2000 Acura RL engine

Changin
g a Fla t Tire , I f You r Engin e Won' t Star t
19. Slip the hole at the top of the jack over the bracket in the trunk well.
Turn the jack's end bracket to lock
it in place. Store the tool kit back
in its place.
20. Unclip the hook from the trunk lid and lower the trunk floor.
21. Store the center cap and spacer
basket i
n the trunk. Make sure the
center cap will
not get scratched
or damaged.
22. Close th
e trunk lid. I
f You r
Engin
e Won' t Star t
Diagnosing why your engine won't start falls 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
faster than normal, but the engine does not start up
and run. Nothin
g Happen s
o
r th e Starte r
Moto r Operate s Ver y Slowl y
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:
Your car has the ImmobilizerSystem. You should use a
properly-coded master or valet key
to start the engine (see page 78).
A key that is not properly coded will cause the immobilizer systemindicator in the dash panel to blinkrapidly. Check the transmission interlock.
The transmission must be in Park or Neutral or the starter will not

operate.

Takin g Car e o f th e Unexpecte d

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.

I
f You r Engin e Won' t Star t

Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights and check their brightness. If the headlightsare very dim or don't light at all,
the battery is discharged. See

Jum p Startin g on page 278.
Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim,
check the condition of the fuses. If
the fuses are OK, there is proba-
bly something wrong with the
electrical circuit for the ignition switch or starter motor. You will
need a qualified technician to determine the problem. (See

Emergenc y Towin g on page 292.)
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 234). You can
then try jump starting the car froma booster battery (see page 278 ).
Th e Starte r
Operate
s Normall y
In this case, the starter motor's
speed sounds normal, or even faster
than normal, when you turn the
ignition switch to START (III), but
the engine does not run. Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Refer to Startin g th e
Engin e on page 179 . Do you have fuel? Turn the
ignition switch to ON (II) for a
minute and watch the fuel gauge.
The low fuel level warning light may not be working, so you werenot reminded to fill the tank. There may be an electrical
problem, such as no power to the
fuel pump. Check all the fuses
(see page 287).

If you find nothing wrong, you will need a qualified technician to find
the problem. See Emergenc y
Towin g on page 292.
Takin g Car e o f th e Unexpecte d

Jum
p Startin g
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 bypushing or pulling it. To jump start your car, follow these
directions closely:
1. Open the hood and check the physical condition of the battery
(see page 234). 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.

If a battery sits in extreme cold, the
electrolyte inside can freeze.
Attempting to jump start with a frozen
battery can cause it to rupture.

2. Turn off all the electrical acces- sories: climate control, stereo
system, lights, etc.
Put the transmission in Neutral or
Park and set the parking brake.

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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.
NOTICE

Jum
p Startin g

3. Connect one jumper cable to the
positive ( + )
terminal on the
booster battery. Connect the other
end to the positive ( + ) terminal
on your Acura's battery. 4. Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative ( — ) terminal on
the booster battery. Connect theother end to the ground wire on
the right side of the engine as shown. Do not connect this jumper
cable to any other part of the

engine.

5. If the booster battery is in another vehicle, have an assistant startthat vehicle and run it at a fast idle. 6. Start your car. If the starter motor
still operates slowly, check the
jumper cable connections to make sure they have good metal-to-
metal contact.
7. Once your car is
running, discon-
nect th
e negative cable from your
car, then from the booster battery.
Disconnect the positive cable from
your car, then the booster battery.

Takin g Car e o f th e Unexpecte d

BOOSTE
R BATTER Y

I
f You r Engin e Overheat s

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.

Driving with the temperature gauge
pointer at the red mark can cause serious damage to your engine. Your car can overheat for 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 from under the hood.

In either case, you should take

immediate action.
1. Safely pull to the side of the road.
Put the transmission in Neutral or
Park and set the parking brake.
Turn off the climate control and all
other accessories. Turn on the
hazard warning indicators.
2. If you see steam
and/or spray
coming from under the hood, turn
of

f the engine.
3. I

f 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.
Takin g Car e
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NOTIC
E

Steam and spray from an
overheated engine can
seriously scald you.
Do not open the hood if steam
is coming out.

I
f You r Engin e Overheat s
4. If the temperature gauge stays at the red mark, turn off the engine.
5. Wait until you see no more signs of steam or spray, then open the

hood.

6. Look for any obvious coolant leaks, such as a split radiator hose.
Everything is still extremely hot,
so use caution. If you find a leak, it
must be repaired before you continue driving (see Emergenc y
Towin g on page 292).
7. If you don't find an obvious leak, check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank (see page170). If the level is below the
MIN mark, add coolant to halfway
between the MIN and MAX marks.
8. 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, before check- ing the radiator.
9. Using gloves or a large heavy cloth, turn the radiator cap
counterclockwise, without pushing
down, to the first 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. 10. 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 filler neck. If you do
not have the proper coolant
mixture available, you can add
plai
n water. Remember to have
the cooling system drained and
refilled with the proper mixture as
soon as you can.
11. Put the radiator cap back
on
tightly. Run the engine and watch
the temperature gauge. If it goes
back t

o the red mark, the engine
needs repair. (See Emergenc y
Towin g o

n page 29
2.)
12. 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.

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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.

Lo
w Oi l Pressur e Indicato r

This indicator should light when the ignition switch is ON (II), and go outafter the engine starts. It should
never come on when the engine is
running. If it starts flashing, it
indicates that the oil pressure
dropped very low for a moment, then
recovered. If the indicator stays on
with the engine running, it shows that the engine has lost oil pressure
and serious engine damage is
possible
. I
n either case, you should
take immediate action.
Running the engine with low oil
pressure can cause serious mechanical
damage almost immediately. Turn off
the engine as soon as you can safely get
the car stopped.

1.

Safely pull off the road and shut

off the engine. Turn on the hazard

warning indicators.
2. Let the car sit for a minute. Open the hood and check the oil level
(see page
169). Although oil level
and oil pressure are not directly connected, a
n engine that is very
low on oil can lose pressure during cornering and other driving

maneuvers.

3. If necessary, add oil to bring the level back to the full mark on the
dipstick (see page
215). 4. Start the engine and watch the oil
pressure indicator. If the light
does not go out within ten seconds,
turn off the engine. There is a
mechanical problem that needs tob

e repaired before you can
continue driving. (See Emergenc y
Towin g o

n page 29
2.)
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NOTIC
E

LO W OI L PRESSUR E INDICATO R

Chargin
g Syste m Indicato r

This indicator should come on when the ignition switch is ON (II), and goout after the engine starts. If it
comes on brightly when the engine
is running, it indicates that the charging system has stopped
charging the battery. Immediately turn off all electrical
accessories: radio, climate control,
rear defogger, 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. 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.

Takin g Car e o f th e Unexpecte d

CHARGIN
G SYSTE M INDICATO R