2012 Acura TL Owner's Manual

µ
Each tire, including the spare (if
provided), should be checked
monthly when cold and inf lated to
the inf lation pressure recommended
by the vehicle manuf acturer on the
vehicle placard or tire inf lation
pressure label.
(If your vehicle has tires of a
dif f erent size than the size indicated
on the vehicle placard or tire
inf lation pressure label, you should
determine the proper tire inf lation
pressure f or those tires.)Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you
should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inf late them to
the proper pressure.Driving on a signif icantly under-
inf lated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inf lation also reduces f uel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may
af f ect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire
maintenance, and it is the driver’s
responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inf lation has
not reached the level to trigger
illumination of the TPMS low tire
pressure telltale.
CONT INUED
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Required Federal Explanation
Technical Inf ormation
621
11/01/14 19:42:43 31TK4630_626
As an added safety feature,
your vehicle has been
equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that
illuminates a low tire
tires is
pressure telltale when one
or more of your
significantly under-inflated.
2012 TL

µ
Always check the TPMS malf unction
telltale af ter replacing one or more
tires or wheels on your vehicle to
ensure that the replacement or
alternate tires and wheels allow the
TPMS to continue to f unction
properly.
Your vehicle has also been equipped
with a TPMS malf unction indicator
to indicate when the system is not
operating properly. The TPMS
malf unction indicator is combined
with the low tire pressure telltale.
When the system detects a
malf unction, the telltale will f lash f or
approximately one minute and then
remain continuously illuminated.
This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long
as the malfunction exists.
When the malf unction indicator is
illuminated, the system may not be
able to detect or signal low tire
pressure as intended.
TPMS malf unctions may occur f or a
variety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or
alternate tires or wheels on the
vehicle that prevent the TPMS f rom
f unctioning properly.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Required Federal Explanation
622
11/01/14 19:42:49 31TK4630_627
Technical Inf ormation
2012 TL

Î
ÎThe United States Clean Air Act
sets standards f or automobile
emissions. It also requires that
automobile manufacturers explain to
owners how their emissions controls
workandwhattodotomaintain
them. This section summarizes how
the emissions controls work.
The burning of gasoline in your
vehicle’s engine produces several by-
products. Some of these are carbon
monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen
(NOx), and hydrocarbons (HC).
Gasoline evaporating f rom the tank
also produces hydrocarbons. Con-
trolling the production of NOx, CO,
and HC is important to the environ-
ment. Under certain conditions of
sunlight and climate, NOx and HC
react to f orm photochemical ‘‘smog.’’
Carbon monoxide does not contri-
bute to smog creation, but it is a
poisonous gas.
In Canada, Acura vehicles comply with the
Canadian emission requirements, as specified in
an agreement with Environment Canada, at the
time they are manufactured.
The onboard ref ueling vapor
recovery (ORVR) system captures
the f uel vapors during ref ueling. The
vapors are adsorbed in a canister
f illed with activated carbon. While
driving, the f uel vapors are drawn
into the engine and burned of f . As gasoline evaporates in the f uel
tank, an evaporative emissions
control canister f illed with charcoal
adsorbs the vapor. It is stored in this
canister while the engine is of f . Af ter
the engine is started and warmed up,
the vapor is drawn into the engine
and burned during driving.
Your vehicle has a positive
crankcase ventilation system. This
keeps gasses that build up in the
engine’s crankcase f rom going into
the atmosphere. The positive
crankcase ventilation valve routes
them from the crankcase back to the intake manif old. They are then
drawn into the engine and burned.
The Clean Air Act
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor
Recovery Evaporative Emissions Control
System
Crankcase Emissions Control
System
Emissions Cont rols
Technical Inf ormation
623
11/01/14 19:42:59 31TK4630_628
2012 TL

The exhaust emissions controls
include f our systems: PGM-FI,
ignition timing control, exhaust gas
recirculation, and three way catalytic
converter. These f our systems work
together to control the engine’s
combustion and minimize the
amount of HC, CO, and NOx that
come out the tailpipe. The exhaust
emissions control systems are
separate f rom the crankcase and
evaporative emissions control
systems.The emissions control systems are
designed and certif ied to work
together 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 vehicle.
The emissions control systems
The PGM-FI system uses sequential
multiport f uel injection. It has three
subsystems: air intake, engine
control, and f uel control. The
powertrain control module (PCM) in
automatic transmission vehicles or
the engine control module (ECM) in
manual transmission vehicles uses
various sensors to determine how
much air is going into the engine. It then controls how much f uel to inject
under all operating conditions.
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. The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)
system takes some of the exhaust
gas and routes it back into the intake
manif old. Adding exhaust gas to the
air/f uel mixture reduces the amount
of NOx produced when the fuel This system constantly adjusts the
ignition timing, reducing the amount
of HC, CO, and NOx produced.
2
2
Exhaust Emissions Controls Replacement Parts
PGM-FI System
Three Way Catalytic Converter
Exhaust Gas Recirculat ion (EGR)
Syst em
Ignit ion T iming Cont rol Syst em
Emissions Cont rols
624
11/01/14 19:43:13 31TK4630_629
Technical Inf ormation
are covered by warranties separate
from the rest of your vehicle. Read
your warranty manual for more
information.
is burned.
2012 TL

The three way catalytic converters
contain precious metals that serve as
catalysts, promoting chemical
reactions to convert the exhaust
gasses without af f ecting the metals.
The catalytic converters are ref erred
to as three-way catalysts, since they
act on HC, CO, and NOx.
Replacement units must be original
Acura parts or their equivalent.
The three way catalytic converters
must operate at a high temperature
for the chemical reactions to take
place. They can set on f ire any
combustible materials that come
near them. Park your vehicle away
f rom high grass, dry leaves, or other
f lammables.Defectivethreewaycatalytic
converters contribute to air pollution,
and can impair your engine’s
perf ormance. Follow these
guidelines to protect your vehicle’s
three way catalytic converters.
Always use unleaded gasoline.
Even a small amount of leaded
gasoline can contaminate the
catalyst metals, making the three
way catalytic converters
inef f ective. Keep the engine well maintained.
Have your vehicle diagnosed and
repaired if it is misf iring, back-
f iring, stalling, or otherwise not
running properly.
Three Way Catalytic Converters
Technical Inf ormation
625
THREE WAY CATALYTIC CONVERTERS
11/01/14 19:43:22 31TK4630_630
2012 TL

Make sure the gas tank
is nearly, but not completely, full
(around 3/4).Without touching the accelerator
pedal, start the engine, and let it
idle f or 20 seconds.
If you take your vehicle for an
emissions test shortly after the
battery has been disconnected or
gone dead, it may not pass the test.
This is because of certain
‘‘readiness codes’’ that must be set
in the on- board diagnostics for the
emissions systems. These codes
are erased when the battery is
disconnected, and set again only
after several days of driving under a
variety of conditions. If the testing f acility determines that
the readiness codes are not set, you
will be requested to return at a later
date to complete the test. If you must
get the vehicle retested within the
next two or three days, you can
condition the vehicle f or retesting by
doing the f ollowing.
Make sure the vehicle has been
parked with the engine of f f or 6
hours or more.
Make sure the ambient
temperature is between 40° and
95°F (4° and 35°C). Keep the vehicle in Park
(automatic) or neutral (manual).
Increase the engine speed to 2,000
rpm,andholditthereuntilthe
temperature gauge rises to at least
1/4of thescale(about3minutes).
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, let the engine idle f or 20
seconds.
1.
2.
3. 4.
5.
6.
T esting of Readiness Codes
Emissions T esting
626
11/01/14 19:43:33 31TK4630_631
Technical Inf ormation
2012 TL

Then drive in city/suburban
traffic for at least 10 minutes.
When traf f ic conditions allow, let
the vehicle coast f or several
seconds without using the
accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal.
If the testing f acility determines the
readiness codes are still not set, see
your dealer. Make sure the vehicle has been
parked with the engine of f f or 30
minutes.
Select a nearby lightly traveled
major highway where you can
maintain a speed of 50 to 60 mph
(80to97km/h)foratleast20
minutes. Drive on the highway in
D (automatic) or 5th (manual). Do
notusethecruisecontrol.When
traffic allows, drive for 90 seconds
without moving the accelerator
pedal. (Vehicle speed may vary
slightly; this is okay.) If you cannot
do this f or a continuous 90
seconds because of traf f ic
conditions, drive f or at least 30
seconds, then repeat it two more
times (for a total of 90 seconds).
7.
8.
9.
Emissions T esting
Technical Inf ormation
627
11/01/14 19:43:39 31TK4630_632
2012 TL

628
11/01/14 19:43:41 31TK4630_633
2012 TL