Acura RL 2002 3.5 Owner's Manual

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.
Scheduled maintenance is on page .
In Canada, Acura vehicles comply
with the Canadian Motor Vehicle
Saf ety Standards (CMVSS) f or
Emissions valid at the time they are
manuf actured.
The burning of gasoline in your car’s
engine 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
f orm photochemical ‘‘smog.’’ Carbon
monoxide does not contribute to
smog creation, but it is a poisonous
gas.
Your car has a Positive Crankcase
Ventilation System. This keeps
gasses that build up in the engine’s
crankcase from going into the
atmosphere. The Positive Crankcase
Ventilation valve routes them fromthe crankcase back to the intake
manif old. They are then drawn into
the engine and burned.
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.
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 .
218
The Clean Air Act
Crankcase Emissions Control
System Evaporative Emissions Control
System
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor
Recovery
Emissions Cont rols
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The exhaust emissions controls
include f our systems: PGM-FI,
Ignition Timing Control, Exhaust
Gas Recirculation and Three Way
Catalytic Converter. These four
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 f rom 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 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 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 f uel is burned.
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 ), dinitrogen
(N ), and water vapor.
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
Genuine Acura replacement parts or
their equivalent f or repairs. Using
lower quality parts may increase the
emissions f rom your car.
2
2
Exhaust Emissions Controls Replacement Parts
PGM-FI Syst emIgnit ion T iming Cont rol Syst em
Exhaust Gas Recirculat ion (EGR)Syst em
Three Way Catalytic Converter
Emissions Cont rols
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Always use unleaded gasoline.
Even a small amount of leaded
gasoline can contaminate the
catalyst metals, making the three
way catalytic converter inef f ective.
The three way catalytic converter
contains precious metals that serve
as catalysts, promoting chemical
reactions to convert the exhaust
gasses without af f ecting the metals.
The catalytic converter is ref erred 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.
Keep the engine tuned-up.
The three way catalytic converter
must operate at a high temperature
for the chemical reactions to take
place. It can set on f ire any com-
bustible materials that come near it.
Park your car away f rom high grass,
dry leaves, or other f lammables. A defective three way catalytic
converter contributes to air pollution,
and can impair your engine’s per-
f ormance. Follow these guidelines to
protect your car’s three way catalytic
converter. Have your car diagnosed and
repaired if it is misf iring, back-
f iring, stalling, or otherwise not
running properly.
Three Way Catalytic Converter
T echnical Inf ormation320
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If you take your vehicle f or a state
emissions test shortly af ter 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 f or 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 re-tested within the
next two or three days, you can
condition the vehicle for re-testing
by doing the f ollowing.
Make sure the gas tank is nearly,
but not completely, f ull (around
3/4).
Make sure the vehicle has been
parked with the engine of f f or 8
hours or more.
Make sure the ambient
temperature is between 20° and
95°F. Without touching the accelerator
pedal, start the engine and let it
idle f or 20 seconds.
Keep the vehicle in Park
(automatic transmission). Increase
the engine speed to 2,000 rpm and
hold it there until the temperature
gauge rises to at least 1/4 of the
scale (approximately 3 minutes).
CONT INUED
St at e Emissions T est ing
T esting of Readiness Codes
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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 Acura dealer.
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 (A/T). Do not use the cruise
control. When traf f ic allows, drive
f or 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).
4
T echnical Inf ormation
St at e Emissions T est ing
322
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Customer Relations................................
Inf ormation .324
.............
Canada Zone Of f ice Map .325
....................
Warranty Coverages .326
Reporting Saf ety Def ects
..........................
(U.S. Vehicles) .327
.....................
Authorized Manuals .329
Warranty and Customer Relations
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If you are dissatisf ied with the
decision made by the dealership’s
management, contact the Acura
Customer Relations Of f ice.When you call or write, please give
us this inf ormation:
Acura dealership personnel are
trained prof essionals. They should
be able to answer all your questions.
If you encounter a problem that your
dealership does not solve to your
satisf action, please discuss it with
the dealership’s management. The
Service Manager or General
Manager can help. Almost all
problems are solved in this way. U.S. Owners:
In Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands:
Vortex Motor Corp.Bella International P.O. Box 190816
San Juan, PR 00919-0816 (787) 250-4327
Ref er to the Canadian Zone Of f ice
Map on the next page. Canadian Owners: Acura Automobile Division
Client Services Of f ice
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. 1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501-2746
Tel: (800) 382-2238 Vehicle Identif ication Number
(see page )
Name and address of the dealer
who services your car
Date of purchase
Mileage on your car
Your name, address, and tele-
phone number
A detailed description of the
problem
Name of the dealer who sold the
car to you310
Cust omer Relat ions Inf ormat ion
Warrant y and Cust omer Relat ions324
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Canada Zone Of f ice Map
Warrant y and Cust omer Relat ions325
CUSTOMER RELATIONS
RELATIONS AVEC LA CLIENTÈLE
Honda Canada Inc.
National Office
Honda Canada Inc.
715 Milner Avenue
Toronto, ON
M1B 2K8
Tel: 1-888-9-ACURA-9
Fax: Toll-free 1-877-939-0909Toronto (416) 287-4776
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µµ
µ µ
µ µ
µµ
µ a seat
belt that f ails to f unction properly is
covered f or the usef ul lif e of the
vehicle.
provides
coverageforaslongasthepur-
chaser of the muf f ler owns the
vehicle.
Your new Acura is covered by these
warranties:
covers your new vehicle, except f or
the battery, emissions control
systems and accessories, against
def ects in materials and
workmanship. provides prorated
coverage f or a replacement battery
purchased f rom an Acura dealer.
this warranty gives up
to 100 percent credit toward a
replacement battery. these two
warranties cover your vehicle’s emis-
sions control systems. Time, mileage,
and coverage are conditional. Please
read the warranty manual for exact
inf ormation.
covers all genuine
Acura replacement parts against
defects in materials and workman-
ship. genuine Acura Accessories are
covered under this warranty. Time
and mileage limits depend on the
type of accessory and other f actors.
Please read your warranty manual
f or details. all exterior body panels are
covered f or rust-through f rom the
inside f or the specif ied time period
with no mileage limit.
Restrictions and exclusions apply to
all these warranties. Please read the
2002 Acura Warranty Inf ormation
booklet that came with your car f or
precise inf ormation on warranty
coverages. Your Acura’s original
tires are covered by their
manuf acturer. Tire warranty
inf ormation is in a separate booklet.
Please ref er to the 2002 Warranty
Manual that came with your car.Seat Belt Limited Warranty
Replacement Muf f ler L if et imeLimited Warranty
New Vehicle L imit ed Warrant y Replacement Bat t ery L imit ed
Warranty
Original Equipment Bat t ery L imit ed Warranty
Emissions Cont rol Syst ems Def ect s
Warrant y and EmissionsPerf ormance Warranty
Replacement Part s L imit edWarranty
Accessory Limited Warranty
Rust Perf orat ion L imit ed Warrant yU.S. Owners
Canadian Owners
Warranty Coverages
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To contact NHTSA, you may either
call the Auto Saf ety Hotline toll-f ree
at 1-800-424-9393 (or 366-0123 in
Washington D.C. area) or write to:
NHTSA, U.S. Department of
Transportation, Washington,
D.C. 20590. You can also obtain
other inf ormation about motor
vehicle safety from the Hotline.
If you believe that your vehicle has a
def ect which could cause a crash or
could cause injury or death, you
should immediately inf orm the
National Highway Traf f ic Saf ety
Administration (NHTSA) in addition
to notifying Acura Automobile
Division, American Honda Motor Co.,
Inc. If NHTSA receives similar com-
plaints, it may open an investigation,
and if it f inds that a saf ety def ect
exists in a group of vehicles, it may
order a recall and remedy campaign.
However, NHTSA cannot become
involved in individual problems
between you, your dealer, or Acura
Automobile Division, American
Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Warrant y and Cust omer Relat ions
Reporting Saf ety Def ects (U.S. Vehicles)
327
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