2009 Acura TL maintenance

This section explains why it is
important to keep your vehicle well
maintained and how to f ollow basic
maintenance saf ety precautions.
If you have the skills and tools to
perf orm more complex maintenance
tasks on your vehicle, you may want
to purchase the service manual. See
page f or inf ormation on how to
obtain a copy, or see your dealer.
This section also includes
instructions on how to read the
maintenance minder messages on
the multi-information display, and
instructions f or simple maintenance
tasks you may want to take care of
yourself .......................
Maintenance Saf ety .534
....................
Maintenance Minder .535
..............................
Fluid Locations .545
......
Engine Compartment Covers .546
........................
Adding Engine Oil .547
.........
Changing the Oil and Filter .548
..............................
Engine Coolant .550
....................
Windshield Washers .552
....
Automatic Transmission Fluid .553
....................................
Brake Fluid .555
.............................................
Lights .556
................
Cleaning the Seat Belts .564
.....................................
Floor Mats .565
..................
Dust and Pollen Filter .566
.................................
Wiper Blades .566
...............................................
Tires .568
...................
Checking the Battery .577
.............................
Vehicle Storage .578
633
Maintenance
Maint enance
533
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2009 TL

To eliminate potential hazards, read
the instructions bef ore you begin,
and make sure you have the tools
and skills required.Make sure your vehicle is parked
on level ground, the parking brake
is set, and the engine is of f .
To clean parts, use a commercially
available degreaser or parts
cleaner, not gasoline.
To reduce the possibility of f ire or
explosion, keep cigarettes, sparks,
and flames away from the battery
and all f uel-related parts. Wear eye protection and
protective clothing when working
with the battery or compressed air.
All service items not detailed in this
section should be perf ormed by a
certif ied technician or other qualif ied
mechanic.
Be sure there is
adequate ventilation whenever you
operate the engine.
Let the
engine and exhaust system cool down bef ore touching any parts.
Do
not run the engine unless
instructed to do so.
Some of the most important saf ety
precautions are given here. However,
we cannot warn you of every
conceivable hazard that can arise in
perf orming maintenance. Only you
can decide whether or not you
should perf orm a given task.
Maintenance Saf ety
Important Saf ety Precautions Potential Vehicle HazardsCarbon Monoxide poison f rom
engine exhaust.
Burns f rom hot parts. Injury f rom moving parts.
534
Failure to properly follow
maintenance instructions and
precautions can cause you to
be seriously hurt or killed.
Always follow the procedures
and precautions in this owner’s
manual.
Improperly maintaining this
vehicle, or failing to correct a
problem before driving can
cause a crash in which you can
be seriously hurt or killed.
Always follow the inspection
and maintenance
recommendations in this owner’s
manual.
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Your vehicle displays engine oil lif e
and maintenance service items on
the multi-information display to show
youwhenyoushouldhaveyour
dealer perf orm engine oil
replacement and indicated
maintenance service.
Based on the engine operating
conditions and accumulated engine
revolutions, the onboard computer in
your vehicle calculates the remaining
engine oil lif e and displays it as a
percentage.To see the current engine oil lif e
displayed on the multi-inf ormation
display, turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, and press the
SEL/RESET button on the steering
wheel repeatedly until the engine oil
lif e is displayed. Models equipped with the
keyless access system have an
engine start/stop button instead
of an ignition switch. ON Mode
is the equivalent of ON (II). For
more inf ormation, see pages
and .
:
180
178
Maintenance Minder
Engine Oil L if e Indicator
Maint enance
535
REMAINING ENGINE OIL LIFE
U.S. model is shown.
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Pressing either INFO button ( / )
switches the display f rom the
message to another display. Once
you switch the display, this message
will go of f .
Along with the message, the system
message indicator comes on (see
page ).
When the remaining engine oil lif e is
15 to 6 percent, the multi-inf ormation
display shows a ‘‘SERVICE DUE
SOON’’ message along with the
maintenance item code(s) indicating
themainandsubitemsrequiredat
thetimeof theoilchange.Referto
page f or a complete list of the
maintenance main items and sub
items.
The remaining engine oil lif e is
shown on the multi-inf ormation
display according to this table:
The message appears on the multi-
inf ormation display each time you
turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position.Models equipped with the
keyless access system have an
engine start/stop button instead
of an ignition switch. ON Mode
is the equivalent of ON (II). For
more inf ormation, see pagesand .
544 72
: 178180
Calculated Engine Oil Lif e (%)
100 % 91 % 90 % 81 %
80 % 71 %
70 % 61 %
60 % 51 %
50 % 41 %
40 % 31 %
30 % 21 %
20 % 16 %
15 % 11 %10 % 6 % 5% 1% 0% Displayed
Engine Oil Lif e (%) 100 %90 %
80 %
70 %
60 %
50 %
40 %
30 %
20 %
15 %
10 %5%
0%
Maintenance Minder
536
MAINTENANCE SUB ITEM CODE (S)
MAINTENANCE MAIN ITEM CODE
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When the remaining oil lif e is 5 to 1
percent, the multi-information
display shows a ‘‘SERVICE DUE
NOW’’ message with the same
maintenance items ‘‘SERVICE DUE
SOON’’ was displayed with. When
you see this message, have the
indicated maintenance perf ormed as
soon as possible.
Press the SEL/RESET button on the
steering wheel repeatedly to select
the engine oil lif e inf ormation. Along
with the ‘‘OIL LIFE’’ message, you
will see the percentage of the
remaining engine oil lif e and the
maintenance item codes on the
multi-inf ormation display.
This message reminds you that your
vehicle will soon be due f or
scheduled maintenance.
Maintenance Minder
Maint enance
537
REMAINING ENGINE OIL LIFE
MAIN ITEM (S) SUB ITEM (S) MAINTENANCE
MAIN ITEM CODE
MAINTENANCE
SUB ITEM CODE (S)
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Pressing either INFO button ( / )
switches the display f rom the
message to another display. Once
you switch the display, this message
will go of f .
Press the SEL/RESET button on the
steering wheel repeatedly to select
the engine oil lif e. The message
‘‘SERVICE,’’ along with ‘‘5%,’’ and the
maintenance item code are displayed
on the multi-information display
when the calculated engine oil lif e is
1to5percent(seepage ).If the indicated maintenance service
is not done and the remaining engine
oil lif e reaches 0%, the multi-
inf ormation display will show the
message ‘‘SERVICE PAST DUE’’
and the maintenance item code(s).
This message is displayed when the
total distance traveled is less than 10
miles (f or U.S. models) or 10 km (f or
Canadian models) af ter the engine
oillifebecame0%.
536
Maintenance Minder
538
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CONT INUED
Press the SEL/RESET button on the
steering wheel repeatedly to select
the engine oil lif e. The message
‘‘SERVICE,’’ along with ‘‘0%,’’ and the
maintenance item code are displayed
on the multi-information display
when the calculated engine oil lif e is
0to1percent.
These messages will come on every
time you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position.
If the indicated required service is
not done and the remaining engine
oil lif e becomes 0%, the multi-
inf ormation display will show a
‘‘SERVICE PAST DUE’’ message,
the total distance traveled after the
remaining oil lif e became 0%, and the
maintenance item code(s).
Models equipped with the
keyless access system have an
engine start/stop button instead
of an ignition switch. ON Mode
is the equivalent of ON (II). For
more inf ormation, see pages
and .
Pressing either INFO button ( / )
switches the display f rom the
message to another display. To see
the message again, press either
INFO button repeatedly.
Immediately have the service
perf ormed, and make sure to reset
the display as described on page . :
178180 541
Maintenance Minder
Maint enance
539
U.S.
CANADA TOTAL PAST DUE DISTANCE
TRAVELED
MAINTENANCE CODES
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This message is displayed again
when you drive over 10 miles (f or
U.S. models) or 10 km (f or Canadian
models) af ter seeing the 0% message.
Immediately have the service
perf ormed, and make sure to reset
the display as described on page .
Pressing either INFO button ( / )
switches the display f rom the
message to another display. To see
the message again, press either
INFO button repeatedly.
All maintenance items shown on the
multi-inf ormation display are in code.
For an explanation of these
maintenance codes, see page .
When you press the SEL/RESET
button to select the engine oil lif e,
the message ‘‘SERVICE,’’ along with
the maintenance item code(s) and
the total negative distance traveled
af ter the oil lif e became 0%, will be
displayed on the multi-inf ormation
display.
544
541
Maintenance Minder
Maintenance Main Items and Sub
Items
540
U.S.
CANADA
MAINTENANCE
MAIN ITEM
MAINTENANCE
SUB ITEMS
MAINTENANCE
MAIN ITEM MAINTENANCE
SUB ITEMS
TOTAL PAST DUE DISTANCE
TRAVELED
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2009 TL