battery Acura RL 2002 3.5 Owner's Guide

Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights and check
their brightness. If the headlights
are very dim or don’t light at all,
the battery is discharged. Seeon page .
Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim,
check the condition of the f uses. If
thefusesareOK,thereisproba-
bly something wrong with the
electrical circuit for the ignition
switch or starter motor. You will
need a qualif ied technician to
determine the problem. (See on page .) Do you have f uel? Turn the
ignition switch to ON (II) for a
minute and watch the f uel gauge.
The low f uel level warning light
may not be working, so you were
not reminded to f ill the tank.
There may be an electrical
problem, such as no power to the
f uel pump. Check all the f uses
(see page ).
If youfindnothingwrong,youwill
need a qualif ied technician to f ind
the problem. See on page .
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 ). You can
then try jump starting the car from
a booster battery (see page ).
In this case, the starter motor’s
speed sounds normal, or even f aster
than normal, when you turn the
ignition switch to START (III), but
the engine does not run. Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to on page .
290
306 246
290
191 302
306
If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Jump Starting
Emergency T owing Emergency
Towing
T he Starter Operates Normally
Starting the
Engine
289
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You cannot start your Acura by
pushing or pulling it.Open the hood and check the
physical condition of the battery
(see page ). 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 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.
To jump start your car, follow these
directions closely:
1.
246
Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed290
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.
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´
´ Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative ( ) terminal on
the booster battery. Connect the
other end to the ground wire on
the right side of the engine as
shown. Do not connect this jumper
cable to any other part of the
engine.
If the booster battery is in another
vehicle, have an assistant start
that vehicle and run it at a fast idle.
Connect one jumper cable to the
positive ( ) terminal on your
Acura’s battery. Connect the other
end to the positive ( ) terminal
on the booster battery.
Turn of f all the electrical acces-
sories: climate control, stereo
system, lights, etc.
Put the transmission in Neutral or
Park, and set the parking brake.
5. 4.
3.
2.
CONT INUED
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Jump Starting
291
If a battery sits in extreme cold, the
electrolyte inside can f reeze.
Attempting to jump start with a f rozen
battery can cause it to rupture.
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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.Once your car is running, discon-
nectthenegativecablefromyour
car, then from the booster battery.
Disconnect the positive cable f rom
your car, then the booster battery.
Keep the ends of the jumper cables
away from each other and any metal
on the car until all are disconnected.
Otherwise, you may cause an
electrical short.
6. 7.
Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed292
B BO
OO OSSTTE
ER
R B
BAA T
TT
TE
ER
RY Y
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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.
Immediately turn of f all electrical
accessories: radio, climate control,
rear def ogger, 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.
This indicator should come on when
the ignition switch is ON (II), and go
out af ter the engine starts. If it
comes on brightly when the engine
is running, it indicates that the
charging system has stopped
charging the battery.
Charging System Indicator
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed296
C CH H A
AR
RGGI INNG G S
SYYSSTTE
EM
M I
INND DI
ICCA A T
TO
OR R
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Your car has certain ‘‘readiness
codes’’ that are part of the on-board
diagnostics f or the emissions
systems. In some states, part of the
emissions testing is to make sure
these codes are set. If they are not
set, the test cannot be completed.
If your car’s battery has been
disconnected or gone dead, these
codes are erased. It takes several
days of driving under various
conditions to set the codes again.If possible, do not take your car f or a
state emissions test until the
readiness codes are set. See State
Emissions Testing on pages and
.
322 321
Malf unction Indicator L amp
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Readiness Codes
298
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The under-hood f use box is located
in the engine compartment next to
the battery. To open it, push the tab
as shown.
The interior f use box is underneath
the dashboard on the driver’s side.
To open it, turn the knob as shown.
All the electrical circuits in your car
have fuses to protect them from a
short circuit or overload. These
f uses are located in two f use boxes.
Fuses
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed301
K KN
NO OBB U
UN
NDDE
ER
R- -H
H O
OO ODD T
TA
A B
B
I
IN NT TE
ER
RI IOOR R
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No. Amps. Circuits Protected No. Amps. Circuits Protected
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15 20 A
10 A
20 A
15 A
20 A
20 A
20 A
20 A
20 A
10 A
10 A
20 A
30 A
30 A Not Used
Stop, Horn
Hazard
Driver Power Window
TCS
VSA
Power Door Lock
Right Headlight Low
Left Headlight Low
Cooling Fan
Lef t Headlight High
Right Headlight High
Condenser Fan
Moonroof
Front Passenger’s Power
Seat 16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
20 A
20 A
15 A
7.5 A 20 A
30 A
50 A
40 A
40 A
120 A 40 A
40 A
50 A Front Fog Light
ETS (Electrical Tilt/
Telescope Steering)
Meter
Back-up, Radio
Interior Lights
Wiper Motor
Ignition Switch
Power Window
Heater Motor
Battery
VSA Motor
Rear Window Defogger
Fuse box
Fuses
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed304
UNDER-HOOD FUSE BOX
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If you decide to tow your car with all
f our 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 any items
plugged into the accessory power
socket are turned of f so they do not
rundownthebattery.
Emergency T owing
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed307
Trying to lif t or tow your car by the
bumpers will cause serious damage.
The bumpers are not designed to
support the car’s weight.
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
f reely bef ore you begin towing.
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T echnical Inf ormation
Specif ications
313
Lights
Engine
Alignment
Tires
Battery
Fuses 12 V
12 V
55 W (H1) (High beam)
27/8 W
3.54x3.58in(90x91mm)212 cu-in (3,474 cm
)
9.6 : 1
0.00 in (0.0 mm)
0.08 in (2.0 mm) 0°
0° 30’
2° 50’
P225/55R16 94V
T135/80D16 101M
30 psi (210 kPa , 2.1 kgf/cm
)
60 psi (420 kPa , 4.2 kgf/cm)
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
21 W
21/5 W
55 W (H1)
21 W
3CP
21 W
3CP
5W
5W
3.4 W
3.4 W
2W
Headlights
Front turn signal/parking lights
Rear turn signal lights
Stop/Taillights
Front fog lights
High-mount brake light
Front side marker lights
Back-up lights
License plate lights
Ceiling lights
Trunk light
Door courtesy lights
Vanity mirror light Type
BorexStroke
Displacement
Compression ratio
Spark plugs
Water cooled 4-stroke
SOHC V-6 gasoline engine
Toe
Camber
Caster
Size
Pressure See spark plug maintenance
section page246.
Capacity 12 V 55 AH/5 HR
Interior
Under-hood See page304or the fuse box cover. See page305or the fuse label
attached to the inside of the fuse
box door under the dashboard.65 AH/20 HR
12 V Front
Rear
Front
Rear
Front
Front/Rear
Spare
Front/Rear
Spare
in
Front
Rear
Low beam headlight bulbs are a type of high voltage discharge
tube (D2R).
1:
1
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