Acura RL (1996-2004 year). Manual - part 227

15

2004 American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

How To Use This Manual

Testing for a Short with a Self-Powered
Test Light or DVOM

1. Remove the blown fuse and disconnect

the battery and load.

2. Connect one lead of a self-powered test

light or digital volt/ohmmeter (DVOM)
(switched to the lowest “OHMS” range) to
the fuse terminal on the load side.

FUSE
BOX

RED

SWITCH

SOLENOID

BLU

Remove the fuse.

SHORT TO
GROUND

SELF-
POWERED
TEST LIGHT
or
DVOM

Disconnect the battery.

3. Connect the other lead to a known 

good ground.

4. Beginning near the fuse box, wiggle the

harness. Continue this at convenient
points about six inches apart while
watching the test light or DVOM.

5. If the self-powered test light goes on or

the DVOM displays a low reading or no
reading (zero), there is a short to ground
in the wiring near that point.

Testing for a Short with a Short Circuit
Locator (Short Finder)

1. Remove the blown fuse. Leave the 

battery connected.

2. Connect the short finder across the battery

terminals and the load (component) side of
the fuse terminal.

FUSE
BOX

RED

SWITCH

SOLENOID

BLU

SHORT TO
GROUND

SHORT
FINDER

METER

PULSING
MAGNETIC
FIELD

NO
PULSING
MAGNETIC
FIELD

–

BATTERY

+

3. Close all switches in the circuit 

you’re testing.

Move the
meter along
the wire...

...until the
needle stops
moving.

Disconnect the
load here.

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16

2004 American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

How To Use This Manual

Troubleshooting Tests

4. Turn on the short finder. This creates a

pulsing magnetic field around the wiring
between the fuse box and the short.

5. Beginning at the fuse box, slowly move

the short finder along the circuit wiring.
The meter will show current pulses
through sheet metal and body trim. As
long as the meter is between the fuse and
the short, the needle will move with each
current pulse. Once you move the meter
past the point of the short, the needle will
stop moving. Check the wiring and
connectors in this area to locate the cause
of the short.

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General Information

Chassis and Paint Codes

’96 Models

1–2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’97 Models

1–3

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’98 Models

1–4

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’99 Models

1–5

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’00 Models

1–6

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’01 Models

1–7

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’02 Models

1–2a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’03 Models

1–2b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’04 Models

1–2c

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Revised Component Terms

1–4a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Parts Marking (’03-’04 Models)

1–5b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Identification Number Locations

1–8

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Warning/Caution Label Locations

1–9

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Under–hood Emissions Control Label

’97 Models

1–13

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’98 Models

1–14

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’99 Models

1–15

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’00 Models

1–16

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’01–’02 Models

1–17

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’03 Models

1–4b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’04 Models

1–4c

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Lift and Support Points

Lift and Safety Stands

1–18

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Floor Jack

1–19

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Towing

1–20

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Service Precautions

Handling of Special Nuts and Bolts

1–21

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Main Menu

Specifications

Standards and Service Limits

Engine Electrical

’96–’01 Models

2–2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’02 Model

2–2a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’03 Model

2–2b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’04 Model

2–2c

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Cylinder Head/Valve Train

’96–’01 Models

2–2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’02 Model

2–2a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’03 Model

2–2b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’04 Model

2–2c

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Engine Block

’96–’01 Models

2–3

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’02 Model

2–3a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’03 Model

2–3b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’04 Model

2–3c

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Engine Lubrication

’96–’01 Models

2–3

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’02 Model

2–3a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’03 Model

2–3b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’04 Model

2–3c

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Cooling

’96–’01 Models

2–4

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’02 Model

2–4a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’03 Model

2–4b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’04 Model

2–4c

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Fuel and Emissions

’96–’01 Models

2–4

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’02 Model

2–4a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’03 Model

2–4b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’04 Model

2–4c

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Automatic Transmission

’96–’01 Models

2–4

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’02 Model

2–4a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’03 Model

2–4b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’04 Model

2–4c

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Differential

’96–’01 Models

2–8

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’02 Model

2–8a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’03 Model

2–8b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’04 Model

2–8c

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Steering

’96–’01 Models

2–9

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’02 Model

2–9a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’03 Model

2–9b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’04 Model

2–9c

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Suspension

’96–’01 Models

2–9

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’02 Model

2–9a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’03 Model

2–9b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’04 Model

2–9c

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Brakes

’96–’01 Models

2–9

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’02 Model

2–9a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’03 Model

2–9b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’04 Model

2–9c

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Air Conditioning

’96–’01 Models

2–10

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’02 Model

2–10a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’03 Model

2–10b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’04 Model

2–10c

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Design Specifications

’96–’01 Models

2–11

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’02 Model

2–11a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’03 Model

2–11b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’04 Model

2–11c

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Body Specifications

’96–’01 Models

2–13

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’02 Model

2–13a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’03 Model

2–13b

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

’04 Model

2–11c

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

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