Blew my Timing Belt at Full Throttle!

[X-Toy]

So Thursday I gave a friend a spin in the car and two corners from where we started I was opening her up and Whap! Speedometer, tach, power went right to zero. It sounded like I hit something. We got out to check out the engine. No oil leak, a little smell of burnt oil, little brownish fibers all over the engine bay. Needless to say, there was a little 1/2 inch wide by 8 inch long of shredded timing belt remnent left on a pully.

Flatted the car to Niguel Motors where Ramon started to take it apart. As of Fri. close, he put a new belt on, hand cranked it smoothly (good, no seized barring), and found no compression in the cylinders!

So far, valves are probably bent! He'll open up the head on Mon. to asses the rest of the damage. I've got my fingers crossed that the piston heads are ok so I won't have to tear open the bottom end!

My question is, does anyone have a recomendation on having head work done? I live in Irvine, California (SoCal). Some of my friends tell me that since I've most likely going to have the head worked on, I should have a port and polish job done which could give some more horse power. As you can see, I'm trying to find some positives in the sea of negatives I've fallen into.

By the way, my car is a '91 and had only 45k on it when this happened. I'm the second owner since '94, and I think the car previously sat unused for a couple of years before I took over. Maybe that's why the belt went kablewy prematurely.

Any advice and recomendations would be really appreciated. I've got very little experience with these matters.

Peter

 

[SugrueNSX]

Sorry to hear that. I hope it all works out for you.
You said that the belt went prematurely. When was it last changed?

Thanks,

Patrick

 

[LJSB]

What a lousy break but FYI the recommendation for a timing belt change is 6 years or 90k which ever comes first.
I have a set of heads off a 91-92 and a few OEM pistons/rods. If your mechanic says you need them, PM me.
If you trust your mechanic and he knows what he's doing, that should be your primary source for advice.
Good Luck.

 

[Daedalus]

Oh man, what a mess. So sorry to hear. If it were me I would seriously consider sending the engine to SOS for a rebuild. I'm guessing for what it will cost just to get the car back on the road with stock parts, an SOS rebuild won't be that much more, depending on what level of performance you want. Get the quotes then weigh your options. Just FYI, there is a stock engine/tranny on Ebay for $5k, which is IMO roughly what a stock rebuild will cost, assuming damage isn't limited to the heads.

 

[jalnjr]

\ Needless to say, there was a little 1/2 inch wide by 8 inch long of shredded timing belt remnent left on a pully.

bummer pete...that belt's circumference is 90 inches , give/take....take care of that rebuild, & make it perfect.
class, joe you're the best!!!!

note the tragic irony of your prime id?? you'll be back!!

 

[dyee]

Autowave in Huntington Beach.

 

[Synthesis]

i know i should do my timinig belt; bought my 91 nsx 2 months ago with 53kmi, and i have no idea when/ if the timing belt has been replaced. this story is gonna make my car sit in the garage till i change it to make sure nothing happens to my baby.

on that note.... i've seen the instructions for timing belt replacement on here, but i'd like to get your guys' feedback about it..... should i do it myself or pay somebody ridiculous amts of money to do it? anything in particular that is an exceptional pain?

x-toy, sorry to hear about the situation.... if i heard that noise.... i would've known exactly what it was (cause i think about it everytime i take it out) and would've started crying. i hope all goes well with the repair and there much damage. good luck.

 

[Synthesis]

*and there isn't much damage.

 

[Jin1976]

Mine was replaced at 46K miles back in 2002. The car was a 91. Despite almost everybody said it was still safe to drive I made it first priority to change since its the heart of the engine.

 

[Shumdit]

If you have head damage, it may be cheaper to go with these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1991...045140752QQcategoryZ33617QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Osiris_x11]

skill level...

I think the car previously sat unused for a couple of years before I took over. Maybe that's why the belt went kablewy prematurely

Supposedly, that's why alot of Ferrari's have certain mech'/tech' issues...

i know i should do my timinig belt; bought my 91 nsx 2 months ago with 53kmi, and i have no idea when/ if the timing belt has been replaced. this story is gonna make my car sit in the garage till i change it to make sure nothing happens to my baby.

on that note.... i've seen the instructions for timing belt replacement on here, but i'd like to get your guys' feedback about it..... should i do it myself or pay somebody ridiculous amts of money to do it? anything in particular that is an exceptional pain?

Based on the 6yr/90k mile service interval, many '91 NSX's should have their timing-belts changed 2x by now (due to time, not just usage)... :wink:

One way to check if your timing-belt has been changed is to check it's cover & note if it has a hole drilled in it, or if it was replaced w/ a newer one (slight variation in appearance from the original). These two things generally are fair indicators of a timing-belt service in the past.

I'd recommend you goto an Acura dealer w/ a NSX certified tech' or an independant/import shop which has experience w/ working on NSX's. I'm not aware of your DIY skills or mech./tech. prowess, but the timing-belt replacement is a much more involved job than most other cars... hence the high cost.

Another reason I recommend a professional is so you can get other required maint'/services done as'per Acura's scheduled maint': replace water-pump (shared labor w/ timing-belt for the most part), replace all fluids (ps, pb, coolant, engine, transmission) & filters (air, fuel, oil), valves-adjustment, replace coolant & ABS hoses, etc'...

 

[X-Toy]

Thanks Guys for your support and condolences.

I used to have the car serviced at NSX Modified years ago and based on my vague recollection, I could swear I paid to have the timing belt done when I had some other major services addressed at 30k miles. I've got no proof of that recollection, but I have found since that a lot services and things that I paid for were never done. My current mechanic has found all sorts of stuff that would make you sick (different clutch plates installed, half a bank of spark plugs mismatched, bolts missing and threads stripped, and the list goes on). Not to point fingers or blame anyone, I'm the owner of this car and ultimately, I'm responsible for it's maintence sound driveability. Lesson learned. If anyone else paid to have their timing belt done at NSX Modified, I'd recomend they have it confirmed by a trust worthy mechanic, just in case.

At this point, I'm tired of second guessing myself (I've been doing it all weekend).

I'll be checking out the motor on Mon. (tomorrow) and call those contacts based on what I find. I'll let you all know what happens next. If anyone else has some ideas, I'm open.

Thanks again,

Peter

 

[nsx2tall]

In for a penny in for a pound. I think you should go for the 3.8L bore. Or this that only good on the 3.2L (which I suspect)?

 

[Shumdit]

Re: skill level...

Supposedly, that's why alot of Ferrari's have certain mech'/tech' issues...




Another reason I recommend a professional is so you can get other required maint'/services done as'per Acura's scheduled maint': replace water-pump (shared labor w/ timing-belt for the most part), replace all fluids (ps, pb, coolant, engine, transmission) & filters (air, fuel, oil), valves-adjustment, replace coolant & ABS hoses, etc'...

Were you quoting a general Acura service schedule or just seeing if we were paying attention (the bold part in your quote):wink:

 

[Tony Montoya]

There are still some 91s that have never had the timing belt replaced. Perhaps the owners should consider getting it done now.

 

[BD]

Never trust rubber. Specially when it is over 6 years old.

1991 to 1997 NSX have the timing belt incriment of 60k miles or six years. 97 plus is good for 105k miles or 10 years.

Autowave in Huntington Beach is great, but they are not cheap. I like South Coast Acura. there is a Asian tech who is Honda NSX certified. So you may want to try those guys. But if Ramon can have it done, he's the cheapest of them all.

good luck

 

[Zennsx]

Never trust rubber. Specially when it is over 6 years old.


Honda thought enough of rubber to use it as a timing belt:wink:

 

[jdnsx]

Never trust rubber. Specially when it is over 6 years old.

good luck

Man, where were you 3 months before my wedding.

 

[D'Ecosse]

Never trust rubber. Specially when it is over 6 years old.

1991 to 1997 NSX have the timing belt incriment of 60k miles or six years. 97 plus is good for 105k miles or 10 years.

Same part number 14400-PR7-A01 for ALL years '91-'05
Ergo I imagine it's the same rubber.
So why does it only last 6 years (60K miles) on a 91-97 & 10 years (105K miles) on a 97+ when there is no difference?

I had a different perspective until NSXmodified was mentioned - far as I'm concerned that places a huge question mark over the root of the problem.
Assumptions are being made belt broke & caused the problem - what if there was a top end seizure & that's what broke the belt? I don't know if that's what happened or not but it's just all too easy to say the belt broke because it was old without further investigation as to what came first chicken or egg.

 

[Synthesis]

anybody ever deal with a toda racing timing belt? they say it's twice as strong.... of course you'd prob never know the diff.

how many of you did your own?

 

[LJSB]

Man, where were you 3 months before my wedding.

:biggrin: :biggrin:

 

[Zennsx]

Same part number 14400-PR7-A01 for ALL years '91-'05
Ergo I imagine it's the same rubber.
So why does it only last 6 years (60K miles) on a 91-97 & 10 years (105K miles) on a 97+ when there is no difference?

I had a different perspective until NSXmodified was mentioned - far as I'm concerned that places a huge question mark over the root of the problem.
Assumptions are being made belt broke & caused the problem - what if there was a top end seizure & that's what broke the belt? I don't know if that's what happened or not but it's just all too easy to say the belt broke because it was old without further investigation as to what came first chicken or egg.

My thoughts exactly :wink:

 

[Zennsx]

So Thursday I gave a friend a spin in the car and two corners from where we started I was opening her up and Whap! Speedometer, tach, power went right to zero. It sounded like I hit something. We got out to check out the engine. No oil leak, a little smell of burnt oil, little brownish fibers all over the engine bay. Needless to say, there was a little 1/2 inch wide by 8 inch long of shredded timing belt remnent left on a pully.

How were you able to see belt remnants on the pulley? Aren't the workings completely encapsulated?

 

[DocL]

...How were you able to see belt remnants on the pulley? Aren't the workings completely encapsulated?

Maybe he was able to see remnants of the belt on the lower pulley that is visible near the oil filter behind the rear wheel.

 

[drew]

So why does it only last 6 years (60K miles) on a 91-97 & 10 years (105K miles) on a 97+ when there is no difference?

[raising hand, waving wildly] Me, Me, Me

Because Federal Emission laws changed in 1997 model year, requiring the manufacturer to pay for emission maintenance up to ~100,000 miles. This includes the timing belt, spark plugs, O2 sensors....

Pretty sure this is to keep the "LEV" and/or "ULEV" rating. http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/2005/RAND_TR235.pdf
Though I can't find the 100K/105K mile reference.


So, viola the, timing belt (and everything else) now last 105K or 10 years. I suspect it is cheaper to pay for the few engines that grenade in the > 6 to < 10 year mark, than the $2,000 per engine for a timing belt change.

I wonder if valve adjustments are now "optional" until the emission warrant is over??

Amazing how a simple policy change can make everything last longer and require less expensive trips to the dealer.

Drew