Repair chips and scratches in the
paint as soon as you discover them.
Inspect and clean out the drain
holes in the bottom of the doors
and body.
Check the f loor coverings f or
dampness. Carpeting and f loor
mats may remain damp f or a long
time, especially in winter. This
dampness can eventually cause
the f loor panels to corrode.
Two f actors normally contribute to
causing corrosion in your car:
Moisture trapped in body cavities.
Dirtandroadsaltthatcollectsin
hollows on the underside of the
car stays damp, promoting
corrosion in that area.
Removal of paint and protective
coatings f rom the exterior and
underside of the car. Have the corrosion-preventive
coatings on the underside of your
car inspected and repaired
periodically. Use a high-pressure spray to clean
the underside of your car. This is
especially important in areas that
useroadsaltinwinter.Itisalsoa
good idea in humid climates and
areas subject to salt air. Be careful
not to damage the ABS wheel
sensors and wiring at each wheel.
Many corrosion-preventive measures
are built into your Acura. You can
help keep your car f rom corroding
by perf orming some simple periodic
maintenance:
1.
2.
Appearance Care
Corrosion Prot ect ion
301
If you are planning to take your
Acura outside the U.S. or Canada,
contact the tourist bureaus in the
areas you will be traveling in to f ind
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 af f ect perf or-
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
theoxygensensorsandthethree
way catalytic converter. These re-
placements are not covered under
warranty.
Driving in Foreign Countries
T echnical Inf ormation341
The emissions control systems are
covered by warranties separate from
the rest of your car. Read your
warranty manual f or more informa-
tion. The emissions control systems are
designed and certif ied 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 new
Acura replacement parts or their
equivalent f or repairs. Using lower
qualitypartsmayincreasethe
emissions f rom your car.
The exhaust emissions controls
include three systems: PGM-FI,
Ignition Timing Control, and Three
Way Catalytic Converter. These
three systems 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
are separate from the crankcase and
evaporative emissions control
systems.
The PGM-FI System uses sequential
multiport f uel 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 f uel to inject under all operat-
ing conditions. This system constantly adjusts the
ignition timing, reducing the amount
of HC, CO, and NOx produced.
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 ), nitrogen
(N ), and water vapor.
2
2
Replacement Parts
Exhaust Emissions Controls
Emissions Cont rols
T echnical Inf ormation
PGM-FI Syst em Ignit ion T iming Cont rol Syst em
Three Way Catalytic Converter
343
