Hey all!
I just bought a 1991 NSX in Formula Red with 106kmi on it! I've been dreaming about owning this car since I was a kid, and I finally managed to get my hands on one! Now that I have it, I'd like to take care of several maintenance and repair items that it needs and then modify it for light track duty. The goal for the car is to be a comfortable and reliable DD that can handle the occasional HPDE without breaking a sweat.
The maintenance and repair items that I've identified so far are:
- SRS Light: The SRS light stays on constantly, and based on what I've seen in these forums it looks like a new SRS module (or one repaired by BrianK) is the answer here. The car also blows the SRS fuse immediately upon startup, which supports the case for needing a new SRS module.
- CC INOP: The cruise control doesn't work, which makes long highway drives a PITA. The forums indicate that a new cable reel should help fix this issue. The steering wheel is in pretty rough shape as well, so I'll probably get it re-upholstered while the airbag is already out.
- Engine bay leak/smell/smoke: I've noticed a burning smell from the engine bay after driving, a few drops of something on the garage floor, and even white smoke from the engine bay after driving. Again, based on forum research here I suspect the issue is leaky spool valve gaskets that are leaking oil which is then dripping on the exhaust and causing smoke. New spool valve gaskets are already in the mail :smile:
- Crankshaft pulley: I've read the horror stories (and even seen a few photos) of crankshaft pulleys separating and doing all sorts of damage. IMHO it's worth the couple hundred bucks to get a new pulley and a pulley shield to keep things from getting ugly.
- Timing belt: it was last changed in 2010 but I don't want to take any chances.
- Center console trim: this car was daily driven for 27 years and some of the interior trim shows it .I'd like to replace the center console trim with a black single-DIN piece (the car came with an aftermarket head unit), but I've been having trouble finding one. All the ones I find seem to be carbon fiber and that's not the look (or the price point) I'm going for.
- Radiator: plastic end tanks and rubber hoses after 27 years (or however long) just scream "stranded on the side of the road" to me. New aluminum radiator and rubber hoses should fit the bill. eBay radiator probably, because I'm cheap.
The mods I'd like to do so far are:
- Cat-back exhaust: I'm looking at an eBay catback, because I'm cheap. Maybe headers eventually.
- Clutch damper delete: I've noticed some strange behavior from the clutch pedal and based on forum research I think the clutch damper is at least partly to blame.
- Compliance pivots: I'd like to get the front compliance clamps and the rear-beam non-compliance bushings to eliminate some of the sluggishness in the steering response. I will probably also need to replace the rest of the suspension bushings and possibly new steering rack bushings as well.
- Wheels and tires: the car came with 18s in the front and 19s in the rear, which just seems like way too much tire for this car (certainly at stock power levels) and makes driving in parking lots even harder than it needs to be. I'm considering going to 17s all around. Enkei TS-9's in black, to be specific. I'd also love to get a set of the stock wheels for track days. The tires will be cheaper in the stock size and the reduction in peak grip will help me learn the limits of the car better. Lower grip will also keep the lateral loads down, reducing the need for oil starvation mitigation, and hopefully it'll also ensure that if I do something stupid (which I will eventually) it'll be at a lower speed than if I were on super grippy tires :smile:
- Accusump: The NSX is, at the end of the day, a street car and isn't designed to withstand sustained lateral G's at high RPMs. Especially with the VTEC system stealing some of the available oil above a certain RPM, it doesn't seem to be worth the risk of encountering oil starvation on track and toasting an engine. Accusump should eliminate the oil starvation concern, especially on less grippy tires as mentioned above.
I've already done a car-phone delete. The storage space in that car is so limited as it is, as cool as the armrest phone is I didn't think it was worth the space. If anyone has a false floor for the armrest storage for sale, I'd love to take it off your hands.
Those are my "big" plans for this amazing car! We'll see where she ends up. Pics and updates to follow! Thanks for reading!
I just bought a 1991 NSX in Formula Red with 106kmi on it! I've been dreaming about owning this car since I was a kid, and I finally managed to get my hands on one! Now that I have it, I'd like to take care of several maintenance and repair items that it needs and then modify it for light track duty. The goal for the car is to be a comfortable and reliable DD that can handle the occasional HPDE without breaking a sweat.
The maintenance and repair items that I've identified so far are:
- SRS Light: The SRS light stays on constantly, and based on what I've seen in these forums it looks like a new SRS module (or one repaired by BrianK) is the answer here. The car also blows the SRS fuse immediately upon startup, which supports the case for needing a new SRS module.
- CC INOP: The cruise control doesn't work, which makes long highway drives a PITA. The forums indicate that a new cable reel should help fix this issue. The steering wheel is in pretty rough shape as well, so I'll probably get it re-upholstered while the airbag is already out.
- Engine bay leak/smell/smoke: I've noticed a burning smell from the engine bay after driving, a few drops of something on the garage floor, and even white smoke from the engine bay after driving. Again, based on forum research here I suspect the issue is leaky spool valve gaskets that are leaking oil which is then dripping on the exhaust and causing smoke. New spool valve gaskets are already in the mail :smile:
- Crankshaft pulley: I've read the horror stories (and even seen a few photos) of crankshaft pulleys separating and doing all sorts of damage. IMHO it's worth the couple hundred bucks to get a new pulley and a pulley shield to keep things from getting ugly.
- Timing belt: it was last changed in 2010 but I don't want to take any chances.
- Center console trim: this car was daily driven for 27 years and some of the interior trim shows it .I'd like to replace the center console trim with a black single-DIN piece (the car came with an aftermarket head unit), but I've been having trouble finding one. All the ones I find seem to be carbon fiber and that's not the look (or the price point) I'm going for.
- Radiator: plastic end tanks and rubber hoses after 27 years (or however long) just scream "stranded on the side of the road" to me. New aluminum radiator and rubber hoses should fit the bill. eBay radiator probably, because I'm cheap.
The mods I'd like to do so far are:
- Cat-back exhaust: I'm looking at an eBay catback, because I'm cheap. Maybe headers eventually.
- Clutch damper delete: I've noticed some strange behavior from the clutch pedal and based on forum research I think the clutch damper is at least partly to blame.
- Compliance pivots: I'd like to get the front compliance clamps and the rear-beam non-compliance bushings to eliminate some of the sluggishness in the steering response. I will probably also need to replace the rest of the suspension bushings and possibly new steering rack bushings as well.
- Wheels and tires: the car came with 18s in the front and 19s in the rear, which just seems like way too much tire for this car (certainly at stock power levels) and makes driving in parking lots even harder than it needs to be. I'm considering going to 17s all around. Enkei TS-9's in black, to be specific. I'd also love to get a set of the stock wheels for track days. The tires will be cheaper in the stock size and the reduction in peak grip will help me learn the limits of the car better. Lower grip will also keep the lateral loads down, reducing the need for oil starvation mitigation, and hopefully it'll also ensure that if I do something stupid (which I will eventually) it'll be at a lower speed than if I were on super grippy tires :smile:
- Accusump: The NSX is, at the end of the day, a street car and isn't designed to withstand sustained lateral G's at high RPMs. Especially with the VTEC system stealing some of the available oil above a certain RPM, it doesn't seem to be worth the risk of encountering oil starvation on track and toasting an engine. Accusump should eliminate the oil starvation concern, especially on less grippy tires as mentioned above.
I've already done a car-phone delete. The storage space in that car is so limited as it is, as cool as the armrest phone is I didn't think it was worth the space. If anyone has a false floor for the armrest storage for sale, I'd love to take it off your hands.
Those are my "big" plans for this amazing car! We'll see where she ends up. Pics and updates to follow! Thanks for reading!
Last edited:
