2008 Acura RL Owner's Manual

Bef ore mounting the spare tire,
wipeanydirtoff themounting
surface of the wheel and hub with
a clean cloth. Wipe the hub
carefully;itmaybehotfrom
driving.Put on the spare tire. Put the
wheel nuts back on f inger-tight,
then tighten them in a crisscross
pattern with the wheel nut wrench
until the wheel is f irmly against
the hub. Do not try to tighten the
wheel nuts f ully.Lower the vehicle to the ground,
and remove the jack.
10. 11. 12.
Changing a Flat Tire
438
BRAKE HUB
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Store the jack and tools in the tool
case. Place the tool case in the f lat
tire.
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: Place the flat tire face down in the
spare tire well.
Wrap the spacer cone and spare
tire wing bolt with cloth or paper,
and store them in the spare tire
well.Lower the trunk f loor, then close
the trunk lid.
Refer to
(see page ).
14.
13.
15.16.
17.
18. 372
Changing a Flat Tire
Changing a T ire with
TPMS
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
439
WING BOLT SPACER CONE
94 lbf·ft (127 N·m , 13 kgf·m)
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.
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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.When you turn the ignition switch to
the START (III) position, you do not
hear the normal noise of the engine
trying to start. You may hear a
clicking sound, a series of clicks, or
nothing at all.
Turn the ignition switch to the
START (III) position. If the
headlights do not dim, check the
condition of the f uses. If the f uses
areOK,thereisprobably
something wrong with the
electrical circuit f or the ignition
switch or starter motor. You will
need a qualif ied technician to
determine the problem. See
on page .
Diagnosing why the engine won’t
start f alls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
ignition switch to the START (III)
position:
Check these things:
Turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position. Turn on the
headlights, and check their
brightness. If the headlights are
very dim or do not come on at all,
the battery is discharged. See on page .
Check the transmission interlock.
The transmission must be in Park
or neutral or the starter will not
operate.
Make sure the remote is with you,
inside the vehicle.
If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the
engine, either the battery is
discharged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of the
battery and terminal connections
(see page ). You can then try
jump starting the vehicle from a
booster battery (see page ).
441 459
427 441
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
Emergency T owing
Jump Starting
If theEngineWon’tStart
440
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In this case, the starter motor’s
speed sounds normal, or even f aster
than normal, when you turn the
ignition switch to the START (III)
position, but the engine does not run.Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to on page . 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 .
Are you using a properly coded
built-in key or remote? An
improperly coded built-in key or
remote will cause the immobilizer
system indicator in the instrument
panel to blink rapidly (see page ).
Do you have f uel? Check the f uel
gauge; the low f uel indicator may
not be working. Although this seems like a simple
procedure, you should take several
precautions.
You cannot start your vehicle by
pushing or pulling it.
64 347
453
459
T he Starter Operates Normally
Starting the
Engine Emergency
Towing Jump Starting
If the Engine Won’t Start, Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
441
A battery can explode if you do
not follow the correct procedure,
seriously injuring anyone
nearby.
Keep all sparks, open flames,
and smoking materials away
from the battery.
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´´
´
Open the hood, and check the
physical condition of the battery.
In very cold weather, check the
condition of the electrolyte. If it
seems slushy or f rozen, do not try
jump starting until it thaws.
Turn of f all the electrical acces-
sories: heater, A/C, climate
control, stereo system, lights, etc.
Put the transmission in Park, and
set the parking brake.
Remove the battery cover (see
page ), then remove the
secondary under-hood f use box
cover f rom the positive ( )
terminal on the battery.
Connect one jumper cable to the
positive ( ) terminal on your
vehicle’s battery. Connect the
other end to the positive ( )
terminal on the booster battery.
The numbers in the illustration show
you the order to connect the jumper
cables.
1.
2.
3.
4.
428
To Jump Start Your Vehicle:
Jump Starting
442
COVER
BOOSTER BATTERY
If a battery sits in extreme cold, the
electrolyte inside can f reeze.
Attempting to jump start with a f rozen
battery can cause it to rupture.
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´
µ Start your vehicle. If the starter
motor still operates slowly, check
that the jumper cables have good
metal-to-metal contact.
Once your vehicle is running,
disconnect the negative cable f rom
your vehicle, then f rom the
booster battery. Disconnect the
positive cable f rom your vehicle,
then from the booster battery.
Reinstall the secondary under-
hood f use box cover over the
positive ( ) terminal of the
battery, then reinstall the battery
cover.
If the booster battery is in another
vehicle, have an assistant start
that vehicle and run it at a fast idle.
Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative ( ) terminal on
the booster battery. Connect the
other end to the grounding point
as shown. Do not connect this
jumper cable to any other part of
the engine. Keep the ends of the jumper cables
away from each other and any metal
on the vehicle until everything is
disconnected. Otherwise, you may
cause an electrical short.
7.
5.
6. 8.
9.
Jump Starting
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
443
Connecting the jumper cable to the
secondary under-hood f use box causes
the f uses blown.
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The pointer of the vehicle’s
temperature gauge should stay in
the midrange. If it climbs to the red
mark, you should determine the
reason (hot day, driving up a steep
hill, etc.).
If your vehicle overheats, you should
take immediate action. The only
indicationmaybethetemperature
gauge climbing to or above the red
mark. Or you may see steam or
spray coming f rom under the hood.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,
the engine should start to cool
down almost immediately. If it
does, wait until the temperature
gauge comes down to the midpoint,
then continue driving.
If the temperature gauge stays at
the red mark, turn of f the engine.
Look f or any obvious coolant leaks,
such as a split radiator hose.
Everything is still extremely hot,
so use caution. If you f ind a leak, it
must be repaired bef ore you
continue driving (see
on page ).
If you see steam and/or spray
coming f rom under the hood,
turn of f the engine. Wait until
you see no more signs of steam
or spray, then open the hood.
Saf ely pull to the side of the road.
Put the transmission in Park, and
set the parking brake. Turn of f all
accessories, and turn on the
hazard warning lights.
1.
2. 3.
4.
5.
459Emergency
Towing
If theEngineOverheats
444
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 the engine.
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If you do not f ind an obvious leak,
check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. Add coolant
if the level is below the MIN mark.
If there was no coolant in the
reserve tank, you may need to add
coolant to the radiator. Let the
engine cool down until the pointer
reaches the middle of the tempera-
ture gauge, or lower, bef ore check-
ing the radiator.Using gloves or a large heavy
cloth, turn the radiator cap
counterclockwise, without pushing
down, to the f irst stop. Af ter the
pressure releases, push down on
the cap, and turn it until it comes
off.
Put the radiator cap back on
tightly. Run the engine, and check
the temperature gauge. If it goes
back to the red mark, the engine
needs repair (see
on page ).
If the temperature stays normal,
check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. If it has
gone down, add coolant to the
MAX mark. Put the cap back on
tightly.
Start the engine, and set the
interior temperature to maximum
(climate control to FULL AUTO at
‘‘ ’’). Add coolant to the
radiator up to the base of the f iller
neck. If you do not have the
proper coolant mixture available,
you can add plain water.
Remember to have the cooling
system drained and ref illed with
the proper mixture as soon as you
can.
6.
7.
8.
9.10.
11. 459
Emergency
Towing
If theEngineOverheats
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
445
Removing the radiator cap
while the engine is hot can
cause the coolant to spray out,
seriously scalding you.
Always let the engine and
radiator cool down before
removing the radiator cap.
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