Acura RL 2001 3.5 Owner's Manual

298

Technical Information

The diagrams in this section give

you the dimensions and capacities of

your Acura, and the locations of the
identification numbers. It also

includes information you should

know about your vehicle's tires and
emissions control systems.
Identification Numbers................. 300
Specifications................................. 302

DOT Tire Quality Grading
(U.S. Cars).............................. 304

Treadwear.................................. 304

Traction.......................................304

Temperature.............................. 305
Oxygenated Fuels.......................... 306

Driving in Foreign Countries....... 307
Emissions Controls........................ 308
The Clean Air Act...................... 308Crankcase Emissions Control
System.....................................308

Evaporative Emissions Control
System..................................... 308

Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery................................. 308
Exhaust Emissions Controls.... 309 PGM-FI System..................... 309
Ignition Timing Control
System.................................309

Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) System.................... 309
Three Way Catalytic
Converter............................309

Replacement Parts..................... 309
Three Way Catalytic Converter... 310 State Emissions Testing............... 311

Technical Information

Identification Numbers

Your car has several identifying numbers located in various places.
The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is the 17-digit number your
Acura dealer uses to register your car for warranty purposes. It is also
necessary for licensing and insuring
your car. The easiest place to find the VIN is on a plate fastened to the
top of the dashboard. You can see it
by looking through the windshield on the driver's side. It is also on theCertification label attached to the
driver's doorjamb, and is stamped on
the engine compartment bulkhead.
The VIN is also provided in bar code on the Certification label. VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

CERTIFICATION LABEL

Technical Information

Identification Numbers

The Engine Number is stamped into the engine block. It is on the front
left, below the valve cover.
The Transmission Number is on a label on top of the transmission.
TRANSMISSION NUMBER

ENGINE NUMBER
Technical Information

Specifications

* 1
: Including the coolant in the reserve tank and that remaining in the

engine.

Reserve tank capacity:

0.172 US gal (0.65 l , 0.143 Imp gal)

* 2 : Excluding the oil remaining in the engine.

Technical Information

Specifications

Technical Information
page 236

"' Low beam headlight bulbs are a type of high voltage discharge tube
(D2R).

page 295
page 294

DOT Tire Quality Grading (U.S. Cars)

The tires on your car meet all U.S. Federal Safety Requirements. All
tires are also graded for treadwear,
traction, and temperature perform- ance according to Department of
Transportation (DOT) standards.
The following explains these gradings.

Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between the tread shoulder and the
maximum section width. For
example:

Treadwear 200
Traction AA
Temperature A
DOT Quality Grades

All passenger car tires must conform to Federal Safety Requirements inaddition to these grades.
Treadwear

The treadwear grade is a compara- tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlledconditions on a specified government
test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and one-
half (1 1/2) times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100. The relative performance of
tires depends upon the actual condi- tions of their use, however, and maydepart significantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.
Traction — AA, A, B, C

The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. Those
grades represent the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on specified government test surfaces
of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction
performance.
Warning: The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on
straight-ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak
traction characteristics.

Technical Information

DOT Tire Quality Grading (U.S. Cars)
Temperature — A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C, representing the
tire's resistance to the generation ofheat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high temperature can cause the materialof the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure. The
grade C corresponds to a level of
performance which all passenger car
tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109. Grades B and A represent
higher levels of performance on the laboratory test wheel than the
minimum required by law. Warning: The temperature grade for
this tire is established for a tire that
is properly inflated and not over-
loaded. Excessive speed, underinfla- tion, or excessive loading, either separately or in combination, can
cause heat buildup and possible tire
failure.

Technical Information

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 the
areas 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.