Content .. 361 362 363 364 ..

Acura RL. Manual - part 363

damage

Armature shaft sheared or reduction gear teeth stripped

See STARTER article

Weak battery

Charge or replace battery as

necessary

Faulty solenoid

See On-Vehicle Tests in

STARTER article

Poor grounds

Check all ground connections

for tight and clean

connections

Ignition switch faulty or misadjusted

Adjust or replace ignition

switch as necessary

Starter Cranks Engine Slowly

Battery weak or defective

Charge or replace battery as

necessary

Engine overheated

See ENGINE COOLING

SYSTEM article

Engine oil too heavy

Check that proper viscosity

oil is used

Poor battery-to-starter connections

Check that all between

battery and starter are clean

and tight

Current draw too low or too high

See Bench Tests in

STARTER article

Bent armature, loose pole shoes screws or worn bearings

See STARTER article

Burned solenoid contacts

Replace solenoid

Faulty starter

Replace starter

Starter Engages Engine Only Momentarily

Engine timing too far advanced

See Ignition Timing in

TUNE-UP article

Overrunning clutch not engaging properly

Replace overrunning clutch.

See STARTER article

Broken starter clutch

See STARTER article

Broken teeth on engine flywheel

Replace flywheel and check

starter pinion gear for

damage

Weak drive assembly thrust spring

See STARTER article

Weak hold-in coil

See Bench Tests in

STARTER article

Starter Drive Will Not Engage

Defective point assembly

See Testing in STARTER

article

Poor point assembly ground

See Testing in STARTER

article

Defective pull-in coil

Replace starter solenoid

Starter Relay Does Not Close

Dead battery

Charge or replace battery as

necessary

2007 Acura RL

GENERAL INFORMATION Trouble Shooting - Basic Procedures

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Page 31

TUNE-UP TROUBLE SHOOTING - GAS ENGINE VEHICLES

Faulty wiring

Check all wiring and

connections leading to relay

Neutral safety switch faulty

Replace neutral safety switch

Starter relay faulty

Replace starter relay

Starter Drive Will Not Disengage

Starter motor loose on mountings

Tighten starter attach bolts

Worn drive end bushing

See STARTER article

Damaged engine flywheel teeth

Replace flywheel and starter

pinion gear for damage

Drive yolk return spring broken or missing

Replace return spring

Faulty ignition switch

Replace ignition switch

Insufficient clearance between winding leads to solenoid terminal
and main contact in solenoid

Replace starter solenoid

Starter clutch not disengaging

Replace starter clutch

Ignition starter switch contacts sticking

Replace ignition switch

Starter Relay Operates but Solenoid Does Not

Faulty solenoid switch, switch connections or relay

Check all wiring between

relay and solenoid or replace

relay or solenoid as

necessary

Broken lead or loose soldered connections

Repair wire or wire

connections as necessary

Solenoid Plunger Vibrates When Switch is Engaged

Weak battery

Charge or replace battery as

necessary

Solenoid contacts corroded

Clean contacts or replace

solenoid

Faulty wiring

Check all wiring leading to

solenoid

Broken connections inside switch cover

Repair connections or replace

solenoid

Open hold-in wire

Replace solenoid

Low Current Draw

Worn brushes or weak

Replace brushes or brush

springs as necessary

High Pitched Whine During Cranking Before Engine Fires but Engine Fires and Cranks Normally

Distance too great between starter pinion and flywheel

Align starter or check that

correct starter and flywheel

are being used

High Pitched Whine After Engine Fires With Key released. Engine Fires and Cranks Normally

Distance too small between starter pinion and flywheel

Flywheel runout contributes

to the intermittent nature

NOTE:

This is GENERAL information. This article is not intended to be specific to

2007 Acura RL

GENERAL INFORMATION Trouble Shooting - Basic Procedures

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Page 32

BASIC SPARK PLUG TROUBLE SHOOTING CHARTS

any unique situation or individual vehicle configuration. The purpose of this
Trouble Shooting information is to provide a list of common causes to
problem symptoms. For model-specific Trouble Shooting, refer to SUBJECT,
DIAGNOSTIC, or TESTING articles available in the section(s) you are
accessing.

CONDITION & POSSIBLE CAUSE

CORRECTION

Normal Spark Plug Condition

Light Tan or Gray deposits

No Action

Electrode not burned or fouled

No Action

Gap tolerance not changed

No Action

Cold Fouling or Carbon Deposits

Overrich air/fuel mixture

Adjust air/fuel mixture, see

ENGINE PERFORMANCE

section

Faulty choke

Replace choke assembly, see

ENGINE PERFORMANCE

section

Clogged air filter

Clean and/or replace air filter

Incorrect idle speed or dirty carburetor

Reset idle speed and/ or clean

carburetor

Faulty ignition wires

Replace ignition wiring

Prolonged operation at idle

Shut engine off during long

idle

Sticking valves or worn valve guide seals

Check valve train

Wet Fouling or Oil Deposits

Worn rings and pistons

Install new rings and pistons

Excessive cylinder wear

Rebore or replace block

Excessive valve guide clearance

Worn or loose bearing

Gap Bridged

Deposits in combustion chamber becoming fused to electrode

Clean combustion chamber of

deposits

Blistered Electrode

Engine overheating

Check cooling system

Wrong type of fuel

Replace with correct fuel

Loose spark plugs

Retighten spark plugs

Over-advanced ignition timing

Reset ignition timing see

ENGINE PERFORMANCE

Pre-Ignition or Melted Electrodes

Incorrect type of fuel

Replace with correct fuel

Incorrect ignition timing

Reset ignition timing see

ENGINE PERFORMANCE

Burned valves

Replace valves

Engine Overheating

Check cooling system

Wrong type of spark plug, too hot

Replace with correct spark

2007 Acura RL

GENERAL INFORMATION Trouble Shooting - Basic Procedures

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Page 33

BASIC ELECTRONIC IGNITION TROUBLE SHOOTING CHARTS

BASIC ELECTRONIC IGNITION TROUBLE SHOOTING CHARTS - USING OSCILLOSCOPE
PATTERNS

plug, see ENGINE

PERFORMANCE

Chipped Insulators

Severe detonation

Check for over-advanced

timing or combustion

Improper gapping procedure

Re-gap spark plugs

Rust Colored Deposits

Additives in unleaded fuel

Try different fuel brand

Water In Combustion Chamber

Blown head gasket or cracked head

Repair or replace head or head

gasket

NOTE:

Before diagnosing an electronic ignition system, ensure that all wiring is
connected properly between distributor, wiring connector and spark plugs.
Ignition problem will show up either as: Engine Will Not Start or Engine Runs
Rough.

CONDITION & POSSIBLE CAUSE

CORRECTION

Engine Won't Start

Open circuit between distributor and bulkhead connector

Repair circuit

Open circuit between bulkhead connector and ignition switch

Repair circuit

Open circuit between ignition switch and starter solenoid

Repair circuit

Engine Runs Rough

Fuel lines leaking or clogged

Tighten fitting, remove

restriction

Initial timing incorrect

Reset ignition timing see

ENGINE PERFORMANCE

Centrifugal advance malfunction

Repair distributor advance

Defective spark plugs or wiring

Replace plugs or plug wiring

Component Failure

Spark arc-over on cap, rotor or coil

Replace cap, rotor or or coil

Defective pick-up coil

Replace pick-up coil

Defective ignition coil

Replace ignition coil

Defective vacuum unit

Replace vacuum unit

Defective control module

Replace control module

CONDITION & POSSIBLE CAUSE

CORRECTION

Firing Voltage Lines are the Same, but Abnormally High

Retarded ignition timing

Reset ignition timing, see

ENGINE PERFORMANCE

section

Fuel mixture too lean

Readjust carburetor, see

ENGINE PERFORMANCE

2007 Acura RL

GENERAL INFORMATION Trouble Shooting - Basic Procedures

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Page 34

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