WITH AN UNARMED APCH COUPLER; AN A319 PIC ALLOWS THE FLT TO GET BELOW THE GS AND SLOW AT 800 FT MSL WHILE ON APCH TO RWY 25L AT LAX.

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AFTER A WELL EXECUTED STAR (MITTS RWY 25L) INTO LAX (SPD RESTRS WERE WHAT I WOULD HAVE CHOSEN); WHILE DSNDING AND SLOWING FROM 3500 FT TO 1900 FT JUST SLIGHTLY ABOVE GS; I CALLED FOR LOC MODE AND IT WAS CAPTURED. I WAS IN OPEN DSCNT AT ABOUT 2500 FT; CALLED FOR THE GEAR AND BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST AS I SLOWED TO 180 KTS TO THE MARKER AS ATC REQUESTED. 1 MI TO MARKER AND CALLED FOR MANAGED SPD TO SLOW AND TOLD THE FO TO PUT THE ALT WINDOW TO 1000 FT (NOT SURE IF THE FO ACTUALLY PUT IN 1000 FT OR SOMETHING LOWER; I DID NOT VERIFY THE ALT AS EVERYTHING WAS VERY NORMAL AND STABILIZED) TO PREVENT AN AUTOTHROTTLE AND AUTOPLT LEVELOFF AT THE MARKER ALT OF 1900 FT. I DID REALIZE I WAS STILL IN OPEN DSCNT BUT WAS 1/2 DOT ABOVE THE GS AND THE AIRPLANE WAS SLOWING TO MANAGED SPD AND FULL FLAPS WERE EXTENDED AT ABOUT 1500 FT. ALL THE WHILE THE AIRPLANE STAYED ON THE GS EVEN THEN THOUGH I HAD NOT ARMED THE APCH MODE. WHILE STILL IN OPEN DSCNT AT ABOUT 800 FT; I SAW I WAS SLIGHTLY BELOW GS; KICKED OFF AUTOPLT; AND BROUGHT THE NOSE UP. I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THAT MY SPD HAD SLOWED TO REF-10 SO I PUSHED THE NOSE DOWN TO INCREASE AIRSPD AND GOT THE GS WARNING. I TOOK OFF THE AUTOTHROTTLES; BROUGHT UP THE PWR; AND LEVELED OFF AT ABOUT 500 FT; CAUGHT THE GS; AND CONTINUED THE APCH. LNDG WAS NORMAL. I GOT NO STALL WARNING AND NO CALL FROM THE TWR. WE DID END UP GOING 2 DOTS BELOW THE GS; AND AS SLOW AS REF-12. THIS WAS CAUSED BECAUSE I DID NOT CALL TO ARM THE APCH MODE WHEN I SHOULD HAVE. SEEING THE AIRPLANE DSNDING ON THE GS ON A CLR DAY; I WAS LULLED INTO A FALSE SENSE. ALSO; I ALLOWED THE FO TO LEAVE ME IN OPEN DSCNT WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN VERT SPD JUST OUTSIDE THE MARKER AND JUST ABOVE THE GS. I HAVE NEVER HAD A PROB WITH STABILIZED APCH BEFORE FROM THE LOW ENERGY SIDE. A LESSON LEARNED. NEXT TIME I WILL GO AROUND.