display Acura RL 2001 3.5 Owner's Manual

Instruments and Controls

This section gives information about the controls and displays thatcontribute to the daily operation of
your Acura. All the essential controls are within easy reach.
Control Locations............................ 52
Indicator Lights................................ 53 Gauges.............................................. 58 Speedometer................................ 58

Tachometer.................................. 58
Odometer...................................... 59

Trip Meter/Outside Temperature Indicator............ 59
Temperature Gauge.................... 60 Fuel Gauge................................... 60
Maintenance Required Indicator.................................... 61

Controls Near the Steering Wheel........ 62

Headlights.................................... 63

Automatic Lighting..................... 64 Daytime Running Lights............. 65
Instrument Panel Brightness..... 66
Turn Signals................................. 66
Fog Lights.................................... 67
Windshield Wipers...................... 68 Windshield Washers................... 70
Hazard Warning........................... 70
Rear Window Defogger.............. 71
Steering Wheel Adjustments..... 71
Steering Wheel Controls ................ 73
Cruise Control.............................. 73
Remote Audio Controls .............. 76
Keys and Locks................................ 77
Keys...............................................77

Immobilizer System..................... 78
Ignition Switch............................. 80
Power Door Locks....................... 81
Remote Transmitter.................... 82
Childproof Door Locks............... 85

Trunk............................................ 86

Emergency Trunk Opener......... 87Glove Box..................................... 88

HomeLink Universal Transmitter......... 89

Customer Assistance.................. 89
Important Safety Precautions.... 89
Training the Transmitter............ 90
Training With a Rolling Code

System.......................................92

Erasing Codes.............................. 93
Seat Adjustments............................. 94 Driver's Seat Adjustments.......... 94
Driver's Lumbar Support............ 96
Front Passenger's SeatAdjustments............................. 96
Head Restraints........................... 96

Armrest............................................. 97
Mirrors.............................................. 99

Adjusting the Power Mirrors..... 99
Driving Position Memory

System......................................... 101

Seat Heaters................................... 103
Ski Sleeve........................................ 104

Power Windows............................. 106

Moonroof........................................ 107

Parking Brake................................ 109

Digital Clock................................... 109Sunglasses Holder......................... 111
Beverage Holder............................ 112Console Compartment.................. 113
Coin Box......................................... 113
Sun Visor......................................... 114
Vanity Mirror................................. 114
Accessory Power Socket.............. 115 Cigarette Lighter........................... 116
Ashtrays.......................................... 117 Ceiling Lights................................. 118
Courtesy Lights............................. 119

Instruments and Controls

Indicator Lights

Door and Brake Lamp Monitor
The appropriate light comes on in this display if the trunk or any door
is not closed tightly. If a brake light
does not work, the BRAKE LAMP
indicator comes on when you push
the brake pedal with the ignition switch ON (II).
A burned out brake light is a hazard when drivers behind you cannot tell
you are braking. Have your brake lights repaired right away.
All the lights in the monitor display come on for a few seconds when you
turn the ignition switch ON (II). Turn Signal and
Hazard Warning
Indicators
The left or right turn signal light blinks when you signal a lane changeor turn. If the light does not blink or
blinks rapidly, it usually means one of the turn signal bulbs is burned out (see page 250 ). Replace the bulb as
soon as possible, since other drivers
cannot see that you are signalling.
When you turn on the Hazard
Warning switch, both turn signal lights blink. All turn signals on theoutside of the vehicle should flash.
Low Fuel Indicator
This light comes on as a reminder that you must refuel soon. High Beam Indicator
This light comes on with the high beam headlights. See page 63 forinformation on the headlight

controls.

On Canadian models, this indicator
comes on with reduced brightness
when the Daytime Running Lights (DRL) are on (see page 65 ).
"Daytime Running
Lights" Indicator

Canadian models only

This indicator lights when you turn the ignition switch to ON (II) with
the headlight switch off and the
parking brake set. It should go off if
you turn on the headlights or release the parking brake. If it comes on at
any other time, it means there is a
problem with the DRL. There may also be a problem with the high
beam headlights.

Instruments and Controls
D R L

Gauges

Odometer
The odometer shows the total dis- tance your car has been driven. It
measures miles in U.S. models and
kilometers in Canadian models.
It is illegal under U.S. federal law andCanadian provincial regulations to
disconnect, reset, or alter the
odometer with the intent to change
the number of miles or kilometers

indicated.
Trip Meter/Outside Temperature

Indicator

The trip meter and the outside temperature indicator use the samedisplay. To switch the display
between the trip meter and the outside temperature, press the
Select button. When you turn the
ignition switch to ON (II), what you
last selected is displayed.
Trip Meter

The trip meter shows the number of
miles (U.S.) or kilometers (Canada)driven since you last reset it.
There are two trip meters, Trip A and Trip B. Switch between these
and the outside temperature display
by pressing the Select button repeatedly. Each trip meter works
independently, so you can keep track
of two different distances.
To reset a trip meter, display it and then press the Reset button until you
hear a beep. Both trip meters will re-set if the car's battery goes dead or
is disconnected.

CONTINUED

Instruments and Controls

SELECT
BUTTON

RESET

BUTTON

Gauges

Outside Temperature Indicator
This indicator displays the outside temperature in Fahrenheit in U.S.
models, and in Centigrade inCanadian models.
The temperature sensor is located in the front bumper. Therefore, the
temperature reading can be affected
by heat reflection from the road sur-
face, engine heat, and the exhaust
from the surrounding traffic. This can cause the temperature reading
not to be correct when your speed is
under 19 mph (30 km/h).
In certain weather conditions,
temperature readings near freezing (32°F, 0°C) could mean that ice is
forming on the road surface.
Temperature Gauge

This shows the temperature of the
engine's coolant. During normal

operation, the pointer should rise

from the bottom white mark to about
the middle of the gauge. In severe
driving conditions, such as very hot

weather or a long period of uphill
driving, the pointer may rise to near

the upper white mark. If it reaches
the red (Hot) mark, pull safely to the
side of the road. Turn to page 283 for

instructions and precautions on

checking the engine's cooling
system.
Fuel Gauge

This shows how much fuel you have. It is most accurate when the car is on
level ground. It may show slightly
more or less than the actual amount
when you are driving on curvy or
hilly roads.

The gauge stays at the same fuel level reading after you turn off the
ignition. When you add fuel, the
gauge slowly changes to the new
reading after you turn the ignitionswitch back ON (II).

Instruments and Controls

Controls Near the Steering Wheel

Instrument Panel Brightness
The dial on the dashboard to the left of the instrument panel is used to
adjust the brightness of the lights in
the controls and displays. Turn the dial to adjust the brightness. To reduce glare at night, the instru-
ment panel illumination dims when you turn the light switch to or
Turning the instrument panel
brightness control fully to the left, past the detent, will return the instru-
ment panel to its full brightness.
Signal a turn or lane change with this
lever. Push down on the lever to signal a left turn, and up to signal a
right turn. If you push it up or down all the way, the turn signal continues
to blink even when you release the
lever. It shuts off automatically as
you complete the turn.
Instruments and Controls Turn Signals
TURN SIGNAL LEVER
INSTRUMENT PANEL
BRIGHTNESS DIAL

Parking Brake, Digital Clock

Parking Brake
To apply the parking brake, depress the pedal fully. To release it, pull the
release lever. The parking brake
light on the instrument panel should
go out when the parking brake is
fully released with the engine
running (see page 54). If you try to drive the car without releasing the
parking brake, the ABS indicator
may come on, and the ABS may not
work properly. The VSA system
indicator will also come on along
with the ABS indicator (see page

189).

Driving the car with the parking brake
applied can damage the rear brakes

and axles.
Digital Clock

3.5 RL without Navigation System

The digital clock displays the time with the ignition switch ON (II). To see the time with the ignition off,
press and hold the wide button to the right of the clock.
CONTINUED

Instruments and Controls

NOTICE

RELEASE LEVER

PARKING

BRAKE PEDAL

Digital Clock

To set the clock:
1. Turn the ignition switch ON (II) to display the time.
2. Swing down the front cover of the wide button to the right of theclock display. You will see HOUR,
MIN., and RESET buttons. 3. Press and hold the HOUR button
until the hour advances to the
desired hour.
4. Press and hold the MIN. button until the numbers advance to thedesired time.
You can use the RESET button to
quickly set the time to the nearest
hour. If the displayed time is before
the half hour, pressing the RESET
button sets the clock back to the previous hour. If the displayed time
is after the half hour, pressing the
RESET button sets the clock for-
ward to the beginning of the next
hour.

For example: 1:06 would RESET to 1:00.
1:52 would RESET to 2:00.

Instruments and Controls

HOUR

MIN.
RESET

Climate Control System

3.5 RL without Navigation System

Fully-automatic Operation

To put the Automatic Climate Control in fully-automatic mode,
press the AUTO button and set the
fan control dial to AUTO, then set
the desired temperature by turning the temperature control dial. You willsee FULL AUTO in the system's
display. The light above either the or button also goes
on to show you which is selected.
The system automatically selects the proper mix of conditioned and/or
heated air that will, as quickly as
possible, raise or lower the interior
temperature from its current level to
the set temperature.
When you set the temperature to its lower limit (60°F/18°C) or its upper
limit (90°F/32°C), the system runsat full cooling or heating only. It does
not regulate the interior temperature.
When the temperature is set between the lower and upper limits,
the system regulates the interior
temperature to the set value.
In cold weather, the fan will not
come on automatically until the car
has been driven for a short time and the heater starts to develop warm air. Pressing the OFF button shuts the
climate control system completely
off. Keep the system completely off
only for short periods. To keep stale
air and mustiness from collecting,
you should have the fan running at all times.

Comfort and Convenience Features
TEMPERATURE
CONTROL DIAL FULL AUTO
DISPLAY FAN CONTROL
DIAL

AUTO
BUTTON
OFF
BUTTON

Climate Control System

Semi-automatic Operation
You can manually select various functions of the Climate Controlsystem when it is in FULL AUTO.
All other features remain auto- matically controlled. Making any
manual selection causes the wordFULL to go out.

Air Conditioning (A/C) Button
Press the A/C button to operate the
air conditioning. Each time you press
the A/C button, the display shows
the mode: A/C ECON, A/C OFF, or

A/C ON.
When you turn the A/C off, the sys-
tem cannot regulate the inside tem-
perature if you set the dial below theoutside temperature. With the A/C
on, use the temperature control dial
to adjust the temperature of the air
flow to a comfortable setting. With the A/C in economy mode, you
will see A/C ECON in the system's
display. Use this mode to get better
fuel economy.
In this mode, you may feel a slight re-

duction in cooling efficiency. If you

want more cooling, select A/C ON or
FULL AUTO.
CONTINUED
Comfort and Convenience Features

TEMPERATURE

CONTROL DIAL AIR CONDITIONING
BUTTON

RECIRCULATED AIR

FRESH AIR

Climate Control System

Recirculated and Fresh Air

These two buttons control the source of the air going into the sys- tem. In Fresh Air mode ( )
air is brought in from outside the ve-
hicle. In Recirculation mode ( ) air from the car's interior
is sent through the system again.
You can, for example, manually put the system in recirculation mode
when driving through an area of smoke or fumes. When you press the or button, the
light in that button comes on.

Fan Control Dial

You can manually select the fan speed by turning the fan control dial.
When you turn the dial clockwise, the fan is taken out of automatic
mode and starts to run at its lowestspeed. Turning the dial fully
clockwise increases the fan's speed,
which increases air flow.
Mode Button

Use the MODE button to select the
vents the air flows from. Some air
will flow from the side vents and the dashboard corner vents in all modes.
Each time you press the MODE
button, the display shows the mode selected. Press the button four times
to see all the modes.
Comfort and Convenience Features MODE BUTTON


FAN CONTROL DIAL

RECIRCULATED AIR

FRESH AIR