 6th Normal acceleration
12 mph (19 km/h)
23 mph (37 km/h)
34 mph (54 km/h)
45 mph (72 km/h)
56 mph (90 km/h)
Manual T ransmission
Recommended Shif t Points
244
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.

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.The 6-speed manual transmission
has an electric lockout so you cannot
accidentally shif t f rom f if th to
reverse instead of sixth while the
vehicle is moving. If you cannot shif t
to reverse when the vehicle is
stopped:
Apply the parking brake, and turn
the ignition key to the
ACCESSORY (I) or the LOCK (0)
position.
Press the clutch pedal, and shif t to
reverse.
With the clutch pedal still pressed,
start the engine.
If you need to use this procedure to
shif t to reverse, your vehicle may be
developing a problem. Have the
vehicle checked by your dealer.
The engine speed limiter only works
when you upshif t; engine speed is
not limited during downshif ts.
Bef ore downshif ting, make sure the
engine will not go into the
tachometer’s red zone. 1.
2.
3.
Manual T ransmission
Engine Speed L imiter
Reverse L ockout
Driving
245

The ‘‘D’’ indicator comes on for a
few seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. If it flashes while driving (in
any shift position), it indicates a
possible problem in the transmission. If
the malfunction indicator lamp
comes on along with the ‘‘D’’
indicato r, there is a problem with the
automatic transmission control
system. Avoid rapid acceleration, and
have the transmission checked by
your dealer as soon as possible.
These indicators in the tachometer
show which position the shift lever is
in. When
the ‘‘D’’ indicator warns of a
possible problem with the
transmission, you will see a ‘‘CHECK
TRANSMISSION’’ message on the
multi-inf ormation display (see page ). To shif t f rom any position, move the
shiftlever.Youcannotshiftoutof
Park when the ignition switch is in
the LOCK (0) or the ACCESSORY
(I) position.
83
Automatic Transmission
Shif t L ever Position Indicators
Shif ting
246
SHIFT LEVER

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µ
µ
CONTINUED
To
shift from:
PtoR
RtoP
NtoR
DtoD DtoN
DtoD NtoDRtoN Do
this:
Press the brake pedal
and move the lever.
Move the lever.
3
3
To avoid transmission damage, come
to a complete stop before shifting
into Park. The shift lever must be in
Park before you can remove the key
from the ignition switch.
Press the brake
pedal, and move the shift lever from
Park to reverse. To shift from
reverse to neutral, come to a
completestop,andthenshift.
Your vehicle has a reverse lockout so
you cannot accidentally shift to
reverse from neutral or any other
driving position when the vehicle
speed exceeds 5 6 mph (8 10
km/h).
If you cannot shift to reverse when
the vehicle is stopped, press the
brake pedal, slowly shift to neutral,
andthenshifttoreverse. Use
neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop briefly with
the engine idling. Shift to the Park
position if you need to leave your
vehicle and apply the parking brake.
Press on the brake pedal when you
are moving the shift lever from
neutral to another gear.
Use this position for
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear for the vehicle speed
and acceleration. You may notice the
transmission shifting up at higher
speeds when the engine is cold. This
helps the engine warm up faster.
If
you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see on
page .This
position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning off or
starting the engine. To shift out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your foot off the
accelerator pedal. Move the shift
levertotherighttoshiftoutofPark.
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 on page ).
251 251
Automatic Transmission
Reverse (R)
Neutral (N)
Drive (D)
Shif t L ock Release
Park (P)
Shif t L ock Release
Driving
247

µ
µ
When you move the shif t lever f rom
‘‘D’’ to ‘‘M’’ position, the display
shows the selected gear.
In 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 on the
instrument panel.
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 f urther to
the driver’s side. To return to ‘‘D,’’
move the shift lever to the
passenger’s side.
This position is similar
to D, except only the first three
gears are selected instead of all f ive.
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 between third and f ourth
gears in stop-and-go driving.
3
3
Automatic Transmission
Sequential SportShif t ModeDrive (D )3
248
SELECTED GEAR

à
à
൵
ൠµ
ൠµ
CONT INUED
If the vehicle 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. 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. The transmission will also shif t
automatically as the vehicle comes to
a complete stop. It will downshif t to
f irst gear when the vehicle speed is
under 6 mph (10 km/h). Downshif ting gives you more power
when climbing, and provides engine
brakingwhengoingdownasteephill.
The transmission may automatically
downshif t f rom the higher gear to
the lower gear under the f ollowing
conditions:
The vehicle speeds drops below5 4:33mph(52km/h)
4 3:20mph(32km/h)
When you accelerate away f rom a
stop, the transmission will be in f irst
gear. The transmission will not
automatically upshift. Watch the
tachometer and upshif t manually
bef ore the engine reaches the
redline.
The transmission remains in the
selectedgear(5,4,3,2,or1).There
is no automatic downshif t when you
push the accelerator pedal to the
f loor. If you press the brake pedal as you
drive downhill. If you drive uphill between
54:4533mph
(72 52 km/h)
43:3320mph
(52 32 km/h)
32:2010mph
(32 16 km/h)
Automatic Transmission
Driving
249
Up shift
Down shift