manual transmission Acura TSX 2006 Owner's Manual

2006 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

Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safet y........................................................................\
.........................................ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
.............................................4
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
...................................... 7
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restr\
aint System.
Instruments and Control s

........................................................................\
.........................................59
Instrument panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering colu\
mn controls.
Features ................................................................................................................................\
............159
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
..........................................................227
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
......................................................................239
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................263
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take you r vehicle to the dealer.
Taking Care of the Unexpecte d........................................................................\
..............................311
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, an d how to handle them.
Technical Informatio n........................................................................\
.............................................335
ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)................................................................349
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manu als (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................353
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.

Your Vehicle at a Glance
4
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHESAUDIO SYSTEM
AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION
MANUAL
TRANSMISSION
DRIVING POSITION
MEMORY SYSTEM
MASTER DOOR LOCK
SWITCH CLIMATE CONTROL
SYSTEM
MASTER DOOR
LOCK SWITCH
(P.142)
(P.146)
(P.128)
(P.147)
(P.242) (P.244)(P.160)(P.170)
Vehicle without navigation system is shown. (P.135)
FUEL FILL DOOR RELEASE
HANDLE (P.229)
HOOD RELEASE
HANDLE
(P.230)
PARKING BRAKE LEVER(P.151) PASSENGER’S FRONT AIRBAG (P.11,28)
(P.129)
DRIVER’S FRONT AIRBAG (P.11,28) INSTRUMENT PANEL (P.61)
GAUGES (P.68)
TRUNK RELEASE LEVER MIRROR CONTROLS
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Control L ocations
60
AUDIO SYSTEM
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION
MANUAL
TRANSMISSION
PARKING BRAKE LEVER
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHES INSTRUMENT PANEL
MASTER DOOR
LOCK SWITCH MIRROR CONTROL AUTO BUTTON
DRIVING POSITION
MEMORY SYSTEM
CLIMATE CONTROL
SYSTEM
FUEL FILL DOOR RELEASE
HANDLE
Vehicle without navigation system is shown. (P.142)
(P.128)
(P.147)
(P.229) (P.230) (P.151) (P.242) (P.244)
(P.160) (P.170)
(P.
145 )
(P.61)
GAUGES (P.68)
MIRRORS CONTROLS
(P.146)
TRUNK RELEASE LEVER (P.135)
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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. Your vehicle is designed to operate
on premium unleaded gasoline with a
pump octane number of 91 or higher.
Useof aloweroctanegasolinecan
cause occasional metallic knocking
noises in the engine and will result in
decreased engine perf ormance. Use
of a gasoline with a pump octane
number less than 87 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.
We recommend quality gasoline
containing detergent additives that
help prevent f uel system and engine
deposits.
In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we stronglyrecommend, in areas where it is
available, the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain manganese-based
f uel additives such as MMT.
Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance,
and cause the malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contact
your authorized dealer f or service.
For f urther important f uel-related
inf ormation, please ref er to your
.
If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline. Some gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol or
MTBE. Your vehicle is designed to
operate on oxygenated gasoline
containing up to 10 % ethanol by
volume and up to 15 % MTBE by
volume. Do not use gasoline
containing methanol.
On vehicles with manual transmission
Break-in Period, Fuel Recommendation
Break-in Period
Fuel Recommendation
Quick Start Guide
228
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........................
Preparing to Drive .240
.......................
Starting the Engine .241
...................
Manual Transmission .242
.....
Recommended Shif t Points .242
..............
Engine Speed Limiter .243
.......................
Reverse Lockout .243
..............
Automatic Transmission .244
Shif t Lever Position ...............................
Indicators .244
.......................................
Shif ting .244
....
Sequential SportShif t Mode .246
..............
Engine Speed Limiter .249
....................
Shif t Lock Release .249
...........................................
Parking .251
..............................
Parking Tips .251
.............................
Braking System .252
...............
Brake System Design .252
.............
Brake Wear Indicators .252
...........
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) .253
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) ....................................
System .255
.......................
VSA OFF Switch .256
...................
VSA and Tire Sizes .256
...........................
Towing a Trailer .257
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.
Driving
Driving
239
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Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.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. 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 than15seconds
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 step4with 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:
126
Starting the Engine
Driving
241
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.
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 .
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Come to a full stop before you shift
into reverse. You can damage the
transmission by trying to shift 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.
Drive in the highest gear that lets
the engine run and accelerate
smoothly. This will give you good
f uel economy and ef f ective emis-
sions control. The f ollowing shif t
points are recommended:
Shif t up
1st to 2nd
2nd to 3rd 3rd to 4th4th to 5th
5th to 6th Normal acceleration
12 mph (19 km/h)
23 mph (37 km/h)
34 mph (54 km/h)
45 mph (72 km/h)
56 mph (90 km/h)
Manual T ransmission
Recommended Shif t Points
242
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.
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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, you may f eel
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.
Bef ore downshif ting, make sure the
engine will not go into the
tachometer’s red zone.The 6-speed manual transmission
has an electric lockout so you cannot
accidentally shif t f rom f if th to
reverse instead of sixth while the
vehicle is moving. If you cannot shif t
to reverse when the vehicle is
stopped:
Apply the parking brake, and turn
the ignition key to the
ACCESSORY (I) or the LOCK (0)
position.
Press the clutch pedal, and shif t to
reverse.
With the clutch pedal still pressed,
start the engine.
If you need to use this procedure to
shif t to reverse, your vehicle may be
developing a problem. Have the
vehicle checked by your dealer. 1.
2.
3.
Manual T ransmission
Engine Speed L imiter Reverse L ockout
Driving
243
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µ
µ
When you move the shif t lever f rom
‘‘D’’ to ‘‘M’’ position, the display
shows the selected gear.
In Sequential SportShif t mode, each
time you push f orward on the shif t
lever, the transmission shif ts to a
higher gear. Pull back on the lever to
downshif t. The number of the gear
selected is displayed on the
instrument panel.
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.
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.
3
3
Automatic Transmission
Sequential SportShif t ModeDrive (D )3
246
SELECTED GEAR
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à
à
൵
ൠµ
ൠµ
CONT INUED
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. 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. 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). Downshif ting gives you more power
when climbing, and provides engine
brakingwhengoingdownasteephill.
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)
32:2010mph
(32 16 km/h)
If you press the brake pedal as you
drive downhill.
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.
Automatic Transmission
Driving
247
Up shift
Down shift
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