2004 Acura RL warning

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. Seeon 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 .) 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.
There may be an electrical
problem, such as no power to the
f uel pump. Check all the f uses
(see page ).
If youfindnothingwrong,youwill
need a qualif ied technician to f ind
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 vehicle
f rom a booster battery (see page
).
Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to on page .
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.
316
332 272
316
217 328
332
If Your Engine Won’t Start
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Jump Starting
Emergency T owing Emergency
Towing
Starting the
Engine
T he Starter Operates Normally
315

If you see steam and/or spray
coming f rom under the hood, turn
of f the engine.
If 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. Saf ely pull to the side of the road.
Put the transmission in Neutral or
Park and set the parking brake.
Turn of f the climate control and all
otheraccessories.Turnonthe
hazard warning indicators.
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. Your car can overheat f or 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 f rom under the hood.
In either case, you should take
immediate action.1.
2.
3.
CONT INUED
If Your Engine Overheats
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed319
Steam and spray from an
overheated engine can
seriously scald you.
Do not open the hood if steam
is coming out.
Driving with the temperature gauge
pointer at the red mark can cause
serious damage to your engine.

Start the engine and watch the oil
pressure indicator. If the light
does not go out within ten seconds,
turn of f the engine. There is a
mechanical problem that needs to
be repaired bef ore you can
continue driving. (Seeon page .)
Saf ely pull of f the road and shut
of f the engine. Turn on the hazard
warning indicators.
This indicator should light when the
ignition switch is ON (II), and go out
af ter the engine starts. It should
never come on when the engine is
running. If it starts f lashing, it
indicates that the oil pressure
dropped very low f or 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. In either case, you should
take immediate action. If necessary, add oil to bring the
level back to the full mark on the
dipstick (see page ). Let the vehicle sit f or a minute.
Open the hood and check the oil
level (see page ). Although oil
levelandoilpressurearenot
directly connected, an engine that
is very low on oil can lose pressure
during cornering and other driving
maneuvers.
1.
2.
3. 4.
207 253 332
Emergency
Towing
L ow Oil Pressure Indicator
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed321
LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR
Running the engine with low oil
pressure can cause serious mechanical
damage almost immediately. Turn of f
the engine as soon as you can saf ely get
the vehicle stopped.

µ
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. Those
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 vehicle 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 Traction AA, A, B, C
DOT T ire Quality Grading (U.S. Cars)
T echnical Inf ormation340

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
vehicle 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
341

.............
Halogen Headlight Bulbs . 288
..............
Hazard Warning Flashers . 75
Headlights ........................................
Aiming .288
....................
Automatic Lighting .69
............
Daytime Running Lights . 70
..................
High Beam Indicator . 62
....................
Lights On Indicator .59
.........................
Reminder Chime .68
........
Replacing Halogen Bulbs . 288
...................................
Turning on .68
..............................
Head Restraints .94
.............
High Altitude, Starting at . 217
.................
High-Low Beam Switch . 68
..............
High-mount Brake Light . 293
............................
Fabric, Cleaning .303
..........................
Fan, Interior .124, 129
Features, Comfort and ..............................
Convenience .119
....................
Filling the Fuel Tank . 205
Filters ................................
Air Cleaner .267
.........................
Dust and Pollen .278
...............................................
Oil .255
.............
Flashers, Hazard Warning . 75
...................
Flat Tire, Changing a . 309
.....................................
Floor Mats .302
Fluids ..........
Automatic Transmission . 264
..........................................
Brake .266
................................
Differential .265
..........................
Power Steering .266
..................
Windshield Washer . 263
FM Stereo Radio ...........................
Reception .135, 152
........................................
Fog Lights .72
.....
Foreign Countries, Driving in . 344
..........................
Four-way Flashers .75
..............................
Front Airbags .9 ,47 .................................................
Fuel .204
......................
Fill Door and Cap .205
...........................................
Gauge .65
................
Octane Requirement . 204
...............................
Oxygenated .343
........................
Reserve Indicator .62
........................
Tank, Filling the .205
..............
Fuel Mileage, Improving . 209
.....................
Fuses, Checking the .328
................
Gas Mileage Improving . 209
..........................................
Gasohol .343
.........................................
Gasoline .204
...............
Fuel Reserve Indicator . 62
...........................................
Gauge .65
................
Octane Requirement . 204
........................
Tank, Filling the .205
................
Gas Station Procedures . 205
.............................................
Gauges .63
...
Engine Coolant Temperature . 65
...............................................
Fuel .65
...............................
Speedometer .63
.................................
Tachometer .63 GAWR (Gross Axle Weight
.......................................
Rating) .233
............
Gearshif t Lever Positions . 218
..............................
Glass Cleaning .304
........................................
Glove Box .90
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight .......................................
Rating) .233
Index
G H
F
IV

Î
CONT INUED
.........................
Checking Wear .281
..........................
Compact Spare .308
......
DOT Tire Quality Grading . 340
......................................
Inf lation .279
..................................
Inspection .281
..............................
Maintenance .282
...................................
Replacing .283
......................................
Rotating .282
...........................................
Snow .285
............................
Specif ications .339
..........................
Winter Driving .284
...................
Tools, Tire Changing . 309
...............................
Torn Seat Belts .46
Towing .....................................
A Trailer .232
..........
By Emergency Wrecker . 332
Transmission Checking Fluid Level, ..............................
Automatic .264
...........................
Fluid Selection .264
..............
Identif ication Number . 337
.............
Shif ting the Automatic . 218
.....................................
Treadwear .340
.......................................
Trip Meter .64
................................................
Trunk .88
........
Emergency Trunk Opener . 89.................................
Opening the .88
...................
Open Monitor Light . 61
....................................
Turn Signals .71
.............
WARNING, Explanation of . ii
.........
Warning Labels, Location of . 54
..................
Warranty Coverages .353
Washer, Windshield ........
Checking the Fluid Level . 263
.....................................
Operation .75
.........................................
Washing .300
..................
Waxing and Polishing . 301
Wheels ...............
Adjusting the Steering . 76
............
Alignment and Balance . 282
......
Cleaning Aluminum Alloys . 301
..........................
Compact Spare .308
......................................
Wrench .310
.....................
Underside, Cleaning .305
Unexpected, Taking Care ..........................................
of the .307
....
Unif orm Tire Quality Grading . 340
........................
Unleaded Gasoline .204
.....................
Upholstery Cleaning .302
.......
Used Oil, How to Dispose of . 255
................................
Vanity Mirror .112
.................
Vehicle Capacity Load . 213
......................
Vehicle Dimensions .338
....
Vehicle Identif ication Number . 336
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) ....................................
System .227
........
VSA System Indicator . 60,228
...
VSA Activation Indicator . 60,227
.........................
VSA Of f Switch .228
.............................
Vehicle Storage .297 .............................
Ventilation .122, 127
.................................................
VIN .336
...............................
Vinyl Cleaning .303
..................................
Viscosity, Oil .252
Index
U
V W
IX