Acura CL FAQ

Also a quick pop on the brake can work as well.

• If you slow down enough, you will go down to 1st gear.
• If you are in 2nd gear and going 25mph or less, slamming the gas will cause a downshift into 1st.

• CL-S has Perforated leather, firmer seats, and lumbar support.
• CL-S has 'Type S' on the trunk and shift knob. (CL-P has a flat leather knob)
• CL-S has white instrument cluster
• CL-S has an actuator
• Ebony Cl-S interiors use the Black (bowling bowl) wood trim.
• CL-S uses 17" 5 spoke rims. CL-P has 16" rims.
• There are some distinct Type S and non-type S colors:
  
  • Type-S: Aegean Blue, Sundance "Pimp Daddy" Gold, San Marino Red
  • Non Type-S: Dark Emerald (Green), Naples Gold, Monterey Blue, Eternal Blue
• CL-S has a VSA button.
• CL-S has 35 additional horsepower.

19U: Honda
YA4: CL
2: 2-door/5-speed Auto
n: 3=base, 4=premium, 5=premium w/Navi, 6=Type S, 7=Type S w/Navi
n: Check digit
1: 2001
A: Factory - Marysville, OH
nnnnnn: 6 digit serial number

• You should be able to get it unless the regular warranty (4 years/40K miles) runs out.
• It typically extends the warranty to 7 years/100K.
• It should cost roughly $1000 from your dealer.

• Confirmed Manual transmission availiable for Type-S only
  Quantities are limited so if you want one, you should order one NOW.
• Rumored 295 hp.
• Confirmed slight body change
• Confirmed headlight change, they are slightly smoked
• Confirmed road lamp change - they're gone!
• Confirmed OnStar with Navigation system. (Note there is an extra antenna on the car for Onstar)
• Anthracite Metallic color (very dark grey) available for all models.

• Break-in period is roughly 600-1000 miles
• No hard acceleration during break-in. Keep rpms < 4500 rpm.
• No crusing. You want the rpms to vary between 2000-4000 rpm to get everything settled.
  That is not to say you can't take a long trip with the CL, but you should at the very least change gears/speed every 20-30 miles or so to vary the rpms.
• No crazy braking during break-in period, either - Brand new brakes need breaking in too.

• If the vibration is coming from the steering wheel, check your front wheels
• If the vibration is coming from the floor, check your rear wheels
• Check for things like uneven tire tread wear, or unbalanced wheels

• Service Bulletin B01-001 addresses intermitent hard start after hot soak. The cure for that is to replace the fuel pressure regulator.
• The cold start, long crank is an issue seen most in fall and spring.
  When the gas companies switch from winter to summer fuels, the change in fuel vapor pressure can cause weird starting problems. This is a generic problem with all cars.
• If the car sits overnight, the loss of fuel system pressure can affect starting.
  When you turn the key to an 'on' position (not necessarily the start position), the fuel pump activates and pressurizes the system.
  
• People have reported success just leaving the key in the 'on' position for a second or two, (till the gas gauge rises) then starting the car. This is a generic problem with most fuel injected cars.

• 1st: 42 mph
• 2nd: 69 mph
• 3rd: 105 mph
• 4th: 147 mph
• 5th: 147 mph

• You are racing - you don't want VSA cutting power on you
• You are attempting to go up a long slippery incline (like a driveway during winter). If VSA cuts in, you could lose the momentum you need to get up.

• You are racing - you don't want VSA cutting power on you
• You are attempting to go up a long slippery incline (like a driveway during winter). If VSA cuts in, you could lose the momentum you need to get up.

CL-P: 6.9-7.0 seconds CL-S: 6.4-6.5 seconds

• finishing the mill on the bore
• Fully seat the rings and bearings

• Denzo IK-20
• NGK BKR6EIX-11

• Turn off VSA.
• if racing in automatic, Some people move the lever from 1 -> 2 -> D3, in order to control the shift from 1st to 2nd. However if you go WOT in 1st gear, it will wait till redline before shifting.
• Unlike some cars, you do not need to turn off the AC. The AC compressor shuts off during WOT.
• High temperatures raise track times.

The Magnusson-Moss Act protects the consumer from having our warranty work voided by stating: (paraphrase) A manufacturer can not revoke warranty unless they can prove that the failure was directly caused by Non-OEM modification. Additionally, specifically referencing air filters, Warranty's can not be voided by air/oil filters by the manufacturer unless they provide them at no cost.

• CAI: $180/average 6 hp: $30/HP
• Headers: $1300/27 hp: $48/HP
• Pulleys: $180 (installed)/average 2-3 hp: $72/HP
• Exhaust: $700/2hp: $350/HP

• The upper strut bar will slightly touch the stock strut bar. You cannot slide a sheet of paper between them at the edges.
• The Part number of the 'FRONT LOWER SUB-FRAME TIE-BAR' is #3-45.20.32P
• The Part number of the 'FRONT UPPER STRUT TIE-BAR is #35.20.96P
• The lower strut bar will not fit if you have Comptech Headers installed.
• Makes the car feel tighter and lighter in front, but only slightly.
• No problems closing the hood with the upper strut bar - it is the same height as the stock bar.
• It is the same part made for the 98+ Accord
• It gives far more benefit to the CL-P than the CL-S.

• www.jetchip.com sells an ECU upgrade. The one person who tried it feels the car is going faster.
  However since the ECU can not be reprogrammed, it is unclear how the upgrade could possibly work.
  Piggyback chips have little to no long-term effect since the ECU will adapt itself to whatever chip is put around it.
  Forum members are still waiting for dynos to confirm that the ECU upgrade actually does anything.
• At the October 2001 SEMA show, AEM revealed their ECU mod. It has the following specs:
  • Writable
  • Easily tunable with PC - RS232
  • Intelligence built in will include mappings for Acura cars with a new trim correction algorithm
  • Timing advance and retard in manual and intelligent operation
  • VTEC engagement management
  • Optimized controls for transmission shift points]
  • Not CARB approved - offroad use only. Not Legal in California.

Note that wet systems tend to give more power but are harder to install. Safety is very important when using Nitrous.
Kits:

• The safest, best, and by far most expensive is by Venom.
• NOS is a popular brand for wet systems.
• ZEX is a popular brand for dry systems.

Some users have had their own custom body kits made, however:

Specs for the supercharger are as follows:

More specific details:

• Roughly 315 hp and 254 ft lbs of torque
• 0-60 in 5.7 seconds, 1/4 mile in 14.0 sec.
  Note runs done at Moroso Motorsports Park in 90 degree and 90% humidity.
• Parts:
  From MDX: Crank, bearing, pistons, rods, tranny housing 1->2, intake plenum spacer
  Comptech Headers, springs, sways
  AEM 2.5" CAI
  Brushed aluminum interior
  Apex VTEC Controller
  
• Head work is done by the Propulsion Laboratory in conjunction with John Brown Racing of S. Florida.
• Compression ratio is 10.85:1
• Takes 8 work days to produce/convert one powertrain.
• Cost: $4999 for 315 HP, and $6999 for a 335 HP Gen II set-up.
• One acura-cl.com got the conversion, ran great with it, and had no transmission problems at all

• The Tornado Fuel Saver
• The Electric Supercharger

• Header to manifold self-locking nuts: 23 lbf-ft
• Exhaust Pipe A to Header self-locking nuts: 40 lbf-ft
• Exhaust Pipe A to Exaust Pipe (that connects to cat) nuts: 25 lbf-ft

• Spraying the filter with cleaner and water
• Soaking the filter in cleaner/water for a bit (30 minutes or so)
• Letting it Air-dry
• Spraying it with a light coat of silicone.

• It reduces the gap around the tire.
• It improves handling (but gives a rougher ride)
• It will help reduce the amount of 'pushing around' that lateral winds do.
• They just flat out look cool and make the car look more aggressive.

• Comptech springs lower the car between 1-1.5"
• Eibach sportlines lower the car about 2.3-2.5" after settling
• Eibach pro-kits (Part 4041.140 (40140.140?) - same as for accord) lower the car about 1.75-2" after settling
• Intrax lower by about 1.75". Note that Intrax springs have been near-univerally given bad reviews (as far as putting them CLs go)
• H&R OE (Part 51858-55): 1" for both front and back
• H&R Sport: 2" for both front and back
• H&R Racing: > 2" (You better have at least 18" wheels)
• Note that lowering the car more than 1.5" may throw off your cambers.

• They are not height adjustable on the CL without smashing the metal above them.
• Likewise, you can not lower your car with these shocks.
• Fronts can be adjusted by opening the hood
• Rears require back seat removal for adjustment

• Sways bars connect to the underside of the suspension to limit leaning in corners
• Strut bars are hooked into the shock towers to tie them together and provide better structural rigidity and turn responsiveness

• Koni Yellows

• If you have a thunk sound, your sway bar ends are not torqued enough.
• If you have a squeak, you need to pull the bushings and lube them or wrap them with teflon.
  The squeaks happen where the bar goes through the poly bushing.
• Note to lube the bushings, just remove the bushing brackets, slide the bushings, and lube.
  You can leave the end links installed.

Section Width: 215 Tire aspect ratio: 50 Rim size: 17

• 'Touchless' Car washes (The thing your tires sit in is a killer)
• ATMs on the side of banks
• Valet parking

• 18" rims with the same weight as stock will hurt performance due to increased rotational inertia.
  It needs to be 3-4 pounds lighter to keep the same rotational inertia.
• 18" rims that are lighter will be close to the performance of our stock rims.
• As far as pure looks go, 18" rims look pretty cool! It is common to lower the car an inch as well.
• 17" rims appear to be the largest size rim that will maintain overall performance.
• Note that 235/40/18s will not rub even with eibach sportlines.
• 18x7.5 with +45 offset with 235/40/18 do not rub if not lowered.
• 18x8.5" with +51 offset do not rub if not lowered.
• Note also that 235/35/19s will not rub with eibach sportlines, either.
• If you go 19", you won't have much tire on your wheels.
  This in turn means if you hit a big pothole, you stand a good chance of hosing your rim. 20" rims do not fit the CL. People have tried and failed.

• HKS Super Drager Exhaust: 4" diameter
• HKS Mini Drager Exhaust: 3.5" diameter

• Connect the new battery, start the car, and let it idle for about 10 minutes.
  Do NOT give the car any gas - you want the computer to calibrate initial mappings
• Enter your radio code to re-enable the radio. The code is on the credit card sized card initially in the owner's manually.
  Note you only get 3 times to enter it correctly before the unit disables.
  If you can't find your card, you can call your Acura dealership.

• The Manual recommends 91 or higher.
• If you use a bad quality fuel, you might ping regardless. Someone reported pinging once on 92 octane gas.
• If you are at a higher altitude, you can probably use a slightly lower octane.
• In theory, using a higher octane gas than your car needs will give you no benefit besides sucking life out of your wallet. However, people have reported better mileage with 100 octane.
• If you use lower octane, your engine might ping. (This is bad.) There's no easy way of telling if you can use a type of fuel outside of just using it and seeing how your engine reacts.
• Getting a CAI and/or Headers reportedly increase mileage. (No numbers offhand)

• The light comes on at regular mileage intervals, reminding you to take the car in for a checkup. It first starts blinking and then eventually goes nuts. Your dealer will reset it.
• If your dealer forgets to reset it, you can reset it by doing the following:
  Before starting the car, hold down the select and reset button at the same time for 10 seconds.
  Then while still holding them down, turn the ignition on but don't start the car
  keep holding the buttons for another 10 seconds and let go
  Turn the ignition off. The light should stay off now.
• The light can also be on for other problems with your car, so it's best to get your car checked out.

• To remove the dome, take a knife (or something) and slide it under the light, and slowly pry it open. It should pop off.
• The dome uses 1.5 inch dome lights (fuse type). Someone successfully used Polarg M-16s, although it was said that it looked like it was going to fall out any second. (but it never did)

• First: remove your bumper:
  first remove the plastic cover located on top of your bumper held up butr alot of small plastic things you jsut pop off with a flathead, then under that there are 3 screws
  Then you have to get 2 screws connecting the bumper from the side of the cars, located near the wheel
  Then there are many random screws, nuts and plastic pins holding the bumper in palce at the bottom of the car, just take alook and its all self explanatory
  
  You also need to take off the plastic piece on the top of the engine bay all held by clips
  Then just take off the actual bumper.. it's made of urethane so it can bend a little...don't worry just slowly force it out and remember to unplug the roadlamp lights out of the housing
• There are four screws holding each headlight assembly on on both sides
• take a heat gun, or blowdryer to melt the silicon on the edges of the headlights. heat for about 5 minutes.
  • Start with the rounded part of the headlight.
  • Pry it apart using a stick (like a flathead screw driver). Don't go to deep or you'll scratch the chrome.
  • Once you break through keep a wedge in there or even the handle of another screwdriver.
  • Heat well and keep separating.
• Remove the chrome piece - be careful about fingerprints.
  You might want to wait 10 minutes or so to let the silicone cool.
  Getting hot silicone on the chrome will strip the chrome paint.
• Remove the orange strip
• Strip off the old silicon to insure a tight seal. It is like removing really hard chewing gum.
• Put new silicon caulk on. It comes in a tube, and should be availiable at any hardware store. You should use heat resistant silicon (especially in really hot states)
  Someone has had success with silicone 2 by GE.
  
• Make sure its all sealed up and then put everything back together.
  It is suggested to check the seals by duct taping the holes on the headlights, taking the headlights into a bathroom, cranking up the steam, and then checking to see if any steam gets into your headlights.

• Dome light: Polarg M16 or Minimax bulb (Part no: MX-3175)
• Polarg M4: Trunk lights, license plate lights
• Polarg M4 or PIAA 69 for Door Lamps and Map Lights,
• Reverse Lamp: M2 or M13 (M13 is dual-element so brighter but more expensive)
• Turn signals (1157 type bulbs): Polarg M12

If you do insist on parking the car in a questionable area, consider parking with the front bumper really close to a wall to give thieves less room to work.

Your bet bets are:

• Adding a shock sensor so your alarm goes off. (stock alarm won't!)
• Parking with the front of your car extremely close to something deters theft cause it makes it harder to get to the lights in the first place.

• One of the cupholders. Try putting something (ie double sided tape) to hold it still.
• The joint down low on either side of the console where the hard plastic from the console's rear meets the soft plastic of the console's front.
  Try pressing a finger on this joint and seeing if the squeak goes away.
  There's a nearby mounting screw which may need tightening. (not confirmed)
• Loose screws in the shift gate. They are under the fake wood trim.
• See if the noise is coming from the Climate control system, in which case the airmix motor arm might be improperly lubricated.
• There are two screws on the underside of the overhang. They may be too loose, but if too tight, may rattle also.
• The fusebox lid may rattle. (the one on the side of the dash by the door)

• The passenger seat may rattle if there isn't any weight on it.
  
• Stuffing a sheet between the seatback and the seatbottom (the crack where they meet) may eliminate a rattle by preventing them rubbing against each other.
• Leaning the passenger seat back (slightly or a LOT) may eliminate the rattle.

• It may actually be the panel that pulls out from the visor may be rattling.
  Try wedging something between it as a temporary workaround.
• It might also be something clunking around in the Sunglass compartment.

• Get some silicon grease (not spray) and with your finger work it in all the way around the rubber seal of the sunroof. You have to tilt the sunroof to get at the rear section.
• Complain to your dealer and they -should- apply teflon tape to the sunroof opening.
  There is a service bulletin on this, and it should be fixed under warranty.
• Early CLs had a 'whooshing' wound when driving between 20-40 mph with the roof open.
  Foam pieces are needed to prevent resonance of the wind deflector. They go on the flap stop to lower the deflector 3/8"
• Some people remove the wind deflector altogether.

Try the following:

• The wire that does the automatic trunk opener may rattle.
  Get some weathersealer and wrap it.
• Getting Door Edge Molding (for trucks) from an auto parts store and putting it along the edge of the trunk may help. It is pretty cheap - $5 or so.
• Laying foam under the trunk carpet can help.

• Lexol (4)
• Finish First (1)
• Turtle wax Emerald (1)
• Meguiar's Leather Conditioner (3)
• Prime Protectant (by Protection Car Care products) (1)
• Zaino's Leather in a bottle (2)
• Zymol

• Get tint, and a windshield screen
• Keep a bath towel in the trunk that you can sit on if necessary

• It is a common opinion that the coin holder doesn't hold coins all that well. It has been speculated that it might just be a glorified ashtray. If you are going to put coins in it, don't put too many in it, or put the coins in a little bag first.
• Coins often fall out of the holder and get stuck behind it, requiring the holder to be pulled out.
• Another way to get coins out from behind the holder is to whack it REAL hard from the driver's side. It can take it - it's pretty tough.
• There is apparently a new coin holder which your dealer may give you if you complain about the current holder.
• In the little 'storage spot' between the seat heater buttons, you can pop that piece of plastic off and it should enable you to reach in and get coins out.

• If you are leaning too close to the side airbag, it disables the side airbag. This is normal.
• Some users have had their seat belt get jammed between the side airbag and the seat, which triggered the side airbag Light.
• Something weighted oddly may make the CL think someone is leaning towards the air bag, which may trigger the side airbag light.
• A light passenger (80 pounds or less?) may make the side airbag light go off.

If the climate control is off, and 'recirculate air' if off, then you will get some outside air coming into the vents. However it won't be much air because it's just the air being forced into the air vents. You can slightly increase that airflow by tilting your sunroof open (to let air out & increase circulation)

Guess what? You can't.

If you watch the NAV you can sometimes see your position bounce around. This is because what you see onscreen is not necessarily where you are. The NAV system takes the GPS information, and based on that may place you on a nearby road. So trying to "fix" your postion based on your on-screen position can quite possibly make your problem even worse, and in fact you run the risk of seriously confusing the NAV for -all- roads.

A user hosed their NAV and after getting through to a level 3 Acura engineer, the engineer called Alpine support who said to NEVER EVER use the location correction.

• Wheel sensors for forward motion
• Yaw sensor (inside the NAV) for angle
• Steering wheel sensor

• Tremendously large spoilers/exhaust tips
• Random stickers/badges that don't apply ( Aka 'Type S' Civics )
• Adding about 10 fog lights

• Fill the tank to reduce evaporation.
• Increase the tire pressure slightly.
• Use a battery maintainer (NOT a trickle charger, which may overcharge)
• Don't start it unless you plan on driving at least 10 miles
  This burns off the excess moisture which gathers.
• If practical, crack the windows/moonroof open slightly to improve air circulation and reduce fogging/residue.

• The 'Absorber' or a similar chamois cloth.
  Should be in any department store - it comes in a plastic tube, and is kind of rubbery when wet.
  It's safer to just lay it on the car and wring, versus wiping (which could cause scratches if it is dirty)
• California Water Blade
• American-made 100% cotton towels (if not made in the USA it may not be 100% cotton)

Repeat the following set of steps three times:
• turn the ignition switch on. (Note: This is the III position, and you do not have to start your car)
• push the remote lock button with remote aimed at the rec. in the passenger multiplex unit. (This is by the glove box).
• turn the ignition switch off.
• turn the ignition switch on.
• push the remote unlock button while aimed at the rec. You should hear the locks click.
• push the remote lock button.
• within 10 sec. aim the remotes (up to threee) that you want to set at the rec. and press the lock or unlock buttons. When you do this each remote should be locking/unlocking the doors.
• Turn off the ignition and remove the keys.

• The seat hits something while moving
• You sit in the seat while it is moving
• You very gently push the seat back. Be firm with it!
• You don't have that seat's door open. i.e. you sit in the driver's seat, and push the passenger seat back.
• You have the car in a gear other than park.

• Reduces noise if sunroof is open. Especially over 40 mph
• Increases noise however if rear tilted up, however
• Allows you to have roof slightly open in light rain without getting wet
• Reduces chance that the sun will shine down on your eyes through the gap between your sunglasses and your eyes.

• There is no way to get it to beep when it unlocks. (However your lights flash/turn on)
• It won't beep if any doors or the trunk are open

• Don't leave the bra continuously on.
  If it is raining the wet bra will get much dirtier and leave a mess via condensation.
  If left on a lot when it is sunny then there may be color differences where the bra is and where it isn't, due to fading.

• It is recommended you sand the mudguards first to make the 1st layer of paint stick better.
• Make sure you get good paint that will last
• You probably want to put multiple layers of paint on.

• The wipers slow down when you hit the brake, and go when you release it?
• The wipers go slightly faster if you are driving > 20mph?
• You can shut the windows/sunroof after you shut your car off? (only up to 10 minutes after, and only if nobody has opened a door yet)
• If you hold the key in the unlock position, it unlocks the passenger door?
• If your lights shut off automatically, they auto-turn on when you unlock the car? Good for finding your car, or annnoying the hell out of people!
• If you accidentally unlock your doors with your fob, it's (probably) not a big deal since the doors re-lock themselves if you don't open them?
• You can shift in SS without disabling cruise control?
• If you hold the eject button down for a few seconds, it ejects all the CDs one by one?
• You can also hold the load button down for a few seconds to load all the slots?
• You don't need the audio system to be on to switch between tape/cd/radio? Just hit the button and it turns on and switches.
• You can close the moonroof if the power is off, via the manual screw and the hex key in the trunk? (see users manual for more info)
• The HID auto-shutoff will not happen if you leave the keys in the car, or leave the door open/ajar?
• The FOB is disabled if there is a key in the ignition?
• The center arm rest slides forward?
• When your air conditioner is on, if you go WOT you will get a burst of hot hair from the vents? (Because the compressor is shut off during WOT)
• If you are in reverse, the passenger rear view mirror tilts down to allow you to look at the curb?
• .... but if you go to fast in reverse, it goes back to the normal position?

• Pull it down using the clamp or something inside the trunk. Suprisingly easy.
• Use a finger to push down on the Acura Symbol. (Use the symbol, not the letters)
• Use a part of your arm/hand that isn't as likely to leave marks (back of your hand or forearm)

• 1. Loosen the trunk striker bolts (trunk striker is the loop of metal to which the trunk latches) .5-1 turn. Just enough that a gentle tap with a rubber mallet will move the striker.
• 2. Tap the striker down ~1/16" to 1/8"
• 3. Tighten striker bolts.

• Metallic or non-metallic.
  Metallic takes longer to dry (1 week versus 2 days usually) and will interfere slightly with radar detectors and the NAV.
• Do you want the 3rd brake light covered.
  Probably a Yes if you have the spoiler, probably not otherwise.
  The tinters may be reluctant to cover it if you do not have a spoiler, but they will probably be relucatant either way since it is more work to cover the light. (You need to pull back the rear shelf)
• Do you want to tint the sunroof?
  A slight tint (2% blockage or so) can do wonders to reduce NAVI glare.
• Do you want to cover over the dots on the windows (notably the top of the back windshield)? The dots are harder to do since the tint doesn't stick to them well. (Unless they are sanded.)
  If the tinter doesn't do a good job, they may bubble/peel there later.
  It looks better with them tinted - it is much more noticable inside the car than outside.
• How much tint do you want - see the state laws link elsewhere in this FAQ.