Acura TL 2000 3.2 Owner's Manual

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

Warranty Coverages
U.S. Owners
Your new Acura is covered by these
warranties:
New Car Limited Warranty — covers
your new vehicle, except for the battery, emissions control systemsand accessories, against defects in
materials and workmanship.
Emissions Control Systems Defects
Warranty and Emissions
Performance Warranty — these two
warranties cover your vehicle's emis- sions control systems. Time, mileage,
and coverage are conditional. Please
read the warranty manual for exact information.
Original Equipment Battery Limited
Warranty — this warranty gives up
to 100 percent credit toward a
replacement battery.
Seat Belt Limited Warranty — a seat
belt that fails to function properly is covered for the useful life of the
vehicle.
Rust Perforation Limited Warranty — all exterior body panels are
covered for rust-through from the
inside for the specified time period
with no mileage limit.
Accessory Limited Warranty — Genuine Acura Accessories are
covered under this warranty. Time
and mileage limits depend on the
type of accessory and other factors. Please read your warranty manual
for details.
Replacement Parts Limited Warranty — covers all Genuine
Acura replacement parts against defects in materials and workman-ship. Replacement Battery Limited
Warranty — provides prorated
coverage for a replacement battery
purchased from an Acura dealer.
Replacement Muffler Lifetime
Limited Warranty — provides
coverage for as long as the pur-
chaser of the muffler owns the car.
Restrictions and exclusions apply to all these warranties. Please read the
2000 Acura Warranty Information
booklet that came with your car for
precise information on warranty
coverages. Your Acura's original
tires are covered by their manufacturer. Tire warranty infor-
mation is in a separate booklet.
Canadian Owners
Please refer to the 2000 Warranty
Manual that came with your car.
Warranty and Customer Relations

Reporting Safety Defects (U.S. Cars)
If you believe that your vehicle has adefect which could cause a crash or
could cause injury or death, you should immediately inform the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) in addition
Co., Inc. If NHTSA receives similar com-
plaints, it may open an investigation, and if it finds that a safety defect
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
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. To contact NHTSA, you may either
call the Auto Safety Hotline toll-free
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 obtainother information about motor
vehicle safety from the Hotline.
Warranty and Customer Relations

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Authorized Manuals
Purchasing Factory Authorized Manuals
(U.S. only)
The following publications covering the operation and servicing of your vehicle can be obtained from Helm
Incorporated, either by filling out the attached form or,
for credit card holders, calling the toll-free phone number on the form. For manuals prior to the year shown below,
contact Helm Incorporated, P.O. Box 07280, Detroit,
Michigan 48207, or call 1-800-782-4356.
Publication
Form Number 61S0K01
61S0K01EL 61S0K30
31S0K610
31S0K710 ACU-R Form Description
1999-2000 Acura 3.2 TL Service Manual
1999-2000 Acura 3.2 TL
Electrical Troubleshooting Manual 1999-2000 Acura 3.2 TLBody Repair Manual2000 Acura 3.2 TL
Owner's Manual
2000 Acura 3.2 TL
Navigation Manual
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contact diet authorized Acura dealer.
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