My '97 does not have the crack in the dash.
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Dash crack kills
- Thread starter trefive
- Start date
Newman said:
I have had the dash out, and i can say:
- All bolts are torqued down pretty well from factory.
- I have NOT found any fragile clips at all.
- The dash came out pretty easy.
- Which blower-motor is behind the dash? The blower-motor is in the front.
- My NSX is a 1992 by VIN
Next to that, i have NEVER seen an NSX in Europe with the crack, including imported NSX's from the US and Canada, so i think it's maybe heat related? Dunno though.
I got a 91 X with 56,XXX km on the ticker and the car has got no dash cracks..
maybe it might be due to heat...
can someone post a pic on how this "crack" looks like...
This theory isn't all it's cracked up to be
I don't believe this explanation. You have 5 holes, 5 bolts, and there is no way to mess it up. (I did, however, tigheten mine evenly when replacing the part recently. The obvious explanation is differential thermal expansion.
Others have reported that the plastic part expands and contracts with temperature a lot more than does the body. So I suspect that cold temps (or perhaps extremely hot temps) will crack the part. One possible fix would be a very loose mounting, which is likely to cause rattling noises. Another possible fix would be to choose the best temperature (hot weather or cold weather) in which to install the new part.
If you want to avoid cold temps, don't turn on the defroster when the interior is hot. If you want to avoid extreme hot temps, don't park in the sun or use a car cover religiously when you do. Direct sun under glass can put the temp above 150 degrees, and it doesn't take very long to get there.
(edited to remove one bogus theory)
Newman said:
I don't believe this explanation. You have 5 holes, 5 bolts, and there is no way to mess it up. (I did, however, tigheten mine evenly when replacing the part recently. The obvious explanation is differential thermal expansion.
Others have reported that the plastic part expands and contracts with temperature a lot more than does the body. So I suspect that cold temps (or perhaps extremely hot temps) will crack the part. One possible fix would be a very loose mounting, which is likely to cause rattling noises. Another possible fix would be to choose the best temperature (hot weather or cold weather) in which to install the new part.
If you want to avoid cold temps, don't turn on the defroster when the interior is hot. If you want to avoid extreme hot temps, don't park in the sun or use a car cover religiously when you do. Direct sun under glass can put the temp above 150 degrees, and it doesn't take very long to get there.
(edited to remove one bogus theory)
Last edited:
The crack actually continues below the temp sensor but you can really only see this from outside the car. I couldn't get a good picture through the windshield because I have no clue how to manual focus this digital camera and it kept focusing on the reflection of the trees and sky on the glass.
<img src="http://www.nema.com/nsx/dashcrack1.jpg">
<img src="http://www.nema.com/nsx/dashcrack2.jpg">
<img src="http://www.nema.com/nsx/dashcrack1.jpg">
<img src="http://www.nema.com/nsx/dashcrack2.jpg">
NEVER seen it in more than 15 NSX in my life!
I assume this is a reference to the aspirator fan motor, which is located behind those slots in the dash, just in front of the gearshift knob.DutchBlackNsx said:
nsxtasy said:
The aspirator fan motor does not require to take the complete dash out, just the console.
My '91 does not have the crack in the dash.
DaveG
DaveG
When I removed my cracked vent, the part was VERY brittle. The car is a 91.
Aha!
OK, now I have a working theory: After extended exposure to direct sunlight, the plastic loses its flexibility (a common problem on many plastic dashtops). This effect can occur slowly at normal temperatures, but it is hugely accelerated at the 150 degrees or so the part reaches in direct sunlight. Subsequent exposure to cold temperatures, especially the A/C run through the dash vents when the car is still hot, contracts and cracks the part.
So if you want to prevent this problem, use a car cover if you can't find a shady parking place. Once the part gets brittle, your goose is cooked.
Incidentally, the brand new part is not all that flexible either. I had two of them break in shipment to me in their factory boxes. Seems that both FedEx and UPS like to bend long packages.
nsxparts.com said:
OK, now I have a working theory: After extended exposure to direct sunlight, the plastic loses its flexibility (a common problem on many plastic dashtops). This effect can occur slowly at normal temperatures, but it is hugely accelerated at the 150 degrees or so the part reaches in direct sunlight. Subsequent exposure to cold temperatures, especially the A/C run through the dash vents when the car is still hot, contracts and cracks the part.
So if you want to prevent this problem, use a car cover if you can't find a shady parking place. Once the part gets brittle, your goose is cooked.
Incidentally, the brand new part is not all that flexible either. I had two of them break in shipment to me in their factory boxes. Seems that both FedEx and UPS like to bend long packages.
DaveG said:
If that's true Dave, then why do you keep offering to show everyone your crack?
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