cooling Acura RL 2004 3.5 User Guide

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

Remove the reserve tank f rom its
holder by pulling it straight up.
Drain the coolant, then put the
tank back in its holder.When the coolant stops draining,
tightenthedrainplugatthe
bottom of the radiator.
Put the drain cap back in place
tightly, then reinstall the clip on
the drain cap securely.
On the right side of the engine
block, remove the clip with a plier,
andthenremovethedraincap. 5.
4. 6.
CONT INUED
Cooling Syst em
Maint enance259
CLIP
RESERVE TANK
HOLDER
RESERVE TANK CAP
DRAIN CAP

Remove the two bolts and the
three nuts with a 7/16 in (10 mm)
wrench, then remove the engine
cover.Loosen the bleeder bolt on top of
the engine.Pour Honda All Season
Antif reeze/Coolant Type 2 into
the radiator up to the base of the
f iller neck. This coolant is a
mixture of 50 percent antif reeze
and 50 percent water. Pre-mixing
is not required.
The cooling system capacity is:
Tighten the bleeder bolt when
coolant comes out in a steady
stream with no bubbles.
7. 8. 9.
10.
Cooling Syst em
Maint enance260
BLEEDER BOLT
BOLTS NUTS
1.61 US gal (6.1)

Install the engine cover. First
tighten the two bolts on the front
of the engine cover, then tighten
the three nuts on the engine cover.
Tightening torque:
Install the radiator cap, and
tighten it to the first stop.
Start the engine and let it run until
the radiator cooling f an comes on
at least twice. Then stop the
engine.
Fill the reserve tank to the MAX
mark. Install the reserve tank cap.
Check the level in the radiator,
add coolant if needed. Remove the radiator cap. Pour
coolant into the radiator up to the
base of the f iller neck and into the
reserve tank up to the MAX mark.
Start the engine and hold it at
1,500 rpm until the cooling f an
comes on. Turn of f the engine.
Check the coolant level in the
radiator and add coolant if needed.
12. 11. 13.
14.
15. 16.
17.
CONT INUED
Cooling Syst em
Maint enance261
Fill up to here FILLER NECK
7 lbf·ft (9.8 N·m , 1.0 kgf·m)

Install the radiator cap, and
tighten it fully.
If necessary, f ill the reserve tank
to the MAX mark. Install the
reserve tank cap.
18.
19.
Cooling Syst em
Maint enance262
RESERVE TANK

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.

Run the air conditioning at least once
a week during the cold weather
months. Run it f or at least ten
minutes while you are driving at a
steady speed with the engine at
normal operating temperature. This
circulates the lubricating oil con-
tained in the ref rigerant.If the air conditioning does not get as
cold as before, have your dealer
check the system. Recharge the
system with Ref rigerant HFC-134a
(R-134a). (See Specif ications on page
.)
Periodically check the engine’s
radiator and air conditioning
condenser f or leaves, insects, and
dirt stuck to the f ront surf ace. These
block the air f low and reduce cooling
ef f iciency. Use a light spray f rom a
hose or a sof t brush to remove them. Your car’s air conditioning is a sealed
system. Any major maintenance,
such as recharging, should be done
by a qualif ied mechanic. You can do
a couple of things to make sure the
air conditioning works ef f iciently. 338
A ir Condit ioning Syst em
Maint enance277
AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSER
Whenever you have the air conditioning
system serviced, make sure the service
f acility uses a ref rigerant recycling
system. This system captures the
ref rigerant f or reuse. Releasing
ref rigerant into the atmosphere can
damage the environment.
The condenser and radiator f ins bend
easily. Only use a low-pressure spray
or sof t-bristle brush to clean them.

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.

µ
No. Amps.No. Amps. Circuits Protected
Circuits Protected
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15 20 A
10 A
20 A
15 A
20 A
20 A
20 A
20 A
20 A
10 A
10 A
20 A
30 A
30 A 16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
20 A
20 A
15 A
7.5 A 20 A
30 A
50 A
40 A
40 A
120 A 40 A
40 A
50 A Front Fog Light
ETS (Electrical Tilt/
Telescope Steering)
Meter
Back-up, Radio
Interior Lights
Wiper Motor
Ignition Switch
Power Window
Heater Motor
Battery
VSA Motor
Rear Window Defogger
Fuse box
Not Used
Brake, Horn
Hazard
Driver Power Window
TCS
VSA
Power Door Lock
Right Headlight Low
Left Headlight Low
Cooling Fan
Lef t Headlight High
Right Headlight High
Condenser Fan
Moonroof
Front Passenger’s Power
Seat
Fuses
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed330
UNDER-HOOD FUSE BOX

µ
µÎ
Î
Î
No. Amps. Circuits Protected
Circuits Protected
No. Amps.
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26 7.5 A
7.5 A
10 A
7.5 A 20 A
7.5 A 20 A
20 A
20 A
7.5 A 20 A
30 A Starter Signal
ACG
ACC Socket
Power Window MPCS
Front Right Power Window
Mirror
ECU (Body)
Rear Lef t Power Window
Fuel Pump
SRS
Rear Right Power Window
Ignition Coils
Not Used
Small Light
Not Used (OP)
Condenser Fan Relay,
Cooling Fan Relay
ACC, Radio
A/C Clutch, Front Heated
Seat
ECU (PCM)
SRS
Driver’s Power Seat
Reclining/Rear Height/
Power Lumber
Bose Audio System
Daytime Running Lights
Driver’s Power Seat Slide/
Front Height
Daytime Running Lights
Meter, Moonroof
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13 15 A
7.5 A 10 A
20 A
20 A
10 A
20 A
20 A
10 A
20 A
7.5 A
7.5 A
On Canadian models
1:
1
1
Fuses
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed331
INTERIOR FUSE BOX