climate control Acura RL 2001 3.5 User Guide

Climate Control System

The main air flow is divided
between the floor vents and de-
froster vents at the base of the wind-
shield.
The main air flow comes
from the floor vents. The main air flow is divided
between the dashboard vents and the floor vents. The main air flow comes
from the dashboard vents.
CONTINUED
Comfort and Convenience Features

Climate Control System

The button directs the main
air flow to the windshield for faster
defrosting. It also overrides any
MODE selection you may have made. When you select the A/C
turns on automatically and thesystem selects Fresh Air mode. For
faster defrosting, manually set the
fan speed to high. You can also
increase air flow to the windshield by
closing the side vents in the
dashboard.
When you turn off by
pressing the button again, thesystem returns to its former settings.
Comfort and Convenience Features

Climate Control System

3.5 RL with 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 will see FULL AUTO in the system's
display. The light above the button also shows you which
mode, Recirculation or Fresh Air, 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 runs
at full cooling or heating only. It does
not regulate the interior temperature.
FAN CONTROL
DIAL
FULL AUTO
DISPLAY
TEMPERATURE
CONTROL DIAL

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.
OFF

BUTTON

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 AUTO

BUTTON

Climate Control System

Semi-automatic Operation
You can manually select various functions of the Climate Control system when it is in FULL AUTO.
All other features remain auto- matically controlled. Making any
manual selection causes the word
FULL 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. AIR CONDITIONING
BUTTON
TEMPERATURE

CONTROL DIAL

RECIRCULATION BUTTON

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.
Comfort and Convenience Features

Climate Control System

Recirculation Button

This button controls the source of the air going into the system. When
the indicator above this button is lit,air from the car's interior is sent
through the system again (Recircula-
tion mode). When the indicator is off, air is brought in from outside the car (Fresh Air mode).
You can, for example, manually put the system in recirculation mode
when driving through an area of smoke or fumes.

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.
FAN CONTROL DIAL

MODE BUTTON

RECIRCULATION BUTTON

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. CONTINUED

Comfort and Convenience Features

Climate Control System
The main air flow is divided
between the floor vents and de-
froster vents at the base of the wind-
shield.

The main air flow comes
from the floor vents.
The main air flow is divided
between the dashboard vents and the floor vents.
The main air flow comes
from the dashboard vents.
Comfort and Convenience Features

Climate Control System

The button directs the main
air flow to the windshield for fasterdefrosting. It also overrides any
MODE selection you may have made. When you select the A/C
turns on automatically and thesystem selects Fresh Air mode. For
faster defrosting, manually set the
fan speed to high. You can also increase air flow to the windshield by
closing the side vents in the
dashboard. When you turn off by
pressing the button again, thesystem returns to its former settings.
Rear Window Defogger Button
This button turns the rear window defogger on and off (see page 71).
REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER BUTTONComfort and Convenience Features

Climate Control System

Rear Ventilation
The air flow from the rear vents can be adjusted when the climate controlsystem is on. You can adjust the direction of the
air coming from the upper vents in
the center console by moving the tab in the center of each vent up-and-
down and side-to-side.
You can also adjust the amount of the air flow by sliding the air flowcontrol lever under the upper vents.
Slide this lever upward to increase
the amount of air flow.
(Upper position): Maximum
(Center position): Moderate (Lower position): Off

Mode Control Lever

Use the mode control lever to select
the air flow level. Air flows into the
rear seat at three levels. (Upper position):
Air flows from the upper vents in the back of the center console.
— (Center position):
Air flow is divided between the upper vents and the lower vents in the backof the center console. (Lower position):
Air flows from the lower vents.
Comfort and Convenience Features

AIR FLOW

CONTROL

LEVER
UPPER
VENTS
MODE
CONTROL

LEVER

LOWER
VENTS

Climate Control System

Sunlight Sensor/Temperature

Sensor
SUNLIGHT SENSOR
The climate control system has two sensors. A sunlight sensor is located
in the top of the dashboard and a
temperature sensor is next to the steering column. Do not cover the
sensors or spill any liquid on them. TEMPERATURE SENSOR
Comfort and Convenience Features

Fuel Economy

The condition of your car and your driving habits are the two most
important things that affect the fuel
mileage you get.
Car Condition
Always maintain your car according to the maintenance schedule. This
will keep it in top operating condition.
An important part of that mainte- nance is the Owner Maintenance
Checks (see page 215 ). For
example, an underinflated tire
causes more "rolling resistance,"
which uses fuel. It also wears out
faster, so check the tire pressure at least monthly.
In winter, the build-up of snow on
your car's underside adds weight and
rolling resistance. Frequent cleaning
helps your fuel mileage and reduces
the chance of corrosion. Driving Habits
You can improve fuel economy by driving moderately. Rapid acceler-
ation, abrupt cornering, and hard
braking use more fuel.
Always drive in the highest gear that allows the engine to run and acceler-
ate smoothly.
Depending on traffic conditions, try
to maintain a constant speed. Every
time you slow down and speed up,
your car uses extra fuel. Use the cruise control, when appropriate, to
increase fuel economy. A cold engine uses more fuel than a
warm engine. It is not necessary to"warm-up" a cold engine by letting it
idle for a long time. You can drive
away in about a minute, no matter
how cold it is outside. The engine
will warm up faster, and you get
better fuel economy. To cut down on the number of "cold starts," try to
combine several short trips into one.
The air conditioning puts an extra load on the engine which makes it
use more fuel. Turn off the A/C orset the climate control to a higher
temperature to cut down on air
conditioning use. Use the flow-
through ventilation when the outside air temperature is moderate.

Before Driving