trunk Acura RL 2002 3.5 Owner's Guide

Open the trunk and remove the
socket f rom the light assembly by
turning it one-quarter turn counter-
clockwise.
Reset the f astener by pushing on
the pointed end until it pops back
almost f lush with the f ingers on
the housing.
Put the f astener in the hole in the
side of the trunk lining and push
on the center until it locks (the
center is f lush with the head). Reinstall the socket. Turn it
clockwise until it locks.
Install the new bulb in the socket. Remove the bulb by pushing it in
slightly and turning it counter-
clockwise. Testthelightstomakesurethe
new bulb is working.
1.
2.
8.
9. 3.
4.
Replacing a High-mount Brake
Light Bulb
Lights
Maint enance267
01/09/28 20:09:06 31SZ3660_270

Block the rear wheels.
Fill the f uel tank.
Change the engine oil and f ilter
(see page ).
Wash and dry the exterior
completely.
Cleantheinterior.Makesurethe
carpeting, floor mats, etc. are
completely dry.
Leave the parking brake off. Put
the transmission in Park.
If you need to park your car f or an
extended period (more than one
month), there are several things you
should do to prepare it f or storage.
Proper preparation helps prevent
deterioration and makes it easier to
get your car back on the road. If
possible, store your car indoors.
If the car is to be stored for a
longer period, it should be
supported on jackstands so the
tires are of f the ground.
Leave one window open slightly (if
the car is being stored indoors).Coverthecarwitha‘‘breathable’’
cover, one made f rom a porous
material such as cotton.
Nonporous materials, such as
plastic sheeting, trap moisture,
which can damage the paint.
Disconnect the battery.
Support the f ront wiper blade
arms with a f olded towel or rag so
they do not touch the windshield.
To minimize sticking, apply a
silicone spray lubricant to all door
and trunk seals. Also, apply a
vehiclebodywaxtothepainted
surfaces that mate with the door
and trunk seals. If possible, run the engine f or a
while periodically (pref erably once
amonth).
If you store your car f or 12 months
or longer, have your Acura dealer
perf orm the inspections called f or in
the 24 months/30,000 miles (48,000
km) maintenance schedule (Normal
Conditions) as soon as you take it
out of storage (see page ). The
replacements called f or in the
maintenance schedule are not
needed unless the car has actually
reached that time or mileage.
229
218
Maint enance
St oring Your Car
271
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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.Open the trunk. Raise the trunk
f loor by lif ting up on the back edge.
To keep the trunk f loor out of the
way, attach the hook into the slot
in the trunk lid.
Take the tool kit out of the trunk.
Unscrew the wing bolt and take
the spare tire out of its well.
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. 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. 5. 4. 3.
2. 1.
CONT INUED
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed283
T T R
RU UN NKK F
FLLOOO ORR
S
SP PA
A R
REE T
TI
IRRE E
J
JA A C
CKK T
TO
OO OLL K
KIITT
H
H
O
OO OKK
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.
01/09/28 20:11:37 31SZ3660_286

CONT INUED
Remove the center cap before
storing the f lat tire in the trunk
well.
Remove the spacer basket from
the trunk well.
Wrap the spacer cone and spare
tire wing bolt with cloth or paper
and store them in the trunk well. Place the flat tire face down in the
sparetirewell.
15.
16.17.
18.
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed287
S SP
PA
A C
CEER
R B
BAA S
SKKEET
T C
CEEN
NT TE
ER
R C
CAA P
P F
FL
LAA T
T T
TI
IRRE E
W
WIINNG G B
BOOL LTT
S
SP
PA
A C
CEER
R
C
CO ON NEE
R
RI
INNG G
01/09/28 20:12:14 31SZ3660_290

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.
Sliptheholeatthetopof thejack
over the bracket in the trunk well.
Turn the jack’s end bracket to lock
it in place. Store the tool kit back
in its place.
Close the trunk lid. Store the center cap and spacer
basket in the trunk. Make sure the
center cap will not get scratched
or damaged. Unclip the hook f rom the trunk lid
and lower the trunk f loor.
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.
19.
20.
21.
22. 75
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
288
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.
01/09/28 20:12:29 31SZ3660_291

If the electric motor will not close
the moonroof , do the f ollowing:Check the f use f or the moonroof
motor (see page ). If the f use
is blown, replace it with one of the
same or lower rating.
Try closing the moonroof . If the
new f use blows immediately or the
moonroof motor still does not
operate, you can close the
moonroof manually. Insert the moonroof wrench into
the socket behind this plug. Turn
the wrench until the moonroof is
f ully closed.
Remove the wrench. Replace the
plug and lens.
Remove the lens f rom the rear
ceiling light (see page ). Get the moonroof wrench out of
the tool kit in the trunk. Removethepluginthecenterof
the rear ceiling light.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. 6.
7.
302
269
Closing t he Moonroof
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed300
S SOOC CKKEET
T
P
P L
LUUG G
01/09/28 20:14:14 31SZ3660_303

µ
Î µ
µ
µ
µ
µ
µ
µ
µ
µ
µ
µ
µ
µ
µ
µ
µ
Î
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
01/09/28 20:16:19 31SZ3660_316

Î
Bulb Replacement..........................
Back-up Lights .266
..............................
Brake Lights .266
............................
Ceiling Lights .269
........................
Courtesy Lights .269
.................................
Fog Lights .263
........
Front Side Marker Lights .265
.................................
Headlights .262
.........
High-mount Brake Light .267
.................
License Plate Lights .268
............................
Specif ications .313
...............................
Trunk Light .270
....................
Turn Signal Lights .265
..............................
Bulbs, Halogen .262
..................................
Cancel Button .75
............................
Capacities Chart .312
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard .49
............................
Carrying, Cargo .186
Cassette Player
............................................
Care .148
...........................
Operation .133,145
..............
CAUTION, Explanation of .ii
..................
CD Changer .136,149,151 ................................
Ceiling Lights .111
........................
Certif ication Label .310
............................................
Chains .259
Changing Oil
........................................
How to .229
......................................
When to .218
....................
Changing a Flat Tire .283
............
Changing Engine Coolant .233
...
Charging System Indicator .54,297
............
Checklist, Bef ore Driving .190
.....................................
Child Saf ety .20
.......................................
Child Seats .24
............
Tether Anchorage Point .39
..................
Childproof Door Locks .82
..........................
Cigarette Lighter .109
...................................
Cleaner, Air .241
Cleaning
....................
Aluminum Wheels .275
...................................
Carpeting .276
......................................
Exterior .274
.........................................
Fabric .276
.......................................
Interior .276
.......................................
Leather .276
...................................
Seat Belts .276
...........................................
Vinyl .276
....................................
Windows .277 ................................
Wood Trim .277
...............
Climate Control System .114
.........................
Clock, Setting the .102
.....................
Code, Audio System .136
........................
CO in the Exhaust .318
........................................
Coin Box .106
............
Cold Weather, Starting in .191
..............................
Compact Spare .282
.................
Console Compartment .106
...............
Consumer Inf ormation .324
.............
Controls, Instruments and .51
Coolant
........................................
Adding .231
....................................
Checking .182
.........................
Proper Solution .231
...................................
Replacing .233
...................
Temperature Gauge .60
....................
Corrosion Protection .279
............................
Courtesy Lights .117
Crankcase Emissions Control
........................................
System .318
............
Cruise Control Operation .158
..........
Customer Relations Of f ice .324
Index
C
II
01/09/28 20:18:49 31SZ3660_335

CONT INUED
...
Identif ication Number, Vehicle .310
Ignition
..............................................
Keys .74
...........................................
Switch .77
............
Timing Control System .319
........................
Immobilizer System .75
.........
Important Safety Precautions .6
Indicators, Instrument
.............................................
Panel .53
...............................
Inf ant Restraint .28
......................................
Inf ant Seats .28
..........
Tether Anchorage Points .39
...................
Inf lation, Proper Tire .253
...................................
Inside Mirror .91
.............................
Inspection, Tire .255
............................
Instrument Panel .53
........
Instrument Panel Brightness .66
...........................
Interior Cleaning .277
........................................
Introduction .i
........................
Jacking up the Car .284
.......................................
Jack, Tire .284 ................................
Jump Starting .290
..................................................
Keys .74
.......................
Label, Certif ication .310
.................
Lane Change, Signaling .66
..........................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .40
...................................
Learning Key .75
.........................
Leather, Cleaning .276
........................
Lights On Indicator .55
.........................
Lighter, Cigarette .109
Lights
....................
Bulb Replacement .262
........................................
Ceiling .111
.....................................
Courtesy .112
.......................................
Indicator .53
.........................................
Parking .63
..................................
Turn Signal .66
.....................................
Load Limit .187
......
LOCK (Ignition Key Position) .77
Locks
.......
Anti-thef t Steering Column .77 ..........................
Childproof Door .82
............................
Fuel Fill Door .179
....................................
Glove Box .85
.................................
Power Door .78
...........................................
Trunk .83
........
Trunk Pass-through Cover .90
........................
Low Coolant Level .182
.........................
Low Fuel Indicator .57
...
Low Oil Pressure Indicator .54,295
Lubricant Specif ications
..........................................
Chart .312
.........................................
Luggage .186
..................................
Maintenance .213
...
Owner Maintenance Checks . 225
.................................
Record .223-224
......................
Required Indicator .61
..........................................
Saf ety .214
.............................
Schedule .218-222
.
Malf unction Indicator Lamp . 55,297
.............
Memory, Driving Position . 93
...............................
Meters, Gauges .58
Index
I
J K
L
M
V
01/09/28 20:19:09 31SZ3660_338

...................
Methanol in Gasoline .316
..........................
Mirrors, Adjusting .91
.......................................
Moonroof .100
......................
Closing Manually .300
...................................
Operation .100
...................
Neutral Gear Position .193
..................
New Vehicle Break-in .178
...................
NOTICE, Explanation of .i
...............
Numbers, Identif ication .310
...................
Radiator Overheating .293
...
Radio/Cassette Sound System .128
...........................
Readiness Codes .298
..
Rear Lights, Bulb Replacement .264
..........................
Rear Seat Armrest .90
............................
Rear Ventilation .126
............................
Rear View Mirror .91
.................
Rear Window Def ogger .71
...............
Reclining the Seat Backs .87
.............................
Reminder Lights .53
.......................
Remote Transmitter .79
Replacement Inf ormation
.................
Air Cleaner Element .241
.............
Air Conditioning Filter . 252
..............................
Paint Touch-up .275
..............
Panel Brightness Control . 66
........................
Park Gear Position .193
...........................................
Parking .196
...............................
Parking Brake .106
Parking Brake and Brake .................
System Indicator . 54,299
.................................
Parking Lights .63
..
Parking Over Things that Burn . 320
.............................
PGM-FI System .319
..................
Polishing and Waxing . 275
............
Pre-Drive Saf ety Checklist . 11
.........
Pregnancy, Using Seat Belts . 18............................
Protecting Adults .12
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 19
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women . 18
........................
Protecting Children .20
.......................
Protecting Inf ants .28
.......
Protecting Larger Children . 35
.........
Protecting Small Children . 32
Using Child Seats with .....................................
Tethers .39
...
Octane Requirement, Gasoline . 178
.........................................
Odometer .59
...............................
Odometer, Trip .59
Oil ........................
Change, How to .229
......................
Change, When to .218
......................
Checking Engine .181
..............
Pressure Indicator . 54,295
Selecting Proper Viscosity ......................................
Chart .228
...........
ON (Ignition Key Position) . 80Onboard Ref ueling Vapor
....................................
Recovery .310
............................................
OnStar .167
.........................
Opening the Trunk .83
..
Operation in Foreign Countries . 317
..............................
Outside Mirrors .91
....
Outside Temperature Indicator . 59
....................
Overheating, Engine .293
.......
Owner Maintenance Checks . 225
.........................
Oxygenated Fuels .316
Index
N
O P
R
VI
01/09/28 20:19:16 31SZ3660_339