ignition Acura MDX 2004 Service Manual

If you do not remove the disc f rom
the slot, the system will reload the
disc af ter 10 seconds and begin
playing it.
To remove a dif f erent CD f rom the
changer,firstselectitwiththe
appropriate preset button. When that
CD begins playing, press the eject
button.If you press the Eject button while
listening to the radio or tape, or with
the audio system turned of f , the disc
that was last selected is ejected.
Af ter that disc is ejected, pressing
the Eject button again will eject the
next disc in the numerical order. By
doing this six times, you can remove
all the CDs f rom the changer.
In any mode, if you press the eject
button and hold it until you hear a
beep, the system will eject all of the
discs in the changer.
You can also eject discs when the
ignition switch is of f . The disc that
was last selected is ejected f irst. You
can eject up to six discs, one at a
time.
To remove the disc that is currently
playing, press the eject button. You
will see ‘‘EJECT’’ in the display. The
system automatically begins the
Load sequence so you can load
another CD in that position. If you do
not load another CD, af ter 10
seconds the system begins playing
the next disc in the changer. If the
changer is empty, the system selects
the previous mode (AM, FM, or
Tape).
If you press the LOAD button while
a disc is playing, the system will stop
playing that disc and start the
loading sequence. It will then play
the disc just loaded. If you stop loading CDs bef ore all six
positions are f illed, and you do not
press the Load button, the system
will wait f or 10 seconds, then stop
the load operation and begin playing
the last CD loaded.
You can also load a CD into an empty
position while a CD is playing by
pressing the appropriate preset
button. Select an empty position (the
CD Loaded indicator is of f ), and
press the preset button f or that
position (1 to 6). The system will
stop playing the current CD and start
the loading sequence. It will then
play the CD just loaded. Removing CDs f rom the Changer
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
CD Changer
118

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Î
Dolby noise reduction manuf actured under
license from Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corpo-
ration. ‘‘DOLBY’’ and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories
Licensing Corporation.
The ignition switch must be in the
ACCESSORY (I) or ON (II) position.
Make sure the open side of the tape
is facing right, then insert the tape
most of the way into the slot. The
system will pull the tape in the rest
of the way, and begin to play it.
Thetapedirectionindicatorinthe
display comes on to show you which
side of the tape is playing. The
indicates the side you inserted
upward is now playing. If you want to
play the other side, press the PROG
button. When the player reaches the
end of the tape, it will automatically
reverse direction and play the other
side. Dolby noise reduction turns on
when you insert a tape. The
indicator will come on in the
display. If the tape was not recorded
in Dolby, turn it of f by pressing the button. Dolby remains of f until
you press the button again.
To remove the tape, press the tape
EJECT button. If you want to turn
the player of f , press the PWR/VOL
knob or turn of f the ignition. The
tape will remain in the drive. When
youturnthesystembackon,the
tape will begin playing where it lef t
off. To rewind the tape,
push the REW ( ) button. You
will see REW in the display. To f ast
f orward the tape, push the FF
( ) button. You will see FF
displayed. Press the PLAY/PROG
button to take the system out of
rewind or fast forward. To switch to the radio while a tape is
playing, press the AM or FM button.
To change back to the tape player,
press the TAPE button.
To Play a Tape
To Stop Playing a TapeT ape Search Function
FF/REW
Playing a T ape
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures126

Clock
Direction of travel
Outside temperature
Instantaneous f uel mileageTheAvgdisplayshowsyouthe
average f uel economy since you
last reset the display.
The E/T is the elapsed time that
the ignition has been on. It
automatically resets to 0.0 when it
reaches twelve hours. This display
can be reset at any time.
The display also has manual
f unctions f or the Climate Control
System. Ref er to page .
All models of MDX have a trip
computer. To operate the trip
computer on models with the
navigation system, ref er to the
navigation manual.
The Trip Computer displays the
f ollowing inf ormation.
The temperature sensor is located
in the f ront bumper, and can be
affected by heat from the road
surf ace, engine heat, and the
exhaust f rom the surrounding
traf f ic. Because of these
conditions, it may take a while f or
the temperature to read correctly. The Range, or estimated distance
you can travel on the fuel
remaining in the tank estimated
f rom the f uel economy you have
gotten over the last several miles
(kilometers).
The Trip display shows you the
total distance you have driven
since it was last reset.
Press the TRIP button to show either
the range and Avg f uel economy, or
the E/T and Trip odometer.
To reset the Avg f uel economy, E/T,
and Trip odometer, press and hold
the RESET button until you hear a
beep.
The outside temperature, f uel
economy, range, and trip odometer
can be displayed in either English or
Metric units. To change between
units, press the TRIP button and
hold it f or f ive seconds.
104
Trip Computer
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
(Without Navigation System) Changing and Resetting the
Display
Changing Units of Measurement
147

The Brightness control has seven
positions. In the middle f ive positions
the display will dim when you turn
on the parking lights or headlights.
Moving the control to the far left
position turns of f the display. It will
come back on f or several seconds if
you press any of the buttons.
In the f ar right (maximum
brightness) position, the display will
notdimwhenyouturnonthe
parking lights.
Always use a sof t cloth and mild
glass/plastic cleaner (such as
cleaners f or computer monitor
screens) to clean the display.Whenever you shif t to R (Reverse)
with the ignition switch in the ON
(II) position, the rear view is shown
in the navigation system display.
For the best picture, always keep the
rear view camera clean, and do not
cover the camera lens.When in reverse, the touch screen,
and Navi ‘‘hard’’ buttons are locked
out, except the A/C-INFO button.
Touching the A/C-INFO button
allows you to adjust the brightness of
the rear view camera image. Touch
the A/C-INFO button again to leave
the brightness adjust mode.
The camera brightness
cannot be adjusted by voice control.
Since the rear view camera display
area is limited, you should always
back up slowly and caref ully, and
look behind you f or obstacles.
When you wipe the screen, some
black lines may appear because of
static electricity build-up. This is
normal. They will disappear in 5 to
10 minutes.If equipped
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
BRIGHT NESS control
Cleaning the Display Rear View Camera and Monitor
Trip Computer, Rear View Camera and Monitor
152
NOTE:
REAR VIEW CAMERA

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 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 fails to start, press
the accelerator pedal all the way
downandholdittherewhile
starting to clear flooding. If the
engine still does not start, return
to step 5.
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, 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.
5. 6.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Starting the Engine
Driving171
NOTICE: 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.
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
come on along with the ‘‘D ’’
indicator, there is a problem in the
automatic transmission control
system. Avoid rapid acceleration and
havethetransmissioncheckedbyan
Acura dealer as soon as possible.
To shif t f rom any position, press
f irmly on the brake pedal. You
cannot shif t out of Park when the
ignition switch is in the LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I) position.
5 5
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoN
NtoD
DtoD
DtoD Dto22to1
1to2
2toD
DtoD
DtoD DtoN NtoRRtoP Do this:
Press the brake pedal, then
move the shift lever.
Move the lever.
5
54
43 3
3
34
45 5
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Shif t L ever Position Indicators
Shif ting
172

µµµµµ
µ
CONT INUED
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 to shift from Park to Reverse.
To shif t f rom Reverse to Neutral,
come to a complete stop and then
shif t.
Your vehicle has a reverse lockout so
you cannot accidentally shif t to
Reverse from Neutral or any other
driving position when the vehicle
speed exceeds 7 9 mph (12 14
km/h).
If you cannot shif t to Reverse when
the vehicle is stopped, press the
brake pedal and slowly shift to
Neutral, and then to Reverse.
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 Shif t Lock Release on page ). 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
normal driving. The transmission
automatically selects a suitable gear
f or your 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.
175
175
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Park (P)Shif t L ock Release Reverse (R)
Neutral (N)
Drive (D )
5
173

Set the Parking brake.
Make sure the ignition switch is in
the LOCK (0) position.
To release the Reverse Lockout,
make sure the ignition switch is in
the ACCESSORY (I) position. Put a cloth on the edge of the Shif tLock Release slot cover. Using a
key, caref ully pry on the edge of
the cover to remove it.
Insert the key in the Shift Lock
Release slot.
Push down on the key and move
the shift lever out of Park to
Neutral.To release the reverse lockout,
move the shift lever from Neutral
to Reverse, then to Park.
Remove the key from the Shift
Lock Release slot, then install the
cover. Press the brake pedal, and
restart the engine.
If you need to use the Shif t Lock
Release, it means your vehicle is
developing a problem. Have it
checked by an Acura dealer.
Do this if pushing on the brake pedal
does not shif t the transmission out of
Park. This procedure is also used to
release the Reverse Lockout.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.6.
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Shif t L ock Release
175
COVER
SHIFT LOCK RELEASE SLOT

The Variable Torque Management
4WD System (VTM-4) automatically
transf ers varying amounts of engine
torque to the rear wheels under
lower traction conditions.
If more traction is needed when your
MDX is stuck, or is likely to become
stuck, you can use the VTM-4 Lock
button to increase torque to the rear
wheels.The vehicle must be stopped with
the engine running.
Move the shift lever to First (1),
Second (2), or Reverse (R) gear.
Press the VTM-4 Lock button.
The light in the button will come
on.
To get unstuck, apply light pressure
to the accelerator pedal. Do not spin
the f ront tires f or more than a f ew
seconds. Because of the amount of
torque applied to the rear tires, they
should not spin. This is normal. If
you are not able to move the vehicle,
stop and reverse direction. do
one of the f ollowing: Press the VTM-4 Lock button.
Move the shift lever to D , D or
D.
Turn the ignition switch to LOCK
(0).
The VTM-4 Lock will temporarily
disengage when the vehicle speed
exceeds 18 mph (30 km/h). It will
automatically engage again as the
speed slows below 18 mph (30
km/h). The button light will remain
on.
1.
2.
3.
54
3
To Engage the VTM-4 Lock To Disengage the VTM-4 Lock,
VTM-4 System
Driving176
NOTICE: NOTICE:
Do not use the VTM-4 Lock
button on dry, paved roads. Driving on
dry, paved roads with VT M-4 Lock ON
may damage the rear dif f erential when
making a turn. Strange noise and
vibration can also result. Do not continuously spin the
f ront tires of your MDX. Continuously
spinning the f ront tires can cause
transmission or rear dif f erential
damage.

If the indicator does not come on
when the ignition switch is turned to
ON(II),theremaybeaproblem
with the VSA system. Have an Acura
dealer inspect your vehicle as soon
as possible.
Without VSA, your vehicle will have
normal braking and cornering ability,
but it will not have VSA traction and
stability enhancement.This switch is under the lef t vent.
Press it to turn the Vehicle Stability
Assist system on and of f .VSA is turned on every time you
start the engine, even if you turned it
off the last time you drove the
vehicle.
Driving with varying tire or wheel
sizes may cause the VSA to
malf unction. When replacing tires,
make sure they are of the same size
and type as your original tires (see
page ).
Deactivate the VSA system if you
need to drive with the compact spare
tire installed (see page ).
If you install winter tires, make sure
they are the same size as those that
were originally supplied with your
vehicle. Exercise the same caution
during winter driving as you would if
your vehicle was not equipped with
VSA.
When VSA is off, the VSA Activation
Indicator comes on as a reminder. 224
230
VSA Of f Switch
VSA and Tire Sizes
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) System
Driving184