Floored it and lost all power

[RacingHeart]

I'm a bit anctious here.

Yesterday i took the car for a spin. On an open straight i floored the throttle in first (Maybe second, i dont remember) gear.

When the rev reached about 6500-7000, the whole car suddenly jumped and the revs rushed but all power was gone. My first thought was that I blew the engine and i immediately slowed down. To my surprise, i noticed the car was still pulling when i gave some throttle. There was no smoke and no suspicious sound no lights on the dashboard - everything seemed normal?

I continued driving and everything seemed just fine. But i didnt dare to go above 6000rpms. Now i want to know what might have happened, because it was a first time experience and now i dont trust the car like before.

The only time ive experienced something similar was when i was accelerating and i hit a bump so the rear wheels lost contact with the road.

Finally i must confess, and i know its really stupid - the engine was'nt cold, but it had'nt reached operating temp either when this happened. :frown:

 

[Nukem]

I don't know if the NSX does this, or not, but it could have been a Limp mode...where the Computer cuts power to protect the engine. I know some vehicles will do this. Hopefully another more knowledgable member can chime in.

 

[Exiled]

i'm pretty sure it's this.

Finally i must confess, and i know its really stupid - the engine was'nt cold, but it hadn't reached operating temp either when this happened. :frown:

 

[MichaelS]

Hmm, my first reaction was that people have mentioned the rev limiter kicking in at lower RPMs when the engine is cooler, but you lose power when that happens, since it cuts the fuel.

Your description kind of sounds clutch-related, because you were accelerating hard then power dropped and the engine reved. I've only seen that happen when I was shifting. Is it possible that you bumped the clutch pedal? Perhaps the clutch isn't fully engaging and slips under load. If so, adjusting the clutch may help. I wonder how much life's left in the clutch...?

 

[s14_tat]

Was your TCS left on? Sometimes if you spin the tires too hard it will cut off power pretty abruptly.

 

[SilverStone05]

How long has the gas been sitting in the tank?

 

[ChopsJazz]

The rev limit (red line) is lowered to ~7K rpm when the engine is cold. If you tried to accelerate beyond that point on a cold engine, then you probably just experienced the the car decelerating as a result of the rev limiter kicking in. And you're right, don't ever do that again.

But your description of "jumping" sounds more like an abrupt acceleration, not the misfire sensation of the rev limiter.

I'm flummoxed.

 

[clr1024]

Sounds like the engine rev limiter kicked in when the engine was not properly warmed up.

When you experienced it before and you hit a bump that was probably TCS.

I would do one of two things.

Wait til it's properly warmed up and try it again if everything else seems normal, i..e TCS not on etc, nice smooth road.

or if you are really nervous about damage

You can take it to a mechanic and do a compression and or leak down check

 

[rbirling]

If by "jumped" you mean the revs shot up but the car didn't go any faster, then it sounds like your clutch is worn (or something's out of adjustment, but I bet on worn out). If you mean it hit an rpm and then the rpms jumped up and down but wouldn't go higher, that's the rev limiter.

 

[shawn110975]

was your TCS ON, cuz that has happened to me before from a dead stop and them redline turning a corner TCS will go on and it feels like I am losing power into the turn, but once im in a straight line again power is back.

dont lose trust in your car, its an NSX she will treat you good I swear..........!

 

[Acura NsX Pilot]

Its either the clutch or not warmed up enough .....only way to find out is make sure the car is fully warmed up and see if it happens again ... if it does it again at high rpm then its the clutch. Its what happened to me and I would say its more noticiable on a stock clutch and a sign its on its last leg .... if shifiting easy it will still work thou but I wouldnt let it go too long because when it goes its just gonna go and leave you stranded.

 

[RacingHeart]

Thank all of you for your input. Prime is the best. :smile:

The gas was fresh.

TCS was on so thats a possibility, cold engine 7000rev limiter seems highly possible also.
Clutch has never been replaced but has never displayed any traditional signs of giving up like slipping... its a possibility, but I really hope its not that one. :frown:

 

[Thunder]

I also think that the engine was too cold, the temperature sensor of the cooling system gave order has computer to limit rpm, check the thermostat of the cooling system (under the butterfly) the rubber seal east can be too old and the thermostat is always open, it prevents the engine from taking the good temperature!

 

[mystican]

Also check oil level...

 

[DragonBallZ.]

Im sure everyone is right about this, car needs to warm up first.

Try doing it again with the engine not warmed up, u will get the same result when the car is hitting V-tec.:biggrin:

 

[nbuch001]

I had the exact thing happen to me last weekend. Was in a hard sweeping left turn and lost power to the wheels but the engine suddenly reved up. When I felt the loss of power the engine reved from 4k to 6k in a split second. It feels like the clutch quickly disengages. My clutch is slipping though so I was not too worried with regard to the cause. Have the new one in my garage though!