Detailed 2012 Acura TL powertrain information

[MajorCavalry]

Purchased a 2012 Acura TL SH AWD. I have posted here before on the unusual requirement of 5W20 in the 3.7L engine but 0W-20 for the 3.5L engine. I found this link to a Honda website that gives tons of information on both of these engines, transmission, etc.

I didn't know that the 3.7L engine has cast in high silicon aluminum cylinder liners whereas the 3.5L engine has cast in iron cylinder liners. Could this be the reason why the 3.7L engine requires the 5W-20? Maybe it needs a bit higher film thickness when cold? (I am assuming the film thickness when cold would be a bit higher, but I could be totally wrong)

Well here is the link. I found it very interesting, hope you do as well.

http://www.hondanews.com/channels/acura-automobiles-tl/releases/2012-acura-tl-powertrain

Steve

 

[dparm]

Ha, they have an Alusil product too! My Audi uses that.

There is some outstanding discussion on one of the Audi sites about the difficulty in rehoning and such.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Ha, they have an Alusil product too! My Audi uses that.

There is some outstanding discussion on one of the Audi sites about the difficulty in rehoning and such.


Yes, as does my BMW. Most don't bother. You just get the block bored and sleeved, since nobody can machine the alusil.

 

[MajorCavalry]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: dparm
Ha, they have an Alusil product too! My Audi uses that.

There is some outstanding discussion on one of the Audi sites about the difficulty in rehoning and such.


Yes, as does my BMW. Most don't bother. You just get the block bored and sleeved, since nobody can machine the alusil.


The whole reason I am on BITOG. Find the "right" oil so I never have to worry about a rebuild.

 

[Nick R]

Wait, the Acura 3.7L doesn't have an iron bore liner? Didn't we go through this with the Vega engine? Granted metallurgy was much worse back then, but I was under the impression that even strengthened aluminum just isn't as good as a liner than Iron. That's why commercial OPE engines use iron liners, and the cheaper consumer stuff uses the aluminum kool-bore. I'm no metallurgist though, so take what I say from the perspective of someone who is fairly uninformed.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Hmmmm, seems last time I had something bored it WAS machining?

Alusil, nikasil, there's been a few of these magic coatings. I'm not a fan, but I'm sure they have refined these deposition based processes a bit or Acura, BMW, etc., would not be using them.

As stated above, it's always possible to bore and sleeve the block if needed. Somehow I doubt the average owner will consider it.

 

[MajorCavalry]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
Wait, the Acura 3.7L doesn't have an iron bore liner? Didn't we go through this with the Vega engine? Granted metallurgy was much worse back then, but I was under the impression that even strengthened aluminum just isn't as good as a liner than Iron. That's why commercial OPE engines use iron liners, and the cheaper consumer stuff uses the aluminum kool-bore. I'm no metallurgist though, so take what I say from the perspective of someone who is fairly uninformed.


Kind of hard to compare a Vega engine with other high silicon content aluminum alloy cylinder liner blocks. Merecedes, Audi, BMW, Acura come to mind. It is the machined silicon that the piston rings ride on. After machining the aluminum is etched away leaving protruding, machined silicon. It is the etching process that failed in the Vega along with an undersized cooling system


Steve.

 

[artificialist]

In order to enlarge the bore of the engine, removing the iron liner and then using an alusil block is how Ford managed to get 5.0L from the 4.6L block in the FR500

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mustang_FR500