DIY thanks

[XperiMental]

As I mentioned in another post, I did the timing belt and water pump replacement on the 95 NSX I just bought. I also did the valve adjustment. I just wanted to say thanks to NSX prime and to all those who have contributed to the DIY info listed on the site. After reading some of the horror stories I was a little nervous (even though I have done several timing belts in the past). This one was definitely the most complicated, but all in all it wasn’t that bad. I just took my time and checked and rechecked everything and it went great. I saved over $900 in labor and I was able to buy the parts at 25% off (both local dealers wanted full list so I saved over $200 in parts).

 

[53heloFE]

Glad to hear everything came out ok, good job! I did this job myself last October and between the DIY section here and the book it was pretty straight forward. This was the first timing belt I have done on any car. Everything came out great, next will be the clutch when it goes bad. I have already read the DIY on the clutch and others posts so I know those will be a big help there also.

 

[postman]

I second that! Thanks to Gary and Larry for the great info in the DIY. I was a little nervous beforehand too. I've done a handful of timing belt changes on other cars, but hadn't done anything more than change the oil on my NSX.

The job was not bad at all, and I attribute it to taking my time, having the right tools, and having the DIY there to tell me everything to look out for.

I'm glad I did it myself, as I now feel much more familiar with the car. Additionally, I don't think I'll be intimidated by most any other future maintenance.

 

[Synthesis]

i've been debating as to whether or not to do the belt myself for a while now. but it looks like i should just try it myself. my civic needs one too, so i will probably do that one first and see how it goes. what else did you guys do? did you do the other belts? any seals?

 

[splitz]

On your valve adjustment, when you turned the cam pulley to reach TDC for each cylinder, did you notice some cylinders were easier to turn than others? Did you also hear a bunch of air pressure building up somewhere then slowly blowing out?

I'm doing mine as we speak, but don't want to F' anything up.

 

[postman]

Synthesis:
I would only recommend attempting it on the NSX if you feel very comfortable doing that kind of work on cars in general. For me, I've done just about every job possible under the hood of the 4 cyl Hondas that I've owned. I feel comfortable turning wrenches, but I just had a bit of hesitation with this kind of job on the NSX. I'd definitely recommend starting out with your Civic. That's how I learned. Even at that though, I'd recommend having someone who knows the job looking over your shoulder or at least who can answer questions for you. It's not an extremely difficult job, but there isn't room for error when making sure the new belt is aligned and tensioned properly. Everything has to be right on, or I'm sure you know what can happen. When doing a Honda timing belt, IMO some of the key ingredients are having the right tools (including the Helm manual and the crank pulley removal tool), torquing things to spec, understanding and following all of the instructions, and taking your time.

I basically purchased and replaced all the parts listed in the DIY, aside from the timing belt cover gaskets (which were in good shape). While at it, I also changed the water pump, alt/ac hoses, fuel filter, plugs, thermostat, coolant expansion tank (had a crack), about 15 coolant hoses, and did the valve adjustment. I bought all the parts from Dali. Got great prices and quick delivery.

 

[postman]

splitz:
you mean turn the crank pulley, right? :smile: i would loosen the spark plugs almost completely. just have them screwed in enough to prevent stuff from accidentally falling in the cylinder. this will allow the air being pushed up by the piston to escape. otherwise, you're having to compress the air by hand as each piston moves toward TDC. you're hearing that compressed air exit out the exhaust valves as they open.

 

[splitz]

splitz:
you mean turn the crank pulley, right? :smile: i would loosen the spark plugs almost completely. just have them screwed in enough to prevent stuff from accidentally falling in the cylinder. this will allow the air being pushed up by the piston to escape. otherwise, you're having to compress the air by hand as each piston moves toward TDC. you're hearing that compressed air exit out the exhaust valves as they open.

Yeah, after removing a couple to see what the condition of them was it got a lot easier to turn the CRANK pulley :smile:

thanks.