service Acura CL 2002 Owner's Manual

2002 CL Online Reference Owner's Manual Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.helminc.com.
Contents
Owner's Identification Form
Introduction........................................................................\
............................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safety ........................................................................\
.................................................. ii
Your Car at a Glance ........................................................................\
.............................................................. 2
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
............................................... 5
Proper use and care of your car's seat belts, and Supplemental Restraint System.
Instruments and Controls ........................................................................\
................................................... 51
Instrument panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features ........................................................................\
............................... 113
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other convenience features.
Before Driving ........................................................................\
..................................................................... 161
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new car, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
................................................................................... 175
The proper way to start the engine, shift the tr ansmission, and park, plus towing a trailer.
Maintenance ........................................................................\
......................................................................... 205
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your car to the dealer.
Appearance Care ........................................................................\
................................................................. 265
Tips on cleaning and protecting your car. Things to look for if your car ever needs body repairs.
Taking Care of the Unexpected ........................................................................\
....................................... 273
This section covers several problems motorists someti mes experience, and how to handle them.
Technical Information ........................................................................\
....................................................... 303
ID numbers, dimensions, capaciti es, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)......................................................................317
A summary of the warranties covering yo ur new Acura, and how to contact us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only) ........................................................................\
....................................... 321
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need wh en you pull up to the fuel pump.

This section gives you important
inf ormation about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It
shows you how to use seat belts
properly. It explains your Supple-
mental Restraint System. And it tells
you how to properly restrain inf ants
andchildreninyourcar..........
Important Safety Precautions . 6
.............
Your Car’s Saf ety Features . 7
.......................................
Seat Belts .8
...........................................
Airbags .9
.....................
Seats & Seat-Backs .10
..........................
Head Restraints .10
..................................
Door Locks .10
........
Pre-Drive Saf ety Checklist . 11
............................
Protecting Adults .12
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors . 12 ...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats . 13
............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 14
...
4. Adjust the Head Restraints . 15
5. Fasten and Position the Seat .....................................
Belts .15
....
6. Adjust the Steering Wheel . 17
7. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .17
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women . 18
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 19
........................
Protecting Children .20
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .20
Children Should Sit in the Back ...........................................
Seat .21
The Passenger’s Front Airbag Poses Serious Risks ...........................
to Children .21
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .23
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .23
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 23
General Guidelines f or Using ...............................
Child Seats .24
.......................
Protecting Inf ants .28 .........
Protecting Small Children . 32
.......
Protecting Larger Children . 35
Using Child Seats with .....................................
Tethers .39
Additional Inf ormation About Your .................................
Seat Belts .40
..
Seat Belt System Components . 40
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .40
Automatic Seat Belt ...............................
Tensioners .41
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance . 42
Additional Inf ormation About ...........................
Your Airbags .43
........................
SRS Components .43
How Your Front Airbags .........................................
Work .43
...
How Your Side Airbags Work . 45
How the SRS Indicator Light .......................................
Works .46
How the Side Airbag Cutof f ...........
Indicator Light Works . 47
.............................
Airbag Service .48
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 48
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 49
...................................
Saf ety Labels .50
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
5

Your f ront and side airbag systems
are virtually maintenance-f ree, and
there are no parts you can saf ely
service. However, you must have
your car serviced if :Take your car to an
authorized Acura dealer as soon as
possible. If you ignore this
indication, the airbags might not
inf late when you need them. Together, airbags and
seat belts provide the best
protection.
Tampering could cause
the airbags to deploy, possibly
causing very serious injury. See page f or f urther inf ormation
and precautions relating to your
airbags.Improperly
replacing or covering f ront seat-
back covers can prevent your side
airbags f rom inf lating during a
collision.
If rain or spilled water
soaks into a seat-back, it can
prevent the side airbag system
f rom working properly.
Any
airbag that has deployed must be
replaced along with the control
unit, automatic seat belt
tensioners and other related parts.
Do not try to remove or replace
anyairbagbyyourself.Thismust
be done by an Acura dealer or a
knowledgeable body shop. 170
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Airbag Service
Additional Saf ety Precautions
T he SRS indicat or light alert s you
t o a problem. Donotattempttodeactivateyour
airbags.
Do not t amper wit h airbagcomponent s or wiring f or anyreason. Do not cover or replace f ront seat -
back covers wit hout consult ing anAcura dealer.
Do not expose t he f ront seat -backs to water.
Your airbags ever inf late.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety48

Bef ore you begin driving your Acura,
youshouldknowwhatgasolineto
use, and how to check the levels of
important f luids. You also need to
know how to properly store luggage
or packages. The inf ormation in this
section will help you. If you plan to
add any accessories to your car,
please read the inf ormation in this
section f irst..............................
Break-in Period .162
.........................................
Gasoline .162
.........
Service Station Procedures . 163
................
Filling the Fuel Tank . 163
....................
Opening the Hood .164
...............................
Oil Check .165
.........
Engine Coolant Check . 167
...............................
Fuel Economy .168
............................
Car Condition .168
...........................
Driving Habits .168
...
Accessories and Modif ications . 169
.............................
Carrying Cargo .171
Bef ore Driving
Bef ore Driving161

During this period:Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
Avoidhardbraking.Newbrakes
need to be broken-in by moderate
use f or the f irst 200 miles (300
km). Your Acura is designed to operate on
premium unleaded gasoline with a
pump octane number of 91 or higher.
In Canada, some gasolines contain
an octane-enhancing additive called
MMT. If you use such gasolines,
your emissions control system
perf ormance may deteriorate and
the Malf unction Indicator Lamp on
your instrument panel may turn on.
If this happens, contact your
authorized Acura dealer f or service.
Help assure your car’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
Useof aloweroctanegasolinecan
cause occasional metallic knocking
noises in the engine and will result in
decreased engine perf ormance.
We recommend gasolines containing
detergent additives that help prevent
f uel system and engine deposits.
Using gasoline containing lead will
damage your car’s emissions
controls. This contributes to air
pollution.
Do not change the oil until the
recommended time or mileage
intervalshowninthemaintenance
schedule.
Youshouldfollowthesesamere-
commendations with an overhauled
or exchanged engine, or when the
brakes are relined.
Break-in Period, Gasoline
Bef ore Driving
Break-in Period Gasoline
162

Open the f uel f ill door by pulling
onthehandletotheleftof the
driver’s seat.Remove the f uel f ill cap slowly.
You may hear a hissing sound as
pressure inside the tank escapes.
Place the cap in the holder on the
fuel fill door.
Stop f illing the tank af ter the f uel
nozzle automatically clicks of f . Do
not try to ‘‘top of f ’’ the tank, leave
some room f or the f uel to expand
with temperature changes.
Because the f uel f ill cap is on the
driver’s side of the car, park with
that side closest to the service
station pumps. Your car has an on-board ref ueling
vapor recovery system to help
keep f uel vapors f rom going into
the atmosphere. If the fuel nozzle
keeps clicking of f even though the
tank is not f ull, there may be a
problem with this system. Consult
your dealer.
1.
2. 3.
4.
CONT INUED
Filling the Fuel Tank
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving163
F FU
UE EL
L F
FIILLL L C
CAA P
P
P
P
u
ul
lll
Gasoline is highly flammable
and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured
when handling fuel.
Stop the engine and keep
heat, sparks, and flame away.
Handle fuel only outdoors.
Wipe up spills immediately.

Shift to Park or Neutral and set
the parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower lef t corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly.
Screw the f uel f ill cap back on,
tighten it until it clicks several
times. If you do not properly
tighten the cap, the Malfunction
Indicator Lamp may come on (see
page ).
Push the f uel f ill door closed until
it latches.
Standing in f ront of the car, reach
in between the hood and the f ront
bumper with your f inger. The
hood latch handle is under the ‘‘A’’
logo. Slide the latch handle to the
right.
1.
2.
5.
6.
290
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
Opening the Hood
164
H H
O
OO ODD R
REEL
LEE A
A S
SEE H
HA
AN
ND DL
LEE
L
LAA T
TC
CH H H
HA
AN
ND DL
LEE

CONT INUED
If you can open the hood without
sliding the hood latch handle, or the
hood latch handle moves stif f ly or
does not spring back as bef ore, the
mechanism should be cleaned and
lubricated (see page ).Check the engine oil level every time
you f ill the car with f uel. Wait a f ew
minutes af ter turning the engine of f
bef ore you check the oil.Remove the dipstick (orange
handle).
Lif t the hood up most of the way.
The hydraulic supports will lif t it
uptherestof thewayandholdit
up.
To close the hood, lower it to about a
f oot (30 cm) above the f ender, then
press down f irmly with your hands.
After closing the hood, make sure it
is securely latched. 1.
3.
233
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
Oil Check
165
D D
I
IPP S
ST TI
ICCK K

Remove the dipstick again and
check the level. It should be
between the upper and lower
marks.
If it is near or below the lower mark,
see on page .
Insert it all the way back in its tube.
Wipe the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel. 4.
3.
2.
219
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
A dding Oil
166
U UPPP
PE
ER
R M
M A
AR
RKK
D
D
I
IPP S
ST TI
ICCK K
L
LOOW WE ER
R M
M A
AR
RKK

Look at the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. Make sure it is
between the MAX and MIN lines. If
it is below the MIN line, seeon page f or
inf ormation on adding the proper
coolant. Refer to
on page f or inf ormation
on checking other items in your
Acura.
223 217
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
Engine Coolant Check
A dding
Engine Coolant Owner Maintenance
Checks
167
R RE ES
SE ER
RV V E
E T
TA
A N
NK K
M
M I
INN M
M
A
AX
X