brake Acura TSX 2004 User Guide

You can increase the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:Press and hold the RES/ACCEL
button. The car will accelerate.
When you reach the desired
cruising speed, release the button.
Push on the accelerator pedal. Ac-
celerate to the desired cruising
speed and press the DECEL/SET
button.
To increase your speed in very
small amounts, tap the RES/
ACCEL button repeatedly. Each
time you do this, your car will
speed up about 1 mph (1.6 km/h). You can decrease the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:
Press and hold the DECEL/SET
button. The car will decelerate.
Release the button when you
reach the desired speed.
To slow down in very small
amounts, tap the DECEL/SET
button repeatedly. Each time you
do this, your car will slow down
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
Tap the brake or clutch pedal
lightly with your f oot. The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel will go out.
When the car slows to the desired
speed, press the DECEL/SET
button. The car will then maintain
the desired speed. Even with the cruise control turned
on, you can still use the accelerator
pedal to speed up f or passing. Af ter
completing the pass, take your foot
of f the accelerator pedal. The car
will return to the set cruising speed.
Resting your f oot on the brake or
clutch pedal will cause the cruise
control to cancel.
Changing the Set Speed
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures175

Push the CANCEL button on the
steering wheel. Tap the brake or clutch pedal.
Youcancancelthecruisecontrolin
any of these ways: When you push the CANCEL button,
or tap the brake or clutch pedal, the
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel will go out and the
car will begin to slow down. You can
use the accelerator pedal in the
normal way.
The system remembers the
previously-set cruising speed. To
return to that speed, accelerate to
above25mph(40km/h),thenpress
and release the RES/ACCEL button.
The CRUISE CONTROL light comes
on, and the car will accelerate to the
same cruising speed as bef ore.
Press the Cruise Control Master
button on the steering wheel. Pressing the Cruise Control Master
button turns the system completely
of f and erases the previous cruising
speed f rom memory. To use the
system again, ref er to
.
Cancelling the Cruise Control
Using t he
Cruise Cont rol
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures176
CANCEL BUTTON
CRUISE CONTROL MASTER BUTTON

During this period:Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration. We recommend gasolines containing
detergent additives that help prevent
f uel system and engine deposits.
Avoidhardbraking.Newbrakes
need to be broken-in by moderate
use f or the f irst 200 miles (300
km).
Open the f uel f ill door by pushing
onthehandletotheleftof the
driver’s seat.
Help assure your car’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
Because the f uel f ill cap is on the
driver’s side of the car, park with
that side closest to the service
station pumps.
Using gasoline containing lead will
damage your car’s emissions
controls. This contributes to air
pollution.
Youshouldfollowthesesamere-
commendations with an overhauled
or exchanged engine, or when the
brakes are relined. Do not change the oil until the
recommended time or mileage
intervalshowninthemaintenance
schedule. Your Acura is designed to operate on
premium unleaded gasoline with a
pump octane number of 91 or higher.
Useof aloweroctanegasolinecan
cause a persistent, heavy metallic
rapping noise in the engine that can
lead to mechanical damage.
In Canada, some gasolines contain
an octane-enhancing additive called
MMT. If you use such gasolines,
your emissions control system
perf ormance may deteriorate and
the Malf unction Indicator Lamp on
your instrument panel may turn on.
If this happens, contact your
authorized Acura dealer f or service.
1.
2.
Bef ore Driving
Break-in Period
GasolineFilling the Fuel Tank
Break-in Period, Gasoline, Service Station Procedures
184
Push

Shift to Park or Neutral and set
the parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower lef t corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly.Standing in f ront of the car, put
your f ingers under the f ront edge
of the hood to the right of center.
Slide your hand to the lef t until
you f eel the hood latch handle.
Push this handle up until it
releases the hood. Lif t the hood.If you can open the hood without
lifting the hood latch handle, or the
hood latch handle moves stif f ly or
does not spring back as bef ore, the
mechanism should be cleaned and
lubricated (see page ).
1. 2. 262
Opening the Hood
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving186
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
LATCH

Be sure electronic accessories do
not overload electrical circuits
(see page ).
If possible, have your dealer inspect
the f inal installation. Bef ore installing any accessory:
However, if electronic accessories
are improperly installed, or exceed
your car’s electrical system capacity,
they can interfere with the operation of your car, or even cause the
airbags to deploy.
Make sure the accessory does not
obscure any lights, or interf ere
with proper car operation or
perf ormance.
When properly installed, cellular
phones, alarms, two-way radios, and
low-powered audio systems should
not interf ere with your car’s
computer-controlled systems, such
as the SRS and anti-lock brake
system.
Modif ying your car, or installing
some non-Acura accessories, can
make your car unsaf e. Bef ore you
make any modif ications or add any
accessories,besuretoreadthe
f ollowing inf ormation.
Non-Acura accessories are usually
designed f or universal applications.
Although aftermarket accessories
may f it on your car, they may not
meet f actory specif ications, and
could adversely af f ect your car’s
handling and stability. (See
‘‘Modif ications’’ on page f or
additional information.)
Have the installer contact your
Acura dealer f or assistance bef ore
installing any electronic accessory.
Your Acura dealer has many Acura
Accessories that allow you to
personalize your car. These have all
been approved f or installation and
use on your car, and are covered by
warranty.
324
192
A ccessories
A ccessories and Modif ications
Bef ore Driving191
Improper accessories or
modifications can affect your
car’s handling, stability, and
performance, and cause a
crash in which you can be hurt
or killed.
Follow all instructions in this
owner’s manual regarding
accessories and modifications.

If a side airbag
or a side curtain airbag inf lates, a
cupholderorotherhardobject
attached on or near the door could
be propelled inside the car and
hurt someone.
Some examples are:
Lowering the vehicle with an
aftermarket suspension kit that
signif icantly reduces ground
clearance can allow the
undercarriage to impact speed
bumps or other raised objects,
which could cause the airbags to
deploy.
Raising the vehicle with an
af termarket suspension kit can
af f ect the handling and stability.
Af termarket wheels, because they
are a universal design, can cause
excessive stress on suspension
components. Larger or smaller wheels and tires
can interf ere with the operation of
your vehicle’s anti-lock brakes and
other systems.
Do not modif y your steering wheel
or any other part of your
Supplemental Restraint System.
Modif ications could make the
system inef f ective.
Any object
attached to or placed on the covers
marked ‘‘SRS AIRBAG,’’ in the
center of the steering wheel and
on top of the dashboard, could
interf ere with the proper operation
of the airbags. Or, if the airbags
inf late, the objects could be
propelled inside the car and hurt
someone.
If you plan to modif y your vehicle,
consult with your Acura dealer.
Covering the outside edge of a
f ront seat-back, with a non-Acura
seat cover for example, could
prevent the airbag from inflating
properly.
Removing parts f rom your vehicle,
or replacing components with non-
Acura (aftermarket) components
could seriously af f ect your vehicle’s
handling, stability, and reliability.
On models equipped with side airbags or
side curtain airbagsModif ications
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Do not at t ach hard object s on ornear a f ront door.
Do not at t ach or place object s on the f ront airbag covers. Do not place any object s over t he
outsideedgeof afront seat-back.
A ccessories and Modif ications
Bef ore Driving192

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 inf orma-
tion on parking your car, the braking
system, the vehicle stability assist
system, and f acts you need if you are
planning to tow a trailer.........................
Preparing to Drive .198
.......................
Starting the Engine .199
Starting in Cold Weather ....................
at High Altitude .200
....
6-speed Manual Transmission . 201
.....
Recommended Shif t Points . 202
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 202
.......................
Reverse Lockout .203
..............
Automatic Transmission . 204
.
Shif t Lever Position Indicator . 204
................
Shif t Lever Positions . 204
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 209
....................
Shif t Lock Release . 210
...........................................
Parking .211
..............................
Parking Tips .211
.....................
The Braking System .212
.............
Brake Wear Indicators . 212
...............
Brake System Design . 213
.......................
Anti-lock Brakes .213
Important Saf ety .........................
Reminders .214
........................
ABS Indicator .214
...
Vehicle Stability Assist System . 216
...............
Driving in Bad Weather . 219
...........................
Towing a Trailer .221
Driving
Driving197

Push the clutch pedal down all the
way. START (III) does not
f unction unless the clutch pedal is
depressed. Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.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.
As bef ore, keep the ignition key in
the START (III) position f or no
more than 15 seconds. Return to
step 5 if the engine does not start.
If it starts, lif t your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal so the engine
does not race.
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. If the engine
does not start right away, do not
hold the key in START (III) f or
more than 15 seconds at a time.
Pause f or 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 half-way
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.6.
Automatic Transmission:
Manual Transmission:
Starting the Engine
Driving199

Come to a full stop before you shift
into Reverse. You can damage the
transmission by trying to shif t into
Reverse with the car 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 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 engine speed will not go
into the tachometer’s red zone in the
lower gear.
The manual transmission is synchro-
nizedinallforwardgearsforsmooth
operation. It has a lockout so you
cannot accidentally shif t f rom Fif th
to Reverse instead of sixth (see page
) while the car is moving. 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. 203
Driving
6-speed Manual T ransmission
201
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.

The 6-speed manual transmission
has an electric lockout so you cannot
accidentally shif t f rom Fif th to
Reverse instead of Sixth while the
car is moving. If you cannot shif t to
Reverse when the car is stopped:If you are still unable to shif t to
Reverse, apply the parking brake
and turn the ignition key to
ACCESSORY (I) or LOCK (0).
If you need to use this procedure to
shif t to Reverse, your car may be
developing a problem. Have the car
checked by your Acura dealer.
With the clutch pedal pressed,
move the shift lever to the First/
Second gear side of the Neutral
gate, then shif t to Reverse. Press the clutch pedal, and shif t to
Reverse.
With the clutch pedal still pressed,
start the engine.
1. 2.
3.
4.
Driving
6-speed Manual T ransmission
Reverse Lockout
203