Acura TL 2003 3.2 Owner's Manual

Thecompactsparetirehasashorter
tread lif e than a regular tire. Replace
it when you can see the tread wear
indicator bars. The replacement
should be the same size and design
tire, mounted on the same wheel.
Thecompactsparetireisnot
designed to be mounted on a regular
wheel, and the compact wheel is not
designed f or mounting a regular tire.
Check the inf lation pressure of the
compact spare tire every time you
check the other tires. It should be
inf lated to: Your car has a compact spare tire
that takes up less space. Use this
sparetireasatemporaryreplace-
ment only. Get your regular tire
repaired or replaced and put it back
on your car as soon as you can.
Follow these precautions whenever
you are using the compact spare tire:
Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h)
under any circumstances.
This tire gives a harsher ride and
less traction on some road sur-
f aces than the regular tire. Use
greater caution while driving on
this tire. Do not mount snow chains on the
compact spare.
The wheel of the compact spare
tire is designed especially to f it
your car. Do not use your spare
tire on another vehicle unless it is
thesamemakeandmodel.
Turn off the Traction Control
System (see page ). Driving
withthecompactsparetiremay
activate the TCS.
Turn of f the VSA system (see
page ).
Driving with the compact spare
tiremayactivatetheVSAsystem.
204
207
Premium model
Type-S
Compact Spare Tire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed288
I INND DI
ICCA A T
TO
OR R L
LOOC CAA T
TI
IOON N M
MA
AR
RKK
T
T R
RE EA
A D
D W
WE EA
A R
R I
INND DI
ICCA A T
TO
OR R B
BAA R
R
60 psi (420 kPa , 4.2 kgf/cm)

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.
The tools are in the tool box on
the right side of the trunk. Take
the tools out of the tool box. Unscrew the wing bolt and take
the spare tire out of its well.
Park the car on f irm, level, and
non-slippery ground away f rom
traffic. Put the transmission in
Park. Apply the parking brake.
If you are towing a trailer, unhitch
the trailer.
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. 5. 4. 3.
2. 1.
CONT INUED
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed289
T T
O
OO OLL B
BOOX X
H
H
O
OO OKK T
T
R
RU UN NKK F
FLLOOO ORR
S
SP PA
A R
REE T
TI
IRRE E J
JA
A C
CKK
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.

Turn the jack’s end bracket
counterclockwise to loosen it, then
remove the jack.
The jack is behind a cover in the
right f ender. Remove the cover by
turning the handle counterclock-
wise, then pulling on the cover. Loosen the f ive wheel nuts 1/2
turn with the wheel wrench.
6.
7.8.
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Changing a Flat T ire
290
J JA
A C
CKK W
WH
HE
EE
EL
L N
NUUTTS
S

CONT INUED
Use the extension and wheel
wrench as shown to raise the
vehicle until the f lat tire is of f the
ground.
Locate the jacking point nearest
thetireyouneedtochange.Itis
pointed to by an arrow molded into
the underside of the body. Place
the jack under the jacking point.
Turn the end bracket clockwise
until the top of the jack contacts
the jacking point. Make sure the
jacking point tab is resting in the
jack notch. Remove the wheel nuts and f lat
tire. Temporarily place the f lat tire
on the ground with the outside
surf ace of the wheel f acing up.
You could scratch the wheel if you
putitfacedown.
9.
10.
11.
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed291
J JAA C
CKKIINNG G P
PO
OI INNT T W
WH
HE
EE
EL
L W
WR REEN
NC CHH E
E
X
X T
TE
EN
NS SIIOON N

Put on the spare tire. Put the
wheel nuts back on f inger-tight,
then tighten them in a crisscross
pattern with the wheel wrench
until the wheel is f irmly against
the hub. Do not try to tighten
them f ully.
Bef ore mounting the spare tire,
wipeanydirtoff themounting
surface of the wheel and hub with
a clean cloth. Wipe the hub
carefully,itmaybehotfrom
driving.
Lowerthecartothegroundand
remove the jack.
12.
13.14.
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Changing a Flat T ire
292
B BRRAA K
KEE H
HU
UB B

Tighten the wheel nuts securely in
the same crisscross pattern. Have
the wheel nut torque checked at
the nearest automotive service
f acility.
Tighten the wheel nuts to:Place the flat tire face down in the
spare tire well.
Remove the spacer cone f rom the
wing bolt, turn it over, and put it
back on the bolt.
Secure the f lat tire by screwing
the wing bolt back into its hole.
Remove the center cap before
storing the f lat tire in the trunk
well.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
CONT INUED
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed293
W WIINNG G B
BOOL LTT S
SPPA
A C
CEER
R
C
CO ON NEE
80 lbf·ft (108 N·m , 11 kgf·m)

Store the jack in its holder. Turn
the jack’s end bracket to lock it in
place. Replace the cover. Store the
tools.Unclip the hook f rom the trunk lid
and lower the trunk f loor.
Close the trunk lid.
Store the center cap in the trunk.
Make sure it does not get scratch-
ed or damaged.
20.
21. 22.
23.
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Changing a Flat T ire
294
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.

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:
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. Check the transmission interlock.
The transmission must be in Park
orNeutralorthestarterwillnot
operate.
Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights and check
their brightness. If the headlights
are very dim or don’t light at all,
the battery is discharged. See
on page . Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim,
check the condition of the f uses. If
the f uses are OK, there is proba-
bly something wrong with the
electrical circuit f or the ignition
switch or starter motor. You will
need a qualif ied technician to
determine the problem. (See
on page .)
If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the
engine, either the battery is dis-
charged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of
the battery and terminal connec-
tions (see page ). You can
then try jump starting the car from
a booster battery (see page ).
296 312
253 296
If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
Jump Starting Emergency T owing
295

In this case, the starter motor’s
speed sounds normal, or even f aster
than normal, when you turn the
ignition switch to START (III), but
the engine does not run.If your car’s battery has run down,
you may be able to start the engine
by using a booster battery. Although
this seems like a simple procedure,
you should take several precautions.
You cannot start your Acura by
pushing or pulling it.
If youfindnothingwrong,youwill
need a qualif ied technician to f ind
the problem. See
on page .
There may be an electrical
problem, such as no power to the
f uel pump. Check all the f uses
(see page ). Do you have f uel? Turn the
ignition switch to ON (II) for a
minute and watch the f uel gauge.
The low f uel level warning light
may not be working, so you were
not reminded to f ill the tank.
Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to on page .
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.
77
189 307
312
T he Starter Operates Normally
Jump Starting
Emergency
Towing
Starting the
Engine
If Your Engine Won’t Start, Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed296
A battery can explode if you do
not follow the correct procedure,
seriously injuring anyone
nearby.
Keep all sparks, open flames,
and smoking materials away
from the battery.

µ
´ ´
CONT INUED
Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative ( ) terminal on
the booster battery. Connect the
other end to the grounding strap
as shown. Do not connect this
jumper cable to any other part of
the engine.
Remove the battery cover.
To jump start your car, f ollow these
directions closely:
Open the hood and check the
physical condition of the battery
(see page ). In very cold
weather, check the condition of
the electrolyte. If it seems slushy
or like ice, do not try jump starting
until it thaws.
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. 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.
4.
5.
3.
1.
2. 253
Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed297
P P
r
reem m i
iuu m
m m
mo
od
de
ell
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.