automatic transmission Acura RSX 2006 Owner's Manual

µµ
µ
µ
The ignition switch has f our
positions: LOCK (0), ACCESSORY
(I), ON (II), and START (III).
You can insert or
remove the key only in this position.
To turn the key, you must push the
key in slightly. If your vehicle has an
automatic transmission, the shif t
lever must also be in park. If the f ront wheels are turned, the
anti-thef t lock may make it dif f icult
to turn the key. Firmly turn the
steering wheel to the lef t or right as
you turn the key.
This is the normal key
position when driving. Several of the
indicators on the instrument panel
come on as a test when you turn the
ignition switch f rom the
ACCESSORY (I) to the ON (II)
position. You can
operate the audio system and the
accessory power socket in this
position.
Use this position
only to start the engine. The switch
returns to the ON (II) position when
you let go of the key. You will hear a reminder beeper if
you leave the key in the LOCK (0) or
the ACCESSORY (I) position and
open the driver’s door. Remove the
key to turn of f the beeper.
If your vehicle has an automatic
transmission, the shif t lever must be
in Park bef ore you can remove the
key f rom the ignition switch.
Ignition Switch
LOCK (0)
ON (II) A CCESSORY (I)
ST A RT (III)
66
Removing the key from the
ignition switch while driving
locks the steering. This can
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle.
Remove the key from the
ignition switch only when
parked.

Press and release the SET/decel
buttononthesteeringwheel.The
CRUISE CONTROL indicator on
the instrument panel comes on to
show the system is now activated.You can increase the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:
Press and hold the RESUME/
accel button. When you reach the
desired cruising speed, release the
button.
Push on the accelerator pedal.
Accelerate to the desired cruising
speed, and press the SET/decel
button.
To increase your speed in very
small amounts, tap the RESUME/
accel button. Each time you do
this, your vehicle will speed up
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
When climbing a steep hill, the
automatic transmission may
downshif t to hold the set speed. Cruise control may not hold the set
speed when you are going up and
down hills. If your speed increases
going down a hill, use the brakes to
slow down. This will cancel cruise
control. To resume the set speed,
press the RESUME/accel button.
The CRUISE CONTROL indicator
on the instrument panel will come
back on.
3.
Cruise Control
Changing the Set Speed
128
RESUME/accel
CANCEL
SET/decel

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, and f acts you
need if you are planning to tow a
trailer.........................
Preparing to Drive .146
.......................
Starting the Engine .147
.................
Manual Transmissions .148
..............
Automatic Transmission .151
...........................................
Parking .157
.............................
Braking System .158
...............
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) .159
...........................
Towing a Trailer .160
Driving
Driving
145

Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way.
Make sure the shif t 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 f or more than 15 seconds
at a time. If the engine does not
start right away, pause for 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 halfway
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race.
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.
If the engine still does not start,
return to step 5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Manual Transmission:
Automatic Transmission: 65
Starting the Engine
Driving
147
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 .
The engine is harder to start in cold
weather. Also, the thinner air f ound at
altitudes above 8,000 f eet (2,400
meters) adds to this problem.

These indicators on the instrument
panel show which position the shif t
lever is in.To shif t f rom any position, move the
shiftlever.Youcannotshiftoutof
Park when the ignition switch is in
the LOCK (0) or ACCESSORY (I)
position.
The ‘‘D’’ indicator comes on f or a
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. If it f lashes at any time (in
any shif t position), it indicates a
possible problem in the transmission.
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 shift lever.
3
3
Shif t L ever Position Indicators Shif ting
Automatic Transmission
Driving
151
SHIFT LEVER
SHIFT LEVER POSITION INDICATORS SELECTED GEAR

µµµµµ
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.
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. The shif t lever must be in
Park bef ore you can remove the key
from the ignition switch. Press the brake
pedal, and move the shif t lever f rom
Park to reverse. To shif t f rom
reverse to neutral, come to a
completestop,andthenshift. 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.
Use this position f or
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear f or acceleration.
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.
Your vehicle has a reverse lockout so
you cannot accidentally shif t to
reverse when the vehicle speed
exceeds 5 mph (8 km/h).
If you cannot shif t to reverse when
the vehicle is stopped, press the
brake pedal, slowly shif t to neutral,
andthenshifttoreverse.
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 ).156
156
3
3
Automatic Transmission
Park (P)
Shif t L ock Release Reverse (R)
Neutral (N)
Drive (D)
Drive (D )
Shif t L ock Release
3
152

µ
´µ
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.
When you move the shif t lever f rom
‘‘D’’ to the Sequential SportShift
mode, the display shows the selected
gear. In Sequential SportShif t mode, each
time you push f orward on the shif t
lever, the transmission will shif t to a
higher gear. Pull back on the lever to
downshif t. The number of the gear
selected is displayed on the
instrument panel (see page ).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 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.
151
CONT INUED
Automatic Transmission
Sequential SportShif t Mode
Driving
153
Up shift
Down shift

à
à
൵
ൠµ à
à
à
à
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)
If you drive uphill between 54:4533mph
(72 52 km/h)
43:3320mph
(52 32 km/h)
If you press the brake pedal as you
drive downhill. Downshif ting gives you more power
when climbing or provides engine
braking when going down a steep hill.
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).
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 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.
The table shows the speed ranges
f or upshif ting and downshif ting.
To shift from 12
23
34
45 Speed range
over 0 mph (0 km/h)
over 6 mph (10 km/h)
over 20 mph (32 km/h)
over 33 mph (52 km/h)
Automatic Transmission
154

à
à
à
à
To shift from
21
32
43
54 Speed range
under 31 mph (50 km/h)
under 63 mph (100 km/h)
under 94 mph (150 km/h)
under 131 mph (210 km/h) When you are in Sequential
SportShif t mode, and the vehicle is
stopped, push f orward on the shif t
lever to shif t to second gear. You will
see ‘‘2’’ in the display. Starting out in
second gear will help to reduce
wheelspin in deep snow or on a
slippery surf ace.
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,youmayfeeltheengine
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.
Automatic Transmission
Starting in Second Gear
Engine Speed L imiter
Driving
155

Do this if pushing on the brake pedal
does not shif t the transmission out of
Park:Set the parking brake.
Push down on the key while you
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.
Remove the key from the ignition
switch.
Put a cloth on the edge of the shif t
lock release slot cover. Using a
small f lat-tipped screwdriver or a
metal f ingernail f ile, caref ully pry
on the edge of the cover.
Insert the key in the shift lock
release slot.Remove the key from the shift
lock release slot. Press the brake
pedal, and restart the engine.
5. 4.
3.
2. 1.
6.
Automatic Transmission
Shif t L ock Release
156
SHIFT LOCK
RELEASE SLOT