***STICKY*** NC1 Oil Pump Failures
- Thread starter smoore
- Start date
The initial J35-derived twin-turbo powertrain was 100% developed at Tochigi, but when they switched to the Cosworth GT3 engine, it was at the request of Acura and developed with the US-based chassis team. The only true Honda part on the car really is the clever motor system (and the trans).
- Joined
- 6 March 2019
- Messages
- 113
Any more information on the j35 derived motor?
I don't think a set of downpipes and an exhaust would blow an engine, has to be more to the story. I'm not a fan of tuning these cars or any cars for that matter. No one knows these cars better than Honda, safe to say they knew a thing or two when they threw 500 million to develop it.
It was actually a series of engines. The ones in the first test mules were just 3.5L engines pulled off the line. It progressed through SOHC single turbo (I think) to DOHC twin turbo IIRC. The final prototype was 8,000+ rpm, but they pulled the plug when US Acura decided that the car would be run in GT3 racing. This was a very late design change (much like adding VTEC in the Gen 1 development). The problem is GT3 racing demands a different kind of engine and Acura was worried the J35 platform would not have the durability needed for 12H and 24H races. Honda did not have the time to design a totally new engine, so they went to Cosworth and said give us a world class GT3 engine. That meant low revs for reliability and the platform did very well in GT3. We'll likely never see the J35 platform, as Honda is moving away fully from ICE development into hybrid and EV.
- Joined
- 6 March 2019
- Messages
- 113
I'm interested in the j35 variation because maybe some of its architecture has trickled down into the new acura tlx type s engine the j30ac and j35y8 2023 honda pilot engine. Both engines are dohc but only the j30ac is turbocharged while the j35y8 has hydraulic camshaft followers and tailored for efficiency.Off topic but the guys over at p2r have been working to see if the older J series transmission will bolt up and that might make this a viable swap for 1st gen Nsx's in the near future.
I wonder how close they have gotten to their research for GEN1.
It's likely some of the NSX development tech made its way into those engines.
- Joined
- 6 March 2019
- Messages
- 113
Looks very promising and the initial fitup of the transmission and block looked very close.
- Joined
- 6 March 2019
- Messages
- 113
The only failures I have heard of from stock engines were related to oil system failures.The oil system is complex and if this car was in a front end accident and if the oil coolers or it's lines damaged, not inspected or replaced preemptively then that could contribute to engine failure eventually.
Cars accident was back in 2017 and the car only had 7200 miles on it... she now has 57k miles on it and has driven across the country from Las Vegas to Tampa with no issues.. I guess my car has more miles that most and many have not got to see the 57k mile use on their engine yet..
- Joined
- 6 March 2019
- Messages
- 113
Nc1 owners should consider getting regular oil analysis done to keep track of engine wear and perhaps change oil abit sooner than suggested. These cars may not be driven often but the miles are spirited miles so it's best to keep an eye on wear metals. Even if owners still have warranty they could use the oil analysis as proof if a warranty claim was ever challenged.
Mine was the opposite, I was kinda surprised but I agree. 3k intervals make more sense to me.
I am a new NC1 owner now, finally bought one. 3000 miles or once a year for oil changes regardless of mileage? I'm not planning to drive my NC1 as much as my road trip warrior NA2 (at a young 113k miles 
now), so this is a relevant issue.
now), so this is a relevant issue.- Joined
- 6 March 2019
- Messages
- 113
I would suggest to stick to 3000 miles even if oil analysis state the oil is still good. Whatever metrics they go by doesn't change the fact that the longer the oil stays in the engine it'll burn off leaving residue . The next fresh oil change detergents are able to clean most accessible parts of engine internally except for the piston ring grooves. This is where longer oil change intervals will show significant carbon in the ring grooves.Keep in mind the turbos transfer their heat into the engine oil and also add their wear metals there also. These cars sit stored with short drive cycles= moisture in the crankcase so changing once a year even if the miles haven't been reached is a good idea .
About time!! : )I am a new NC1 owner now, finally bought one. 3000 miles or once a year for oil changes regardless of mileage? I'm not planning to drive my NC1 as much as my road trip warrior NA2 (at a young 113k miles
- Joined
- 11 February 2025
- Messages
- 11
Was this ever resolved? Literally just had the same happen to mines, 20k miles and driving, lights all came on and then started smoking. Dropped the motor and it seemed something broke in the engine, sending it into the oil pump and destroying the gears. Having to drive deeper to see what exactly failed etc
- Joined
- 6 March 2019
- Messages
- 113
Are you still under warranty?
Yikes, any update?
it is scary to own one without warranty...
Gotta be more to the story.
I'm the second owner of my #854 and the engine was pulled to replace the oil pump assembly (15100-58G-A01) by the Acura Dealership due to multiple oil leaks discovered during an inspection........ that was before the vehicle hit 500 miles in April 2018....... I didn't know that before I bought it in April 2021 at 6,522 miles till after I looked at the maintenance history...…. I bought a 5yr/80,000 mile warranty from Acura in June 2021....... I currently have 17,307 miles, three oil changes as well as three oil samples and the engine is wearing good.... from 5440-6522 miles the iron was 7ppm..... but Iron doubled to 15ppm from 6,522-11,924 miles.... Blackstone Labs said this sample might relate to the the Thin Viscosity (10.54cSt @100C / 61.1 SUS @ 210F) Or The Engine Might Have A Tendency To Shear Down Its Oil.... from 11,924-15,160 miles I extracted 1.5qt of oil from the oil tank and added 1.5qt fresh 0W-40 Mobil 1 ESP after the end of the day drive.... it took about 22qts and about 15 extractions to replace 90% of the oil Without removing the 7 drain plugs.... after the 15th extraction I replaced the Oil filter Assembly and sent in another sample.... Iron ppm went back down to 7 and Blackstone said the oil is Barely Used..... but the 0W-40 Mobil 1 viscosity is still low, like a 30W oil..... so at 15,512 miles I did a complete 7 plug drain oil change with oil filter, but this time I'm using Driven Racing DI40 (5W-40)..... DI40 is suppose to stay up in the 40W viscosity range and not shear down to a 30W like Moble-1 0W-40 does.... DI40 also has a lower Calcium ppm of 1300 while Mobil-1 has close to 3000 ppm that leads to a Low Speed Pre Ignition (Engine goes kaBoom) in Direct Injected Gas Engines....... I'll send in the DI40 sample at 18,512miles..... Guess who manufactures Acura 0W-40 pn 08798-9080 for the NSX?!...... Mobil-1.....
Sorry to hear this.. and no I have not got this resolved and sadly I will never buy another NC1 NSX again. I've lost my trust in the brand and I expect this to happen to more NC1 NSX's as the miles start to be put on and warranties start to expire.. It's sad and sure people can say "you shouldn't have purchased a rebuilt title car etc" but the fact is the car has never had an issue for 45k miles since that and i've very confident it had absolutely nothing to do with it... So the motor just give out at 50k is actually disgusting to me especially from an Acura..
Last edited:
