Need your technical expertise, Please

[nis350]

I am in the process of buying a 92 NSX with 60,000 miles. Please help. Here are my questions:

1. the clutch is stiff and seem to engage farily high, but it does not slip. I have to launch at about 2k RPM to get it to go smoothly. Normal?

2. Hard to down shift from 3rd to 2nd in high rpm. No problem going from 1st to 2nd in high rpm, 4K. The trans. seems good, but definitely not as smooth as other Hondas.

3. Transmission is in the potential snap ring range, but I tested as describe in this site. It feels ok. The seller does not know if the trans. has been replaced. he has no service records as he is the third owner. Is it safe to say that it is ok since it has 60,000 miles on it?

4. The engine is not very quiet. I have a prelude and it is much quieter. There is some tapping noise that sounded like it needs valves adjustment. Is it normal? Are the valves adjustable and how often? I felt a little virbration in idle also.

5. One of the fluid containers in the front hood, the one that is closest to the front is low on fluid. What is that one for? There is no under cover on the bottom the front hood? I can see the ground when the hood is open. Is it normal?

6. There is oil film under the oil pan, but see no drops. Is this normal with 60,000 miles on it? My prelude has about the same mileage and it is dry. Any concern?

7. Is the 92 suppose to have a remote for the alarm? He only has a key to turn on/off via locking the door.

8. Does it need to have the time belt replaced (92 with 60,000 miles) How much is that?

9. The car looks nice. It is white with black top. There is a couple spots, size of the dime, on the top that is a bit faded. The rest of the car is nice. how much do think is a good price?

Thanks you all for your response.

 

[nsxtasy]

1. the clutch is stiff and seem to engage farily high, but it does not slip. I have to launch at about 2k RPM to get it to go smoothly. Normal?

First sentence is normal, but second sentence is not. If you blip the throttle slightly and engage the clutch as RPMs are falling, as recommended in the FAQ, I think you will find that you can launch at your desired RPM.

You should spend some time with the excellent NSX FAQ (answers to Frequently Asked Questions). To access it, click on the word FAQ in the red bar at the top of your screen, the one that looks like this:

You will find answers to most of your questions there.

2. Hard to down shift from 3rd to 2nd in high rpm.

If you match revs, it shouldn't be.

3. Transmission is in the potential snap ring range, but I tested as describe in this site. It feels ok. The seller does not know if the trans. has been replaced. he has no service records as he is the third owner. Is it safe to say that it is ok since it has 60,000 miles on it?

No. A snap ring can fail at any mileage. This is noted in the FAQ; you can find more about the snap ring issue in the Troubleshooting area.

4. The engine is not very quiet. I have a prelude and it is much quieter. There is some tapping noise that sounded like it needs valves adjustment. Is it normal?

Yes.

Are the valves adjustable and how often?

This question is answered in the Maintenance area of the FAQ.

5. One of the fluid containers in the front hood, the one that is closest to the front is low on fluid. What is that one for?

Most of the fluid containers are labeled, either with the name of their fluid or a picture of what they use.

I think the radiator is the closest to the front but I'm sure you know what that is for.

There is no under cover on the bottom the front hood? I can see the ground when the hood is open. Is it normal?

Yes. Under the hood is the spare tire, which sits on a small tray. You can see the ground alongside that tray, particularly if you remove the spare tire.

7. Is the 92 suppose to have a remote for the alarm? He only has a key to turn on/off via locking the door.

Remote entry was an optional, dealer-installed accessory from Acura, and is no longer available for the '91-92.

8. Does it need to have the time belt replaced (92 with 60,000 miles) How much is that?

You'll find the answer to this, too, in the Maintenance area of the FAQ. Spend some time with the FAQ. You will learn a lot.

9. The car looks nice. It is white with black top. There is a couple spots, size of the dime, on the top that is a bit faded. The rest of the car is nice. how much do think is a good price?

For the car? Again, your best information is in the FAQ, in the Buy, Sell area.

 

[hlweyl]

1. If the clutch isn't slipping, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I launch under 1500 rpm and mine is smooth, this could be technique.

2. I would be concerned with not being able to downshift. Could be simple adjustment, could be a synchro.

3. Snap ring can go at any time.

4. Probably normal although she's probably due for a valve adjustment anyway.

5. Hard to tell which one you're talking about, check the owners manual. There's a service manual on the main page here.

6. Probably due for an oil pan gasket. It seems all of my cars get wet there as they age.

7. No

8. Timing belt is due for replacement.

9. I would guess somewhere between 25 and 30k based on the deferred maintainence and being in the snap ring range. http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/BuySell/pricing.htm


Good luck

Edit: Following the guide in the FAQ is a good idea. http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/BuySell/nsx_purchase_process.htm

 

[drew]

It sounds like your are stretching yourself to buy this car. (In my opinion: not a great idea for any car.)

Therefore, you really need to spend the money and get a "pre-purchase" inspection from an Acura dealer that knows NSX's.

The car you have could need thousands in deferred maintenance or it could be great. I found the best car value was after the timing belt job was done.

I had five NSX's run though the pre-purchase inspection. The best looking one: best paint, flawless interior and lower miles needed the most work---to the tune of $6K-$7K.

I ended up buying a well used that was highly maintained, but didn't look all that great--paint chips, door ding and Ivory interior looks used.

I wouldn't worry about the transmission as much as good spare transmissions can be had for $1500.

What I DO recommend is make sure you have plenty of money in reserve to take care of any problems. So have at least $10K left over (after tax, license and purchase price) and you will OK. If you do ALL the work yourself: have at least $5K on hand.

Get the car inspected dood, especially if you really can't afford to.

Drew

 

[nis350]

Thank you all for the feedback. They are very valuable to someone who knows nothing about NSX. My main concern is really the transmission since the site mentioned that it cost $7k to replace, but I also see that it can be had for about $1.5k.

Do most people drive their NSX hard? Although it is has relative low mile (92 - 60,000), it may shorten the engine life if they were hard miles. Is the NSX pretty tough? Can it last over 150,000K?

 

[nsxtasy]

Do most people drive their NSX hard?

Many do. That matters less than whether the car has been well maintained.

it may shorten the engine life if they were hard miles.

Not necessarily, if the car has been well maintained.

Is the NSX pretty tough? Can it last over 150,000K?

Yes and yes.

 

[drew]

Is the NSX pretty tough? Can it last over 150,000K?

I'm going to have to disagree <b>strongly</b> with that statement.

I seriously doubt that any car can do 15,000,000 (15 million) easily. I suppose it CAN last that long, but it would be economically unfeasible to do so.

My classic Mustang fastback had 670,000 miles on it and at somepoint I replaced everything but the unit body, exterior panels and interior metal panels. The car did go through four engines and a transmission rebuild every 2-3 years. The glass and some all metal parts held up well too. Over the course of 13 years as a daily driver I put over $30K into repairs for a car that retailed for $2,750. Bought it for $400 and sold it for $10K....not too shabby. It also got way more looks and babes than the NSX ever did. (BTW: If you want to meet babes it is either a new Ferrari or a 50 year old classic car.).

But 150,000K miles is a whole different story!

Drew

 

[hlweyl]

Uh, I think he meant 150 thousand not 15 million.

 

[drew]

Yeah, I guessed as much (150,000K = 150K) .

I really just wanted to tell a story about my faithful Mustang

Hope you liked it as much as I did...

Drew