hoser

I just picked up a '97 TL 3.2 w/115k miles and the dang CEL came on a few days ago. I've tightened the gas cap and drove it for a few days and it's still on.

After reading some of the posts here (good site btw) i'm wondering about the Emissions Warranty that is reffered to in some posts.

Would my '97 still be covered? How would I find out? and what's actually covered?

Any info. would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Hoser

bpjadhav

I believe the emissions warranty is for 14years/150,000 miles. Anything related to emissions such as exhaust manifold, oxygen sensor, tune up stuff (spark plugs, distributor rotor cap, etc.) is covered.
you can find out more at your local dealership. They'll tell you if this maintenance has been performed on your car previously.

KrayzieDxC

i go to autozone and check the code before anything free too.

Ken1997TL

Yes, you're covered!

hoser

I had my local mechanic check it and he found a P0171 code error (System adaptive fuel too lean/rich).

Would that be covered even though i'm not the original owner? or if the previous owner(s) had similar problems fixed in the past?

thanks again for any info.

vanz

Warranty transfers with the car. The only thing you may not be covered on is if the previous owner already went in for a free tune-up. Your o2 sensor can be replaced as many times as it needs to be under warranty.

KrayzieDxC

try cleaning the MAF sensor ,the instake senor part

hoser

MAF or MAP ?

WolfpackBill

Don't bother fixing it yourself unless you really have to. Anything that relates to the CEL is covered by Honda for 14 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first. Take it in and they'll take care of it.

hoser

I took it into an Acura dealer and they said code was for a Cyl. 1,2,3 misfire.

They are having some difficulty locating the problem and think it maybe the ECU (?) as they've already replaced the coils and plugs.

I asked if the ECU would be covered under the extended emmisions warranty and they said "NO".

So unless they're wrong, not everything related to the CEL is covered by that extended emmisions warranty.

Any thoughts?

TexasHonda

I would try a reset of the ECU if that hasn't been tried. I've seen many people suspect their ECU, but rarely is this the problem.

What code/s did Acura find if code wasn't P0171?

In my view, misfires are an emissions problem as the car will not pass an emissions test w/ these codes set. I would insist that Acura fix the problem.

good luck

Ray from NJ

The dealer has to do whatever it takes to pass emmissions on the 96 and 97 cars under 150K.

hoser

I may have a hard time with that being as MN doesn't require an emmisions test anymore.

hoser

I finally got the car back from the dealer today.

They said the ECU was fine. The CEL codes were P1201, 1202, 1203 and 1300.

After 3 days of trying to figure out the problem the Dealer attributed those codes to a loose wire connection on the coil packs. Sound plausible??

On my way home from the dealer it started sputtering when driving on the freeway but the CEL light didn't come on. Wouldn't the CEL come on if it was mis-firing again or is that the reason for the mandated extended emmissions warranty (as it won't detect mis-fires correctly) ???

For the heck of it i'm going to throw a can of injector cleaner in my next tank of gas. I'm thinking there's still something wrong.

TexasHonda

Codes 1201-1203 are misfires on cylinders 1, 2, & 3. Code 1300 is a random misfire. PM me w/ your email address and I'll send you a list of things that could be checked to detect misfire,...quite a list. I'll bet Acura hasn't looked for most of these potential problems. List is from a Mitchell on Demand CD.

EGR system is worth checking. A partially blocked EGR manifold or ports can cause excessive leaning of remaining cylinders and a misfire. It should affect same cylinders, so perhaps the 1,2, 3 are open and getting too much EG which overleans, causing a miss. This will usually occur under light throttle as you attempt to increase speed.

good luck

hoser

Well the car went almost a day since getting it back from the dealer b/4 the CEL came back on.

As i mentioned it ran rough for a short time on the freeway (but no CEL) and it seems to fall on itself/stumble slightly when you give it anything but just slight throttle especially at low speed/take off.

I PM'd my email address to you. When you get a chance could you please send me that list so I can show it to the dealer when I bring it back in? Thanks.

hoser

I brought the car back to the dealer and they now believe the problem is a bad right bank (front) O2 sensor. Time will tell........