2000 Acura TL 3.2 Owner's Manual

Oxygenated Fuels
Some conventional gasolines are
being blended with alcohol or an ether compound. These gasolines
are collectively referred to as
oxygenated fuels. To meet clean air
standards, some areas of the United
States and Canada use oxygenated
fuels to help reduce emissions.
If you use an oxygenated fuel, be
sure it is unleaded and meets the
minimum octane rating requirement.
Before using an oxygenated fuel, try
to confirm the fuel's contents. Some states/provinces require this
information to be posted on the pump. The following are the U.S. EPA and
Canadian CGSB approved
percentages of oxygenates:
ETHANOL (ethyl or grain alcohol)
You may use gasoline containing up to 10 percent ethanol by volume. Gasoline containing ethanol may be
marketed under the name "Gasohol."
MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl
Ether)
You may use gasoline containing up to 15 percent MTBE by volume.
METHANOL (methyl or wood alcohol)
Your vehicle was not designed to use fuel that contains methanol.Methanol can corrode metal parts in
the fuel system, and also damage
plastic and rubber components. This damage would not be covered by
your warranties. If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline.
Fuel system damage or performance
problems resulting from the use of an oxygenated fuel containing more
than the percentages of oxygenates
given above are not covered under
warranty.
Technical Information

Driving in Foreign Countries
Technical Information
If you are planning to take your
Acura outside the U.S. or Canada, contact the tourist bureaus in theareas you will be traveling in to find
out about the availability of unleaded
gasoline with the proper octane
rating.
If unleaded gasoline is not available,
be aware that using leaded gasoline
in your Acura will affect perfor- mance and fuel mileage, and damage
its emissions controls. It will no
longer comply with U.S. and Canadian emissions regulations, and
will be illegal to operate in North
America. To bring your car back into compliance will require the replace-
ment of several components, such as
the oxygen sensors and the three
way catalytic converter. These re- placements are not covered under
warranty.

Emissions Controls
The burning of gasoline in your car'sengine produces several byproducts.
Some of these are carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and
hydrocarbons (HC). Gasoline evaporating from the tank also
produces hydrocarbons. Controlling the production of NOx, CO, and HC
is important to the environment.
Under certain conditions of sunlight
and climate, NOx and HC react to
form photochemical "smog." Carbon monoxide does not contribute tosmog creation, but it is a poisonous
gas. The Clean Air Act
The United States Clean Air Act* sets standards for automobile
emissions. It also requires that
automobile manufacturers explain to
owners how their emissions controls
work and what to do to maintain them. This section summarizes how
the emissions controls work.
Scheduled maintenance is on page 192.
* In Canada, Acura vehicles comply
with the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) for
Emissions valid at the time they are
manufactured.
Crankcase Emissions Control
System
Your car has a Positive Crankcase
Ventilation System. This keeps gasses that build up in the engine'scrankcase from going into the
atmosphere. The Positive Crankcase
Ventilation valve routes them from the crankcase back to the intake
manifold. They are then drawn into
the engine and burned.
Evaporative Emissions Control
System
As gasoline evaporates in the fuel tank, an evaporative emissionscontrol canister filled with charcoal
adsorbs the vapor. It is stored in this
canister while the engine is off. After
the engine is started and warmed up,
the vapor is drawn into the engine and burned during driving.
Onboard Refueling Vapor
Recovery
The Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery (ORVR) system captures
the fuel vapors during refueling. The
vapors are adsorbed in a canister filled with activated carbon. Whiledriving, the fuel vapors are drawn
into the engine and burned off.
Technical Information

Emissions Controls
Exhaust Emissions Controls
The exhaust emissions controls include four systems: PGM-FI,
Ignition Timing Control, ExhaustGas Recirculation and Three Way
Catalytic Converter. These foursystems work together to control the
engine's combustion and minimize
the amount of HC, CO, and NOx that comes out the tailpipe. The exhaust
emissions control systems areseparate from the crankcase and
evaporative emissions control systems.
PGM-FI System
The PGM-FI System uses sequential multiport fuel injection.
It has three subsystems: Air Intake,
Engine Control, and Fuel Control.
The Engine Control Module (ECM) or the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) uses various sensors to
determine how much air is going
into the engine. It then controls how
much fuel to inject under all operat- ing conditions.
Ignition Timing Control System
This system constantly adjusts the ignition timing, reducing the amountof HC, CO and NOx produced.
Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR)System
The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system takes some of the
exhaust gas and routes it back into
the intake manifold. Adding exhaust gas to the air/fuel mixture reduces
the amount of NOx produced when
the fuel is burned.
Three Way Catalytic Converter
The three way catalytic converter is in the exhaust system. Through
chemical reactions, it converts HC,CO, and NOx in the engine's exhaust
to carbon dioxide (CO
2), dinitrogen
(N
2), and water vapor. Replacement Parts
The emissions control systems are designed and certified to work to-
gether in reducing emissions to
levels that comply with the Clean Air
Act. To make sure the emissions remain low, you should use only newGenuine Honda replacement parts or
their equivalent for repairs. Using
lower quality parts may increase the emissions from your vehicle.
The emissions control systems are covered by warranties separate from
the rest of your car. Read your
warranty manual for more informa-
tion.
Technical Information

Three Way Catalytic Converter
The three way catalytic convertercontains platinum, palladium and
rhodium. These metals serve as
catalysts, promoting chemical
reactions to convert the exhaust
gasses without affecting the metals.
The catalytic converter is referred to as a three-way catalyst, since it acts
on HC, CO, and NOx. A replacement
unit must be an original Acura part
or its equivalent.
The three way catalytic converter must operate at a high temperature
for the chemical reactions to take
place. It can set on fire any com-
bustible materials that come near it.Park your car away from high grass,
dry leaves, or other flammables.
THREE WAY CATALYTIC CONVERTER
A defective three way catalytic converter contributes to air pollution,
and can impair your engine's per-
formance. Follow these guidelines toprotect your car's three way catalyticconverter.
• Always use unleaded gasoline.
Even a small amount of leaded
gasoline can contaminate the
catalyst metals, making the three
way catalytic converter ineffective.
• Keep the engine tuned-up.
• Have your car diagnosed and repaired if it is misfiring, back-
firing, continuing to run after you
turn off the engine, stalling, or
otherwise not running properly.
Technical Information

Warranty and Customer Relations
Customer RelationsInformation................................ 292
Canada Zone Office Map ............ 293
Warranty Coverages .................... 294
Reporting Safety Defects (U.S. Cars) ................................ 295
Authorized Manuals...................... 297
Warranty and Customer Relations

Customer Relations Information
Acura dealership personnel aretrained professionals. They should
be able to answer all your questions.If you encounter a problem that yourdealership does not solve to your
satisfaction, please discuss it with
the dealership's management. The Sendee Manager or General
Manager can help. Almost all
problems are solved in this way. If you are dissatisfied with the
decision made by the dealership's
management, contact the Acura Customer Relations Office.
U.S. Owners: Acura Automobile DivisionClient Services Office
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. 1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501-2746
or telephone: (800) 382-2238
In Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands:
Vortex Motor Corp.Bella International P.O. Box 190816
San Juan, PR 00919-0816 (787) 2504327
Canadian Owners:
Refer to the Canadian Zone Office
Map on the next page. When you call or write, please give
us this information:
• Vehicle Identification Number (see page 280)
• Name and address of the dealer
who services your vehicle
• Date of purchase
• Mileage on your vehicle
• Your name, address, and tele-
phone number
• A detailed description of the
problem
• Name of the dealer who sold the vehicle to you
Warranty and Customer Relations

Canada Zone Office Map
CUSTOMER RELATIONS
RELATIONS AVEC LA CLIENTELEHonda Canada Inc.
715 Milner Avenue
Toronto, ON M1B2K8
Tel: 1-888-9-ACURA-9 Fax: Toll-free 1-877-939-0909 Toronto (416)287-4776
Honda Canada Inc.
National Office
Warranty and Customer Relations