Acura 3.0L (182 cu in) firing order — diagram & guide
Insights into the Acura 3.0L firing order for improved engine balance and longevity.
Ever since its first appearance in the Acura CL back in the late 90s, the 3.0-liter V6 engine became a staple in Acura’s lineup. These days we can witness the newly-developed turbocharged version of the engine in the “Type S” models, and regardless of which version you own, there are common maintenance tasks you need to do.
If you are a DIYer, we’ll do our best to make that task easier for you through our Acura 3.0L (182 cu in) firing order guide. Not only will we go through the firing sequence of the engine, but we’ll also tell you how to utilize it for the benefit of your engine’s longevity.
Acura 3.0L firing order
Before we get started, it’s important to state that the Acura 3.0L engine has been present since 1996 and is still going strong in today’s MDX and TSX models. However, the engine evolved over time and even gained a twin-scroll turbocharger in the modern-day high-performance models.
Still, the Acura 3.0L firing order is 1-4-2-5-3-6 for all the versions including the latest high-performance turbo edition crafted in 2021. Now that you know the most important piece of information about this engine and its upkeep, you may be wondering how you can use it.
Well, it’s enough to follow the firing pattern when checking the engine’s cylinders. If you get an OBD2 code signifying misfires, you can figure out which cylinder is misfiring this way. The same goes for checking spark plugs and ignition coils, so all this can be done by knowing the firing order and the cylinder configuration of the engine.
Acura 3.0L cylinder diagram
Since we’ve already explained a bit about the Acura 3.0-liter engine’s firing order, it’s time to move on to the cylinder layout. You can’t use the firing order if you don’t know the cylinder numbering of the engine, but it’s a good thing that you can do this pretty easily.
Start with cylinder number 1 since it’s the first one in the line of the firing order. For this particular engine, the first cylinder can be found in the left-side cylinder bank along with the second and the third cylinder.
Cylinders 4, 5, and 6 are all located on the opposite side bank and their order is 4, 5, 6 front to end. The same goes for cylinders from 1 to 3 on the left side.
Acura 3.0L vehicle applications
Before we conclude this guide, we need to address the matter of vehicle applications in terms of all the vehicles using this engine from the brand. Here’s a full list:
It’s also worth noting that the engine was used in a variety of Honda vehicles besides Acura models and these include the Inspire and Accord models.
Our take
Ultimately, we hope to have helped with our guide on the Acura 3.0L firing order mainly because drivers are often concerned with the different versions of this engine.
Now you know that both the naturally aspirated one and the turbo V6 use the same 1-4-2-5-3-6 firing order, so it gets easier to inspect the cylinders.
