Advice on what to look for - engine swapped

[NSaneXr]

Hi all. I am looking for some advice on what to look for, or rather what to ensure a tech looks for when looking at a NSX that had an engine swap. I did a search for information here on Prime but most of the information is about the possibility of swapping an engine but I didn't see anything about the problems to watch out for after this was done etc. I have checked the usual suspects (TB/WP, CCU, windows, etc.) and have a good idea what needs to be addressed with those.

Here's some background information. The car is a 97 with a little over 80K km. A few months ago the owner missed a gear and blew the engine. The owner replaced the engine with one from an 02 with about 20K km. I talked with an independent mechanic (meaning he didn't do the engine work) who had the car for a couple of days and was able to test drive it and look it over and he said everything seemed good mechanically (note he has owned a couple NSXs and worked on others - I know that doesn't make him an expert but it should, IMO, give him some working knowledge of them).

I am going to get a PPI done on the car and I wanted to see if there is anything specific that should be looked at given the background info on the car.

Thanks

 

[Big_D]

The PO must have done a money shift...aka downshifting into too low of a gear.

Nothing comes to mind about swapping the engine since both were NA2 cars. I would want to know the condition of the clutch and try to get my hands on as many maintenance records as I could.

Good Luck!

 

[s2kNSX]

"A few months ago the owner missed a gear and blew the engine"

sounds quite sketchy...i aint no driving expert but alot of times its impossible to force it in too high of a gear if not rev matched...ok someone educate me.

zaid

 

[usafdarkhorse]

"A few months ago the owner missed a gear and blew the engine"

sounds quite sketchy...i aint no driving expert but alot of times its impossible to force it in too high of a gear if not rev matched...ok someone educate me.

zaid

Second to third, get excited, accidentally hit first.

Boom.

 

[RedWings]

Second to third, get excited, accidentally hit first.

Boom.

Oops Yea, rev limiter doesn't protect on down shifts last I knew

I'd make damn sure that your PPI includes a leakdown test on each cylinder so you are walking into a deal knowing the numbers and pay particular attention to the clutch and transmission condition.

I'd certainly want to speak with the mechanic that did the engine swap as a condition of purchase.

Replacment engine, trans, clutch ain't cheap as you are surely aware

 

[yoda888]

This is pretty common. Money shift!

Flogging the car trying to shift from 3rd to 4th, and go into 2nd by accident. Kapow! And before anyone says anything about the rev-limiter kicking in, yes it will kick in, but it will only cut off the fuel/spark to the motor, the physics of the speed of the car, gear ratio, and motor speed can't be stopped.

"A few months ago the owner missed a gear and blew the engine"

sounds quite sketchy...i aint no driving expert but alot of times its impossible to force it in too high of a gear if not rev matched...ok someone educate me.

zaid

 

[docjohn]

there are some tricks that need to be done...there is additional ulev plumbing that had to be dealt with on the 02 engine that the 97 ecu/ wire harness never had. I have a 00 engine in my 96 and all is well,but to be a "propper" install the person doing it should have used hand tools as much as possible and not cut corners.There are lots of things that also should have been replaced as new with the 02 engine like accesories and belts.....

 

[NSaneXr]

Thank you all for the information. I have spoken with the owner and at this time have no reason to doubt the story on the down shift. The car has a new clutch, brakes and tires. He did mention that the engine wasn't a direct swap and did require additional work/parts (which I believe aligns with what DocJohn is saying).

 

[Bram]

Where are you located in Canada?.....Maybe we can get some additional infor on the Car


The Doc is correct, there are some Air injection holes in the head that must be covered off if an 02 Engine is being transplanted in an NA-1

Bram

 

[NSaneXr]

Where are you located in Canada?.....Maybe we can get some additional infor on the Car

I'm in Toronto. The car is also in Toronto. Actually, I just realized that the car is close to Acura Sherway. I did a search here on Prime and I see that in the past they had some good techs. I might see if I can get the car there for a good inspection.

I'm not sure what other information might be helpful. I searched the VIN and nothing came back - other than it was the second red 97 NSX-T built for Canada and that it has a tan interior with black seats (I hadn't seen that combo before).

The car has the usual wear on the seats, not bad, but it is there. The interior needs a good clean up though. It will need the CCU fix. The windows are slow but work (no fix it thingys). The antenna doesn't work. It needs trunk struts as well. It is missing the front lip. The rear targa weatherstrip has a tear in it at the driver's door, but it doesn't leak. The paint is good, but has a couple of scratches. The only mod is a Comptech exhaust. It needs an O2 sensor. It has a new clutch, new brakes and new tires.

I ran a Carfax this weekend and the only big thing that came out of the report was that the car was considered a total loss due to the engine blowing - looks like the estimate was pegged at $38K. The current owner bought it back from insurance and put the 02 engine in it.

The Doc is correct, there are some Air injection holes in the head that must be covered off if an 02 Engine is being transplanted in an NA-1

Bram

I will have that looked into. I'm a bit (understatement) of a newbie, so forgive the question, but isn't the 97 considered a NA-2? I don't believe that it matters in this case though as I believe that the changes between 97 and 02 are what need to be addressed and not so much whether it is a NA1/2. Just curious.

I suppose it is hard to guess without seeing the car, but if anybody wants to throw out some "I wouldn't pay more than X" that would be helpful.

Thank you again for all the help.

 

[NSaneXr]

Looks like the seller dropped the price significantly yesterday and somebody is buying it. Missed another one, so back to the search...