2003 Acura CL 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.
Do not drive with the compact
sparetiremountedonthefront
wheels f or a long period; it will
damage the Limited Slip
Dif f erential.
213
210
Premium model
Type-S with M/T
Type-S with A/T
Compact Spare Tire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed294
I IN
ND 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.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.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
traf f ic. Put the transmission in
Park (automatic) or Reverse
(manual). Apply the parking brake. Open the trunk. Raise the trunk
f loor by pulling up on the handle.
To keep the f loor out of the way,
hook the handle over the edge of
the trunk opening.5. 4.
3. 2.
1.
CONT INUED
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed295
T T R
RU UN NKK F
FL
LOOO ORR
S
SP PA
A R
REE T
TI
IRRE E T
TO
OO OLL B
BOOX X
H
H
A
AN
ND DL
LEE
H
H A
AN
ND DL
LEE
J
JAA 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.

Loosen the f ive wheel nuts 1/2
turn with the wheel wrench.
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.
6.
7.8.
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Changing a Flat T ire
296
W WHHE
EE
EL
L W
WR REEN
NC CHH
J
JA
A C
CKK

Ú
CONT INUED
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.
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 a mark 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
restinginthejacknotch.
9.
10.
11.
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed297
E EX
X T
TE
EN
NS SIIOON N
J
J A
A C
CKKIINNG G P
PO
OI INNT T W
WH
HE
EE
EL
L
W
WR REEN
NC CHH

Lowerthecartothegroundand
remove the jack.
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.
12.
13.14.
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Changing a Flat T ire
298
B BRRAA K
KEE H
HU
UB B

CONT INUED
Remove the center cap before
storing the f lat tire in the trunk
well.Place the flat tire face down in the
spare tire well.
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: 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.
16.
15.
17.
18.
19.
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed299
C CEEN
NT TE
ER
R C
CAA P
P W
WI
INNG G B
BOOL LT
T S
SPPA
A C
CEER
R C
COON 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.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.
Store the center cap in the trunk.
Make sure it does not get scratch-
ed or damaged.
Unhook the handle f rom the trunk
opening and lower the f loor lid.
Close the trunk lid.
20.
21.
22.
23.
Changing a Flat Tire, If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
If Your Engine Won’t Start
300
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: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
thefusesareOK,thereisproba-
bly something wrong with the
electrical circuit for 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 ).
303 320
259
303
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
301