check engine Acura TL 2012 Owner's Guide

Bef ore you begin driving your
vehicle, you should know what
gasoline to 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 vehicle, please
read the information in this section
first..............................
Break-in Period .468
.................
Fuel Recommendation . 468
.........
Service Station Procedures . 470
....................................
Ref ueling .470
.....
Tighten Fuel Cap Message . 471
Opening and Closing the .......................................
Hood .472
...................................
Oil Check .474
.............
Engine Coolant Check . 475
...............................
Fuel Economy .476
...
Accessories and Modif ications . 479
.............................
Carrying Cargo .481
Bef ore Driving
Bef ore Driving
467
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2012 TL

Park the vehicle, 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.
Turn the engine of f , and conf irm the
f uel f ill cap is installed. If it is, loosen
it, then retighten it until it clicks at
least once. The message should go
off after several days of normal
driving once you tighten or replace
the f uel f ill cap. To scroll to another
message, press the INFO button.
The ‘‘TIGHTEN FUEL CAP’’
message will appear each time you
restart the engine until the system
turns the message of f .
If the system still detects a leak in
your vehicle’s evaporative emissions
system, the malf unction indicator
lamp (MIL) comes on. If the f uel f ill
cap was not already tightened, turn
the engine of f , and check or
retighten the f uel f ill cap until it
clicks at least once. The MIL should
go off after several days of normal
driving once the cap is tightened or
replaced. If the MIL does not go of f ,
have your vehicle inspected by a
dealer. For more inf ormation, see
page .
1.
597 Opening and Closing the Hood
Service Station Procedures
472
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
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Bef ore Driving
2012 TL

Park the vehicle on a level surf ace.
Wait a f ew minutes af ter turning the
engine of f bef ore you check the oil.Remove the dipstick (orange loop).
Wipe of f the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel.
Insert the dipstick all the way back
into its hole.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 .
1.
3. 2.
4.
543
Service Station Procedures
Oil Check
A dding Engine Oil
474
DIPSTICKUPPER MARK
LOWER MARK
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Bef ore Driving
2012 TL

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. To access the radiator reserve tank,
remove the right-side engine
compartment cover (see page ).
See page f or the engine coolant
location.
Refer to
on page f or inf ormation
about checking other items on your
vehicle.
546 542
539
541
Service Station Procedures
Engine Coolant Check
A dding
Engine Coolant Owner’s Maintenance
Checks
Bef ore Driving
475
MAX RESERVE TANK
MIN
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2012 TL

µµ
µ µ
µ
µ
µ
Aggressive driving (hard
acceleration and braking)
Excessive idling, accelerating and
braking in stop-and-go traf f ic
Cold engine operation (engines
aremoreefficientwhenwarmed
up)
Driving with a heavy load or the
air conditioner running
Improperly inf lated tires
The f ollowing f actors can lower your
vehicle’s f uel economy:
Rapid
acceleration, abrupt cornering,
and hard braking increase fuel
consumption.
Aerodynamic drag has a big ef f ect
on f uel economy at speeds above
45 mph (75 km/h). Reduce your
speed and you reduce the drag.
Trailers, car top carriers, roof
racks and bike racks are also big
contributors to increased drag.
If your vehicle has a
manual transmission, you can
boost your f uel economy by up
shif ting as early as possible.
Idling
results in 0 miles per gallon (0 kms
per liter).
It puts a heavier
load on the engine, increasing f uel
consumption.
In
particular, a build-up of snow or
mud on your vehicle’s underside
adds weight and rolling resistance.
Frequent cleaning helps your f uel
economy. An underinf lated tire increases
‘‘rolling resistance,’’ which reduces
f uel economy.
A properly maintained vehicle
maximizes f uel economy. Poor
maintenance can signif icantly reduce
f uel economy. Always maintain your
vehicle according to the maintenance
messages displayed on the multi-
inf ormation display (see on page ).For example:
539
CONT INUED
Fuel Economy Factors Use the recommended viscosity
motor oil, displaying the A PI
Certif ication Seal (see page ).
Improving Fuel Economy Drive moderately
Observe the speed limit
Always drive in the highest gear
possible
Avoid excessive idling
A void carrying excess weight in
your vehicle
K eep your vehicle clean Maintain proper tire inf lation
Owner’s
Maintenance Checks 543
Vehicle Maint enance
Drive Ef f icient ly
Fuel Economy
Bef ore Driving
477
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2012 TL

µµ
Fill the f uel tank until the nozzle automatically clicks of f .
Reset trip counter to zero.
Record the total gallons (liters) needed to ref ill.
Follow one of the simple calculations above.
The A/C
puts an extra load on the engine
which makes it use more f uel. Use
the f resh-air ventilation when
possible.
Combine several short trips into
one. A warmed-up engine is more
f uel ef f icient than a cold one.
Direct calculation is the
recommended source of inf ormation
about your actual f uel economy.
Using f requency of f ill-ups or taking
f uel gauge readings are NOT
accurate measures of f uel economy.
Fuel economy may improve over the
f irst several thousand miles
(kilometers). 1)
2)
3)
4)
Checking Your Fuel Economy
Measuring T echniquesMinimize the use of the air
conditioning system
Plan and combine trips
Calculating Fuel Economy
Fuel Economy
478
Miles per Gallon
100 Kilometers
Gallons
of fuel
Miles
driven
Liter Lper
100 km
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Bef ore Driving
2012 TL

Make sure all windows, mirrors,
and outside lights are clean and
unobstructed. Remove f rost, snow,
or ice.Check the seat adjustment (see
page ).
Check the adjustment of the
inside and outside mirrors (see
page ).
Check the steering wheel
adjustment (see page ).
Make sure the doors are securely
closed and locked.
Fasten your seat belt. Check that
your passengers have f astened
their seat belts (see page ).When you start the engine, check
the gauges and indicators in the
instrument panel, and the
messages on the multi-information
display (see pages , and
).
Youshoulddothesechecksand
adjustments bef ore you drive your
vehicle:
Check that the hood is f ully closed.
Check that the trunk is f ully
closed.
Visually check the tires. If a tire
looks low, use a gauge to check its
pressure.
Check that any items you may be
carrying are stored properly or
f astened down securely.
3.
2.
1.
7.
8.
9.
4.
5. 6.
63
16
10. 11.
76
167
146
161
Preparing to Drive
486
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and 78
Driving
2012 TL

If there is a problem with the
starting system, you will see a
‘‘CHECK STARTING SYSTEM’’
message on the multi-inf ormation
display when the ignition switch is
turned to the ON (II) position. You
will also see this message when the
auto control mode of the starting
system has a problem.If this message is on, the ignition
switchhastobeheldintheSTART
(III) position manually until the
engine starts. The ignition switch
canbeheldinthatpositionupto15
seconds.
Even though you may be able to
start the engine manually without
the auto control mode of the starting
system, have your vehicle inspected
by a dealer.
Check Starting System Message
Starting the Engine (Models without Keyless Access System)
488
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Driving
2012 TL

If you cannot start the engine using
the normal engine start procedure,
do the f ollowing:Set the parking brake.
If there is a problem with the
starting system, you will see a
‘‘CHECK STARTING SYSTEM’’
message on the multi-inf ormation
display with the power mode ON.
You will also see this message when
the auto control mode of the starting
system has a problem. Do not f ollow this procedure unless
it is a case of emergency. Even if you
can start the engine using this
method, the system may have a
malf unction. Contact your dealer as
soon as possible.Press and hold the engine start/
stop button f or about 15 seconds
while pressing the brake pedal
(automatic) or the clutch pedal
(manual). Press the engine start/stop button
to turn on the ACCESSORY mode. Put the shif t lever into Park.
If this message is on, you should
press and hold the engine start/stop
button until the engine starts. The
engine start/stop button may need to
be held several seconds bef ore the
starter motor runs. The starter
motor can be run up to 15 seconds.
Your vehicle has the engine start/
stop button instead of an ignition
switch to select the power mode. For
more information, see page . Even though you may be able to
start the engine manually without
the auto control mode of the starting
system, have your vehicle inspected
by a dealer.
1.
2.
3.
4.
184
Automatic transmission:
Starting the Engine (Models with Keyless Access System)
Emergency Engine Start
Check Starting System Message
490
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Driving
2012 TL

Press the clutch pedal, and shif t to
reverse.
The manual transmission has a
lockout so you cannot accidentally
shif t f rom any f orward gear to
reverse while the vehicle is moving
at a certain speed. If you cannot shif t
to reverse when the vehicle is
stopped, do the f ollowing:
With the clutch pedal pressed,
move the shift lever to the first/
second gear side of the neutral
gate, then shif t to reverse.If you are still unable to shif t to
reverse, apply the parking brake,
and select the ACCESSORY or
VEHICLE OFF (LOCK) mode
(see page ).
With the clutch pedal still pressed
f ully, press the engine start/stop
button to start the engine.
If you need to use this procedure to
shif t to reverse, your vehicle may be
developing a problem. Have it
checked by your dealer.
1. 2.
3.
4.
185
Reverse Lockout
Manual T ransmission
Driving
493
Move the shift lever in sequence.
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2012 TL