Transmission Acura TSX 2005 Owner's Manual

2005 TSX 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


Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safety........................................................................\
........................................ .ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
............................................ .4
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
..................................... .7
Seat belts, SRS, and child protection
Instruments and Controls........................................................................\
........................................ .51
Indicators, gauges, dashboard, and steering column
Features ........................................................................\
...................................................................... 99
Climate, audio, steering wheel, security, cruise control, and HomeLink
Before Driving........................................................................\
..........................................................151
Fuel, vehicle break-in, and cargo loading
Driving ........................................................................\
..................................................................... .165
Engine and transmission operation
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................189
Schedules, fluid checking, minor services, and vehicle storage
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
..............................235
Flat tire, dead battery, overheating, fuses
Technical Information........................................................................\
............................................ .259
Vehicle specifications, tires, fuels, and emissions controls
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)................................................................273
Warranty and contact information
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................277
How to order
Index........................................................................\
........................................................................\
...... I
Service Information Summary
Fluid capacities and tire pressures
Owner's Identification Form

Your Vehicle at a Glance
4
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHES
MIRROR CONTROLS
DOOR LOCK SWITCH HEATING/COOLING
CONTROLS
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
DIGITAL CLOCK
AUDIO SYSTEM
(P.141)
(P.112)
(P.100)
(P.88)
(P.89)
FUEL FILL DOOR RELEASE TRUNK RELEASE HANDLE (P.80)
(P.154) (P.155) AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION
MANUAL
TRANSMISSION
(P. 168 )
(P.170)
PARKING BRAKE LEVER
(P.93)
(P.75)

Control L ocations
52
MIRROR CONTROLS
DOOR LOCK SWITCH
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHESAUDIO SYSTEM
HEATING/COOLING
CONTROLS
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE (P.141)
DIGITAL CLOCK
(P. 88)
(P.89) INDICATORS
GAUGES (P.53)
(P.60)
(P.112 )
(P.100)
(P.155)
TRUNK RELEASE HANDLE
FUEL FILL DOOR RELEASE
(P.80)
(P.154) AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION
(P.170)
MANUAL
TRANSMISSION
(P. 168 )
PARKING BRAKE LEVER (P.93)
(P.75)

You will hear a reminder beeper if
you leave the key in the ignition
switch in the LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I) position and open
thedriver’sdoor.Removethekeyto
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.Each door has a lock tab on the top.
Push the tab down to lock the door
and pull it up to unlock.To lock any passenger’s door when
getting out of the vehicle, push the
lock tab down and close the door. To
lock the driver’s door, pull and hold
the outside door handle then push
the lock tab down. Release the
handle, then close the door.
To lock any passenger’s door when
getting out of the vehicle, push the
lock tab down, and close the door.
Door L ocks
Ignit ion Swit ch, Door L ocks
74
LOCK TAB
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.

Help assure your vehicle’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
Do not change the oil until the
scheduled maintenance time.
Avoidhardbrakingforthefirst
200 miles (300 km).
Do not tow a trailer.
You should also f ollow these
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are replaced. In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend, in areas where it is
available, the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain manganese-based
f uel additives such as MMT. We recommend quality gasoline
containing detergent additives that
help prevent f uel system and engine
deposits.
Your vehicle 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 that can lead to engine
damage.
You may hear a knocking noise from
the engine if you drive the vehicle at
low engine speed (below about 1,000
rpm) in a higher gear. To stop this,
raise the engine speed by shif ting to
a lower gear.
On vehicles with manual transmission
Break-in Period, Fuel Recommendation
Break-in Period
Fuel Recommendation
152

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, the vehicle
stability assist (VSA) system, and
f acts you need if you are planning to
tow a trailer.........................
Preparing to Drive .166
.......................
Starting the Engine .167
...................
Manual Transmission . 168
.....
Recommended Shif t Points . 169
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 169
..............
Automatic Transmission . 170
Shif t Lever Position ...............................
Indicators .170
.......................................
Shif ting .170
....
Sequential SportShif t Mode . 172
..............
Engine Speed Limiter . 174
....................
Shif t Lock Release . 175
...........................................
Parking .177
.............................
Braking System .178
...............
Brake System Design . 178
.............
Brake Wear Indicators . 178
...........
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) . 179
Activating the Anti-lock ................................
Brakes .179
........................
ABS Indicator .179
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) ....................................
System .181
.........
VSA Activation Indicator . 181
..............
VSA System Indicator . 181
.......................
VSA OFF Switch .182
...................
VSA and Tire Sizes . 182...........................
Towing a Trailer .183
Driving
Driving
165

Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.Turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. Do not hold
the key in START (III) f or more
than 15 seconds at a time. If the
engine does not start right away,
pause f or at least 10 seconds
bef ore trying again.If the engine fails to start, press
the accelerator pedal all the way
downandholdittherewhile
starting to clear flooding. Return
to step 5 if the engine does not
start.
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.
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.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.6.
Manual Transmission:
Automatic Transmission: 72
Starting the Engine
Driving
167
Immobilizer System 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. Seeon 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.

Come to a full stop before you shift
into Reverse. You can damage the
transmission by trying to shif t 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.’’
The manual transmission is syn-
chronizedinallforwardgearsfor
smooth operation. 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 faster. 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 the engine speed will not
go into the tachometer’s red zone in
the lower gear. Downshif t one gear
at a time.
Manual T ransmission
168
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 ‘‘D’’ indicator comes on f or a
f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to ON (II). If it
f lashes while driving (in any shif t
position), it indicates a possible
problem in the transmission.If the malf unction indicator lamp
comes on along with the ‘‘D’’
indicator, there is a problem in the
automatic transmission control
system. Avoid rapid acceleration, and
have the transmission checked by
your dealer as soon as possible.
These indicators in the tachometer
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
LOCK (0) or ACCESSORY (I)
position.
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoP
NtoR
DtoD DtoN
DtoD NtoDRtoN Do this:
Press the brake pedal and
move the lever.
Move the lever.
3
3
Automatic Transmission
Shif t L ever Position Indicators
Shif ting
170
SHIFT LEVER

µµ
µ µ
µ
Press the brake
pedal and press the release button to
shif t f rom Park to Reverse. To shif t
from Reverse to Neutral, come to a
completestopandthenshift. This position is similar
to D, except only the first three
gears are selected instead of all f ive.
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 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 for the vehicle speed
and acceleration. You may notice the
transmission shif ting up at higher
speeds when the engine is cold. This
helps the engine warm up f aster. 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 and apply the parking brake.
Press on the brake pedal when you
are moving the shif t lever f rom
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.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see on
page .
You must also press the release
button to shift into Park. 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 f rom
the ignition switch. 175
3
3
CONT INUED
Automatic Transmission
Reverse (R) Drive (D )
Drive (D) Neutral (N)
Park (P)
Shif t L ock Release3
Driving
171