2001 Acura RL fuel pump

2001 RL Online Reference Owner's Manual
Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through\
this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.h\
elminc.com.
Contents
Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safet y........................................................................\
.........................................ii
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
..................................... .5
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restr\
aint System.
Instruments and Control s........................................................................\
........................................ .51
Instrument panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering colu\
mn controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features ........................................................................\
..................... 121
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
..........................................................167
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
..................................................................... .179
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................203
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your vehicle to the dealer.
Appearance Car e........................................................................\
..................................................... .263
Tips on cleaning and protecting your vehicle. Things to look for if your\
vehicle ever needs body repairs.
Taking Care of the Unexpecte d........................................................................\
..............................271
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, a nd how to handle them.
Technical Informatio n........................................................................\
.............................................299
ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)................................................................313
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manu als (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................319
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index........................................................................\
........................................................................\
...... I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

Accord Value Package Audio System Owner's Identification Form

Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
............................................ 2

Break-in Period, Gasoline

Break-in Period

Help assure your car's future
reliability and performance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the first 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period: Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid

acceleration.
Avoid hard braking. New brakes
need to be broken-in by moderate
use for the first 200 miles (300

km).
Do not change the oil until the
recommended time or mileage
interval shown in the maintenance
schedule.

You should follow these same re- commendations with an overhauled
or exchanged engine, or when the
brakes are relined.
Gasoline

Your Acura is designed to operate on premium unleaded gasoline with a
pump octane number of 91 or higher.
If you are unable to find premium unleaded gasoline, you may substi-
tute an unleaded regular gasoline.
The engine will compensate for the lower octane, but you may notice aslight decrease in power as a result.
We recommend gasolines containing detergent additives that help prevent
fuel system and engine deposits.
Using gasoline containing lead will
damage your car's emissions
controls. This contributes to air
pollution. In Canada, some gasolines contain
an octane-enhancing additive called
MMT. If you use such gasolines,
your emissions control system performance may deteriorate and
the Malfunction Indicator Lamp on
your instrument panel may turn on. If this happens, contact your
authorized Acura dealer for service.

Before Driving

Service Station Procedures

Filling the Fuel Tank

1. Because the fuel fill cap is on the
driver's side of the car, park with that side closest to the service station pumps.

2. Open the fuel fill door by pulling

on the handle to the left of the
driver's seat.

3. Remove the fuel fill cap slowly.

You may hear a hissing sound as
pressure inside the tank escapes.
Place the cap in the holder on the
fuel fill door.

4. Stop filling the tank after the fuel

nozzle automatically clicks off. Do
not try to "top off" the tank, leave
some room for the fuel to expand
with temperature changes.

Your car has an on-board refueling
vapor recovery system to help
keep fuel vapors from going into
the atmosphere. If the fuel pump
keeps clicking off even though the
tank is not full, there may be a
problem with this system. Consult
your dealer.

CONTINUED

Before Driving
FUEL FILL CAP

Gasoline is highly flammable
and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured
when handling fuel.

Stop the engine and keep

heat, sparks, and flame away.Handle fuel only outdoors.
Wipe up spills immediately.

Pull

Windshield Washers

Check the level in the windshield
washer reservoir at least monthly during normal usage. In bad weather,
when you use the washers often, check the level every time you stop

for fuel.

The windshield washer reservoir is located behind the driver's side

headlight.

Check the reservoir's fluid level by
removing the cap and looking at the
float. It should be up to the top of the neck. If the float is at the bottom of
the neck, the reservoir is nearly
empty.
Fill the reservoir with a good-quality
windshield washer fluid. This increases the cleaning capability and
prevents freezing in cold weather.

Do not use engine antifreeze or a
vinegar/water solution in the
windshield washer reservoir.
Antifreeze can damage your ear's paint, while a vinegar/water solution can
damage the windshield washer pump.
Use only commercially-available
windshield washer fluid.

When you refill the reservoir, clean the edges of the windshield wiper
blades with windshield washer fluidon a clean cloth. This will help to
condition the blade edges.

Maintenance

FLOAT

NOTICE

If Your Engine Won't Start

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

Jump Starting on page 280 .
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

Emergency Towing on page 296 .)
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 236). You can
then try jump starting the car from a booster battery (see page 280).
The Starter Operates Normally In this case, the starter motor'sspeed 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 Starting the
Engine on page 181. 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 were
not 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 292).

If you find nothing wrong, you will
need a qualified technician to find
the problem. See Emergency
Towing on page 296 .

Taking Care of the Unexpected

Oxygenated Fuels

Some conventional gasolines are

being blended with alcohol or an
ether compound. These gasolines

are collectively referred to as

oxygenated fuels. To meet clean air
standards, some areas of the United

States and Canada use oxygenated

fuels to help reduce emissions.

If you use an oxygenated fuel, be
sure it is unleaded and meets the

minimum octane rating requirement.

Before using an oxygenated fuel, try

to confirm the fuel's contents. Some
states/provinces require this

information to be posted on the

pump.
The following are the U.S. EPA and
Canadian CGSB approved
percentages of oxygenates:
ETHANOL (ethyl or grain alcohol)
You may use gasoline containing up to 10 percent ethanol by volume.Gasoline containing ethanol may be
marketed under the name "Gasohol."
MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl
Ether)
You may use gasoline containing up
to 15 percent MTBE by volume.
METHANOL (methyl or wood
alcohol)

Your vehicle was not designed to use fuel that contains methanol.Methanol can corrode metal parts in
the fuel system, and also damage
plastic and rubber components. This damage would not be covered by
your warranties. If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline.
Fuel system damage or performance
problems resulting from the use of an oxygenated fuel containing more
than the percentages of oxygenates
given above are not covered under
warranty.
Technical Information

Service Information Summary

Gasoline:
Premium unleaded gasoline,
pump octane number of 91 or
higher.

Fuel Tank Capacity: 18.0 US gal (68 l ,15.0 Imp gal)
Recommended Engine Oil:
API Service SJ "Energy Conserving" oil, SAE 5W-30
viscosity (see page 217 ).
Oil change capacity (including

filter):

4.9 US qt (4.6 l , 4.0 Imp qt)
Automatic Transmission Fluid: Honda ATF-Z1 (Automatic
Transmission Fluid) preferred, or
a DEXRON ®
lll ATF as a

temporary replacement (see page 228). Power Steering Fluid:
Honda Power Steering Fluid
preferred, or another brand of

power steering fluid as a

temporary replacement. Do not
use ATF (see page 230 ).
Brake Fluid: Honda Heavy Duty Brake Fluid
DOT 3 preferred, or a DOT 3 or
DOT 4 brake fluid as a temporary
replacement (see page 230 ). Tire Pressure (measured cold):
Front/Rear:
29 psi (200 kPa , 2.0 kgf/cm2)
Spare Tire Pressure:
60 psi (420 kPa , 4.2 kgf/cm2)