2002 Acura RL 3.5 Owner's Manual

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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
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V VE
EH
H I
ICCL LEE I
IDD E
EN
NT TI
IFFI ICCA A T
TI
IOON N N
NUUMM B
BEER
R
C
CEER
RT TI
IFFI ICCA A T
TI
IOON N L
LAA B
BEEL
L
The U.S. ca r

model
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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
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T TR
RA A N
NS SMM I
ISSS SIIOON N N
NUUMM B
BEER
R
E
E N
NG GIINNE E N
NUUMM B
BEER
R
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Specif ications
312
Dimensions
Weights
Air Conditioning Capacities
Excluding the oil remaining in the engine. Including the coolant in the reserve tank and that remaining in the
engine.
Reserve tank capacity: 4.5 US qt (4.3
, 3.8 Imp qt)
196.7 in (4,995 mm)
71.7 in (1,820 mm)
54.5 in (1,385 mm)
114.6 in (2,910 mm)
61.0 in (1,550 mm)
60.6 in (1,540 mm)
HFC-134a (R-134a)
24.7 26.5 oz (700 750 g) ND-OIL8 18.0 US gal (68
, 15.0 Imp gal)
1.61 US gal (6.1, 1.34 Imp gal)
2.27 US gal (8.6, 1.89 Imp gal)
4.9 US qt (4.6
, 4.0 Imp qt)
5.6 US qt (5.3
, 4.7 Imp qt)
3.2 US qt (3.0, 2.6 Imp qt)
9.1 US qt (8.6, 7.6 Imp qt)
1.11 US qt (1.05
,0.92Impqt)
1.16 US qt (1.10,0.97Impqt)
2.6 US qt (2.5, 2.2 Imp qt)
6.9 US qt (6.5, 5.7 Imp qt)
0.172 US gal (0.65
, 0.143 Imp gal)
Length
Width
Height
Wheelbase
Track
Gross vehicle weight rating See the certification label attached
to the driver’s doorjamb.
Refrigerant type
Charge quantity
Lubricant type Fuel tank
Engine
coolant
Engine oil
Automatic
transmission
fluid
Differential
oil
Windshield
washer
reservoir
1:
2: Approx.
Front
Rear Change
Total
Change
Including filter
Without filter
Total
Change
Total
Change
Total
U.S. Cars
Canada Cars
1
2
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Specif ications
313
Lights
Engine
Alignment
Tires
Battery
Fuses 12 V
12 V
55 W (H1) (High beam)
27/8 W
3.54x3.58in(90x91mm)212 cu-in (3,474 cm
)
9.6 : 1
0.00 in (0.0 mm)
0.08 in (2.0 mm) 0°
0° 30’
2° 50’
P225/55R16 94V
T135/80D16 101M
30 psi (210 kPa , 2.1 kgf/cm
)
60 psi (420 kPa , 4.2 kgf/cm)
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
21 W
21/5 W
55 W (H1)
21 W
3CP
21 W
3CP
5W
5W
3.4 W
3.4 W
2W
Headlights
Front turn signal/parking lights
Rear turn signal lights
Stop/Taillights
Front fog lights
High-mount brake light
Front side marker lights
Back-up lights
License plate lights
Ceiling lights
Trunk light
Door courtesy lights
Vanity mirror light Type
BorexStroke
Displacement
Compression ratio
Spark plugs
Water cooled 4-stroke
SOHC V-6 gasoline engine
Toe
Camber
Caster
Size
Pressure See spark plug maintenance
section page246.
Capacity 12 V 55 AH/5 HR
Interior
Under-hood See page304or the fuse box cover. See page305or the fuse label
attached to the inside of the fuse
box door under the dashboard.65 AH/20 HR
12 V Front
Rear
Front
Rear
Front
Front/Rear
Spare
Front/Rear
Spare
in
Front
Rear
Low beam headlight bulbs are a type of high voltage discharge
tube (D2R).
1:
1
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The treadwear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specif ied government
test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and one-
half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded
100. The relative perf ormance of
tires depends upon the actual condi-
tions of their use, however, and may
depart signif icantly f rom the norm
due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and dif f erences in
road characteristics and climate.
The tires on your car meet all U.S.
Federal Saf ety Requirements. All
tires are also graded for treadwear,
traction, and temperature perform-
ance according to Department of
Transportation (DOT) standards.
The f ollowing explains these
gradings.
Quality grades can be f ound where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between the tread shoulder and the
maximum section width. For
example:
The traction grades, f rom highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. These
grades represent the tire’s ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on
specif ied government test surf aces
of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction
perf ormance.
Warning: The traction grade
assignedtothistireisbasedon
straight-ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak
traction characteristics.
All passenger car tires must conf orm
to Federal Saf ety Requirements in
addition to these grades. T readwear
Unif orm T ire Quality Grading T readwear 200
Traction AA
Temperature A
DOT Quality Grades Traction AA, A, B, C
DOT T ire Quality Grading (U.S. Cars)
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µWarning: The temperature grade f or
this tire is established f or a tire that
is properly inf lated and not over-
loaded. Excessive speed, underinf la-
tion, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combination, can
cause heat buildup and possible tire
f ailure.
The temperature grades are A (the
highest), B, and C, representing the
tire’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled
conditions on a specif ied indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the material
of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature
can lead to sudden tire f ailure. The
grade C corresponds to a level of
perf ormance which all passenger car
tires must meet under the Federal
Motor Vehicle Saf ety Standard No.
109. Grades B and A represent
higher levels of perf ormance on the
laboratory test wheel than the
minimum required by law.
DOT T ire Quality Grading (U.S. Cars)
T echnical Inf ormation
Temperature A,B,C
315
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Some conventional gasolines are
being blended with alcohol or an
ether compound. These gasolines
are collectively ref erred to as
oxygenated f uels. To meet clean air
standards, some areas of the United
States and Canada use oxygenated
f uels to help reduce emissions.
If you use an oxygenated f uel, be
sure it is unleaded and meets the
minimum octane rating requirement.
Bef ore using an oxygenated f uel, try
to conf irm the f uel’s contents. Some
states/provinces require this
informationtobepostedonthe
pump.(Methyl Tertiary Butyl
Ether)
You may use gasoline containing up
to 15 percent MTBE by volume. (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.’’ The f ollowing are the U.S. EPA and
Canadian CGSB approved
percentages of oxygenates: If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline.
Fuel system damage or perf ormance
problems resulting f rom the use of
an oxygenated f uel containing more
than the percentages of oxygenates
given above are not covered under
warranty.
(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. MT BE ET HA NOL
MET HA NOL
Oxygenated Fuels
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If you are planning to take your
Acura outside the U.S. or Canada,
contact the tourist bureaus in the
areas you will be traveling in to f ind
out about the availability of unleaded
gasoline with the proper octane
rating.
If unleaded gasoline is not available,
be aware that using leaded gasoline
in your Acura will af f ect perf or-
mance and fuel mileage, and damage
its emissions controls. It will no
longer comply with U.S. and
Canadian emissions regulations, and
will be illegal to operate in North
America. To bring your car back into
compliance will require the replace-
ment of several components, such as
theoxygensensorsandthethree
way catalytic converter. These re-
placements are not covered under
warranty.
Driving in Foreign Countries
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