Its been a while since I have been in a nsx. My previous one was a 1991. I found a one-owner low mileage 2005 (~20K miles) however the timing belt hasn't been done. If I remember correctly the timing belt is based on time OR miles whichever comes first correct? The car looks immaculate just want to understand what maintenance needs to be done since its 8 years old.
Found a low mileage 2005 NSX....question regarding maintenance
- Thread starter sjones
- Start date
Yes, actually if I remember correctly - 84 months is the time interval recommended by Honda. I'd say buy it and then drive it directly to a mechanic to have this service done and peace of mind.
John
Yes the Belt should be changed on age not miles IMO but this is a very debated topic (i view it like a tire.... just b/c its not worn down in the tread doesnt mean it wont give out.)
When i bought my car (8k miles) I did the Oil, manual transmission, antifreeze, clutch fluid, and brake flush. all of which IMO needed to be done at 7-8 years old)
When i bought my car (8k miles) I did the Oil, manual transmission, antifreeze, clutch fluid, and brake flush. all of which IMO needed to be done at 7-8 years old)
To me this is a red flag when searching for an NSX. If the owner didn't do the timing belt, what else went undone? As many will attest, an NSX with deferred maintenance can cost the new owner $10,000+ in a hurry. I personally wouldn't purchase one unless all the scheduled service has been done OR if the price left the room for me to complete the maintenance on my own dime. So how is the price?
I find the discussion on timing belt replacement for the Nsx entertaining. I have an 03 with 14500 miles. It is stock and is rarely outside of the garage except to go for a sunny weekend drive. Never sees rain unless caught out by surprise. Sits in a heated garage all winter. Doesn't see a track but does get the cobwebs blown out regularly in the summer. The timing belt has not been changed yet. I do find all the talk of impending doom somewhat disconcerting, but not enough so to keep me awake at night.
I have been a Honda dealer for over 20 years and have seen many old and high mileage timing belts that have been removed in our shop. It would be hard to tell the difference between the old and new belts in all but a few extreme cases. I find it amusing that some on this forum would automatically assume that this means that my car probably sees no maintenance at all. This is far from the case. I do have a fairly good grasp on what it takes to keep older Hondas in good working order. All fluids get changed regularly, brakes are serviced, etc.
I will be doing the belt and water pump at some point obviously, but probably not this year or next. It will be a motor out job and will include all coolant hoses. Until then, I will still sleep at night.
I have been a Honda dealer for over 20 years and have seen many old and high mileage timing belts that have been removed in our shop. It would be hard to tell the difference between the old and new belts in all but a few extreme cases. I find it amusing that some on this forum would automatically assume that this means that my car probably sees no maintenance at all. This is far from the case. I do have a fairly good grasp on what it takes to keep older Hondas in good working order. All fluids get changed regularly, brakes are serviced, etc.
I will be doing the belt and water pump at some point obviously, but probably not this year or next. It will be a motor out job and will include all coolant hoses. Until then, I will still sleep at night.
shawn110975
Suspended
low miles mean more maint needed. so your 50K NSX needs 6-7K in parts LOL
I would never buy a low mile NSX. ever.
all fluids need to be flushed and changed brake fluid then bleed, coolant then bleed and if you change the clutch fluid to new the master and slave will fail in a month or less due to the new fluid kills the seals, all 21 coolant hoses need to be replaced, all seals, Vtec gaskets, valve gaskets,sparkplug gaskets, tranmission main seal, C/V boots all 4, prob need new valve springs as the car sat and 3-4 springs have been compressed for how many years in the same postions not as springy LOL, oil, tranny fluid ( no one changes till they have tranny issues)" my transmission is slipping in 1-2 gear LOL has your oil ever been changed? now your wallet is hurting.
so your low mile NSX and price thats upwards of 50K+ now needs another 6-7K in parts and labor. add that to the price or have them take it off the price.
be prepared this is a worst case scenario though. may not need anything and you found a gem.
goodluck
I would never buy a low mile NSX. ever.
all fluids need to be flushed and changed brake fluid then bleed, coolant then bleed and if you change the clutch fluid to new the master and slave will fail in a month or less due to the new fluid kills the seals, all 21 coolant hoses need to be replaced, all seals, Vtec gaskets, valve gaskets,sparkplug gaskets, tranmission main seal, C/V boots all 4, prob need new valve springs as the car sat and 3-4 springs have been compressed for how many years in the same postions not as springy LOL, oil, tranny fluid ( no one changes till they have tranny issues)" my transmission is slipping in 1-2 gear LOL has your oil ever been changed? now your wallet is hurting.
so your low mile NSX and price thats upwards of 50K+ now needs another 6-7K in parts and labor. add that to the price or have them take it off the price.
be prepared this is a worst case scenario though. may not need anything and you found a gem.
goodluck
Opinions are all over the place. One thing is clear fact: In the owners manual and service manual, Honda recommends that the timing belt on a '97-05 NSX be changed every 105K miles or 7 years, whichever comes first (and, on a '91-96, 90K miles or 6 years). If you choose to go beyond their recommendation, well, it's your car, you can do whatever you want with it. But how far past that are you willing to go? Is anything going to happen if you go an extra year, to 8 years? Probably not. But 10 years or more... gosh. 
Timing belts are made of rubber, and degrade over time. The risk you're taking is that the timing belt fails, and if it does, you're probably looking at rebuilding or replacing the engine, and that's likely to cost upwards of $10K. Plus, it's going to break down somewhere out on the road, at a place and time that will almost certainly represent a big inconvenience, on top of that huge cost. Heck, that's the whole purpose of preventive maintenance - to take care of the car, to prevent breakdowns and the higher cost of fixing something after it fails. That's not a risk I want to take. But if you're willing to accept that risk - and the possibility that your timing belt fails and you're then kicking yourself because all those people were telling you to replace it and suddenly you're looking at a huge repair bill that could have been avoided if you had followed that advice - then by all means go for it. I wouldn't.
Also note that you're really not saving a whole lot by taking on that risk. If a timing belt replacement costs $1750, if you do it once every seven years as recommended, it costs you $250 a year, spread over that time. If you do it once every 10 years, it costs you $175 a year. So you're taking on the risk of a breakdown and a $10K+ repair in order to save $75 a year on maintenance. So there isn't much to be gained by deferring maintenance, and a lot to be lost. But again, it's your car, your decision.
Going back to the original question, beyond the timing belt, I would recommend doing all the scheduled maintenance that is due (according to the schedule in the owners manual), and not any services that have been done and whose recommended interval between services hasn't expired yet. If you had to do all of the scheduled maintenance, including not only the timing belt and water pump but also all the fluids and filters (engine oil, transmission, brakes, coolant), valve adjustment, spark plugs, etc, you're probably looking at around $1000-1500 on top of the cost of the timing belt. You might also consider the cooling system hoses at this time - all 22 (I think) or, at a minimum, the two big ones. (This won't add much to the overall bill.)
It's a good idea to have all this work done by a mechanic with extensive NSX experience - not only so it can be done properly, but also so that he can look the car over thoroughly, including any potential NSX trouble spots. The tragic loss of Steve Gooding may leave few options in your area. If there's a great NSX mechanic near the seller or en route, you might consider arranging for the service to be done there.
Timing belts are made of rubber, and degrade over time. The risk you're taking is that the timing belt fails, and if it does, you're probably looking at rebuilding or replacing the engine, and that's likely to cost upwards of $10K. Plus, it's going to break down somewhere out on the road, at a place and time that will almost certainly represent a big inconvenience, on top of that huge cost. Heck, that's the whole purpose of preventive maintenance - to take care of the car, to prevent breakdowns and the higher cost of fixing something after it fails. That's not a risk I want to take. But if you're willing to accept that risk - and the possibility that your timing belt fails and you're then kicking yourself because all those people were telling you to replace it and suddenly you're looking at a huge repair bill that could have been avoided if you had followed that advice - then by all means go for it. I wouldn't.Also note that you're really not saving a whole lot by taking on that risk. If a timing belt replacement costs $1750, if you do it once every seven years as recommended, it costs you $250 a year, spread over that time. If you do it once every 10 years, it costs you $175 a year. So you're taking on the risk of a breakdown and a $10K+ repair in order to save $75 a year on maintenance. So there isn't much to be gained by deferring maintenance, and a lot to be lost. But again, it's your car, your decision.
Going back to the original question, beyond the timing belt, I would recommend doing all the scheduled maintenance that is due (according to the schedule in the owners manual), and not any services that have been done and whose recommended interval between services hasn't expired yet. If you had to do all of the scheduled maintenance, including not only the timing belt and water pump but also all the fluids and filters (engine oil, transmission, brakes, coolant), valve adjustment, spark plugs, etc, you're probably looking at around $1000-1500 on top of the cost of the timing belt. You might also consider the cooling system hoses at this time - all 22 (I think) or, at a minimum, the two big ones. (This won't add much to the overall bill.)
It's a good idea to have all this work done by a mechanic with extensive NSX experience - not only so it can be done properly, but also so that he can look the car over thoroughly, including any potential NSX trouble spots. The tragic loss of Steve Gooding may leave few options in your area. If there's a great NSX mechanic near the seller or en route, you might consider arranging for the service to be done there.
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shawn110975
Suspended
I agree that an old belt will look like a new belt with the NSX. but I was driving a low mile Legend mint 30K miles was on my way to a junkyard and the timing belt broke.
I wasnt to happy.
and the cost to rebuild an NSX motor is not in the price range of rebuilding a Legend motor. now if you can do it yourself then who cares but 99% of people cant do it so they have to pay someone to do it. thats why like me with an NSx shop in tampa I stay busy.
I wasnt to happy.
and the cost to rebuild an NSX motor is not in the price range of rebuilding a Legend motor. now if you can do it yourself then who cares but 99% of people cant do it so they have to pay someone to do it. thats why like me with an NSx shop in tampa I stay busy.
Simply amazing, You are a Honda dealer with access to cheap parts and Labour and is putting off doing a Timing belt service.
I guess it is true... That Dealer don't know d$%K and or Honda just wrote the maintenance recommendation for bed time reading.
Bram
shawn110975
Suspended
plus the torque is different on the NSx than most hondas and when we drive our NSX we dont drive it like a Honda Accord slow and in people way LOL
I prob stress test my belt daily keeps it alive and strong. thought my belts are only a year or 2 old so they are nice and minty
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you go Bram LOL you tell that serice manager how you really feel.:smile: cuz we all do LOL
I prob stress test my belt daily keeps it alive and strong. thought my belts are only a year or 2 old so they are nice and minty
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you go Bram LOL you tell that serice manager how you really feel.:smile: cuz we all do LOL
My timing belt was 15+ years old at 100k miles. When they took it out it looked and felt brand new.
I've heard the biggest killer of belts is oil leaking on it:
making it slip/skip more easily
oil eroding the rubber.
I've heard the biggest killer of belts is oil leaking on it:
making it slip/skip more easily
oil eroding the rubber.
Quick question for you NSX guru's, since I'm new to the NSX game, is there a better belt option out there besides the OEM?
~Steven
~Steven
http://www.power-enterprise.co.jp/USA/products/engine/timing_belt/timing_belt.htm
I used it in my engine build.
http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...or-FI/page14?p=1572526&viewfull=1#post1572526
Probably the last timing belt I'll ever need to replace base on how strong the OEM was and that this is even stronger and longer lasting.
I used it in my engine build.
http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...or-FI/page14?p=1572526&viewfull=1#post1572526
Probably the last timing belt I'll ever need to replace base on how strong the OEM was and that this is even stronger and longer lasting.
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^^^
Thank you BATMANs, I assume this fits up to the '05 model because the link shows 90/9~ for the NSX.
Thank you BATMANs, I assume this fits up to the '05 model because the link shows 90/9~ for the NSX.
I don't have access to cheap parts Bram. I'm a Honda dealer not Acura
NOt sure, but there is no reason why it shouldn't since it's my understanding that the OEM one is the same across the years.
No. Stick with OEM.
I seem to recall Kaz stating that after he does a timing belt job it probably does not need to be changed again for 10 years. So is he doing something special during his job that would be superior to what was done at the factory? I think not. Keep drinking the kool aid boys!
I'll check into it, I would prefer OEM if possible. I have plenty of experience with being unable to source OEM parts owning CR's. '08 models and they are already making certain parts obsolete. Such is the life of a limited production car.
the only question you should ask is "Could I afford 10-15k for an engine rebuild tomorrow?" If the answer is yes, then sure - put off the timing belt job.
If the answer is no, then you should spend the 1-2k for a timing belt job.
If you can't afford 1-2k for a timing belt job, you shouldn't be buying an NSX. (in my humble opinion)
If the answer is no, then you should spend the 1-2k for a timing belt job.
If you can't afford 1-2k for a timing belt job, you shouldn't be buying an NSX. (in my humble opinion)
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shawn110975
Suspended
well at least he cant ever say he was never told.
I think the lowest I've heard is a Zanardi that is completely fresh in plastic wrapping and all ....with 8miles. I have yet to go shoot some photo.
Having just recently bought an NSX (1995 with 125k miles) that passed PPI with flying colors, there is still a ton of maintenance to be done just due to the age of the car even if the mileage is low. The $5-10k in immediate repairs is a real thing. I just recently had a ton of service done to get things up to par, including a lot of the things Shawn mentioned.
See my thread here on other maintenance items that need to be addressed beyond the timing belt/water pump: http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...Did-You-Spend-Immediately-on-Maintenance-Mods
See my thread here on other maintenance items that need to be addressed beyond the timing belt/water pump: http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...Did-You-Spend-Immediately-on-Maintenance-Mods
The dealer's that sponsor the NSXCC can get access to both Honda & Acura parts at discount prices......dunno if Honda Canada policy is different by Regions
Bram
My second timing belt was going on 12 years before I changed it. Still looked good. Granted I only had 20k miles on it
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