Acura TSX 2006 Owner's Manual

Youshoulddothefollowingchecks
and adjustments bef ore you drive
your vehicle.Make sure all windows, mirrors,
and outside lights are clean and
unobstructed. Remove f rost, snow,
or ice.
Make sure the doors are securely
closed and locked.
Fasten your seat belt. Check that
your passengers have f astened
their seat belts (see page ). Check the steering wheel
adjustment (see page ).
Check that the hood is f ully closed.
Check that the trunk is f ully
closed.
Visually check the tires. If a tire
looks low, use a gauge to check its
pressure.
Check that any items you may be
carrying are stored properly or
f astened down securely. Check the adjustment of the
inside and outside mirrors (see
pages and ).
When you start the engine, check
the gauges and indicators in the
instrument panel and the
messages in the multi-inf ormation
display (see pages and ).
Check the seat adjustment (see
pages and ).
3. 2. 1.
4.
5. 6.
7.
8.
9.
11.
10. 17
145 146
124 61 76
139
138
Preparing to Drive
240
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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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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.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. When the ‘‘D’’ indicator warns of a
possible problem with the
transmission, you will see a ‘‘CHECK
TRANSMISSION’’ message in the
multi-inf ormation display (see page
). To shif t f rom any position, move the
shiftlever.Youcannotshiftoutof
Park when the ignition switch is in
the LOCK (0) or the ACCESSORY
(I) position.
82
Automatic Transmission
Shif t L ever Position Indicators
Shif ting
244
SHIFT LEVER
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µµ
µ
µ
CONT INUED
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.
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, and move the shif t lever f rom
Park to reverse. To shif t f rom
reverse to neutral, come to a
completestop,andthenshift.
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 . 249
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
Drive (D) Neutral (N)
Reverse (R)
Park (P)
Shif t L ock ReleaseDriving
245
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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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à
à
à
à
à
à
à
à 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 start out in second gear, the
transmission will be f ixed in that
gear.
The transmission will not
automatically downshif t to f irst gear
even when the vehicle speed is
under 6 mph (10 km/h). You need to
shif t down to f irst gear manually.
To shift from
21
32
43
54 Speed range
under 31 mph (50 km/h)
under 69 mph (110 km/h)
under 88 mph (140 km/h)
under 131 mph (210 km/h)
The table shows the speed ranges
f or upshif ting and downshif ting.
To shift from 12
23
34
45 Speed range
over 0 mph (0 km/h)
over 6 mph (10 km/h)
over 20 mph (32 km/h)
over 33 mph (52 km/h)
Automatic Transmission
St art ing in Second Gear
248
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CONT INUED
This allows you to move the shif t
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal and pressing the release
button does not work.Set the parking brake.
Remove the key from the ignition
switch.
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.
Putaclothonthenotchof 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 notch of the cover to
remove it.
1.
2.
3.
Automatic Transmission
Shif t L ock Release
Engine Speed L imiter
Driving
249
COVER
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