Acura TL 2006 Owner's Manual

When slowing down, you can get
extra braking from 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.
The manual transmission is
synchronized in all f orward gears f or
smooth operation. It has a lockout so
you cannot accidentally shif t f rom
f if th to reverse instead of sixth (see
page ). When shif ting up or
down,makesureyoupushtheclutch
pedal down all the way, shift 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. 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.’’
191The engine can be damaged if
you inadvertently downshif t into the wrong gear (f or example, going f romthird gear at high rpms to second gearinstead of upshif ting to f ourth gear; theengine speed limiter will not work in thissituation).
Manual T ransmission
190
Note:
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.

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.
Shif t up
1st to 2nd
2nd to 3rd 3rd to 4th4th to 5th
5th to 6th Normal acceleration
17 mph (27 km/h)
27 mph (43 km/h)
36 mph (58 km/h)
41 mph (66 km/h)
44 mph (71 km/h)
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
emissions control. The f ollowing
shif t points are recommended:
The 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.
CONT INUED
Engine Speed L imiter
Recommended Shif t Points Reverse L ockout
Manual T ransmission
Driving
191

With the clutch pedal pressed,
move the shift lever to the first/
second gear side of the neutral
gate, then shif t to reverse.If you are still unable to shif t to
reverse, apply the parking brake,
and turn the ignition key to the
ACCESSORY (I) or 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.
4.
Manual T ransmission
192

These indicators on the instrument
panel show which position the shif t
lever is in. The illuminated number
next to the ‘‘L’’ indicator shows you
the gear you have selected in the
Sequential SportShif t mode.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.
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 while driving (in
any shif t position), it indicates a
possible problem in the transmission.
Avoid rapid acceleration, and have
thetransmissioncheckedbyyour
dealer as soon as possible.
CONT INUED
Shif t L ever Position Indicators
Shif ting
Automatic Transmission
Driving
193

µ
µ µ
µµ µ
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.
Use this position f or
your normal driving. The transmis-
sion automatically selects a suitable
gear f or your speed and acceleration.
ForfasteraccelerationwheninD,
you can get the transmission to
automatically downshif t by pushing
the accelerator pedal to the floor.
The transmission will shif t down one,
two or three gears, depending on
your speed.
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 . Press the brake
pedal to shif t f rom Park to reverse.
To shif t f rom neutral to reverse,
come to a complete stop and then
shif t.
Your vehicle has a reverse lockout so
you cannot accidentally shif t to
reverse f rom neutral or any other
driving position when the vehicle
speed exceeds 5 6 mph (8 10
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 ).
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. 197
197
To shift from: PtoR
RtoN
NtoD DtoL
LtoD
DtoN NtoR RtoP Do this:
Press the brake pedal, then
move the shift lever.
Move the lever.
Drive (D)
Park (P)
Shif t L ock Release Reverse (R)
Shif t L ock Release
Neutral (N)
Automatic Transmission
194

µµ
µ´
When you accelerate away f rom a
stop, the transmission will start in
first gear and then automatically
upshif t to second gear. You have to
manually upshif t between second
and f if th gears. Make sure you
upshif t bef ore the engine speed
reaches the tachometer’s red zone.
The transmission remains in the
selected gear (5, 4, 3). There is no
automatic downshif t when you push
the accelerator pedal to the floor.
When you move the
shif t lever to this position, the
transmission shifts to the lowest
gear that can be selected without
exceeding the engine redline. At
normal speeds, it selects third gear.
As the vehicle slows, it selects
second gear at about 53 mph
(85 km/h), and f irst gear at about 28
mph (45 km/h). Accelerating in f irst
gear, the transmission upshif ts to
second gear at about 37 mph
(59 km/h). You must move the shif t
lever to D f or the transmission to
upshif t to third gear.
In Sequential SportShif t mode, each
time you push f orward on the shif t
lever, the transmission shifts to a
higher gear. Pull back on the lever to
downshif t. The number of the gear
selected is displayed on the
instrument panel.
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.
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.
CONT INUED
Automatic Transmission
Low (L)
Sequential SportShif t Mode
Driving
195
SELECTED GEAR Down shiftUp shift

à
à à
àà
à
à
à
The transmission may automatically
downshif t f rom the higher gear to
the lower gear under these
conditions:
Downshif ting gives you more power
when climbing, and 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 9 mph (15 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.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 43
54
To shift from
43
54 To shift from
12
23
34
45
Thegearindicatorwillflashthe
numberof thelowergearseveral
times, then return to the higher gear.
Speed range
over 0 mph
(0 km/h)
over 9 mph
(15 km/h)
over 18 mph
(29 km/h)
over 37 mph
(60 km/h)
Speed range
under 18 mph
(29 km/h)
under 38 mph
(60 km/h)
Speed range
under 41 mph
(65 km/h)
under 47 mph
(75 km/h)
Driving uphill Driving on level roads and downhill
Automatic Transmission
196

à
à
à
To shift from
32
43
54 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, 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. Set the parking brake.
Make sure the ignition switch is in
the LOCK (0) position.
Speed range
under 63 mph
(102 km/h)
under 97 mph
(156 km/h)
under 149 mph
(240 km/h) This allows you to move the shif t
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal does not work. This procedure
is also used to release the reverse
lockout.
To release the reverse lockout, make
sure the ignition switch is in the
ACCESSORY(I) position. 1.
2.
CONT INUED
Starting in Second Gear
Engine Speed L imiterShif t L ock Release
Automatic Transmission
Driving
197

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 to remove
it.Remove the key from the shift
lock release slot. 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 the
vehicle checked by your dealer.
Insert a key into 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.
3. 6.
5. 4.
Automatic Transmission
198
SHIFT LOCK RELEASE SLOT
COVER

Always use the parking brake when
you park your vehicle. Make sure
the parking brake is set f irmly, or
your vehicle may roll if it is parked
on an incline.
If your vehicle has an automatic
transmission, set the parking brake
bef ore you put the transmission in
Park. This keeps the vehicle f rom
moving and putting pressure on the
parking mechanism in the
transmission.Make sure the moonroof and the
windows are closed.
Turn of f the lights.
Place any packages, valuables, etc.,
in the trunk or take them with you. Never park over dry leaves, tall
grass, or other f lammable
materials. The hot three way
catalytic converter could cause
these materials to catch on fire.
If the vehicle is f acing uphill, turn
the front wheels away from the
curb. If you have a manual
transmission, put it in f irst gear.
If the vehicle is f acing downhill,
turn the front wheels toward the
curb. If you have a manual
transmission, put it in reverse gear.
Make sure the parking brake is
f ully released bef ore driving away.
Driving with the parking brake
partially set can overheat or
damage the rear brakes.
Lock the doors.
Parking T ips
Parking
Driving
199