"You might need a new engine..."

So you got from "Dude you need a new engine" to tightening cam caps and a valve adjustment for a full repair?
I wouldn't think that 8K miles since the last major service that you would need a valve adjustment so soon.
"I'm a typical NSX owner who thinks he knows what is going on with his car but doesn't."
He's the typical Honda mechanic who thinks he knows NSX's... but doesn't.
Happy for you though!

Glad it looks like it is working out. If the last guy that worked on it left stuff loose, it might be prudent to check the valves while it is apart.

emac said:

If the last guy that worked on it left stuff loose, it might be prudent to check the valves while it is apart.

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I can tell you for sure the last guy who worked on it, DID NOT leave anything loose.

BamaFan said:

Timing belt / water pump / drive belts were replaced, the valves were adjusted with new gaskets, the cam caps were replaced, leaking vtec spool valve o-rings were replaced, a leaking oil pan gasket was replaced, and the spark plugs were replaced.[/FONT][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
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Why were the original cam caps replaced?

That should have thrown a red flag before purchase.

curtsr said:

I wouldn't think that 8K miles since the last major service that you would need a valve adjustment so soon

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He said that he would adjust the valves to ensure everything was properly set after the tightened the cam caps.

Mac Attack said:

Why were the original cam caps replaced?

That should have thrown a red flag before purchase.

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I went over the car and records very carefully with the only mechanic that had ever touched it before I purchased it. The previous owner had let it sit for almost two years in his garage after he had purchased another car (a Lincoln Navigator!!). When he decided to re-start it in late 2012, he had it towed to David McDavid Acura and asked them to do anything necessary to ensure the car was properly recommissioned. I don't have the receipt with me now, but I believe it was a $5,700 job.

furinax said:

This is great news right?! Quick inexpensive fix...

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It will be great news if it works! I doubt it will be a quick inexpensive fix given how much time they spent on it. But far, far cheaper than an engine--or even a camshaft--replacement.

BamaFan said:

I went over the car and records very carefully with the only mechanic that had ever touched it before I purchased it. The previous owner had let it sit for almost two years in his garage after he had purchased another car (a Lincoln Navigator!!). When he decided to re-start it in late 2012, he had it towed to David McDavid Acura and asked them to do anything necessary to ensure the car was properly recommissioned. I don't have the receipt with me now, but I believe it was a $5,700 job.

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I purchased my '92 NSX about 13 years ago that had been serviced by David McDavid for most of its life. I was not impressed by their work.

I heard great things about Carl Dehls when I did my research in '14. And he knew the car like the back of his hand when he went over the records with me--not surprising, given that he serviced it for 20 years. But that was my only interaction with the dealership.

BamaFan said:

It will be great news if it works! I doubt it will be a quick inexpensive fix given how much time they spent on it. But far, far cheaper than an engine--or even a camshaft--replacement.

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IMO if it turns out to be LMA's they should be doing the repair at a very lost cost to you if any. Especially after you were so easily dismissed upon suggestion.

I know this has not been a fun experience but from the description 1st class did not treat you with due respect, regardless of what car you brought them.

BamaFan said:

I heard great things about Carl Dehls when I did my research in '14. And he knew the car like the back of his hand when he went over the records with me--not surprising, given that he serviced it for 20 years. But that was my only interaction with the dealership.

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I don't know who worked on it and I don't want to speculate. That's just my experience.

If it is cam caps that are loose enough to produce an audible noise, then they shouldn't be simply tightened down. They should be removed and inspected at the least. Hopefully the damage is not too bad.

How did they diagnose that the issue was loose cam caps?

It seems improbable. If a cam was loose enough to make noise, then surely it was loose enough to cause damage, no?

Did they conclude that removing the cam covers was in some way related to the noise stopping?

I realize we are only hearing one side of the story, but none of this makes sense to me.

Eager to see if this was really the cause.

To clarify...When I called today to check in, he told me the same thing he told me earlier this week: They think the cam caps needed to be re-tourqued. He told me today that his statement did not mean they were loose; he has solved similar issues on Preludes by re-tourquing the cam caps so he tried it here. He also adjusted the valves and said they were off. The next step is to put it back together, put the belts on, and see if the noise is taken care of. He's not sure this will work, but he is happy that he has eliminated so many options. Frankly, I'll only be happy if it is actually fixed!!

He commented on how clean the engine was, so perhaps that counts for something.

I would take it and run. Find someone who knows what he's doing. It's a guessing game for them or at least looks like they're selling it like that.

Preludes don't have the same engine as the NSX. Hope he is not doing his 'trial and error experiment' on your expense.

BamaFan said:

To clarify...When I called today to check in, he told me the same thing he told me earlier this week: They think the cam caps needed to be re-tourqued. He told me today that his statement did not mean they were loose; he has solved similar issues on Preludes by re-tourquing the cam caps so he tried it here. He also adjusted the valves and said they were off. The next step is to put it back together, put the belts on, and see if the noise is taken care of. He's not sure this will work, but he is happy that he has eliminated so many options. Frankly, I'll only be happy if it is actually fixed!!

He commented on how clean the engine was, so perhaps that counts for something.

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I hope not either. Mark said he was a certified NSX tech, and I didn't have any reason not to believe him when I took in the car. He told me they would be coming in today to reassemble it. I just stopped by but no one is there. For now I just have to ride this out since I don't think it is wise to pick up the car in pieces. If it is not fixed when they put it back together I'll have it taken to Auugusta.

BamaFan said:

I hope not either. Mark said he was a certified NSX tech, and I didn't have any reason not to believe him when I took in the car. He told me they would be coming in today to reassemble it. I just stopped by but no one is there. For now I just have to ride this out since I don't think it is wise to pick up the car in pieces. If it is not fixed when they put it back together I'll have it taken to Auugusta.

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There's only a handful of people I trust to work on the NSX, and one is Larry at Acura of Augusta. Their parts folks were great too. Hopefully its still the same - I moved out of the area about five years ago.

Hopefully this other shop can get it fixed for you. You really can't critique their work over the internet unless you see the car yourself. So far, it just seems like they have a bit of an attitude....

Agreed. My sincere hope is that they fix the car. Just a bit concerned about how they have gone about it. I was alarmed when they told me I might need a new engine.

They were just conditioning you. Having established a baseline of 'you might need a new engine' they probably figure that you will be ecstatic with anything that they subsequently tell you that does not involve a new engine.

Even if they offer a guarantee on their work; I personally would be reluctant to take them up on that guarantee if subsequent problems emerge. I also hope for your sake that they put the same number of parts back into the car that they took out of it. When cars are apart for long periods of time parts have a way of going missing unless the operators are careful about how they organize and store stuff. Based upon your description, careful is not an adjective that I would associate with this shop operator.

^^^ **Like button**

solidol said:

I would take it and run. Find someone who knows what he's doing. It's a guessing game for them or at least looks like they're selling it like that.

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I second this, try to minimize what you pay them and get the hell out before you get screwed over.

You guys are a tough crowd. I would like to know if he fixed it before I throw him under the bus. He heard hooves, and searched for a couple of zebras, before realizing it may be a horse. I have been working on BMW's my whole life and thought I had a wheel bearing issue, that turned out to be a diff issue. It took some time to figure it out. I went around my elbow to get to my butt. We are hearing one side of the story and frankly it doesnt make complete sense. I dont understand how the noise went away when the valve covers were removed, but the noise came from the cam caps. Cam caps rattling against the cover?? Maybe it was just something with the valve covers that got lost in translation.

They did my belt change, brake/coolant flush, valve adjustment(at another location) and seemed to do a good job and were easy to deal with. I just hate to bash someones business without knowing the whole story. Or at least knowing if they fixed it and at what cost. As a newbie, probably not my place to open my mouth.

Are you assessing the quality of the job they did by the fact that your engine is till running? Have you in any shape or form verified say valve adjustment quality? Nobody's bashing just going off of OP is sharing.

solidol said:

Are you assessing the quality of the job they did by the fact that your engine is till running? Have you in any shape or form verified say valve adjustment quality? Nobody's bashing just going off of OP is sharing.

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Not to highjack, but I put the car on my lift, checked that all parts and pieces were put back properly. Checked that brake bleed caps were put back on ( and looked like they had been removed.) New fluid in master and ABS, etc. Did I recheck valves? No, at some point I have to have some trust. Adjusting valves isnt rocket science. Could I been screwed? I guess so. Car runs good, but it ran good before. At least I have all the old parts they replaced. Well I guess they could have found some old NSX parts that matched the build date of my car and threw them in a box. Thats probably what they did since they said BAMAfan needed a new engine and it took them a few days to narrow down a problem.

All I can say - check your rear exhaust valves. It's precisely a trust problem. And by making what now looks like uneducated guess (or intentionally trying to screw OP) they would have lost that trust (in my eyes at least). So like I said at this point you're minimizing damage. Which is never a good feeling.