what to look out for in high mileage NSXs.....

Joined
10 October 2003
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884
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Just wondering what the main concerns are with high mileage pre '97 NSXs are....I'm talking about over 100K....I know timing belt, waterpump, valve adjustments, clutch, and other maintenance stuff should be looked at...I also heard about the door handles and window operations...also the relay for the fuel pump....is there anything else that should be looked at, thats a common problem for high mileage NSXs? Thanks! Coming from an ex-owner of a high mileage twinturbo Rx-7, there were problems galore....turbos and motors were replaced by previous owner, but the hoses had to be done, the pilot bearing and synchros in the tranny soon bucked out...the pulsation dampner dried out (common with Rx-7s and engine fires), airseperation tank exploded, suspension and differential bushings were shot, the electrical wiring became so brittle because of the exessive heat, had to replace some wiring....replaced precat with downpipe and etc....all this with 80K on the car. Am I going to go through the same problems with the NSX with around 110K on it? Thanks guys!
 
I have few miles on my NSX - but i used to have a '94 FD. owned it from new to about 75k miles.. I cna say that in juts about every way the NSX is of superior build quality.

FD engine ran hot, had shoddy build quality (busted hoses, busted coolant reserve tank, suspension parts.. though i never blew the tranny).

In fact, it was because of this that i dumped the FD in favor of the 'X'. I think you will find many on this board who can testify to the reliability and quality of the car - there are folks with over 150k miles and still going strong.
 
150K and still going strong??!!! DAAAMMMNN!!...I don't mind about small interior trimmings falling apart, but my main concern was whether the car with that many miles with good upkeep and maintenance was track or highway worthy...you can understand my concern after the Rx-7, especially since you used to own one.....
 
I have 112K miles on mine and 20K of that were put on in the last two years since it is a daily driver. In that time, I don't think I've spent more that $200 outside of regular maint things. I don't know about the first 80K miles but the 90K work + new clutch was done by Mark Basch so I'd put it in the 'well cared for category' in spite of the fact that it was tracked a number of times between 80K and 90K.

Two items that weren't mentioned in your list and which are moderately costly to repair are: (1) the a/c condensor, and (2) the Bose speaker amps (about $300 repair for all three) but I think you pretty much captured the rest of the items

When I first went looking for an NSX, I spent quite a bit of time 'lurking' on the site and listening to all the commentary about high mileage. I also noticed that the value of NSXs seems to drop off quickly as they approach the 90K mark. As a result, I targeted high mileage cars that had been well kept and looking back, I have not been unhappy with that decision.

BTW, I'm just starting my third winter with my NSX and my experience is that you should not just focus on those NSXs that have never been driven in rain or snow .. it just doesn't matter.
 
Thanks for the info, guys....I'm located in california, so winer and rain don't really apply....I guess if the cars still perform like they should with such high mileage, I shouldn't worry too much about them...good ol' Honda....;)
 
Just watch out for the leather on the interior on high-mileage cars -- they tend to cracks and will need to be redone. Also, check the ABS and make sure it makes no LOUD noise.
 
My friend wants to buy an RX-7. He thinks if he babies it, it will never break. I guess we shall see. I think it is a huge mistake.
 
The twin turbo RX-7 offers an unparallelled opportunity for personal bankruptcy unrivalled by any other Japanese sports car - you have to look to Europe to find an even more extreme form of punishment.:D
 
NetViper said:
My friend wants to buy an RX-7. He thinks if he babies it, it will never break. I guess we shall see. I think it is a huge mistake.
Just tell him these six words:

Zoom zoom zoom. Boom boom boom.
 
lol...bankruptcy is right....I had to work like crazy just to keep my Rx-7 running....yet I liked it alot...I even miss it. Definetly was tempratmental and had a soul....oh well...time to upgrade....
oh and its more like "zoom, zoom, BOOM!!"
 
My 94 RX-7.....

I had a 94 automatic and drove it for 5 years. When I finally traded it in, it had about 95,000 miles on it. Other than routine maint., and about 5 different recalls, I didn't have any problems with it.
Of course, the stories about the engine fires destroying the cars and the houses they were garaged in made parting with it just a little bit easier......
:p

Joel 91 Black / Ivory
 
check the functioning on the climate control. Mine only works on high and seems more and more a common problem. There is a TSB on that fix on this site in the FAQ.
 
I bought my '91 with 225,000 miles. I got it cheap, and I enjoy working on it. I've replace the front shocks, engine bay coolant hoses, driver's window regulator, both body-side door seals, O2 sensors, the entire ABS, the heater/evaporator unit (due to a heater core leak), rear tail lights (due to tail light seal leak), fuel injectors, AC compressor/dryer, EGR valve and a multitude of smaller/less costly bits. I've yet to replace the TB/WP and clutch, but have that maintenance high on my priority list. The most suprising issue I've run across during my maintenance was finding the intake manifold's EGR ports completely clogged with gunk. I removed the intake manifold when I replaced the EGR valve to clean the EGR manifold. Bottom line, even with the new EGR valve installed, no exhaust gases where gonna make it back into the cylinders as it was. I cleaned the ports with mineral spirits and pipe cleaners. I plan on checking the ports every 15K miles, or so. My spare tire was cracked and pump was seized (due to moisture in the trunk). No plan to replace/fix them. The antenna was inop. Replaced it with an antenna similar to the S2000. My CC works fine, speakers don't crackle. I disconnected the TCS computer when I noticed hesitation when underway. Haven't needed or wanted the TCS, and no more hesitation. I hope for several more tens of thousands of miles from 'er. Good luck in your search.
 
Nice thread bump. This has been on my mind lately so I liked that Larry Bastanza covered some of these type of things last week at this year's NSXPO tech session at Source1. I've been making list of things to proactively look at and added Larry's discussed items to my list. Found this thread too:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/178307-Intake-Manifold-Overhaul?

Would be interested in hearing about more.
 
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I would get maybe two PPI's done by different mechanics to see what they unravel ? I know that is plan for mine when I take the plunge next year.

If there's an NSX specialist near whatever car you find, one visit with him will be worth more than 3 PPI's from any "regular" technician!

As for this thread: I'm personally not looking for things that a tech typically looks for &/or discovers "on the surface" such as during a PPI but rather: things that are probably worth looking into after 20 years that may be under the surface and not things that a PPI would ever uncover, etc.
 
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