ignition Acura CL 2001 Repair Manual

Remove the blade f rom its holder
by grasping the tabbed end of the
blade. Pull f irmly until the tabs
come out of the holder.Examine the new wiper blades. If
they have no plastic or metal rein-
f orcement along the back edge,
remove the metal reinf orcement
strips f rom the old wiper blade and
install them in the slots along the
edge of the new blade.Slide the new wiper blade into the
holder until the tabs lock.
Slide the wiper blade assembly
onto the wiper arm. Make sure it
locks in place.
Turn the ignition switch ON (II)
and return the windshield wipers
to their park position. Lower the wiper arm down against
the windshield.
4. 5. 6.
7.
8.
9.
Wiper Blades
Maint enance240
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If you have a f lat tire while driving,
stop in a saf e place to change it.
Stopping in traf f ic or on the shoulder
of a busy road is dangerous. Drive
slowly along the shoulder until you
gettoanexitoranareatostopthat
is far away from the traffic lanes.Park the car on f irm, level, and
non-slippery ground away f rom
traf f ic. Put the transmission in
Park. Apply the parking brake. Turn on the hazard warning lights
and turn the ignition switch to
LOCK (0). Have all the
passengers get out of the car while
you change the tire.
Open the trunk. Raise the trunk
f loor lid by pulling up on the
handle. To keep the lid out of the
way, hook the handle on the upper
f rame of the trunk opening.The tools are in the tool box on
the right side of the trunk. Take
the tools out of the tool box.
Unscrew the wing bolt and take
the spare tire out of its well.
5. 4.
3. 2.
1.
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Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed273
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The car can easily roll off the
jack, seriously injuring anyone
underneath.
Follow the directions for
changing a tire exactly, and
never get under the car when it
is supported only by the jack.

Diagnosing why your engine won’t
start f alls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
key to START (III):You hear nothing, or almost
nothing. The engine’s starter
motor does not operate at all, or
operates very slowly.
You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, or the starter
motor sounds like it is spinning
f aster than normal, but the engine
does not start up and run. When you turn the ignition switch to
START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying to
start. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at all.
Check these things:
Check the transmission interlock.
The transmission must be in Park
orNeutralorthestarterwillnot
operate. Your car has the Immobilizer
System. You should use a
properly-coded master or valet key
to start the engine (see page ).
A key that is not properly coded
will cause the immobilizer system
indicator in the dash panel to blink
rapidly.
Store the jack in its holder. Turn
the jack’s end bracket to lock it in
place. Replace the cover. Store the
tools.
Store the center cap in the trunk.
Make sure it does not get scratch-
ed or damaged.
Unhook the handle f rom the trunk
opening and lower the f loor lid.
Close the trunk lid.
78
20.
21.
22.
23.
Changing a Flat Tire, If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
If Your Engine Won’t Start Nothing Happens or the Starter Motor Operates Very Slowly
278
Loose items can fly around the
interior in a crash and could
seriously injure the occupants.
Store the wheel, jack and tools
securely before driving.

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 .
280
295 236
280
175 289
295
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
279

Start the engine and watch the oil
pressure indicator. If the light
does not go out within ten seconds,
turn of f the engine. There is a
mechanical problem that needs to
be repaired bef ore you can
continue driving. (Seeon page .)
Saf ely pull of f the road and shut
of f the engine. Turn on the hazard
warning indicators.
This indicator should light when the
ignition switch is ON (II), and go out
af ter the engine starts. It should
never come on when the engine is
running. If it starts f lashing, it
indicates that the oil pressure
dropped very low f or a moment, then
recovered. If the indicator stays on
with the engine running, it shows
that the engine has lost oil pressure
and serious engine damage is
possible. In either case, you should
take immediate action. If necessary, add oil to bring the
level back to the full mark on the
dipstick (see page ). Letthecarsitforaminute.Open
the hood and check the oil level
(see page ). Although oil level
and oil pressure are not directly
connected, an engine that is very
low on oil can lose pressure during
cornering and other driving
maneuvers.
1.
2.
3. 4.
295
163
217 Emergency
Towing
L ow Oil Pressure Indicator
Taking Care of the Unexpected284
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Running the engine with low oil
pressure can cause serious mechanical
damage almost immediately. Turn of f
the engine as soon as you can saf ely get
the car stopped.

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 ed285
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If you have recently ref ueled your
car, the cause of this indicator
coming on could be a loose or
missing f uel f ill cap. Check the cap
and tighten it until it clicks several
times. Replace the fuel fill cap if it is
missing. Tightening the cap will not
make the indicator turn of f
immediately; it takes three driving
trips.
This indicator comes on f or a f ew
seconds when you turn the ignition
switch ON (II). If it comes on at any
other time, it indicates one of the
engine’s emissions control systems
may have a problem. Even though
you may f eel no dif f erence in your
car’s perf ormance, it can reduce
your f uel economy and cause your
car to put out excessive emissions.
Continued operation may cause
serious damage. If the indicator remains on past three
driving trips, or the f uel cap was not
loose or missing, have the car
checked by the dealer as soon as
possible. Drive moderately until the
dealer has inspected the problem.
Avoid full-throttle acceleration and
driving at high speed.
Youshouldalsohavethedealer
inspect your car if this indicator
comes on repeatedly, even though it
may turn of f as you continue driving.
Malf unction Indicator L amp
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed286
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If you keep driving with the
malf unction indicator lamp on, you can
damage your car’s emissions controls
and engine. Those repairs may not be
covered by your car’s warranties.

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If you must drive the car a short
distance in this condition, drive
slowly and cautiously.
If it comes on at any other time, it
indicates a problem with the car’s
brake system. In most cases, the
problem is a low f luid level in the
brake f luid reservoir. Press lightly on
the brake pedal to see if it f eels
normal. If it does, check the brake
f luid level the next time you stop at a
service station (see page ). If the
fluid level is low, take the car to your
dealer and have the brake system
inspected f or leaks or worn brake
pads. Slow down by shif ting to a lower
gear, and pull to the side of the road
when it is saf e. Because of the
longer distance needed to stop, it is
hazardous to drive the car. You
should have it towed, and repaired as
soon as possible. (See
on page .)
However, if the brake pedal does not
f eel normal, you should take
immediate action. Because of the
brake system’s dual-circuit design, a
problem in one part of the system
will still give you braking at two
wheels. You will f eel the brake pedal
go down much f arther bef ore the car
begins to slow down, and you will
have to press harder on the pedal.
The distance needed to stop will be
much longer.
The Brake System Indicator comes
on when you turn the ignition ON
(II). If the parking brake is not set, it
goes of f af ter you start the engine. If
the parking brake is set, it goes of f
when you f ully release the parking
brake with the engine running.
If the ABS indicator and the VSA
system indicator come on with this
indicator, have the car inspected by
your dealer immediately.
229
295
On Type S
Brake System Indicator
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Emergency
Towing
287
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µCheck each of the large f uses in
the under-hood f use box by
looking through the top at the wire
inside. Removing these f uses
requires a Phillips-head screw-
driver.
Remove the cover f rom the f use
box. Turn the ignition switch to LOCK
(0). Make sure the headlights and
all other accessories are off.
If something electrical in your car
stops working, the f irst thing you
should check f or is a blown f use.
Determine f rom the chart on pages
, or the diagram on the
fuse box lid, which fuse or fuses
control that component. Check those
f uses f irst, but check all the f uses
bef ore deciding that a blown f use is
not the cause. Replace any blown
f uses and check the component’s
operation. Check the smaller f uses in the
under-hood f use box and all the
fuses in the interior fuse boxes by
pulling out each f use with the f use
puller provided in the under-hood
fuse box.
3.
1.
2. 4.
292 294
Checking and Replacing Fuses
Fuses
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed290
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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 ed296
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.