climate control Acura RL 2004 3.5 User Guide

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The air f low f rom the rear vents can
be adjusted when the climate control
system is on. (Upper position): Maximum
(Center position): Moderate
(Lower position): Of fUse the mode control lever to select
the air f low level. Air f lows into the
rear seat at three levels.
You can adjust the direction of the
air coming f rom the upper vents in
the center console by moving the tab
in the center of each vent up-and-
down and side-to-side.
You can also adjust the amount of
the air f low by sliding the air f low
control lever under the upper vents.
Slide this lever upward to increase
the amount of air f low. (Upper position):
Air flows from the upper vents in the
back of the center console.
(Center position):
Air f low is divided between the upper
vents and the lower vents in the back
of the center console.
(Lower position):
Air f lows f rom the lower vents.
Rear Ventilation
Mode Cont rol L ever
Climat e Cont rol Syst em
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures132
AIR FLOW
CONTROL
LEVER
MODE
CONTROL
LEVERUPPER
VENTS
LOWER
VENTS

Theclimatecontrolsystemhastwo
sensors. A sunlight sensor is located
in the top of the dashboard and a
temperature sensor is next to the
steering column. Do not cover the
sensors or spill any liquid on them. Sunlight Sensor/T emperature
Sensor
Climat e Cont rol Syst em
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures133
SUNLIGHT SENSORTEMPERATURE SENSOR

Loosen the drain plug on the
bottom of the radiator. The
coolant will come out through the
hole in the splash cover.
Turn the ignition ON (II). Turn
the heater temperature control
dial to maximum heat (climate
control to 90°F/32°C). Turn of f
the ignition. Open the hood. Make
sure the engine and radiator are
cool to the touch.
Remove the radiator cap.
Thecoolingsystemshouldbe
completely drained and ref illed with
new coolant according to the time
and distance recommendations in
the maintenance schedule. Only use
Honda All Season Antif reeze/
Coolant Type 2. Use of any non-
Honda coolant or plain water can
result in corrosion and deposits in
the cooling system.
Draining the coolant requires access
to the underside of the vehicle.
Unless you have the tools and
knowledge, you should have this
maintenance done by a skilled
mechanic.
1.
2.3.
Replacing Engine Coolant
Cooling Syst em
Maint enance258
DRAIN PLUG

Make sure the climate control sys-
tem is off.
Start the engine and let it run until
it warms up (the radiator cooling
fan comes on at least twice), and
let it idle f or f ive more minutes.
If your car’s battery is disconnected
or goes dead, the engine’s computer
needs to ‘‘relearn’’ the idle control.
Af ter replacing or recharging the
battery:
Your driver’s power window (see
page ) and your audio system
will also disable itself when the bat-
tery is disconnected or goes dead.
Thenexttimeyouturnontheradio
you will see ‘‘ ’’ in the f requency
display. Use the Preset buttons to en-
ter the f ive-digit code (see page ).If your car’s battery is disconnected
or goes dead, all stored driving
positions will be lost. To store the
driving positions again, see the
storingprocedureonpage .
The Navigation System will also
disableitself.Thenexttimeyouturn
on the ignition switch, the system
will require you to enter a PIN
bef ore it can be used. Ref er to the
Navigation System Owner’s Manual.
1.
2. 103
98
180On cars with Navigation System
Battery
Maint enance274
Charging the battery with the cables
connected can seriously damage your
car’s electronic controls. Detach the
battery cables bef ore connecting the
battery to a charger.

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The belts should have the f ollowing
‘‘play’’ or def lection.
Alternator belt:
Check the condition of the three
drive belts. Examine the edges of
each belt f or cracks or f raying.
Check the tension of each belt by
pushingonitwithyourthumb
midway between the pulleys. If you see signs of wear or looseness,
have your dealer adjust or replace
the belts. Power steering belt: Compressor belt:
The dust and pollen f ilter removes
pollen and dust that is brought in
f rom the outside through the climate
control system.
This f ilter should be replaced every
30,000 miles (48,000 km) under nor-
mal conditions. It should be replaced
every 15,000 miles (24,000 km) if you
drive primarily in urban areas that
have high concentrations of soot in
the air f rom industry and diesel-pow-
ered vehicles. Replace it more of ten
if air f low f rom the climate control
system becomes less than usual.
Have dust and pollen f ilter replaced
by your Acura dealer. Drive Belts
Dust and Pollen Filter
Maint enance
Dust and Pollen Filter, Drive Belts
278
ALTERNATOR BELT
COMPRESSOR BELT
POWER STEERING
BELT
0.37 0.45 in (9.5 11.5 mm)
0.41 0.49 in (10.5 12.5 mm) 0.31 0.43 in (8.0 11.0 mm)

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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
therightsideof theengineas
shown. Do not connect this jumper
cable to any other part of the
engine.
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.
If the booster battery is in another
vehicle, have an assistant start
that vehicle and run it at a fast idle.
5. 4.
3.
2.
CONT INUED
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Jump Starting
317
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.

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.
CONT INUED
If Your Engine Overheats
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed319
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.

If the temperature gauge stays at
the red mark, turn of f the engine.
Wait until you see no more signs
of steam or spray, then open the
hood.
If you don’t f ind an obvious leak,
check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank (see page). If the level is below the
MIN mark, add coolant to halfway
between the MIN and MAX marks. Look f or any obvious coolant leaks,
such as a split radiator hose.
Everything is still extremely hot,
so use caution. If you f ind a leak, it
must be repaired bef ore you
continue driving (see on page ).
If there was no coolant in the
reserve tank, you may also have to
add coolant to the radiator. Let the
engine cool down until the pointer reaches the middle of the tempera-
ture gauge, or lower, bef ore check-
ing the radiator.
Using gloves or a large heavy
cloth, turn the radiator cap
counterclockwise, without pushing
down, to the f irst stop. This
releases any remaining pressure in
the cooling system. After the
pressure releases, push down on
the cap and turn it until it comes
off.
Start the engine and set the
temperature control dial to
maximum (climate control to
FULL AUTO at 90°F/32°C). Add
coolant to the radiator up to the
base of the f iller neck. If you do
not have the proper coolant
mixture available, you can add
plain water. Remember to have
the cooling system drained and
ref illed with the proper mixture as
soon as you can.
If the temperature stays normal,
check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. If it has
gone down, add coolant to the
MAX mark. Put the cap back on
tightly. Put the radiator cap back on
tightly. Run the engine and watch
the temperature gauge. If it goes
back to the red mark, the engine
needs repair. (See
on page .)
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.10.
12.
11.
332
208 332
Emergency
Towing
Emergency
Towing
If Your Engine Overheats
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed320
Removing the radiator cap
while the engine is hot can
cause the coolant to spray out,
seriously scalding you.
Always let the engine and
radiator cool down before
removing the radiator cap.

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 ed322
CHARGING SYSTEM INDICATOR

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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 vehicle 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 ormation340