2008 Acura RL Owner's Manual

Cover the vehicle with a
‘‘breathable’’ cover, one made
f rom a porous material such as
cotton. Non-porous materials, such
as plastic sheeting, trap moisture,
which can damage the paint.
If possible, periodically run the
engine until it reaches f ull
operating temperature (the
cooling f ans cycle on and of f
twice). Pref erably, do this once a
month.
Vehicle Storage
430
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This section covers the more
common problems that motorists
experience with their vehicles. It
gives you inf ormation about how to
safely evaluate the problem and what
to do to correct it. If the problem has
stranded you on the side of the road,
you may be able to get going again.
If not, you will also f ind instructions
on getting your vehicle towed................
Driving with a Flat Tire .432
......................
Compact Spare Tire .435
....................
Changing a Flat Tire .436
.............
If the Engine Won’t Start .440
................................
Jump Starting .441
..............
If the Engine Overheats .444
.........
Low Oil Pressure Indicator .447
..........
Charging System Indicator .447
.......
Malf unction Indicator Lamp .448
...............
Brake System Indicator .449
Opening the Fuel Fill Door
....................................
Manually .450
..............................................
Fuses .451
..............................
Fuse Locations .456
......................
Emergency Towing .459
..........
If Your Vehicle Gets Stuck .459
Taking Care of the Unexpected
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
431
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Your vehicle is equipped with the
Michelin PAX system. Since each
Michelin PAX system tire has an
inner support ring that allows it to
continue running without air, it may
be dif f icult to immediately judge
f rom its appearance if a tire is
punctured. Your vehicle is also
equipped with a tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS), and this
system may be your f irst detection of
a f lat tire.If the indicator and the message
come on again, you probably have a
flat tire. In this case, you will see a
‘‘PAX SYSTEM WARNING’’
message on the multi-inf ormation
display.
The TPMS monitors the air pressure
of all f our tires whenever the ignition
switch is in the ON (II) position. It
will immediately sense if a tire starts
to lose its pressure, and give you
warning with the low tire pressure/
TPMS indicator in the instrument
panel and a ‘‘CHECK TIRE
PRESSURE’’ message on the multi-
inf ormation display. If the indicator
and the warning message do not
come on again af ter you inf late the
tire to its correct air pressure (see page ), it was probably a natural
loss of the air pressure and you can
continue driving as bef ore.
421
If equipped
Driving With a Flat Tire
MichelinPAX System
432
TM
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If you get a f lat tire, never try to
repair it yourself , and never replace a
flat tire with a compact spare tire.
With the PAX system tires, you can
drive up to about 125 miles (200 km)
even if one or more of your tires are
punctured. This allows you to drive
to the nearest Acura dealer or
authorized Michelin PAX system
dealer to have the tire(s) repaired.The above message shows that you
are driving your vehicle on a flat tire,
andshouldobservethe‘‘RUNFLAT
DRIVING’’ speed limit of 50 mph
(80 km/h). Drive to your nearest
Acura dealer or authorized Michelin
PAX system dealer, or call the PAX
help hotline at 1-877-PAXTIRE
(1-877-729-8473).If the display changes to the above
message, it means that ‘‘RUN FLAT
DRIVING’’ is nearing the limit, and
you have to stop driving soon. Take
your vehicle to the nearest Acura
dealer or authorized Michelin PAX
system dealer as soon as possible.
Follow the instructions shown on the
multi-inf ormation display, and drive
very caref ully.
CONT INUED
Driving With a Flat Tire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
433
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If you see the above message on the
multi-inf ormation display, you have
reached the limit of run f lat driving,
and you should stop driving
immediately. Be aware that if you
continue to drive, the noise and
vibration level f rom the tire will
increase signif icantly, and the tire
may no longer be repairable.Stop driving immediately when
you see a ‘‘RUN FLAT LIMIT
STOP DRIVING’’ message on the
multi-inf ormation display.
Continuous driving af ter this
message will make it impossible to
repair the tire.
Call a prof essional towing service
who can transport your vehicle on
f lat-bed equipment. Never tow your vehicle behind another vehicle with a
rope or chain. Flat-bed equipment is
the only way to transport your
vehicle.
Do not drive f aster than 50 mph
(80 km/h).
Drive caref ully. Your vehicle may
handle dif f erently f rom when the
tires are properly inf lated,
especially when cornering.
In its run f lat mode, a PAX system
tire is somewhat noisier than when
it is f ully inf lated, this is normal.
Although your vehicle is capable of
runflatdriving,youshouldalways
observe the f ollowing: If you cannot f ind an Acura dealer or
an authorized Michelin PAX system
dealer where you are driving, call the
PAX help hotline at 1-877-PAXTIRE
(1-877-729-8473).
Driving With a Flat Tire
Important Saf ety Precautions
434
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Use the compact spare tire as a
temporary replacement only. Get
your regular tire repaired or replaced,
and put it back on your vehicle as
soon as you can.
Check the inf lation pressure of the
compact spare tire every time you
check the other tires. It should be
inf lated to:Replace the tire when you can see
the tread wear indicator bars. The
replacement should be the same size
and design tire, mounted on the
samewheel.Thesparetireisnot
designed to be mounted on a regular
wheel, and the spare wheel is not
designed f or mounting a regular tire.
Do not mount snow chains on the
compact spare tire.
Do not use your compact spare
tire on another vehicle unless it is
thesamemakeandmodel.
Follow these precautions:
Never exceed 50 mph (80 km/h).
This tire gives a harsher ride and
less traction on some road
surf aces. Use greater caution
while driving.
After the flat tire is replaced with
the spare tire, the low tire
pressure/TPMS indicator stays on.
Af ter several miles (kilometers)
driving with the spare, this
indicator begins to f lash, then
stays on again. You will also see a
‘‘CHECK TPMS SYSTEM’’
message on the multi-inf ormation
display (see page ). 375
Compact Spare Tire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
435
INDICATOR LOCATION MARKS
TREAD WEAR INDICATORS
60 psi (420 kPa , 4.2 kgf/cm)
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Take the tool case out of the spare
tire.
Open the trunk, and fold the trunk
floor forward.
Unscrew the wing bolt, and
remove the spacer cone. Then
take the spare tire out of its well.
If you have a f lat tire while driving,
stop in a saf e place to change it.
Drive slowly along the shoulder until
you get to an exit or an area to stop
that is far away from the traffic lanes.
Park the vehicle on f irm, level, and
non-slippery ground. Put the
transmission in Park. Apply the
parking brake.
If you are towing a trailer, unhitch
it.
Turn on the hazard warning lights,
and turn the ignition switch to the
LOCK (0) position. Have all
passengers get out of the vehicle
while you change the tire.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Models without Michelin PAX System
Changing a Flat Tire
436
SPARE TIRE
TRUNK FLOOR
TOOL CASE JACK
The vehicle can easily roll off
the jack, seriously injuring
anyone underneath.
Follow the directions for
changing a tire exactly, and
never get under the vehicle
when it is supported only by the
jack.
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ÚUse the extension and the wheel
nut wrench as shown to raise the
vehicle until the f lat tire is of f the
ground.
Remove the wheel nuts, then
remove the f lat tire. Temporarily
place the flat tire on the ground
with the outside surface of the
wheel f acing up. You could scratch
the wheel if you put it f ace down.
Loosen each wheel nut 1/2 turn
with the wheel nut wrench.
Place the jack under the jacking
point nearest the tire you need to
change. It is pointed to by a
mark molded into the underside of
the body. Turn the end bracket
clockwise until the top of the jack
contacts the jacking point. Make
sure the jacking point tab is
restinginthejacknotch.
6. 7. 8.
9.
CONT INUED
Changing a Flat Tire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
437
WHEEL NUT WRENCH WHEEL NUT WRENCH
EXTENSION
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