When cold starting my NSX, it sounded like it was supercharged for the first few minutes of driving! Cool (not). She was whining at me, and from what I researched, it sounded like the idler pulley bearing.
Reference your service manual (section 22-77) to get at the pulley. I took the whole pulley assembly out, but DO NOT DO THIS. It is a pain in the butt getting the bottom bolt out and the long through bolts at the top are near impossible to get out. But here's a photo of it anyway:
This DIY can be done by only removing the "Idler Pulley Center Nut". The nut/cover/washer/pulley/sleeve all slide off the mounting bolt. It's a little tight getting it on/off, but trust me, it's easier than getting those two through-bolts out (in section 22-78).
Here is a link to a video I made showing how bad the bearing really was. If you hear your pulley whining it's probably as bad as mine was:
Rather than replacing the whole pulley (~$60), I replaced the bearing ($17 tax in). The bearing was: NTN 6203LU (or 6203LLU). Likely the bearing shop will reference the "double L" bearing name (my shop did), but taking the bearing out of the packaging, it shows the "single L" code. So both codes reference the same bearing.
I used a 11/16th socket to punch the bearing out (from the back side). I used a vice to press the bearings in/out, but a real press works even better. Some guys use hammers, but I didn't want to smash anything:redface:.
Install is a reversal of the removal. NOTE: make sure to put the washer, cover and sleeve in the correct order on the pulley bolt. I remember reading that it was a common mistake to screw this up. Here's a photo from the service manual:
Lastly, here is a video of the new bearing installed (much smoother):
I would recommend this DIY to everyone. It is super cheap and unbelievably satisfying. I still can't believe how quiet my engine was supposed to sound!
If you have a whining NSX, it's a really easy fix. It took me about 1-2 hours to do. It is likely a 30 minute job if you've got a press and don't take that darn pulley assembly out.
Now to replace my alternator bearings...
Lucas
Reference your service manual (section 22-77) to get at the pulley. I took the whole pulley assembly out, but DO NOT DO THIS. It is a pain in the butt getting the bottom bolt out and the long through bolts at the top are near impossible to get out. But here's a photo of it anyway:
This DIY can be done by only removing the "Idler Pulley Center Nut". The nut/cover/washer/pulley/sleeve all slide off the mounting bolt. It's a little tight getting it on/off, but trust me, it's easier than getting those two through-bolts out (in section 22-78).
Here is a link to a video I made showing how bad the bearing really was. If you hear your pulley whining it's probably as bad as mine was:
Rather than replacing the whole pulley (~$60), I replaced the bearing ($17 tax in). The bearing was: NTN 6203LU (or 6203LLU). Likely the bearing shop will reference the "double L" bearing name (my shop did), but taking the bearing out of the packaging, it shows the "single L" code. So both codes reference the same bearing.
I used a 11/16th socket to punch the bearing out (from the back side). I used a vice to press the bearings in/out, but a real press works even better. Some guys use hammers, but I didn't want to smash anything:redface:.
Install is a reversal of the removal. NOTE: make sure to put the washer, cover and sleeve in the correct order on the pulley bolt. I remember reading that it was a common mistake to screw this up. Here's a photo from the service manual:
Lastly, here is a video of the new bearing installed (much smoother):
I would recommend this DIY to everyone. It is super cheap and unbelievably satisfying. I still can't believe how quiet my engine was supposed to sound!
If you have a whining NSX, it's a really easy fix. It took me about 1-2 hours to do. It is likely a 30 minute job if you've got a press and don't take that darn pulley assembly out.
Now to replace my alternator bearings...
Lucas
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