2012 HONDA ACCORD COUPE engine

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.’’
When slowing down, you can get
extra braking from 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.
The manual transmission is
synchronized in all f orward gears f or
smooth operation. It has a lockout so
you cannot shift directly from fifth to
reverse.
On vehicles with 6-speed manual
transmission, the lockout system
prevents you f rom shif ting directly
from any forward gear to reverse while the vehicle is moving at a
certain speed (see page ).
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.
308
On models with 5-speed manual
transmission, or modelswith 6-speed manual transmission
Manual T ransmission
306
5-speed M/T 6-speed M/T

Driving
2012 Accord Coupe

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
emissions control. The f ollowing
shif t points are recommended:Shif t up
1st to 2nd
2nd to 3rd 3rd to 4th4th to 5th Normal acceleration
15 mph (25 km/h)
25 mph (40 km/h)
40 mph (65 km/h)
50 mph (80 km/h) Normal acceleration
15 mph (24 km/h)
17 mph (27 km/h)
27 mph (43 km/h)
36 mph (58 km/h)
41 mph (66 km/h)
Shif t up
1st to 2nd
2nd to 3rd 3rd to 4th4th to 5th
5th to 6th
On models with 5-speed On models with 6-speed
Recommended Shif t Points
Manual T ransmission
307
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.

Driving
manual transmissionmanual transmission
2012 Accord Coupe

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.
Bef ore downshif ting, make sure the
engine will not go into the
tachometer’s red zone.Press the clutch pedal, and shif t to
reverse.
With the clutch pedal still pressed,
start the engine. If you are still unable to shif t to
reverse, apply the parking brake,
and turn the ignition key to the
ACCESSORY (I) or LOCK (0)
position.
If you need to use this procedure to
shif t to reverse, your vehicle may be
developing a problem. Have it
checked by your dealer.
The manual transmission has a
lockout so you cannot accidentally
shif t f rom any f orward gear to
reverse while the vehicle is moving
at a certain speed. If you cannot shif t
to reverse when the vehicle is
stopped, do the f ollowing:
With the clutch pedal pressed,
move the shift lever to the first/
second gear side of the neutral
gate, then shif t to reverse.
1. 2.
3.
4.6-speed manual transmission only
Engine Speed L imiter
Reverse L ockout
Manual T ransmission
308
Move the shift lever in sequence.

Driving
2012 Accord Coupe

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CONT INUED
To shift from D to D3,
press the shif t lever release button.
This position is similar to D, except
only the f irst three gears are
selected. Use D3 when towing a
trailer in hilly terrain, or to provide
engine braking when going down a
steep hill. D3 can also keep the
transmission f rom cycling between
third and f ourth gears in stop-and-go
driving. Use this position f or
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear (1 through 5) f or your
speed and acceleration. You may
notice the transmission shifting up at
higher engine speeds when the
engine is cold. This helps the engine
warm up f aster.
Press the brake
pedal and the release button on the
frontoftheshiftlevertoshiftfrom
Park to reverse. To shif t f rom
reverse to neutral, come to a
completestop,andthenshift.Press
the release button bef ore shif ting
into reverse f rom neutral.
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.
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. Press the release
buttononthefrontof theshiftlever
to move it.
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. You must also press the
release button to shift into Park. The
shif t lever must be in Park bef ore
you can remove the key f rom the
ignition switch. 313
4-cylinder models
Automatic Transmission
Drive (D3) Drive (D)
Reverse (R)
Neutral (N)
Park (P)
Shif t L ock Release
311

Driving
2012 Accord Coupe

µ
µµ To shift into the S
position, press the release button on
the front of the shift lever, and move
the lever to S. This position is similar
to D, except only gears f rom f irst to
f ourth are selected. The S position
keeps the transmission f rom cycling
between fourth and fifth gears in
stop-and-go driving.
To shif t to second,
pressthereleasebuttononthefront
of the shif t lever. This position locks
the transmission in second gear. It
does not downshif t to f irst gear
when you come to a stop.
Use second gear: To shif t f rom second to
first, press the release button on the
f ront of the shif t lever. This position
locks the transmission in f irst gear.
By upshif ting and downshif ting
through 1, 2, D3, and D, you can
operate this transmission much like
a manual transmission without a
clutch pedal.
For more power when climbing.
To increase engine braking when
going down steep hills.
For starting out on a slippery
surf ace or in deep snow.
To help reduce wheel spin.
When driving downhill with a
trailer. With the shift lever in D or S, you
can also use the paddle shif ters to
shif t the transmission up or down.
With the paddle shifters, you can
operate the transmission much like a
manual transmission without a
clutch pedal. For more inf ormation
on driving with the paddle shif ters,
see page .
315
V6 models
4-cylinder models 4-cylinder models
Automatic Transmission
S Position (S)
Second (2) First (1)
312

Driving
2012 Accord Coupe

Put a cloth on the edge of the shif t
lock release slot cover to prevent
scratches. Use a small f lat-tip
screwdriver or metal f ingernail f ile
to caref ully pry up the edge of the
cover and remove it from the slot.
Insert the key in the shift lock
release slot.
This allows you to move the shif t
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal and pressing the release
button does not work.
Set the parking brake.
Remove the key from the ignition
switch.
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.
1.
2.
3.
4.
CONT INUED
Shif t L ock Release
Engine Speed L imiter
Automatic Transmission
313
COVER
4-cylinder model is shown.

Driving
2012 Accord Coupe

Remove the key from the shift
lock release slot, then reinstall the
cover. Make sure the notch on the
cover is on the right side. Insert
the key into the ignition switch,
press the brake pedal, and restart
the engine.
Push down on the key while you
pressthereleasebuttononthe
f ront of the shif t lever and move
the shift lever out of Park to
neutral. If you need to use the shif t lock
release, it means your vehicle is
developing a problem. Have it
checked by your dealer. 6.
5.
Automatic Transmission
314
RELEASE BUTTON
SHIFT LOCK RELEASE SLOT

Driving
2012 Accord Coupe

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CONT INUED
Each time you pull (right), the
transmission shif ts to a higher gear.
Pull (lef t) to downshif t. You will
see the selected gear number on the
instrument panel. Downshifting with the paddle shifter
allows you to increase the engine
braking when going down steep or
long hills, and provides more power
when climbing uphills. You can
upshif t the transmission manually to
reduce the rpm.
When you pull either paddle shif ter,
the gear position indicator shows you
the selected gear number.
To shif t up or down, use the
(right) or (lef t) paddle shif ter on
either side of the steering wheel. WhenyouaredrivingintheD
position, you can shif t the
transmission up or down manually
with the paddle shifters.
V6 models only
Using the Paddle Shif ters in the
D position (D-Paddle Shif t Mode)
Driving with the Paddle Shif ters
(A utomatic Transmission Only)
315
GEAR POSITION INDICATOR

Driving
2012 Accord Coupe