Back in the day, the Acura TL stood as an embodiment of a sporty sedan with a high-class luxurious finish. Fast forward a bit, and the TL is still a bargain on the used car market, only this time it’s getting a bit older and the engines often require more frequent maintenance.
If you own one of these, don’t worry – our guide on the Acura TL (1996-2014) firing order will shed some light on how you can maintain the engine more easily. You can use the firing pattern of each engine to help with DIY maintenance, and once you get to know where the cylinders are located, you can check them in order, so let’s get into it.
| TL YEARS | ENGINE | FIRING ORDER |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Gen (1996-1998) | 2.0L | 1-3-4-2 |
| 2.5L | 1-2-4-5-3 | |
| 3.2L V6 | 1-4-2-5-3-6 | |
| 2nd Gen (1999-2003) | 2.5L | 1-2-4-5-3 |
| 3.2L V6 | 1-4-2-5-3-6 | |
| 3rd Gen (2004-2008) | 3.2L V6 | 1-4-2-5-3-6 |
| 3.5L V6 | 1-4-2-5-3-6 | |
| 4th Gen (2009-2014) | 3.5L V6 | 1-4-2-5-3-6 |
| 3.7L V6 | 1-4-2-5-3-6 |
First-generation Acura TL (1996-1998) firing order
The first-gen TL model was the only model of the car to offer a four-cylinder base engine. After the success of the car in the US market, the following generations usually had V6 engines under the hood.
There’s also the exception of a straight-five engine which was available from the first-gen TL, so let’s take a closer look at the firing orders for each.
Acura TL 2.0L firing order
The Acura TL 2.0L firing order is 1-3-4-2 and this engine is a simple straight-four engine used in base models of the first generation. Besides the simple firing pattern, it’s also easy to find the cylinder numbers in their order within the engine, since all the cylinders are aligned from 1 to 4 in a straight order.
So, the first cylinder is the left-most one in this configuration, with the fourth cylinder being the furthest to the right.
Acura TL 2.5L firing order
Unlike the four-cylinder engine for the base model, there’s a five-cylinder straight engine used for a higher trim of the first-gen TL. The Acura TL 2.5L firing order is 1-2-4-5-3 and the cylinders are laid out in aq straight line from 1 to 5.
However, this time the first cylinder is at the front end of the engine while the rest goes up to the fifth one at the rear end, unlike the four-cylinder engine whose cylinders were placed left to right.
Acura TL 3.2L firing order
As the only V6 engine offered for the first-gen TL, we have the 3.2-liter powertrain. So, the Acura TL 3.2L firing order is 1-4-2-5-3-6 and the cylinders are split into two cylinder banks, one on each side of the engine.
Cylinders 1, 2, and 3 are placed on the passenger’s side of the engine, while cylinders 4, 5, and 6 are on the driver’s side, looking at it from front to rear.
Second-generation Acura TL (1999-2003) firing order
The second-gen Acura TL only offered two engine options, and both of these were carried into the second-gen from the previous model. So, drivers could have gotten a five-cylinder TL or a 3.2-liter V6 and we’ve already discussed both of these engines.
Third-generation Acura TL (2004-2008) firing order
The third-gen TL model is when a lot of change happened since the 3.2-liter V6 was the only leftover engine option used in the previous model years. With this one, the TL got an update in the form of a 3.5-liter V6, so we’ll focus on that one next.
Acura TL 3.5L firing order
When it comes to the larger V6 engine, the Acura TL 3.5L firing order is 1-4-2-5-3-6, and the cylinder layout is also the same as for the previous V6 engine. The engine’s cylinders are divided into two cylinder banks, so cylinders 1, 2, and 3 are on the passenger’s side, and cylinders 4, 5, and 6 are on the driver’s side.
All the cylinders are arranged front to rear in both banks, so cylinders 1 and 4 are the front-most cylinders in their respective banks.
Fourth-generation Acura TL (2009-2014) firing order
For the fourth-generation model of the Acura TL, the brand added a new 3.7-liter engine along with the old 3.5L V6. As it’s the only new option, we’ll compare the firing order of the engine and the cylinder layout with the 3.5L engine.
Acura TL 3.7L firing order
The Acura TL 3.7L firing order is 1-4-2-5-3-6, so it’s the same as it was for the 3.2-liter and a 3.5-liter V6. However, there’s a major difference here since the 3.7L engine is a transverse one, which means the cylinders were arranged in the upper and the lower cylinder banks.
Cylinders 1, 2, and 3 are all within the upper cylinder bank arranged from left to right, while the lower cylinder bank features cylinders 4, 5, and 6, also arranged left to right.
Our take
So, now you know a bit more about the firing patterns and cylinder diagrams for all the Acura TL engine options. If you consider yourself to be a DIY enthusiast, it should be just enough to get you going when it comes to engine maintenance, and we hope our team was able to help you with that.
