tow Acura Integra 2001 Owner's Manual

2001 Integra Hatchback Online Reference Owner's Manual
Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through\
this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.h\
elminc.com.
Contents

Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safet y........................................................................\
.........................................ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
............................................ .2
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
......................................5
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restr\
aint System.
Instruments and Controls........................................................................\
........................................ .51
Instrume nt panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering colu\
mn controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features ........................................................................\
..................... . 93
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
..........................................................121
What gasoline to use, how to break -in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
..................................................................... .135
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................159
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take you r vehicle to the dealer.
Appearance Care........................................................................\
..................................................... .217
Tips on cleaning and protecting your vehicle. Things to look for if your\
vehicle ever needs body repairs.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
..............................225
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, an d how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
............................................ .251
ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)................................................................265
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................271
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index........................................................................\
........................................................................\
...... I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

Protectin
g Adult s

Never place the shoulder portion of a

lap/shoulder belt under your arm or behind your back. This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash.

If a seat belt does not seem to workas it should, it may not protect the

occupant in a crash. No one should
sit in a seat with an inoperative seat

belt. Anyone using a seat belt that is
not working properly can be seriously injured or killed. Have your
Acura dealer check the belt as soon as possible. See page 42 for additional
information about your seat belt system and how to take care of your

belts.
6.Adjus
t th e Steerin g Whee l
Adjust the steering wheel, if needed, so that the wheel points toward your
chest, not toward your face.
Pointing the steering wheel toward
your chest provides optimal protection from the airbag.
See page 66 for how to adjust the
steering wheel.
Driver an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Rear-Facing Child Seat Installation Tips
For proper protection, an infant must
ride in a reclined, or semi-reclined
position. To determine the proper
reclining angle, check with the baby's doctor or follow the seat maker's

recommendations.

To achieve the desired reclining angle, it may help to put a rolled up
towel under the toe of the child seat,
as shown.
When properly installed, a rear-
facing child seat may prevent the driver or a front-seat passenger from
moving the seat as far back as
recommended (see page 13). Or it
may prevent them from locking theseat-back in the desired upright
position (see page 14).
In either case, we recommend that
you place the child seat directly
behind the front passenger seat, move the front seat as far forward as
needed, and leave it unoccupied. Or
you may wish to get a smaller child seat that allows you to safely carry a
front passenger.
Additional Precautions for Infants
Never hold an infant on your lap.

If you are not wearing a seat belt
in a crash, you could be thrown
forward into the dashboard and crush the infant.
If you are wearing a seat belt, the
infant can be torn from your arms during a crash. For example, if
your car crashes into a parked
vehicle at 30 mph (48 km/h), a 20-lb (9 kg) infant will become a600-lb (275 kg) force, and you will
not be able to hold on.
Never put a seat belt over yourself

and an infant. During a crash, the

belt could press deep into the infant and cause very serious
injuries.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Control
s Nea r th e Steerin g Wheel , Steerin g Whee l Control s

2. Move the steering wheel to the desired position, making sure the
wheel points toward your chest, not toward your face. Make sure
you can see the instrument panel gauges and the indicator lights.
3. Push the lever up to lock the steering wheel in that position.
4. Make sure you have securely locked the steering wheel in place
by trying to move it up and down. Cruis
e Contro l

LS, GS and GS-R models

Cruise control allows you to maintain
a set speed above 25 mph (40 km/h)
without keeping your foot on the accelerator pedal. It should be used
for cruising on straight, open
highways. It is not recommended for conditions such as city driving,
winding roads, slippery roads, heavy rain, or bad weather. You should
have full control of the car under
those conditions.
The cruise control, as it operates,
moves the accelerator pedal. You can
damage your car's accelerator
mechanism by resting your foot under the pedal and blocking the movement.

CONTINUED

Instrument s an d Control s

NOTIC
E

Improper use of the cruise

control can lead to a crash.

Use the cruise control only

when traveling on open
highways in good weather.

Servic
e Statio n Procedure s

Oil Check

DIPSTICK

Check the engine oil level every time
you fill the car with fuel. Wait a few minutes after turning the engine off
before you check the oil.
1. Remove the dipstick (orange
handle).
2. Wipe the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel. 3. Insert it all the way back in its tube.

CONTINUED

Befor e Drivin g

Carryin
g Carg o

CONSOL E COMPARTMEN T
CARG O ARE A GLOV
E BO X Your car has several convenient
storage areas so you can stow cargo

safely.

The glove box, and the pockets in the doors are designed for small,
lightweight items. The cargo area isintended for larger, heavier items. In
addition, the back seat can be foldeddown to allow you to carry more
cargo or longer items.
However, carrying too much cargo, or improperly storing it, can affect
your car's handling, stability and operation and make it unsafe. Before
carrying any type of cargo, be sure to
read the following pages.

Befor e Drivin g
DOO
R POCKE T

Carryin
g Carg o

Loa d Limi t
The maximum load for your car is
700 lbs (325 kg).

This figure includes the total weight of all occupants, cargo, accessories,
and the tongue weight if you are
towing a trailer.
To figure out how much cargo you can carry: Add up the weight of all occupants.
If you are towing a trailer, add the
tongue weight to the number
above.
Subtract the total from 700 Ibs
(325 kg).

The final number is the total weight
of cargo you can carry.
Carryin
g Item s i n th e Passenge r
Compartmen t Store or secure all items that could
be thrown around and hurt someone during a crash. Be sure items placed on the floor
behind the front seats cannot roll
under the seats and interfere with
the driver's ability to operate the
pedals, or with the proper operation of the seats. Keep the glove box closed while
driving. If the lid is open, a
passenger could injure their knees during a crash or sudden stop.

Before Drivin g

Overloading or improper
loading can affect handling and
stability and cause a crash in

which you can be hurt or killed.

Follow all load limits and other

loading guidelines in this

manual.

Drivin
g
This section gives you tips on starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the

5-speed manual and automatic

transmissions. It also includes important information on parking
your car, the braking system, and facts you need if you are planning to
tow a trailer. Preparing to Drive......................... 136
Starting the Engine........................ 137
Starting in Cold Weather at High Altitude..................... 137
5-speed Manual Transmission..... 138 Recommended Shift Points...... 139
Engine Speed Limiter............... 139
Automatic Transmission............... 140 Shift Lever Position Indicator.. 140
Shift Lever Positions................. 140
Engine Speed Limiter............... 142
Shift Lock Release..................... 143
Parking............................................ 144
The Braking System...................... 145
Brake Wear Indicators.............. 145
Brake System Design................ 146
Anti-lock Brakes........................ 146 Important SafetyReminders.......................... 147
ABS Indicator......................... 148
Limited Slip Differential............... 148
Driving in Bad Weather................ 149
Towing a Trailer............................ 151

Driving

Automati
c Transmissio n

Driv e (D 3) — This position is similar
to D4, except only the first three
gears are selected. Use D3 when
towing a trailer in hilly terrain, or to provide engine braking when goingdown a steep hill. D3 can also keep
the transmission from cycling
between third and fourth gears in stop-and-go driving.
For faster acceleration when in D3 or
D4, you can get the transmission toautomatically downshift by pushing
the accelerator pedal to the floor.
The transmission will shift down one or two gears, depending on your
speed.

Secon d (2 ) — To shift to Second,
press the release button on the side of the shift lever. This position locks
the transmission in second gear. It does not downshift to first gear
when you come to a stop. Second gives you more power when climbing,and increased engine braking when going down steep hills. Use second
gear when starting out on a slippery
surface or in deep snow. It will help
reduce wheelspin.
Firs t (1 ) — To shift from Second to
First, press the release button on the side of the shift lever. With the lever
in this position, the transmission
locks in First gear. By upshifting and downshifting through 1,2, D3 and D4,
you can operate this transmission much like a manual transmission
without a clutch pedal. Engin
e Spee d Limite r
If you exceed the maximum speed
for the gear you are in, the engine speed will enter into the
tachometer's red zone. If this occurs, you may feel 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.
Drivin g

Parkin
g
Always use the parking brake when you park your car. The indicator onthe instrument panel shows that theparking brake is not fully released; itdoes not indicate that the parking
brake is firmly set. Make sure the
parking brake is set firmly or your car may roll if it is parked on an

incline.

If your car has an automatic
transmission, set the parking brake
before you put the transmission in Park. This keeps the car from
moving and putting pressure on the
parking mechanism in the
transmission — making it easier to move the shift lever out of Park
when you want to drive away. If the car is facing uphill, turn the
front wheels away from the curb. If
you have a manual transmission, put it in first gear.
If the car is facing downhill, turn the
front wheels toward the curb. If you
have a manual transmission, put it in reverse gear.
Make sure the parking brake is fully
released before driving away.
Driving with the parking brake
partially set can overheat or damage
the rear brakes. Parkin
g Tip s Make sure the moonroof and the
windows are closed. Turn off the lights.
Place any packages, valuables, etc.,
in the cargo area or take them

with you.
Lock the doors.
Never park over dry leaves, tall
grass, or other flammable
materials. The three way catalytic
converter gets very hot, and could
cause these materials to catch on

fire.

Drivin g