battery Acura Integra 2001 User Guide

Storin
g You r Ca r
If you need to park your car for an
extended period (more than one
month), there are several things you should do to prepare it for storage.
Proper preparation helps prevent
deterioration and makes it easier to
get your car back on the road. If
possible, store your car indoors. Fill the fuel tank.
Change the engine oil and filter
(see page 175). Wash and dry the exterior

completely.
Clean the interior. Make sure the
carpeting, floor mats, etc. are
completely dry.
Leave the parking brake off. Put
the transmission in Reverse
(5-speed manual) or Park
(automatic).
Block the rear wheels.
If the car is to be stored for a
longer period, it should be
supported on jackstands so the
tires are off the ground. Leave one window open slightly (if
the car is being stored indoors). Disconnect the battery.
Support the front and rear wiper
blade arms with a folded towel or
rag so they do not touch the

windshield.
To minimize sticking, apply a
silicone spray lubricant to all door
and hatch seals. Also, apply a body
wax to the painted surfaces that mate with the door and hatch seals. Cover the car with a "breathable"
cover, one made from a porous
material such as cotton. Nonporous materials, such as
plastic sheeting, trap moisture,
which can damage the paint. If possible, run the engine for a
while periodically (preferably once a month).
If you store your car for 12 months or longer, have your Acura dealer
perform the inspections called for in
the 24 months/30,000 miles (48,000
km) maintenance schedule (Normal Conditions) as soon as you take it
out of storage (see page 164). The
replacements called for in the
maintenance schedule are not
needed unless the car has actually
reached that time or mileage.
Maintenanc e

I
f You r Engin e Won' t Star t
Nothin g Happen s o r th e Starte r
Moto r Operate s Ver y Slowl y
When you turn the ignition switch to START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying tostart. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at all.
Check these things: Your car has the Immobilizer
System. You should use a
properly-coded master or valet key
to start the engine (see page 72 ).
A key that is not properly coded will cause the immobilizer systemindicator in the dash panel to blink
rapidly. Check the transmission interlock.
If you have a manual transmission,
the clutch pedal must be pushed all the way to the floor or thestarter will not operate. With an
automatic transmission, it must be
in Park or Neutral. Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights and check
their brightness. If the headlightsare very dim or don't light at all,
the battery is discharged. See
Jum p Startin g on page 233. Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim,
check the condition of the fuses. If
the fuses are OK, there is proba-
bly something wrong with the electrical circuit for the ignitionswitch or starter motor. You will
need a qualified technician to determine the problem. (See
Emergenc y Towin g on page 248.)
If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the engine, either the battery is dis-
charged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of
the battery and terminal connec-
tions (see page 189 ). You can
then try jump starting the car from
a booster battery (see page 233 ).
Takin g Car e o f th e Unexpecte d

I
f You r Engin e Won' t Start , Jum p Startin g
Th e Starte r Operate s Normall y
In this case, the starter motor's speed sounds normal, or even faster
than normal, when you turn the
ignition switch to START (III), but
the engine does not run. Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Refer to Startin g th e
Engin e on page 137. Do you have fuel? Turn the
ignition switch to ON (II) for a
minute and watch the fuel gauge.
The low fuel level warning light may not be working, so you were
not reminded to fill the tank. There may be an electrical
problem, such as no power to the
fuel pump. Check all the fuses (see page 243).
If you find nothing wrong, you will
need a qualified technician to find
the problem. See Emergenc y
Towin g on page 248. Jum
p Startin g
If your car's battery has run down,
you may be able to start the engine by using a booster battery. Although
this seems like a simple procedure,
you should take several precautions.
You cannot start an Acura with anautomatic transmission by pushingor pulling it.

CONTINUED

Takin g Car e o f th e Unexpecte d

A battery can explode if you do
not follow the correct procedure,
seriously injuring anyone nearby.
Keep all sparks, open flames,
and smoking materials away
from the battery.

Jum
p Startin g
To jump start your car, follow these directions closely:
1. Open the hood and check the physical condition of the battery(see page 191 ). In very cold
weather, check the condition of the electrolyte. If it seems slushy or like ice, do not try jump starting
until it thaws.

If a battery sits in extreme cold, the electrolyte inside can freeze.
Attempting to jump start with a frozen battery can cause it to rupture.

2. Turn off all the electrical acces- sories: heater, A/C, stereo system,
lights, etc.
Put the transmission in Neutral orPark and set the parking brake. 3. Connect one jumper cable to the
positive (+) terminal on your
Acura's battery. Connect the other end to the positive (+) terminalon the booster battery. 4. Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative (—) terminal on
the booster battery. Connect theother end to the grounding strap
as shown. Do not connect this
jumper cable to any other part of the engine.
5. If the booster battery is in another vehicle, have an assistant startthat vehicle and run it at a fast idle.

Takin g Car e o f th e Unexpecte d

NOTIC
E

Jum
p Startin g
The numbers in the illustration show you the order to connect the jumper cables. Make sure to disconnect thecables in the reverse order.
6. Start your car. If the starter motor still operates slowly, check the
jumper cable connections to make sure they have good metal-to-
metal contact. 7. Once your car is running, discon-
nect the negative cable from your
car, then from the booster battery.
Disconnect the positive cable from
your car, then the booster battery.
Keep the ends of the jumper cables
away from each other and any metal
on the vehicle until all are disconnected. Otherwise, you may
cause an electrical short.

Taking Car e o f th e Unexpecte d

BOOSTE
R BATTER Y

Chargin
g Syste m Indicato r
This indicator should come on when the ignition switch is ON (II), and goout after the engine starts. If it
comes on brightly when the engine
is running, it indicates that the
charging system has stopped
charging the battery. Immediately turn off all electrical
accessories: radio, heater, A/C, rear
defogger, cruise control, etc. Try not
to use other electrically-operated controls such as the power windows.Keep the engine running and take
extra care not to stall it. Starting the
engine will discharge the battery
rapidly. By eliminating as much of the
electrical load as possible, you can
drive several miles (kilometers)
before the battery is too discharged
to keep the engine running. Drive to a service station or garage where
you can get technical assistance.

Takin g Car e o f th e Unexpecte d

CHARGIN
G SYSTE M INDICATO R

Fuse
s

All the electrical circuits in your car have fuses to protect them from ashort circuit or overload. These
fuses are located in two or three fuse

boxes.

The interior fuse box is underneath the dashboard on the driver's side.Remove the fuse box lid by swinging
the lid down and pulling it straight out of its hinges.
UNDER-HOO
D

TAB

The under-hood fuse box is located in the engine compartment next to
the battery. To open it, push the tab
as shown.
AB
S FUS E BO X
Cars equipped with ABS have a third
fuse box for the ABS. It is in the
front of the engine compartment on the passenger's side.

CONTINUED

Takin g Car e o f th e Unexpecte d

INTERIO
R

Emergenc
y Towin g

If you decide to tow your car with all
four wheels on the ground, make sure you use a properly-designed and
attached tow bar. Prepare the car for
towing as described above, and leave the ignition switch in Accessory (I)so the steering wheel does not lock.
Make sure the radio and anyelectrical accessories are turned off
so they do not run down the battery.

The steering system can be damaged if
the steering wheel is locked. Leave the
ignition switch in Accessory (I), and
make sure the steering wheel turns
freely before you begin towing. Trying to lift or tow your car by the
bumpers will cause serious damage. The bumpers are not designed to
support the car's weight.

Taking Car e o f th e Unexpecte d
NOTIC
E

NOTIC E

Stat
e Emission s Testin g

Testin g o f Readines s Code s
If you take your vehicle for a state emissions test shortly after the
battery has been disconnected or
gone dead, it may not pass the test.
This is because of certain "readiness codes" that must be set in the on-
board diagnostics for the emissions systems. These codes are erased
when the battery is disconnected, and set again only after several daysof driving under a variety of
conditions.
If the testing facility determines that
the readiness codes are not set, you
will be requested to return at a later date to complete the test. If you must
get the vehicle re-tested within the
next two or three days, you can condition the vehicle for re-testing
by doing the following. Make sure the gas tank is nearly,
but not completely, full (around 3/4). Make sure the vehicle has been
parked with the engine off for 8
hours or more. Make sure the ambient

temperature is between 20° and 95°
F.
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, start the engine and let it
idle for 20 seconds. Keep the vehicle in Park
(automatic transmission) or
Neutral (manual transmission).
Increase the engine speed to 2,000
rpm and hold it there until the
temperature gauge rises to at least 1/4 of the scale (approximately 3
minutes).

CONTINUED

Technica l Informatio n

Warrant
y Coverage s

U.S . Owner s
Your new Acura is covered by these warranties:

New Vehicle Limited Warranty —

covers your new vehicle, except for
the battery, emissions control systems and accessories, againstdefects in materials and
workmanship.

Emissions Control Systems Defects
Warranty and Emissions

Performance Warranty — these two

warranties cover your vehicle's emis- sions control systems. Time, mileage,
and coverage are conditional. Please
read the warranty manual for exact
information.

Original Equipment Battery Limited
Warranty — this warranty gives up
to 100 percent credit toward a

replacement battery.
Seat Belt Limited Warranty — a seat
belt that fails to function properly is covered for the useful life of the
vehicle.
Rust Perforation Limited Warranty — all exterior body panels are
covered for rust-through from the
inside for the specified time period
with no mileage limit.

Accessory Limited Warranty —
Genuine Acura Accessories are
covered under this warranty. Time and mileage limits depend on the
type of accessory and other factors. Please read your warranty manual
for details.

Replacement Parts Limited
Warranty — covers all genuine
Honda replacement parts against
defects in materials and workman-
ship.
Replacement Battery Limited

Warranty — provides prorated
coverage for a replacement battery
purchased from an Acura dealer.
Replacement Muffler Lifetime
Limited Warranty — provides
coverage for as long as the pur-
chaser of the muffler owns the car.
Restrictions and exclusions apply to all these warranties. Please read the
2001 Acura Warranty Information
booklet that came with your car for
precise information on warranty coverages. Your Acura's original
tires are covered by their
manufacturer. Tire warranty
information is in a separate booklet.
Canadia n Owner s
Please refer to the 2001 Warranty
Manual that came with your car.

Warrant y an d Custome r Relation s