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OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
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Accelerator Pedal (3)This pedal controls the speed of the engine. Depressing the accelerator pedal increases power output and speed.
Starting the Engine
Before Starting the Engine
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1) Make sure the parking brake is set fully.2) Manual transaxle
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OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
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Restarting diesel engine after fuel- empty stopIf the engine stops and the low fuel warn- ing light and the malfunction indicator light come on, use the following procedure:1) Fill the fuel tank. 2) Hold the ignition key in
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OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
76MH1-74E
76MH1-74E
Auto Gear ShiftAuto Gear Shift is a 5-speed forward/ reverse transaxle. Auto Gear Shift has the basic features of conventional manual transaxle, but clutchoperation and transaxle gear shifting are controlled electronically.
NOTE: When you open the driver’s door, the Auto Gear Shift systems run automatically and you may hear an operating noise. Thissound does not indicate a malfunction.
The features are as follows:
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Depress brake pedal indicator
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This light will come on if you do not depress the brake pedal in the following situations. When starting the engine. When the engine is on and the gearshift lever is shifted from “N” position to “D”,“M” or “R” position. When the ignition switch is in the “ON” position and the engine is off, the gear-shift lever is shifte d into any position. This light will also come on if one of the gears cannot be engaged and the systemis unable to re-try shifting when you shift the gearshift lever from “N” position to “D”, “M” or “R” position.
Starting the engine When starting the engine, always place thegearshift lever in the “N” position and depress the brake pedal firmly. The engine cannot be started unless the gearshiftlever is in the “N” position and the brake pedal is depressed.
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Clutch operationYou can select either the Drive (D) mode or the Manual (M) mode. Since this vehiclecontrols clutch operation electronically in either mode, you do not need to operate the clutch.
NOTICE
• To help avoid clutch damage, donot use the clutch pedal as a foot-rest while driving or use the clutch to keep the vehicle stationary on a slope. Depress the clutch fullywhen shifting. • When shifting or starting off, do not race the engine. Racing the enginecan shorten engine life and affect smooth shifting.
NOTICE
Do not depress both the brake pedaland accelerator pedal simultane- ously. This can cause damage oroverheating to the clutch.
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OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
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Creeping function This vehicle has a creeping function that helps the vehicle to start smoothly byengaging the clutch. When the gearshift lever is in any of the positions “D”, “M” or “R”, and you release your foot from thebrake pedal, the vehicle starts slowly with- out depressing the accelerator pedal. The creeping function is disabled if you depressthe brake pedal or pull up the parking brake lever.
NOTE: If the driver’s door is opened and/or the parking brake lever is engaged with thegear in the “M”, “D” or “R” position, the creeping function will not operate.
Parking and Stopping the vehicle Auto Gear Shift does not have a parking position. The vehicle can be parked withthe gearshift lever in any position. When stopping the vehicle, the gear will be shifted to 1st.
Drive (D) mode When the Drive (D) mode is activated, the most appropriate gear position is automati- cally selected upon operation of the accel- erator pedal and variation of vehicle speed.
Normal driving: 1) Start the engine as instructed in
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OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
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Starting off on an uphill/downhill:
Uphill1) Apply the parking brake firmly so that the vehicle does not roll backwards.2) Shift the gearshift lever to the “D” posi-tion while depressing the brake pedal.Make sure that the gear position indica-tor in the instrumental cluster displays1st gear. 3) Release the brake pedal and depress the accelerator pedal gradually, andwhen the vehicle starts to move, releasethe parking brake and depress the accel-erator pedal to start off.
Downhill 1) Depress the brake pedal and shift the gearshift lever to the “D” position. Make sure that the gear is in 1st by checkingthe gear position indicator. 2) Release the brake pedal and depress the accelerator pedal slowly. Even if theaccelerator pedal is not depressed, the clutch will be engaged when the vehicle speed increases.
Using engine braking: When driving on a downhill slope, down- shifting is recommended. So you can useengine braking. By placing the gearshift lever in the “M” position, the Manual (M) mode is selected,and you can shift to a lower gear manually. For details of downshift operation, refer to “Upshift and downshift” in the “Manual (M)mode”.
Manual (M) mode The gears are not shifted automatically. To shift the transaxle, the driver must operate the gearshift lever to the “+” or “–” direc-tion. As for conventional manual transaxle vehicles, releasing the accelerator pedal a little may help the transaxle to shift smoothly.
Upshift and downshift:
Upshifting
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NOTICE
If the gearshift lever cannot shift into any position, or the gear is changedto “N” position automatically when the vehicle speed becomes less than 10 km/h (6 mph), there may be a sys-tematic malfunction. In this case, ask your MARUTI SUZUKI dealer to inspect the Auto Gear Shift system assoon as possible.
NOTICE
Do not operate the system as described below. The life cycle of the clutch may be reduced.• Using the accelerator pedal to hold the vehicle on an uphill slope with the gearshift lever in the “D” or “M”position. If you perform this opera- tion for a certain period of time, a warning buzzer will sound.• Shifting the gearsh ift lever to the “D”, “M” or “R” position while rac- ing the engine.• Driving at low speed using a high gear. • Holding the vehicle on an uphillslope using the creeping function. If you perform this operation for a certain period of time, a warningbuzzer will sound.
NOTICE
On an uphill slope, never hold thevehicle at a stop using only the accel-erator pedal or the creeping function. If you perform this operation for a certain period of time, a warningbuzzer will sound, and in some cases the engine will stall. This can also cause excessive damage to theclutch.R
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OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
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Pull the gearshift lever to the “+” direction and release it. Every time the lever is oper- ated, the transaxle is upshifting 1 step inthe order of 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th gear.
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Downshifting
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Push the gearshift lever to the “–” directionand release it. Every time the lever is oper- ated, the transaxle is downshifted in theorder 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st gear.
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The gear position is displayed on the gear position indicator. The gear position indica- tor shows the transaxle gear position.Before starting off, always check the gear position indicator to make sure that the transaxle is engaged in 1st or reverse, thendepress the accelerator pedal.
NOTE: • To downshift smoothly, the engine runs fast in some cases. This is done inten- tionally by the system and is not a mal-function. • When driving down a hill, downshift and use the engine braking appropriately. Ifnecessary, continuous downshifting is possible. However, if downshifting more than 3 steps, gear shifting will take moretime. • When the gear is shifting, a noise can be heard in some case. This is not a mal-function.
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WA R N I N G
• Be careful when accelerating,upshifting, downshifting or brakingon a slippery surface. Sudden acceleration or engine braking could cause the vehicle to spin orskid. • To drive down a long or steep hill, reduce your speed and downshift.Remember, if you ride the brakes excessively, they may overheat and fail.• While driving the vehicle, do not shift the gearshift lever to “N” posi- tion. The engine brake may notwork and you may get involved in an unexpected accident. If you return the gearshif t lever from “N” to “M” because of unintended shift- ing, the gear position will be shifted according to the current vehiclespeed. • Do not apply the parking brake while driving. Otherwise, it couldcause a skid and you may get involved in an unexpected acci- dent.
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OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
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Starting off: 1) Start the engine as instructed in
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OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
76MH1-74E
76MH1-74E
Starting off on an uphill/downhill slope:
Uphill 1) Apply the parking brake firmly so that the vehicle does not roll backwards. 2) Shift the gearshift lever to the “M” posi-tion while depressing the brake pedal. Make sure that the gear position indica- tor in the instrument al cluster displays 1st gear. 3) Release the brake pedal and depress the accelerator pedal gradually, andwhen the vehicle starts to move, release the parking brake and depress the accelerator pedal to start off.
Downhill 1) Depress the brake pedal and shift thegearshift lever to the “M” position. Check the gear position indicator to make sure that the gear is in 1st.2) Release the brake pedal and depress the accelerator pedal slowly. Even though the accelerator pedal is notdepressed, the clutch will be engaged when the vehicle speed increases.
Backing up After the vehicle has stopped completely, depress the brake pedal and shift the gear-shift lever to the “R” position. Depress the accelerator pedal slowly as when starting off in 1st gear. Before backing up, makesure that reverse gear is selected by checking the gear position indicator.
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NOTE: • If reverse gear cannot be engaged even though the gearshift lever has been shifted from the “N” to the “R” position,the system will re-try shifting automati- cally. This will take some time, noise may be heard from the gears, and shift-ing gear shock may occur. However, they do not indicate a malfunction. • The “N” indicator will flash, the depressbrake pedal indicator will come on and a warning buzzer (long pulse sound) will sound if any of the following casesoccur; – If you shift the gearshift lever from the “N” to the “R” position without depress-ing the brake pedal – If the system is unable to re-try shifting You should depress the brake pedal andshift the gearshift lever to “N” position,
then shift to “R” position again a few sec- onds later. • The system will not allow shifting to the“R” position if the vehicle speed is over about 3 km/h (2 mph). If the gearshift lever is operated under this condition,the “N” indicator in the instrument cluster will blink. However, when the vehicle speed drops below about 3 km/h (2mph), the gear will be shifted to reverse. Make sure that the vehicle has stopped completely before shifting to the “R”position.
Stopping The vehicle can be stopped by depressing the brake pedal regardless of the gearposition. This is because the clutch is auto- matically disengaged to prevent the engine from stopping. If the gearshift lever is in the “D” position, the gear will be downshifted to 1st when the vehicle stops.
NOTICE
On an uphill slope, never hold thevehicle at a stop using only the accel-erator pedal or creeping function. If you perform this operation for a cer- tain period of time, a warning buzzerwill sound, and in some cases the engine will stall. This can also cause excessive damage to the clutch.
NOTICE
On a downhill slope, never hold thevehicle at a stop using only the accel- erator pedal or the creeping function. If you perform this operation for acertain period of time, a warning buzzer will sound, and in some cases the engine will stall. This can alsocause excessive damage to the clutch.
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