1996 ACURA 3.5RL POWERTRAIN

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Corey Watson
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1 - - - n- _n OVERVIEW The 3.5 RL is powered by a 3.5-liter,all-aluminum, single-overhead camshaft, 90-degree V-6 engine which produces 210 horsepower at 5200rpm and 2241bsft of torque at a very low 2800rpm. Four valves per cylinder and a three-stage variable induction system help to provide both high torque at lower engine speeds and excellent breathing at higher engine speeds. While based on the general design of the 3.2-liter V-6, the 3.5-liter RL engine represents a major departure from the engineering philosophy that gave rise to that earlier engine. Apart from fasteners and other minor components, the two engines have few parts in common. The RL engine was developed with two major goals in mind: first, to provide maximum thrust at the engine speeds most normally used in day-to-day driving, i.e., the range from 1500 rpm to 4000 rpm. And second, to be both quieter, smoother and more durable than any engine in Acura history. The RL can travel 100,000 miles without requiring a scheduled tune-up. The engine is located longitudinally, moving weight to the rear for the 60/40 weight distribution deemed optimum for a front-wheel-drive sedan. The longitudinal mounting also yields benefits in noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) performance, because it allows the use of softer and better-located engine and transmission mounts. An electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmission, with Grade Logic Control software, is standard on every 3.5RL. 5

2 ENGINE BLOCK Like all other Acura engines, the block of the RL engine is an aluminum pressure casting with cast-in iron liners, a design known for its light weight, excellent rigidity and outstanding long-term durability. The crankcase is designed with a deep skirt and extensive webbing for added rigidity, reduced noise and reduced vibration. Actual displacement is 3473cc; stroke was increased 7mm to gain the added displacement. The 3.5RL engine is a slightly undersquare design, with a bore of 90.Omm and a stroke of 91.0mm. The main bearing journal supports have been beefed up for added rigidity, resulting in significantly reduced vibration in the 300-to-800 Hz range. The improvement in stiffness has raised the resonant frequency of the engine block an impressive 20 Hz. PR~ARYCOUPLEBALANCER To further reduce vibration transmitted to the passenger cabin, the RL engine features a rotating balancer, mounted to the right side of the engine block. The belt-driven balancer counteracts the rocking tendency inherent in the 90- degree V-6 design. CRANKSHAFT The forged steel crankshaft is micro-finished, an extremely precise finishing process developed originally in the Formula One engine program to reduce friction and enhance durability.the metallurgy of the main bearings is also a direct result of the Fl program of the late eighties and early nineties. The surface of the bearings has a unique, pyramidal structure, allowingspace for enhanced oil retention and resulting in lower friction and improved long-term durability. BLOCK-FORGED CONNECTING RODS The connecting rods of the RL are forged using a unique process, one that results in parts of high strength and unprecedented uniformity.the RL engine is the first automobile engine in the world to be produced using this advanced technology. 6

3 - d- _d - _.d...d.._. Because of the imprecise nature of the conventional forging process, the connecting rods of all other auto engines must be sorted according to weight, with rods of approximately equal mass assigned to each particular engine to achieve proper reciprocating balance. And even in rods that happen to have equal overall mass, the distribution of metal density throughout conventional rods can vary enough to affect strength and engine balance. The rods of the RL are forged with a new "block forging" system, in which the steel blank is struck, at extremely high pressure, from five directions at once. This process has no allowance for excess metal; it has nowhere to go in the ultra-precise block forging dies. Accordingly, the blanks that will be forged into RL rods are machined, before the forging process, to exacting mass tolerances. In other words, the material that will become an RL connecting rod has been precisely measured and balanced before it ever enters the forging dies. As a result of this process, RL connecting rods are the most precisely balanced of those in any production automobile engine. FULL-FLOATING PISTON PINS To reduce the engine noise caused by contact between the pistons and piston pins, the RL engine uses a full-floating piston pin design, in which the clearance between the piston and piston pin has been reduced. Typically,the piston pin is a press fit in the rod, and a larger clearance between the pin and the aluminum piston allows the piston to rock freely. In the RL design, the pin moves freely in the rod, and the piston rocks freely on the pin as well; the piston pin is essentially free to "float" between the piston and the rod. This change alone has resulted in a significant5db noise reduction. CYLINDER HEADNALVETRAIN The 3.5RL engine features a 4-valve-per-cylindervalvetrain with pent-roof combustion chambers. A single camshaft for each cast-aluminum cylinder head is driven by a flexible toothed belt. Hydraulic lash adjusters are used for quieter running and reduced maintenance. 7

4 VALVE TIMING Conventional high-performance engines typically use a substantial amount of. valve overlap to achieve better breathing at higher rpm; i.e., the intake and exhaust valves are open simultaneously at Top Dead Center between the exhaust and intake strokes. At low rpm, however, this allows blow-back of the fuel-air mixture, with exhaust gas creating a pressure wave that reverses flow of the fresh incoming charge. To prevent the resulting unstable combustion-and relatively rough running-at low rpm, the RL camshaft timing has considerably reduced valve overlap, resulting in smoother low-speed running and improved low-rpm torque. The advanced, 4-valve-per-cylinder design, along with the Variable Induction System intake tract, combine to maintain excellent high-rpm power output. FUEL PULSATION NOISE REDUCTION To reduce the pulsing noise emanating from the fuel injectors, a special sounddampening unit is mounted at the junction of the fuel delivery tube and each individual injector. TIMING BELT To further reduce noise, the resonant frequency of the timing belt has been tuned by altering both its width and its material. The position of the belt tensioner. was. also changed, as part of the intensive effort to reduce overall engme noise. VARIABLE INDUCTION SYSTEM To tune the intake system volume and length for optimum torque at any rpm, the RL uses a three-stage intake system. To enhance cylinder charging by making use of resonance effects in the intake tract, the engine uses a longer intake tract at low rpm, transitions to a mid-length tract in the mid-range, and then is opened completely for high-rpm running, letting the inertia effect of the moving column of air in the system enhance cylinder filling at higher revs. The system has been redesigned and retuned for the speciallow-rpmlhigh-torque tuning emphasis of the RL engine. 8

5 PROGRAMMED FUEL INJECTION Programmed Fuel Injection (PGM-FI) compensates for varying driving and atmospheric conditions, providing enhanced driveability in a wide variety of conditions. Data on coolant temperature, air temperature and density, manifold vacuum, engine rpm, throttle position, crankshaft position and exhaust oxygen content is interpreted by the Electronic Control Module (ECM), which determines fuel injector duration and timing, as well as ignition timing and transmission operation. 4-SPEED GRADE-LOGIC AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION The advanced, computer-controlled automatic transmission of the 3.5RL is the product of an intensive development program that focused on smooth shifting, responsive operation and state-of-the-art efficiency and drive ability. It uses Grade Logic Control to enhance performance on uphills and downhills. Using "fuzzy logic" software, the Electronic Control Module senses when the RL is traveling uphill and holds the transmission in a lower gear, even if a reduction in throttle position would otherwise dictate an upshift. This prevents "hunting" of the transmission between gears in steady uphill driving. Also, on downgrades, the transmission is in 3rd gear instead of automatically shifting to 4th, letting engine braking help keep the RL from picking up unwanted velocity. A refined torque converter is used to enhance performance and to achieve optimum fuel efficiency. The converter has been developed to reduce the "creeping" effect at idle, making the vehicle extraordinarily easy to hold with the foot brake at a stoplight. A gated shifter is used in the RL, helping the driver sense the position of the lever without diverting attention from the road. 9

6 _n n TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM (TCS) A computer-controlled Traction Control System is available on the RL as part of the Premium Package. If the wheel-speed sensors determine that a front wheel is accelerating faster than the other, or that both fronts are accelerating faster than a preset acceleration limit, the computer automatically closes a secondary throttle valve until wheelspin ceases. ELECTRONICIHYDRAULIC ENGINE MOUNTS To reduce vibration at idle, the RL uses hydraulic engine mounts with two different damping rates: a soft rate that allows the engine/transmission unit to move more freely at idle, and a stiffer rate that positions the powertrain more firmly during driving. Between 820 and 850 rpm, the damping characteristics of the mounts change automatically; a small solenoid valve closes, restricting the flow of fluid from chamber to chamber and thus increasing the damping rate. In addition, the main engine mounts have been located very close to the center of mass of the engine/transmission unit, more effectively isolating the primary inertial couple effect at idle. This change has resulted in significantly reduced vibration felt at the front seat in the critical 500- to 12oo-rpm idle and off-idle range. LIQUID-FILLED SUB FRAME MOUNT To reduce engine noise under acceleration, the subframe mounts between the engine/transmission/suspension assembly are filled with hydraulic fluid of a specifically tuned viscosity.the resulting softer damping rate further isolates the passenger compartment from engine and road noise. 10

The TL Series is available with either a 3.2-liter V-6 or a 2.5-liter, inline fivecylinder,

OVERVIEW The TL Series is available with either a 3.2-liter V-6 or a 2.5-liter, inline fivecylinder, engine. The 3.2TL engine, like all other Acura engines, is made of aluminum alloy and is equipped with