Got my first NSX this weekend.

[SugrueNSX]

Got my first NSX this weekend. A big thank you to NSXPrime and it’s members for helping me so that I could make an informed purchase. I learnt a lot from just lurking over the past six months so many of you helped me even though you don’t know it. It’s a 94 manual and all stock.

I'm sorry to be a pain but now I have more questions. I will limit myself to just a few.

1. The traction control seems to be working because when I drop the clutch from a standing start in the rain the light comes on and the power gets cut but it’s very brutal. It’s as if the brakes come on. I know they don’t but that’s what it feels like and then about a half second later the power comes back in (Because I still have my foot down) with a vengeance and the car lurches forward. Is this normal? I thought the tcs would be a bit more smooth. I hope it doesn’t do that in a turn if the wheels start to slip. I don’t think it would help the situation much.
2. I have a lot of condensation on the trunk lid and the trunk is very damp to the touch and musty. What could cause this?
3. The antenna only goes up about 18 inches is this normal?
4. This is a weird one. When I go down a big hill on the freeway and I’m in top gear with my foot of the gas the engine temp gauge goes down to the lowest mark on the scale and when I come to the bottom of the hill it goes back up to the half way mark. Even when I put it in neutral and set the revs to 4 k it still does it. What’s up with that?
5. The bottom whish bones on the rear right suspension are dirty and oily and I pretty sure there is oil leaking out of somewhere. Nothing dripping as yet. Is there a likely suspect for this oil leak?

Kind Regards,

Patrick

ps I wanted to title this something like "I wound up selling my 911 and buying an NSX and I'm only 16" but I resisted the temptation :smile:

 

[MJK]

Welcome, congrats!

1. Sounds like normal TCS to me. FWIW, mine feels very unrefined in comparison to my other car. Turn it off and try again?
2. I think there is a drainage tube that runs from outside the trunk seal (top) to between the taillights and bumper (bottom). I recall someone saying that if this gets clogged, the trunk gets wet. No personal experience, but hopefully that gets you started. I'd take out the trunk lining and get everything cleaned/dried out to start. Get a service manual if you don't already have one here.
3. Nope, it goes WAY up normally. There is a plastic toothed flexible rod inside most power antennas that breaks occasionally. It should be a fairly easy replacement. Do this while you have the trunk lining out. You may also want to check out a smartenna, which will stop the antenna from going up while listening to CDs.
4. Dunno. Coolant level OK?
5. If it is the right rear, it is probably just from a sloppy oil change. Clean it up with some simple green and see if it re-appears.

What color is your 94? Post some pics!

 

[na14yu]

I'll comment on 4 and 5 since I just had something similar come up which I had fixed recently.

4) This might be a bad thermostat (stuck open), although I'm not sure why a bad thermostat would cause it to do that when you rev with the car in neutral

5) Could be oil from a sloppy oil change as White94 mentioned, or it could be a leaky CV boot.

 

[nsxtasy]

Got my first NSX this weekend.

Congratulations!!!

1. Is this normal?

Yes.

3. The antenna only goes up about 18 inches is this normal?

No. The normal length of the antenna, when extended, is 30 inches.

 

[SugrueNSX]

Thanks for the replies guys. I will take some pictures at the weekend after I have washed it. It’s a bit dirty right now after the drive from Long Beach CA to Seattle. It rained hard most of the way. The dirty streaks on the car show the air flow and it looks like they did a great job in a wind tunnel.

Regards,

Patrick

 

[hlweyl]

4. I would agree this sounds suspicious of a thermostat stuck open.

 

[AU_NSX]

Got my first NSX this weekend. :

Congratulations! Patrick

1. The traction control seems to be working because when I drop the clutch from a standing start in the rain the light comes on and the power gets cut but it’s very brutal. It’s as if the brakes come on. I know they don’t but that’s what it feels like and then about a half second later the power comes back in (Because I still have my foot down) with a vengeance and the car lurches forward. Is this normal? I thought the tcs would be a bit more smooth. I hope it doesn’t do that in a turn if the wheels start to slip. I don’t think it would help the situation much.:

This is normal... You have to remember the NSX was one of the first cars with Traction Control and the system is very crude when compared to the current systems

2. I have a lot of condensation on the trunk lid and the trunk is very damp to the touch and musty. What could cause this?

In addition to what White94 advised, you could also check to see that the antenna drainage is not blocked as this will also drain into the boot (sorry, Trunk ) if it is clogged.

3. The antenna only goes up about 18 inches is this normal?

The antenna is on the way out... Soon it will stop working altogether. Have it replaced.

4. This is a weird one. When I go down a big hill on the freeway and I’m in top gear with my foot of the gas the engine temp gauge goes down to the lowest mark on the scale and when I come to the bottom of the hill it goes back up to the half way mark. Even when I put it in neutral and set the revs to 4 k it still does it. What’s up with that?

There is something wrong here... Check the temperature sender. The way it is fluctuating it sounds electrical to me.

5. The bottom whish bones on the rear right suspension are dirty and oily and I pretty sure there is oil leaking out of somewhere. Nothing dripping as yet. Is there a likely suspect for this oil leak?

This is most likely comming from your oil pump gasket. Change the gasket and while your in there why don't you upgrade the oil pump gears with the comptech ones. The OEM ones I have heard are weak. No personal experience of this however.

 

[SugrueNSX]

Congratulations! Patrick
In addition to what White94 advised, you could also check to see that the antenna drainage is not blocked as this will also drain into the boot (sorry, Trunk ) if it is clogged.
experience of this however.

"Boot" works for me Bruce. I was born in London and spent most of my life there. Thank you for the info Sir.

Regards,

Patrick

 

[SugrueNSX]

Welcome, congrats!

1. Sounds like normal TCS to me. FWIW, mine feels very unrefined in comparison to my other car. Turn it off and try again?
2. I think there is a drainage tube that runs from outside the trunk seal (top) to between the taillights and bumper (bottom). I recall someone saying that if this gets clogged, the trunk gets wet. No personal experience, but hopefully that gets you started. I'd take out the trunk lining and get everything cleaned/dried out to start. Get a service manual if you don't already have one here.
3. Nope, it goes WAY up normally. There is a plastic toothed flexible rod inside most power antennas that breaks occasionally. It should be a fairly easy replacement. Do this while you have the trunk lining out. You may also want to check out a smartenna, which will stop the antenna from going up while listening to CDs.
4. Dunno. Coolant level OK?
5. If it is the right rear, it is probably just from a sloppy oil change. Clean it up with some simple green and see if it re-appears.

What color is your 94? Post some pics!

The oil leaks were Spool valve, Cam plugs and Oil pan gasket. Cost a bit to fix but it’s all done now. The temp thing is still an issue. I tried it again at the weekend going down a big hill on the freeway. I think that running down hill in top with no gas makes the engine run cool because there is not much gas going in to heat it up but the water pump is running at a good speed to cool the engine. The heating is not working to well so that also points to the thermostat. I will change it out next weekend. Posted some pics in the gallery. They are nothing special. The TCS seems to be OK now. I think the guy that had the car before me parked it for long periods and something was sticking.

Regards,

Patrick

 

[NSXBill2]

For the trunk leak:

There is a drain hole on each side forward of the hinges. These holes normally get blocked by the small, square rubber bumper that goes on the little tab sticking out from the hinges. Pull them out and put them back where they belong. The bumpers keep the alignment tab from making direct metal-to-metal contact...

 

[hlweyl]

The temp thing is still an issue. I tried it again at the weekend going down a big hill on the freeway. I think that running down hill in top with no gas makes the engine run cool because there is not much gas going in to heat it up but the water pump is running at a good speed to cool the engine.

Interesting theory, but incorrect. Once the engine is up to temperature, it will not drop like that by going downhill.

I would be willing to bet the thermostat is hung open. Be sure the bleed the system really well after you change it, do this with the rear end jacked up higher than the front and you have a better chance of avoiding an air pocket.

good luck

 

[The Kid]

good pickup and enjoy the ride!

 

[NSX-Tuner]

Congrats!!!

 

[SugrueNSX]

For the trunk leak:

There is a drain hole on each side forward of the hinges. These holes normally get blocked by the small, square rubber bumper that goes on the little tab sticking out from the hinges. Pull them out and put them back where they belong. The bumpers keep the alignment tab from making direct metal-to-metal contact...

I had no idea what you were talking about until I went and looked in the trunk and there it was. Right were you said it would be. I only found the one on the right side but I cleaned out the gunk on both sides and ran some plastic covered wire 2 foot down the hole on both sides. It will be cool if that’s all it is.

Thanks a bunch,

Patrick

 

[SugrueNSX]

Interesting theory, but incorrect. Once the engine is up to temperature, it will not drop like that by going downhill.

I would be willing to bet the thermostat is hung open. Be sure the bleed the system really well after you change it, do this with the rear end jacked up higher than the front and you have a better chance of avoiding an air pocket.

good luck

Sir,

I agree with you that the stat is almost certainly stuck open. That’s why I said in my post that I will change it out next weekend.
However I do see the temp go all the way down doing what I described and when I put the car in neutral and let it idle at 60 mph going down hill the temp goes back up again. So I think there may be some merit to my theory. Thanks for the tip on the bleeding. I will do as you say.

Kind Regards,

Patrick

 

[NSXBill2]

I had no idea what you were talking about until I went and looked in the trunk and there it was. Right were you said it would be. I only found the one on the right side but I cleaned out the gunk on both sides and ran some plastic covered wire 2 foot down the hole on both sides. It will be cool if that’s all it is.

Thanks a bunch,

Patrick

The drains go into the engine bay and are only about 1/2 inch deep (look inside the engine bay).

Did you figure out where to put the square rubber bumper thing? They work themselves off on the early models. Later models have a better tab design that retains them better. The bumpers keep the front end of the trunk lid aligned with the rest of the bodywork. If you only found one, I'd order one for the other side ($5 ). And check to see that they are pushed on each time you open your trunk

 

[SugrueNSX]

The drains go into the engine bay and are only about 1/2 inch deep (look inside the engine bay).

Did you figure out where to put the square rubber bumper thing? They work themselves off on the early models. Later models have a better tab design that retains them better. The bumpers keep the front end of the trunk lid aligned with the rest of the bodywork. If you only found one, I'd order one for the other side ($5 ). And check to see that they are pushed on each time you open your trunk

Ah they drain into the engine bay OK
Yes I put one back on and I will order one more.

Thanks again,

Patrick

 

[NSXWIND]

congrats :biggrin:
now we want some pic :biggrin: