warning Acura CL 2003 User Guide

See page f or important saf etyinf ormation and a warning about how toproperly position the head restraints. 15
The f ront head restraints help
protect you and your passenger f rom
whiplash and other injuries. They are
most ef f ective when you adjust them
so the back of the occupant’s head
rests against the center of the
restraint. A taller person should
adjust the restraint as high as
possible.
The f ront head restraints adjust f or
height. You need both hands to
adjust the restraint. Do not attempt
to adjust it while driving. To raise it,
pull upward. To lower the restraint,
push the release button sideways
and push the restraint down. To remove a head restraint f or
cleaning or repair, pull it up as f ar as
it will go. Push the release button
and pull the restraint out of the seat-
back.
Head Restraints
Seat A djustments
Inst rument s and Cont rols95
R RE
EL
LEE A
A S
SEE B
BUUT TT
TO
ON N

µµBeing able to see
clearly in all directions and being
visible to other drivers are important
in all weather conditions. This is
more dif f icult in bad weather. To be
seen more clearly during daylight
hours, turn on your headlights. Check your tires
f requently f or wear and proper
pressure. Both are important in
preventing ‘‘hydroplaning’’ (loss of
traction on a wet surface). In the
winter, mount snow tires on all f our
wheels f or the best handling.
Watch road conditions caref ully,
they can change f rom moment to
moment. Wet leaves can be as slip-
pery as ice. ‘‘Clear’’ roads can have
patches of ice. Driving conditions
can be very hazardous when the
outside temperature is near f reezing.
The road surf ace can become
covered with areas of water puddles
mixed with areas of ice, so your
traction can change without warning.
Be caref ul when downshif ting. If
traction is low, you can lock up the
drive wheels f or a moment and cause
askid. Be very cautious when passing, or
beingpassedbyothervehicles.The
spray f rom large vehicles reduces
your visibility, and the wind buf f eting
can cause you to lose control.
Inspect your windshield wipers and
washers f requently. Keep the wind-
shield washer reservoir f ull of the
proper f luid. Have the windshield
wiper blades replaced if they start to
streak the windshield or leave parts
unwiped. Use the def roster and air
conditioning to keep the windows
f rom f ogging up on the inside (see
pages and ).
128 133
Visibility
Traction
Driving in Bad Weather
Driving216

µ
Check the battery terminals for
corrosion (a white or yellowish
powder). To remove it, cover the
terminals with a solution of baking
soda and water. It will bubble up and
turn brown. When this stops, wash it
of f with plain water. Dry of f the
battery with a cloth or paper towel.
Coat the terminals with grease to
help prevent f uture corrosion.
If the terminals are severely cor-
roded, clean them with baking soda
and water. Then use a wrench to
loosen and remove the cables f rom
the terminals. Always disconnect the
negative ( ) cable f irst and recon-
nect it last. Clean the battery termi-
nals with a terminal cleaning tool or
wire brush. Reconnect and tighten
the cables, then coat the terminals
with grease.If you need to connect the battery to
a charger, disconnect both cables to
prevent damage to the car’s
electrical system.
Battery posts,
terminals and related accessories
contain lead and lead compounds. WARNING:
Wash hands af ter handling.
Battery
Maint enance260
The battery gives off explosive
hydrogen gas during normal
operation.
A spark or flame can cause the
battery to explode with enough
force to kill or seriously hurt you.
Wear protective clothing and a
face shield, or have a skilled
mechanic do the battery
maintenance.

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.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.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.
Park the car on f irm, level and
non-slippery ground away f rom
traf f ic. Put the transmission in
Park (automatic) or Reverse
(manual). Apply the parking brake. Open the trunk. Raise the trunk
f loor by pulling up on the handle.
To keep the f loor out of the way,
hook the handle over the edge of
the trunk opening.5. 4.
3. 2.
1.
CONT INUED
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed295
T T R
RU UN NKK F
FL
LOOO ORR
S
SP PA
A R
REE T
TI
IRRE E T
TO
OO OLL B
BOOX X
H
H
A
AN
ND DL
LEE
H
H A
AN
ND DL
LEE
J
JAA C
CKK
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.

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.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.
Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to 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 .
79
193 314
320
T he Starter Operates Normally
Starting the
Engine Emergency
Towing
If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed302

If you see steam and/or spray
coming f rom under the hood, turn
of f the engine.
If you do not see steam or spray,
leave the engine running and
watch the temperature gauge. If
the high heat is due to overloading
(climbing a long, steep hill on a
hot day with the A/C running, for
example), the engine should start
to cool down almost immediately.
If it does, wait until the tempera-
ture gauge comes down to the mid-
point then continue driving. Saf ely pull to the side of the road.
Put the transmission in Neutral or
Park and set the parking brake.
Turn of f the climate control and all
otheraccessories.Turnonthe
hazard warning indicators.
The pointer of your car’s tempera-
ture gauge should stay in the mid-
range under most conditions. It may
go higher if you are driving up a long
steep hill on a very hot day. If it
climbs to the red mark, you should
determine the reason. Your car can overheat f or several
reasons, such as lack of coolant or a
mechanical problem. The only
indication may be the temperature
gauge climbing to or above the red
mark. Or you may see steam or
spray coming f rom under the hood.
In either case, you should take
immediate action.1.
2.
3.
If Your Engine Overheats
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed306
Steam and spray from an
overheated engine can
seriously scald you.
Do not open the hood if steam
is coming out.
Driving with the temperature gauge
pointer at the red mark can cause
serious damage to your engine.

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.
181 239 320
Emergency
Towing
L ow Oil Pressure Indicator
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed308
L LO OW W O
OIILL P
PR
RE ES
SS SUUR REE I
INND DI
ICCA A T
TO
OR R
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.

µ
The treadwear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specif ied government
test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and one-
half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded
100. The relative perf ormance of
tires depends upon the actual condi-
tions of their use, however, and may
depart signif icantly f rom the norm
due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and dif f erences in
road characteristics and climate.
The tires on your car meet all U.S.
Federal Saf ety Requirements. All
tires are also graded for treadwear,
traction, and temperature perform-
ance according to Department of
Transportation (DOT) standards.
The f ollowing explains these
gradings.
Quality grades can be f ound where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between the tread shoulder and the
maximum section width. For
example:
The traction grades, f rom highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. Those
grades represent the tire’s ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on
specif ied government test surf aces
of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction
perf ormance.
Warning: The traction grade
assignedtothistireisbasedon
straight-ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak
traction characteristics.
All passenger car tires must conf orm
to Federal Saf ety Requirements in
addition to these grades. T readwear
Unif orm T ire Quality Grading T readwear 200
Traction AA
Temperature A Traction AA, A, B, C
DOT T ire Quality Grading (U.S. Cars)
T echnical Inf ormation328

µWarning: The temperature grade f or
this tire is established f or a tire that
is properly inf lated and not over-
loaded. Excessive speed, underinf la-
tion, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combination, can
cause heat buildup and possible tire
f ailure.
The temperature grades are A (the
highest), B, and C, representing the
tire’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled
conditions on a specif ied indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the material
of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature
can lead to sudden tire f ailure. The
grade C corresponds to a level of
perf ormance which all passenger car
tires must meet under the Federal
Motor Vehicle Saf ety Standard No.
109. Grades B and A represent
higher levels of perf ormance on the
laboratory test wheel than the
minimum required by law.
DOT T ire Quality Grading (U.S. Cars)
T echnical Inf ormation
Temperature A,B,C
329

.............
Halogen Headlight Bulbs . 275
..............
Hazard Warning Flashers . 75
Headlights ........................................
Aiming .275
Automatic Lighting Off .....................................
Feature .71
............
Daytime Running Lights . 72
..................
High Beam Indicator . 63
.........................
Reminder Chime .70
........
Replacing Halogen Bulbs . 275
...................................
Turning on .70
..............................
Head Restraints .95
.............
High Altitude, Starting at . 193
.................
High-Low Beam Switch . 70
..............
High-mount Brake Light . 279
HomeLink Universal ................................
Transceiver .163
....................................
Hood Latch .254
.......................
Hood, Opening the .180
..................................................
Horn .69
.................................
Hydroplaning .216
Filters
................................
AIr Cleaner .254
.........................
Dust and pollen .265
...............................................
Oil .241
..............
Flashers,Hazard Warning . 75
...................
Flat Tire, Changing a . 295
.....................................
Floor Mats .288
Fluids ..........
Automatic Transmission . 250
..........................................
Brake .252
.........................................
Clutch .253
..............
Manual Transmission . 251
..........................
Power Steering .253
................
Windshield Washers . 249
FM Stereo Radio ...................................
Reception .140
.....
Foreign Countries, Driving in . 331
..........................
Four-way Flashers .75
..............................
Front Airbags .9 ,46
.................................................
Fuel .178
......................
Fill Door and Cap .179
...........................................
Gauge .67
................
Octane Requirement . 178
...............................
Oxygenated .330
........................
Reserve Indicator .64
........................
Tank, Filling the .179 .....................
Fuses, Checking the .315
..........................................
Gasohol .330
.........................................
Gasoline .178
...............
Fuel Reserve Indicator . 64
...........................................
Gauge .67
................
Octane Requirement . 178
........................
Tank, Filling the .179
................
Gas Station Procedures . 179
.............................................
Gauges .65
...
Engine Coolant Temperature . 67
...............................................
Fuel .67
Maintenance Required ...................................
Indicator .68
...............................
Speedometer .65
.................................
Tachometer .65
GAWR (Gross Axle Weight .......................................
Rating) .218
............
Gearshif t Lever Positions . 198
..............................
Glass Cleaning .290
........................................
Glove Box .90
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight .......................................
Rating) .218
Index
G H
IV