Acura RL 2004 3.5 Owner's Manual

Check 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.Check the smaller f uses in the
under-hood f use box and all the
fuses in the interior fuse box by
pulling out each f use with the f use
puller provided in the door of the
interior f use box.
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
and , 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. 3.
1.
2. 4.
330 331
Checking and Replacing Fuses
Fuses
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed328
FUSE
BLOWN FUSE
PULLER

Look f or a burned wire inside the
f use. If it is burned, replace it with
oneof thesparefusesof thesame
rating or lower.If the replacement fuse of the
same rating blows in a short time,
there is probably a serious
electrical problem in your car.
Leave the blown fuse in that
circuit and have your car checked
by a qualif ied mechanic.
If you cannot drive the vehicle
without f ixing the problem, and you
do not have a spare fuse, take a fuse
of the same rating or a lower rating
f rom one of the other circuits. Make
sureyoucandowithoutthatcircuit
temporarily (such as the cigarette
lighter or radio).
If you replace the blown f use with a
spare f use that has a lower rating, it
might blow out again. This does not
indicate anything wrong. Replace the
f use with one of the correct rating as
soon as you can.
If the radio f use is removed, the
audio system will disable itself . The
nexttimeyouturnontheradioyou
will see ‘‘ ’’ in the f requency
display. Use the Preset buttons to
enter the f ive-digit code (see page).
5.
6.
180
CONT INUED
Fuses
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed329
BLOWN
Replacing a f use with one that has a
higher rating greatly increases the
chances of damaging the electrical
system. If you do not have a replace-
ment f use with the proper rating f or the
circuit, install one with a lower rating.

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

µµ µ
There are three popular types of
prof essional towing equipment. If your car needs to be towed, call a
prof essional towing service or, if you
belong to one, an organization that
provides roadside assistance. Never
tow your car behind another vehicle
with just a rope or chain. It is very
dangerous. The operator
loads your car on the back of a truck.
The tow
truck uses two pivoting arms that go
under the tires (f ront or rear) and lif t
them of f the ground. The other two
tires remain on the ground. If your Acura cannot be transported
by f lat-bed, it should be towed by
wheel-lif t equipment with the f ront
wheels of f the ground. If , due to
damage, your car must be towed
with the f ront wheels on the ground,
do the f ollowing.
Release the parking brake.
Shif t the transmission to Neutral. With the f ront wheels on the ground,
it is best to tow the vehicle no farther
than 50 miles (80 km), and keep the
speedbelow35mph(55km/h).
The tow
truck uses metal cables with hooks
on the ends. These hooks go around
parts of the f rame or suspension and
the cables lif t that end of the vehicle
of f the ground. Your car’s sus-
pension and body can be seriously
damaged.Flat -bed Equipment
Wheel-lif t Equipment Sling-t ype Equipment
This is the best way to transport
your A cura.
T his is
an acceptable way to tow your
Acura. T his method of towing
is unacceptable.
Emergency T owing
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed332
Improper towing preparation will
damage the transmission. Follow the
above procedure exactly. If you cannot
shif t the transmission or start the
engine, your car must be transported
with the f ront wheels of f the ground.

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
vehicle f or 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 run down the
battery.
Emergency T owing
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed333
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.Trying to lif t or tow your car by the
bumpers will cause serious damage.
The bumpers are not designed to
support the vehicle’s weight.

334

Thediagramsinthissectiongive
you the dimensions and capacities of
your Acura, and the locations of the
identif ication numbers. It also
includes inf ormation you should
know about your car’s tires and
emissions control systems.................
Identif ication Numbers . 336
................................
Specif ications .338
DOT Tire Quality Grading .............................
(U.S.Cars) .340
.................................
Treadwear .340
......................................
Traction .340
.............................
Temperature .341
...........................
Tire Inf ormation .342
.........................
Oxygenated Fuels .343
......
Driving in Foreign Countries . 344.......................
Emissions Controls .345
.....................
The Clean Air Act .345
Crankcase Emissions Control ....................................
System .345
Evaporative Emissions Control ....................................
System .345
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor ................................
Recovery .345
...
Exhaust Emissions Controls . 346
....................
PGM-FI System .346
Ignition Timing Control ................................
System .346
Exhaust Gas Recirculation ...................
(EGR) System . 346
Three Way Catalytic ...........................
Converter .346
....................
Replacement Parts . 346
..
Three Way Catalytic Converter . 347
..............
State Emissions Testing . 348
T echnical Inf ormat ion
T echnical Inf ormation335

Î
Your car has several identif ying
numbers located in various places.
The Vehicle Identif ication Number
(VIN) is the 17-digit number your
Acura dealer uses to register your
car f or warranty purposes. It is also
necessary f or licensing and insuring
your car. The easiest place to find
the VIN is on a plate fastened to the
top of the dashboard. You can see it
by looking through the windshield
on the driver’s side. It is also on the
Certification label attached to the
driver’s doorjamb, and is stamped on
the engine compartment bulkhead.
The VIN is also provided in bar code
on the Certification label.
Identif ication Numbers
T echnical Inf ormation336
VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBERCERTIFICATION LABEL
The U.S. car model

The Engine Number is stamped into
the engine block. It is on the f ront
left, below the valve cover.
The Transmission Number is on a
label on top of the transmission.
Identif ication Numbers
T echnical Inf ormation337
TRANSMISSION NUMBER
ENGINE NUMBER