Broken Timing Belt

nsxot1c · 5 May 2006

Sooo It's possible my timing belt has snapped... what possible damage could have occurred... I'm guessing valve problems etc. Is this an interference engine??

I searched prime and Didn't come up with much, besides the do-it-yourself for the belt. Any ideas on how much for repairs>??

damn this hasnt been a good day!!

Synthesis · 5 May 2006

didn't somebody post 8000 bucks for repair? ugh, that sucks man. i take that risk everytime i take mine out, cause i'm not sure when/if it's been done.... i'm going to do it in about 3 mos though, when i get back from japan....

nsxtasy · 5 May 2006

nsxot1c said:
Is this an interference engine??

Yes.

nsxot1c said:
Any ideas on how much for repairs>??

You'll have to test it, open it up, and figure out how much needs replacing. But it ain't gonna be cheap.

How old was the timing belt, i.e. when was it last changed? According to the recommended maintenance schedule, the timing belt on your '95 should have been replaced in 2001 (or before that, if you hit 90K miles prior to that).

4AU4LIFE · 5 May 2006

I don't understand what you mean by saying it's possible your belt broke.

either it did or didn't. pretty easy to tell.

Synthesis · 5 May 2006

haha, good point

Zennsx · 5 May 2006

Nitrous??

Daedalus · 5 May 2006

If it broke, 2nd one on Prime in just over a month. PM X-toy to see what his repairs cost.
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66954

DrVolkl · 5 May 2006

nsxtasy said:
Yes.

How old was the timing belt, i.e. when was it last changed? According to the recommended maintenance schedule, the timing belt on your '95 should have been replaced in 2001 (or before that, if you hit 90K miles prior to that).

Mine is a '91...and to my best knowledge it's never been changed. I have an appt in 2 weeks to have it done, and I'm crossing my fingers she holds on just a little longer! (72k miles).

One of those things that when I bought car last Aug I didn't plan on doing right away...scary hearing stories like this!

nsxot1c · 5 May 2006

92NSX said:
I don't understand what you mean by saying it's possible your belt broke. either it did or didn't. pretty easy to tell.

Had a bunch going on so didn't have a chance to really check things out yet... simply towed the car home and it's been parked since. I have to work about a 13 hour day tomorow so hopefully saturday I can look into it more...

MvM · 5 May 2006

I recently had my timing belt done while the car was undergoing repair because I did not know if it ever was done.
The timing belt itself looked like new with no cracks or wear visible anywhere but still I am happy that I had it done. It simply is not worth not doing it when you consider the possible damage to your engine that occurs when it snaps while driving in my opinion.

nsxot1c · 5 May 2006

Very well put... too little too late for me.

Larry B warned me it was in need of doing... I just didn't have the extra funds to do so, was hoping to go ahead with the t-belt and water pump within the next few months. And now look, we're talking full top end build.
lesson learned haha

MvM said:
I recently had my timing belt done while the car was undergoing repair because I did not know if it ever was done.
The timing belt itself looked like new with no cracks or wear visible anywhere but still I am happy that I had it done. It simply is not worth not doing it when you consider the possible damage to your engine that occurs when it snaps while driving in my opinion.

coolnsx · 5 May 2006

MvM said:
I recently had my timing belt done while the car was undergoing repair because I did not know if it ever was done.
The timing belt itself looked like new with no cracks or wear visible anywhere but still I am happy that I had it done. It simply is not worth not doing it when you consider the possible damage to your engine that occurs when it snaps while driving in my opinion.

I agree, I just picked mine up from Ramon's yesterday. I had the timing belt and water pump changed at 38,500 miles just to be safe :smile:

nsxtasy · 5 May 2006

coolnsx said:
I agree, I just picked mine up from Ramon's yesterday. I had the timing belt and water pump changed at 38,500 miles just to be safe :smile:

Funny, that's almost exactly the number of miles on mine when I had it changed. I'm going to need to do so again in the next year or two...

NSXSOON · 5 May 2006

nsxot1c said:
Very well put... too little too late for me.

Larry B warned me it was in need of doing... I just didn't have the extra funds to do so, was hoping to go ahead with the t-belt and water pump within the next few months. And now look, we're talking full top end build.
lesson learned haha

Not to rain on you but a top end rebuild is likely the least you will be looking at. Cyl wall, piston and head damage may also need to be factored in. I'm hoping things will work out with the least amount of damage and cost. Larry B will help you through this.

sjones · 5 May 2006

I have a feeling we may hear of more early 90's timing belts breaking as more people chance putting off the maintenance til a later time.

I'll be due for a second timing belt on mine when I reach the 152K mile mark or Jan 2008.

I Grok NSX · 5 May 2006

Oh boy. Hopefully it's not the belt. I just finished changing mine along with all the hoses. To tell you, changing ALL of the cooling hoses was a bigger job than the timing belt/wp. By the way, thanks to Larry B. for the help/tips, along with others who have posted timing belt change Do-it-yourself info. Sure makes doing the job easier.

The Kid · 6 May 2006

Larry B has been there for my darkest hour. My snap ring broke hours before I was heading to Miami for the weekend.

I dont mean to ruin anyone's day or stir a fight, but this is pure ignorance. Spend the money for preventative maintence and you'll be happier. You can afford an NSX but you cant take care of it? Again, this isnt directed at anyone but Im confused?

Larry Bastanza · 6 May 2006

It is not likely there is any addition damage. The valves in the NSX engine are VERY fragile, they bend and get out of the way easily. If you have n=mistimed your engine during a t-belt change, then turned the crank by hand you could bend them and may not even notice it. They will have less resistance then compression, that is how small and fragile they are.

Maybe if you were at 8K rpm, but otherwise I suspect a top end rebuild will do it.

HTH,
LarryB

needspeed · 6 May 2006

Since your gonna have it opened up, why not go for the 3.8 upgrade....lots of NA power :biggrin: Good luck, its gonna be OK......Steve

NSXGMS · 6 May 2006

needspeed said:
Since your gonna have it opened up, why not go for the 3.8 upgrade....lots of NA power :biggrin: Good luck, its gonna be OK......Steve

Amen to that. I'll never sweat if my engine blows as there will be a beautiful 3.8 SOS motor around the corner!! :wink:

nsxot1c said:
Larry B warned me it was in need of doing... I just didn't have the extra funds to do so, was hoping to go ahead with the t-belt and water pump within the next few months. And now look, we're talking full top end build.
lesson learned haha

It appears lack of funds is what caused this tragedy...I don't think there's an extra $10,000 lying around for a 3.8 SOS motor. But if there was $$...:biggrin:

Hugh · 6 May 2006

Speaking of timing belts. I had mine done two years ago at 80,000 miles. The car is about to hit 160,000 miles. Guess a replacement is in the near future.

MvM · 7 May 2006

Larry Bastanza said:
It is not likely there is any addition damage. The valves in the NSX engine are VERY fragile, they bend and get out of the way easily. If you have n=mistimed your engine during a t-belt change, then turned the crank by hand you could bend them and may not even notice it. They will have less resistance then compression, that is how small and fragile they are.

Maybe if you were at 8K rpm, but otherwise I suspect a top end rebuild will do it.

HTH,
LarryB

Thanks for your comments.
How come the valves in the NSX are so fragile. Is it because of the high RPM the engine is capable off ?? And if so, is that similar then with other high RPM-engines like the S2000 or some of the current Ferrari engines.

Larry Bastanza · 7 May 2006

MvM said:
Thanks for your comments.
How come the valves in the NSX are so fragile. Is it because of the high RPM the engine is capable off ?? And if so, is that similar then with other high RPM-engines like the S2000 or some of the current Ferrari engines.

Yes, high revs require low mass

Have not seem the specs on the s2000 motor, most most likely they are similar in this respect.

HTH,
LarryB

4AU4LIFE · 7 May 2006

sjones said:
I have a feeling we may hear of more early 90's timing belts breaking as more people chance putting off the maintenance til a later time.

I was thinking the same thing.:frown:

BD · 10 May 2006

Timing belt wear is more based on age than mileage. Yeah, 11 years old is pertty bad. Get it done ASAP.

Broken Timing Belt

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