I'm a new owner of a 2003 Acura MDX. It's been snowy so I've been manually shifting to first and second when taking off. The shifter doesn't stay in 2nd, I have to pull back on it for it to stay in gear and for the 2nd gear light on the dash to stay on. Is this normal? I tried out the 4wd in the 1st and 2nd gears but once again, if I don't pull back on the shifter it doesn't stay in 2nd and the 4wd doesn't stay on. Any thoughts? Also, I have never owned an AWD drive before, so I'm trying to figure out the best way to drive in snow and ice. Starting in first and second seem to do well, but I can't hold the shifter in 2nd the whole time. I tried taking off in D5 but it's not enough power. Should I continue to start in 1st and 2nd and then if speed allows it go to D3? Thanks for your help!

 

can you freely move the shifter in all position ?

 

AWD only works in 1st gear