Anyone had their timing belt failed before 90K

[NSXER119]

Hi, everyone
I just got my first NSX couple weeks ago. She is a 92 model with about 67K miles. Timing belt has never been replaced. Can someone give me some advice that if I can wait a little longer for the timing belt replacement (maybe until 75K), does anyone had their timing belt failed before 90K?
Thank you very much

 

[DocL]

Uh oh! I think someone is going to show you the link pretty son.

This topic has been discussed many times already.

 

[nsxtasy]

Your timing belt is eleven years old. I would replace it now.

If you're looking for a mechanic in your area with a lot of NSX experience, I recommend Don's Hilltop.

[This message has been edited by nsxtasy (edited 06 March 2003).]

 

[Joel]

NSXer,

While you're at it, replace the water pump too so you can save some money on labor.

The price on such a job may indicate your hesitency. That's very understandable. But it's one of those "better safe than sorry" kind of things you know?

 

[nsxtasy]

Originally posted by Joel:
While you're at it, replace the water pump too so you can save some money on labor.

The price on such a job may indicate your hesitency. That's very understandable. But it's one of those "better safe than sorry" kind of things you know?

Good advice, Joel.

Also keep in mind that once you've paid to have it done, you won't have to do it again for another 90,000 miles or six years, whichever comes first.

 

[I'm NSXed]

I'm sure that everyone will tell you to replace it now. I would say that your chance of a timing belt failure is very low. However, if you do have a failure it will without a dought cause major damage to your engine, I'm sure over $10k worth.

If you prorate the cost of the belt replacement over the life of the belt it might save you about $150, one year worth. The risk is mentioned above.

 

[Vytas]

I posed this question back in '99 to Pat Goss of Motorweek when my '91 NSX only had 23K miles on it with the original timing belt.

He basically said you can not check a timing belt to see if it's good. He has definitely seen a few NSX timing belt failures. You don't want to be there when that happens. Either spend $1200 now or anywhere form $8K-$10K when it breaks. Time is more the enemy than mileage on a timing belt. You are courting disaster with this car. Eleven years on a timing belt is TOO LONG. Have it changed.

When I got my parts back from my timing belt service, the belt looked practically new. A note from Woodwork mentioned the timing belt may not break but that the teeth can strip off, which is just as bad. Don't take a gamble with your NSX engine, change it as the manual specifies.

 

[matteni]

Originally posted by NSXER119:
does anyone had their timing belt failed before 90K?

The question has been asked many times. I know of no single verifiable NSX timing belt failure before the 90k mile marker.

Does that mean you should risk it? Should you park it and drive it? Is it safe to assume that Honda over engineered this critical part? Only you can decide. Bottom line is you will worry about it and it will probably keep you from enjoying the car so why not put it behind you? The fact you even asked leads me to believe you were leaning towards biting the bullet. That said - will going a little longer or to the 90k mark dramatically increase your risk - who knows. There are a lot of 90 year olds that smoke but that doesn't mean it is safe. If you were at 10k miles and had the car in an controlled environment you might get stronger opinions but you are only talking a matter of months.

YMMV.

------------------
Nick M

91' Red/Black with Many Mods
99' Honda Odyssey with Many Kids

 

[NSXER119]

Thanks a lot, everyone
I have scheduled in couple weeks to change the timing belt, hopefully, the belt won't fail before that

 

[nsx_parts]

Good idea. Imagine being the first one on the list of broken belts at 70k.

I relpaced mine the day I bought the car. 60k miles/91 maodel.

POM is worth the expense, and the car has treated we well since the day I bought her.

REPLACE YOUR RADIATOR HOSES AT THE SAME TIME!

$100 will save you a messy experience and tow!!!!

Best of luck and welcome to Prime!

------------------
Please visit http://www.nsxparts.com. The best place to buy and sell parts for your NSX.

 

[itr-animal]

Humm... I quess I should change mine too, since My 92 has 11k.

 

[hondaholic]

I replaced the timing belt in my 91 when it had 10K miles on it. Hate for it to bust on the track.

 

[tjack]

This is interesting. There has to be what...a thousand members on here and not a single person has ever had a timing belt failure yet everybody still says to replace it? Is there anybody with 100k plus miles without changing it? I'm thinking about waiting a little longer (94 with 71,000) since there is an apparent 0% failure rate so far. I hope somebody out there will have a good failure story for me so when I do do it I won't feel so bad about spending that much money for what appears to be unnecessary at this time.

 

[Jimbo]

tjack,

Actually, there's several people who have had belts break. They just don't want to come forward publically because of fear of looking foolish.

Also, we've been looking for a guinea pig for a long time now to push the envelope and to see how long a belt will last.

Hopefully, you'll step up to the plate?

-Jim

------------------
1992 NSX Red/Blk 5 spd #0330
1991 NSX Blk/Blk Auto #3070 (Sold)
1974 Vette 454 4 spd Wht/Blk
1976 Honda Accord 5 spd, 3 door Blue/Blue
1977 Honda Accord - Custom - Under Construction
2003 MINI Cooper S - On Order - All Black
1986 Chevy Suburban
http://homepage.mac.com/jimanders/PhotoAlbum1.html

 

[bayareansx1999]

i wouldnt take a risk when it comes to your timing belt... if you can afford a car like the nsx, the its worth the extra $, besides you have to do it soon or later so why take the risk or if snapping?

 

[nsxtasy]

Originally posted by Jimbo:
Actually, there's several people who have had belts break. They just don't want to come forward publically because of fear of looking foolish.

Also, we've been looking for a guinea pig for a long time now to push the envelope and to see how long a belt will last.

Hopefully, you'll step up to the plate?

Hey, I want to find out not just how long it will last, but how much it costs to fix when it fails. So far, members have been too embarrassed to admit how much their mistake cost them.

 

[Lud]

A handful of people say they don't know anyone with a broken belt and people are ready to believe the failure rate is zero? Come on.

I personally know of a few that have broken. So do most mechanics who deal with a lot of NSXs.

Every belt will eventually fail. The manufacturer gives a maintenance interval at which they recommend replacing the belt. Obviously this interval is well before they expect any signifigant number to break under normal use. How much beyond that interval you want to go is up to you; it's your car.

 

[ScienceofSpeed]

So far, I've never seen a failure. That may change as the cars get older. Damage can be expensive, ranging from new valves, to new heads, maybe even bottom end damage if any head parts come apart. It's a good idea to get the work done & behind you. It's equally important to work with a competent shop since the job is not easy, and could lead to motor damage if not done right...

Cheers,
-- Chris

Originally posted by nsxtasy:
Hey, I want to find out not just how long it will last, but how much it costs to fix when it fails. So far, members have been too embarrassed to admit how much their mistake cost them.

 

[Edd]

My $.02 worth-

When I had Don At Hilltop Auto do some maintainence on my '91 (with 25K) about 3 months ago, I asked him about the timing belt and would have had him change it if he recommended it. He said that he had never seen one fail due to time, only mileage, and that he didn't think I needed to change it. You have to put some weight on his opinion, especially when he is essentially turning away paying work.

That said, I am still seriously thinking about having him do it just to be on the safe side.

 

[Jimbo]

I'm willing to bet that we're going to see a fair amount of broken belts in the near future. As we now get into the range of 12+ years and cars with a fair amount of miles, we're getting into the point where the safety factor (probably 2X) is running out.

-Jim

------------------
1992 NSX Red/Blk 5 spd #0330
1991 NSX Blk/Blk Auto #3070 (Sold)
1974 Vette 454 4 spd Wht/Blk
1976 Honda Accord 5 spd, 3 door Blue/Blue
1977 Honda Accord - Custom - Under Construction
2003 MINI Cooper S - On Order - All Black
1986 Chevy Suburban
http://homepage.mac.com/jimanders/PhotoAlbum1.html

 

[Zipy]

I bought my 91 last summer with 84000 on it. Virtually everything had been maintained but the T belt. I drove it for a while and then started to get paranoid. 10 G's for an engine just wasn't an option for me. Had my mechanic do the deed about 2 months ago. The damage: just under $1000 and thats T belt, W pump, all other belts and labor. Now I'm out really enjoying the car without having to worry.

------------------
1991 Red/Ivory #2055 1991 GMC Syclone-For Sale
1998 Integra GSR

 

[BB]

Before I had the local Acura dealer change my belt, I asked them a couple questions:

Q: How many different NSX's do you service on a regular basis?
A: About a dozen.

Q: How many broken timing belts have you seen?
A: Never seen or heard of one. However, we see broken Integra timing belts all the time.


[This message has been edited by BB (edited 23 March 2003).]

 

[matteni]

Originally posted by Vytas:
I posed this question back in '99 to Pat Goss of Motorweek when my '91 NSX only had 23K miles on it with the original timing belt.

He basically said you can not check a timing belt to see if it's good.

My 1993 Acura service manual clearly shows how to inspect a timing belt on an NSX. Look at the 1/2 page on the left of 6-22 for the proceedure. It requires a lot of work to inspect but if you have really low miles and wanted to justify your expense or waiting - it would be the proceedure I would follow.

------------------
Nick M

91' Red/Black with Many Mods
99' Honda Odyssey with Many Kids

 

[tjack]

Jimbo...I don't think I want to be the guinea pig on this one but I think I am going to wait until next fall to do it. If it does break in the mean time I'm not gonna admit it.

Just kidding, I'll post it immediately if it does. I know this has been discussed many times on here but the only one that I have heard of breaking was on a FI car. Hey Lud, do you remember how many miles or the year of the car? I'm just hoping someone will respond who has had a broken one.

[This message has been edited by tjack (edited 23 March 2003).]