engine ACURA RL 2012 Repair Manual

Your vehicle has been designed
primarily to carry passengers and
their cargo. You can also use it to
tow a trailer if you caref ully observe
the load limits, use the proper
equipment, and f ollow the guidelines
in this section.
The weight that
the tongue of a f ully-loaded trailer
puts on the hitch should be
approximately 10 percent of the
trailer weight. Too much tongue
load reduces front-tire traction and
steering control. Too little tongue
load can make the trailer unstable
and cause it to sway. The
maximum allowable weight of the
trailer and everything in or on it
must not exceed 1,000 lbs (450 kg).
Towing a load that is too heavy
can seriously af f ect your vehicle’s
handling and perf ormance. It can
also damage the engine and
drivetrain. Avoid towing a trailer during your
vehicle’s f irst 600 miles (1,000 km)
(see page ).382
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Load Limits
Tongue Load: T otal T railer Weight:
Towing a Trailer
Break-In Period
Driving
437
Exceeding any load limit or
improperly loading your vehicle
and trailer can cause a crash in
which you can be seriously hurt
or killed.
Check the loading of your
vehicle and trailer carefully
beforestartingtodrive.
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The added weight, length, and
height of a trailer will af f ect your
vehicle’s handling and perf ormance,
so driving with a trailer requires
some special driving skills and
techniques.
Foryoursafetyandthesafetyof
others,taketimetopracticedriving
maneuvers bef ore heading f or the
open road, and f ollow the guidelines
below.Drive slower than normal in all
driving situations, and obey posted
speed limits f or vehicles with trailers.
Use the D position when towing a
trailer on level roads. See ‘‘
’’ in the next column f or
additional gear inf ormation. Do not
exceed 55 mph (88 km/h). At higher
speeds, the trailer may sway or
af f ect vehicle handling.
Maketurnsmoreslowlyandwider
than normal. The trailer tracks a
smaller arc than your vehicle, and it
canhitorrunoversomethingthe
vehicle misses. Allow more time and
distance f or braking. Do not brake or
turn suddenly as this could cause the
trailer to jackknif e or turn over.When climbing hills, closely watch
your temperature gauge. If it nears
the red (Hot) mark, turn the air
conditioning of f , reduce speed and, if
necessary, pull to the side of the
road to let the engine cool.
If you must stop when f acing uphill,
use the f oot brake or parking brake.
Do not try to hold the vehicle in
place by pressing on the accelerator,
as this can cause the automatic
transmission to overheat.
When driving down hills, reduce
your speed, and shif t down to S
position, or use the paddle shif ters to
the lower gear (3, 2 or 1) in the S
position. When towing a trailer, do
not ‘‘ride’’ the brakes, and remember,
it will take longer to slow down and
stop when towing a trailer.
CONT INUED
Driving Saf ely With a T railer
Towing a Trailer
Driving on
Hills T owing Speeds and Gears
Making T urns and BrakingDriving on Hills
Driving
441
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This section explains why it is
important to keep your vehicle well
maintained and how to f ollow basic
maintenance saf ety precautions.
This section also includes
instructions on how to read the
Maintenance Minder messages on
the multi-information display, and
instructions f or simple maintenance
tasks you may want to take care of
yourself .
If you have the skills and tools to
perf orm more complex maintenance
tasks on your vehicle, you may want
to purchase the service manual. See
page f or inf ormation on how to
obtain a copy, or see your dealer.U.S. Vehicles: ......................Maintenance Saf ety . 444
................. Maintenance Minder . 445
.............................. Fluid Locations . 455
...... Engine Compartment Covers . 456
........................ Adding Engine Oil . 458
Changing the Engine Oil and
........................................... Filter . 459
.............................. Engine Coolant . 461
.................... Windshield Washers . 463
.... Automatic Transmission Fluid . 464
.................................... Brake Fluid . 466
.................... Power Steering Fluid . 467
.................................... Timing Belt . 467
............................................. Lights . 468
.................. DustandPollenFilter .476
................ Cleaning the Seat Belts . 476
..................................... Floor Mats . 477
................................. Wiper Blades . 478
................................. Exterior Care . 480
........................................... Wheels . 480
............................................... Tires . 481
................... Checking the Battery . 490
............................. Vehicle Storage . 493
.................................. Interior Care . 494 543
Maintenance
Maintenance, replacement, or
repair of emissions control
devices and systems may be done
by any automotive repair
establishment or individual using
parts that are ‘‘certif ied’’ to EPA
standards.
Maint enance
443
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To eliminate potential hazards, read
the instructions bef ore you begin,
and make sure you have the tools
and skills required.
To clean parts, use a commercially
available degreaser or parts
cleaner, not gasoline.
Be sure there is
adequate ventilation whenever you
operate the engine.
Let the
engine and exhaust system cool
down bef ore touching any parts.Do
not run the engine unless
instructed to do so.
Some of the most important saf ety
precautions are given here. However,
we cannot warn you of every
conceivable hazard that can arise in
perf orming maintenance. Only you
can decide whether or not you
should perf orm a given task. Make sure your vehicle is parked
on level ground, the parking brake
is set, and the engine is of f .
To reduce the possibility of f ire or
explosion, keep cigarettes, sparks,
and f lames away f rom the battery
and all f uel-related parts.
Wear eye protection and
protective clothing when working
with the battery or compressed air. All service items not detailed in this
section should be perf ormed by a
certif ied technician or other qualif ied
mechanic.
Maintenance Saf ety
Important Saf ety Precautions
Potential Vehicle Hazards
Carbon Monoxide poison f rom
engine exhaust.
Burns f rom hot parts.Injury f rom moving parts.
444
Improperly maintaining this
vehicle, or failing to correct a
problem before driving can
cause a crash in which you can
be seriously hurt or killed.
Always follow the inspection
and maintenance
recommendations and
schedules in this owner’s
manual.Failure to properly follow
maintenance instructions and
precautions can cause you to
be seriously hurt or killed.
Always follow the procedures
and precautions in this owner’s
manual.
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Displayed
Engine Oil Lif e (%)
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0% Calculated Engine
Oil Lif e (%)
100% 91%
90% 81%
80% 71%
70% 61%
60% 51%
50% 41%
40% 31%
30% 21%
20% 16%
15% 11%
10% 6%
5% 1%
0%
To see the remaining engine oil lif e
displayed on the lower right corner
on the multi-information display as a
percentage, turn the ignition switch
to the ON (II) position, and press the
SEL/RESET button on the steering
wheel repeatedly until the engine oil
lifeappears(seepage ). Your vehicle displays engine oil lif e
and maintenance service items on
the multi-information display to show
youwhenyoushouldhaveyour
dealer perf orm engine oil
replacement and indicated
maintenance service.
Based on engine operating
conditions and accumulated engine
revolutions, the onboard computer in
your vehicle calculates the remaining
engine oil lif e.The remaining engine oil lif e is
shown on the multi-inf ormation
display according to this table:
73
Maintenance Minder
Engine Oil L if e Display
Maint enance
445
REMAINING ENGINE OIL LIFE
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ÛÝ
When the remaining engine oil lif e is
15 to 6 percent, the multi-inf ormation
display shows a ‘‘SERVICE DUE
SOON’’ message along with the
maintenance schedule code(s)
indicating the main and sub items
required at the time of the oil change.
Refer to pages and for a
complete list of the maintenance
main items and sub items.Press the SEL/RESET button on the
steering wheel repeatedly to select
the engine oil lif e. The message
‘‘OIL LIFE’’ along with the
percentage of oil lif e remaining and
the maintenance item code(s),
appear on the lower part of the multi-
inf ormation display. Pressing either INFO button ( / )
switches the display f rom the
message to another display. Once
you switch the display, this message
will go of f .
Along with the message, the system
message indicator comes on (see
page ).
The message appears on the multi-
inf ormation display each time you
turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position.
This message reminds you that your
vehicle will soon be due f or
scheduled maintenance.68
453 454
Maintenance Minder
446
MESSAGE
MAINTENANCE
MAIN ITEMREMAINING
ENGINE OIL LIFE MAINTENANCE
SUB ITEM(S)MAINTENANCE
ITEM CODE(S)
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ÛÝ
CONT INUED
When the remaining engine oil lif e is
1 to 5 percent, the multi-information
display shows a ‘‘SERVICE DUE
NOW’’ message with the
maintenance items. When you see
this message have the indicated
maintenance perf ormed as soon as
possible.Press the SEL/RESET button on the
steering wheel repeatedly to select
the engine oil lif e. The message
‘‘SERVICE OIL LIFE’’, along with
‘‘5%’’, and the maintenance item
code(s) are displayed on the lower
part of the multi-inf ormation display
when the calculated engine oil lif e is
1 to 5 percent (see page ). Pressing either INFO button ( / )
switches the display f rom the
message to another display. Once
you switch the display, this message
will go of f .
445
Maintenance Minder
Maint enance
447
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ÝÛÛÝ
Press and hold the SEL/RESET
button on the steering wheel f or
more than 10 seconds. The
remaining engine oil lif e reset
mode will be shown on the multi-
inf ormation display.
To reset the engine oil lif e, press
the or button on the steering
wheel to select RESET on the
display, and press the SEL/
RESET button.To cancel resetting the oil life,
press the or button on the
steering wheel to select CANCEL
on the display, and press the SEL/
RESET button.
If you do not complete the reset
procedure within 30 seconds af ter
selecting the reset mode, the mode
will be canceled automatically. Your dealer will reset the display
af ter completing the required
maintenance service. You will see
‘‘OIL LIFE 100%’’ on the display the
next time you turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position.
If the engine oil lif e display is not
displayed, press the SEL/RESET
buttononthesteeringwheel
repeatedly until it is. Turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position. The maintenance item code or codes
indicate the main and sub items
required at the time of the oil change
(see page ).
If maintenance service is done by
someone other than your dealer,
reset the Maintenance Minder as
f ollows:
1.
2.3. 453
Maintenance Minder
448
U.S.
Canada
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ÛÝ Immediately have the service
perf ormed, and make sure to reset
the engine oil lif e display as
previously described.
If the indicated maintenance service
is not done and the remaining engine
oil lif e reaches 0%, the multi-
inf ormation display will show the
message ‘‘SERVICE PAST DUE’’
and the maintenance item code(s).
This message is displayed when the
total distance traveled is less than 10
miles (f or U.S. models) or 10 km (f or
Canadian models) af ter the engine
oillifebecame0%.Press the SEL/RESET button on the
steering wheel repeatedly to select
the engine oil lif e minder. The
message ‘‘SERVICE OIL LIFE’’,
along with ‘‘0%’’, and the
maintenance item code are displayed
on the lower part of the multi-
inf ormation display when the
calculated engine oil lif e is 0 percent. These messages will come on every
time you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position.
Pressing either INFO button ( / )
switches the display f rom the
message to another display. To see
the message again, press either
INFO button repeatedly.
CONT INUED
Maintenance Minder
Maint enance
449
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ÛÝ Also, the percentage ‘‘0’’ keeps
blinking on the display.
If the indicated required service is
not done and the remaining engine
oil lif e becomes 0%, the multi-
inf ormation display will show a
‘‘SERVICE PAST DUE’’ message,
the total distance traveled after the
remaining oil lif e became 0%, and the
maintenance item code(s).This message is displayed again
when you drive over 10 miles (f or
U.S. models) or 10 km (f or Canadian
models) af ter seeing the 0% message.
Immediately have the service
perf ormed, and make sure to reset
the display as previously described. This particular message is displayed
whenthemileageaftertheengineoil
lif e became 0% reaches 10 miles (f or
U.S. models)/10 km (f or Canadian
models).
These messages will come on every
time you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position.
Pressing either INFO button ( / )
switches the display f rom the
message to another display. To see
the message again, press either
INFO button repeatedly.
Maintenance Minder
450
U.S.
MAINTENANCE ITEM CODE(S)
CanadaNEGATIVE DISTANCE TRAVELED
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