my 97 Targa barn find....sort of

[emac]

Lets back up to about 1999. I get a phone call from my mom that my dad wants to buy a new car. He had always driven sports cars, like vettes, datsun z's, a porsche, bmw etc. She tells me he is looking at the new Camaros. She is flipping out telling me I have to talk to him. I do. He says he is tired of BMW and Porsche raping him on upkeep, and longs for the old z car days. I scratch my chin and tell him to give me a day or two before he pulls the trigger. After some thinking, I suggest an NSX for all the reasons you guys write about 15+ years later. He really likes the idea and searches for a good used one.

Long story made short. He finds a 97 Targa black on black with about 18K miles. Buys it somewhere in the midwest and drives it back to SC. So, 17 years later it has about 25K miles on it. It has spent just about its entire life in a small shed covered up. The other day he calls me and says it wont start, help me fix it. He is 80 years old now. I jokingly say "just sell it to me and be done". He says ok.

I guess I have to step up to the plate and buy it. It needs tires (age), belt service (age), a good detailing and of course figuring out why it won't start. I think it is fuel related (resistor, pump,main relay). I need to do some testing. I am looking forward to adding this one to my stable, especially with the history. I will probably do the belts myself in the fall, unless someone knows a really good NSX place in upstate SC.

More to come in the future.

 

[03 raw nsx]

Nice...Especially nice to keep it in the family.
You've started in the right place, NSX Prime is a great source!

Good Luck. Looking forward to progress

rawone

 

[emac]

Thanks, I have lurked on the site a few times in the past for information. It has never let me down!

 

[alum04org]

We'll see photos soon, no?

:biggrin:

 

[06_typeS]

This thread is useless without photos!! Dusty, Dirty NSX photos!

But seriously. That's great that your taking it from your Dad. Good luck in restoring it.

But seriously. Photos!!

 

[Jerry@Mobile]

Good luck with the car. You may want to change out the timing belt and water pump. I have the original hoses on my 2000 NSX and I just purchased all of them for a swap this fall. So, keep an eye on the rubber parts of the car which require change due to age. Jerry

 

[emac]

I agree, worthless thread without photos. I will take some pictures this weekend, when I go over to check out what I am getting into.

 

[Old Guy]

Won't start - does that mean the engine cranks; but, won't fire up or does that mean that the engine won't crank? If the latter, at the risk of stating the obvious, the battery would be an excellent candidate. On an older battery, two weeks of running the parasitic loads in the NSX without the car being started up will often kill the battery.


Nice acquisition. Can't say that I would ever want to acquire any of the transportation devices that my father owned. Anybody up for a 1977 Dodge Aspen Brougham (love that vinyl roof)?

 

[emac]

I haven't been over to look at the car, but he says it wont start. Turns over but no start. I am thinking fuel pump/resistor issue. I am going to try and pick it up this weekend and bring it to my house.

 

[brettowen]

Pics, pics, pics!!!

 

[Old Guy]

I haven't been over to look at the car, but he says it wont start. Turns over but no start. I am thinking fuel pump/resistor issue. I am going to try and pick it up this weekend and bring it to my house.

Without knowing the history or details of your car, I would be inclined to throw the main FI relay onto the top of the pile of possible no-start causes. A main FI relay failure will result in the pump not operating. You could indeed have a dead pump or failed fuel pump resistor; but, based upon the anecdotal statistics for NSX no-starts, I expect that the main FI relay is probably at the top of the pile. The up side to relay failure is that it is much (a whole bunch of much!) easier and cheaper to fix than a dead pump which is a whole lot of back ache.

Because of the relay's anecdotal history as a cause of failures, I think some owner's habitually carry a spare in the trunk.

 

[emac]

Thanks Old Guy for the tip. I picked up the car today and tested a few things. I have power for 2 seconds at the resistor and jumping the resistor will not let it start. According to the WSM this points towards the fuel pump. I will do some more testing in the morning and post some pics.

If it is the fuel pump, any advice on a brand or should I go to the dealer? I see rock auto has several types. I read a few posts about upgrading, but I really want to stay stock and no engine mods are ever planned. Denso, bosch, beck arnley ??Thanks!

 

[Old Guy]

If you are getting power at the resistor, and you don't hear the pump priming, then it does seem like a dead pump. During the power up cycle, the pump runs for approximately 2 seconds and then shuts off and does not start up until you crank the engine, so make sure that you are just not missing the noise of the pump running briefly. The way to be absolutely sure would be to check for fuel pressure. No pump - no fuel pressure. Pump replacement is such a hassle that you want to make sure that the pump really is dead.

I would not upgrade to a higher volume pump if you plan to keep the engine stock. I don't know whether the OEM vendor is Denso; but, generally Denso seems to be good stuff. If you want to stay with a pump in a box from Honda, consider buying at Delray Acura Parts or a couple of the other Honda/Acura on-line parts dealers (Tim at ? - somebody will know the URL). Unless your local dealer is a discounter, the on line parts vendors typically offer a discount of around 20-30% relative to MSRP.

 

[emac]

Some pictures from today. I was wrong about the mileage it is actually 23K. Now I just need to get her running.

 

[emac]

If you are getting power at the resistor, and you don't hear the pump priming, then it does seem like a dead pump. During the power up cycle, the pump runs for approximately 2 seconds and then shuts off and does not start up until you crank the engine, so make sure that you are just not missing the noise of the pump running briefly. The way to be absolutely sure would be to check for fuel pressure. No pump - no fuel pressure. Pump replacement is such a hassle that you want to make sure that the pump really is dead.

I would not upgrade to a higher volume pump if you plan to keep the engine stock. I don't know whether the OEM vendor is Denso; but, generally Denso seems to be good stuff. If you want to stay with a pump in a box from Honda, consider buying at Delray Acura Parts or a couple of the other Honda/Acura on-line parts dealers (Tim at ? - somebody will know the URL). Unless your local dealer is a discounter, the on line parts vendors typically offer a discount of around 20-30% relative to MSRP.

Thanks for the advice. I will check prices and do some more testing in the morning. I am reading the WSM tonight to get my feet wet. My plan is to get it running and then do the belts and go through everything else( brake fluid, coolant, etc). The front rubber spoiler lip has some scratches, seat bolster has some minor creases, but otherwise it looks very nice.

 

[runnin9z]

OOOO My that looks fantastic. Fuel is probably all gummed up.

 

[99NCNSX]

Looks great!

Some pictures from today. I was wrong about the mileage it is actually 23K. Now I just need to get her running.

I have a '99 Black/Black here in Raleigh area. How close are you to Raleigh, NC?

Good luck with your restoration...paint certainly appears to be in great shape...and thinking the interior as well.

John

 

[06_typeS]

I was not expecting to see amazing paint. Can't say barn find anymore Ha!!! Looks great.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[emac]

Testing showed power to the fuel pump. Dropped tank and tested the fuel pump, it was bad. I tapped it several times and it started back running. Tank needs cleaning out, gas was pretty stinky when I drained it. Seeing that it was a pain to drop the tank, I am going replace the pump. Now that I know where all the hoses are I think I could drop the tank pretty quickly.

 

[emac]

I have a '99 Black/Black here in Raleigh area. How close are you to Raleigh, NC?

Good luck with your restoration...paint certainly appears to be in great shape...and thinking the interior as well.

John

Thanks for compliment. I am several hours from raleigh. The car is in really great condition. It just sat for a very long time without running much. All I really need to do is fluids and belt service. So long as the fuel pump gets it running.

 

[Valhalla]

Barn find my ass. That is a time capsule.

 

[Old Guy]

Barn find my ass. That is a time capsule.

Its not even a 'sort of' barn find.

This is a barn find.

http://cdn.barnfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/60-austin-healey-3000-1.jpg

 

[Old Guy]

Testing showed power to the fuel pump. Dropped tank and tested the fuel pump, it was bad. I tapped it several times and it started back running. Tank needs cleaning out, gas was pretty stinky when I drained it. Seeing that it was a pain to drop the tank, I am going replace the pump. Now that I know where all the hoses are I think I could drop the tank pretty quickly.

View attachment 145883

That looks pretty nasty. I would be adding a new fuel filter to the mix and you might want to consider pulling the injectors and having them sent out for cleaning. A good cleaning service should also be able to flow test them to confirm that they are reasonably balanced.

 

[emac]

I wont even post the picture of the inside of the tank! I tore the tank all the way down and cleaned it with some muriatic acid diluted and flushed it real good. It came pretty clean. Lots of varnish. It was stored with only a few gallons of fuel. You can see why it is best to store with a full tank. I was thinking of taking the tank and getting it sealed, but once I cleaned it, I am pretty happy with how it looks.

I ordered a new filter, pump, etc. I am headed out of town for most of next week, hopefully I can get it back together in a couple of weeks.

 

[Lude_2_NSX]

I wont even post the picture of the inside of the tank! I tore the tank all the way down and cleaned it with some muriatic acid diluted and flushed it real good. It came pretty clean. Lots of varnish. It was stored with only a few gallons of fuel. You can see why it is best to store with a full tank. I was thinking of taking the tank and getting it sealed, but once I cleaned it, I am pretty happy with how it looks.

I ordered a new filter, pump, etc. I am headed out of town for most of next week, hopefully I can get it back together in a couple of weeks.

Good luck on the fuel pump, hope that was it. Probably worth changing the fuel filter and having the injectors cleaned while youre at it. Also, I'd be hesitant putting too many miles on the original timing belt. I'd put that as #1 priority after you get it fired up.