Officially Part of the Community

[jsullyboy]

I officially became a NSX owner today!

I picked up my dream car today. 1991 Silver NSX with 36k on it.



[I am waiting on parts to finish the S2000 suspension refresh - which is why its apart]

It needs a lot of immediate maintenance. The previous owner only drove it about 1k and it has sat a long time.

The timing belt has not been done since 2003!

So its getting that done Monday. We have been flushing the ALB modulator today. Still working on that.

I think the gas in it is very old so going to get that flushed too.

Driving home the temp stayed below the low blue bar. I let it warm up before leaving to the bottom bar. It was all highway cruising at 70mph. The outside temp was 7c or 44f. When I got off the highway after about 25min of driving at 70 mph the gauge went to the middle of the temp gauge. The coolant will be flushed to replace the water pump with the timing belt. I am thinking it would be good to replace the thermostat too.

Any ideas why it would stay so cool on the highway but then return to a normal reading on urban streets? Almost immediately. By the time the light changed on the off ramp temp was in the middle. Could this be a gauge cluster issue?

My plan is to enjoy the summer then in the fall send out the HVAC controls and gauge cluster to be serviced pro-actively. The radio does not work. I would love to get that working. Windows are super slow. I will open the doors clean and grease the tracks. Are there bushings you would recommend I replace when I have it open?

A number of little projects to do but I am thrilled to have this car and be part of this community!

 

[EN ES EX]

Congrats my Canadian Friend!!!

 

[docjohn]

welcome, nice find! I'm not known for my technical skills, but a cool running car makes me thinks you have a thermostat doohingy that is stuck open allowing too much coolant to flow early on..

 

[D Baggins]

Congrats! I like the silver theme you got going there…..

 

[jsullyboy]

Congrats! I like the silver theme you got going there…..

Yes, it was not completely intentional that they were both silver. Just sort of work out that way.

 

[D Baggins]

Yes, it was not completely intentional that they were both silver. Just sort of work out that way.

Silver has definitely grown on me after having my car for a few years now, it hides rock chips and stuff pretty well, and stays pretty clean looking even when it hasn’t been washed awhile.

 

[v-tecpwr]

Congratulations! It does sound like a broken thermostat for the temperature fluctuation .

 

[Wild Turkey]

Welcome to Prime and congrats on joining the club!

You're describing classic symptoms of a common NSX problem, thermostat stuck open. Warms up when driving slowly and accelerating/decelerating (more heat, less cooling) and cools off on the highway (more cooling, less heat generation.) The NSX thermostats are a complex design designed to never stick closed, but this complicated design seems to have a short life and then stick open. The problem is so common on NSX's that quite a few folks think that it's normal and have been driving that way for years (Not recommended).

Have a look at this 2007 thread, which I resurrected in 2021, when my NSX had the same symptoms you're describing; it will give you all the answers you need, including the fact that an air lock can be a bit similar. Purging after coolant change is difficult, but critical. I switched to a Stant stainless thermostat that @Honcho and @ftuhy suggested and it solved my problems. Heats up before I get out of the subdivision:

How hard to replace thermostat?

I'm quite sure my 97 needs a new thermostat. Mine is one of the cars with a very slow warmup. Not an issue in the summer but fall is upon us and winter is coming where this matters more. I searched and I found that several here have replaced their thermostat, but I couldn't find any...

www.nsxprime.com

 

[jrho]

Welcome to NSX ownership! I also have an S2000 as well which seems to be a common pairing with these cars. I'm just patiently waiting for all of our snow to go away to be able to enjoy both the cars again

 

[Zoom]

Welcome and congrats !

Are there bushings you would recommend I replace when I have it open?

Yes, check Science Of Speed I believe they still sell a window track kit with teflon bushings.

 

[The King]

Nice car! Silver S2000s and NSXs make great garage mates. I've had my Silverstone first year S2000 from new, and owned my same colour NSX for over twelve years now. It had 9K miles when I got it, and has just under 22.5K presently.

 

[jsullyboy]

Welcome to Prime and congrats on joining the club!

You're describing classic symptoms of a common NSX problem, thermostat stuck open. Warms up when driving slowly and accelerating/decelerating (more heat, less cooling) and cools off on the highway (more cooling, less heat generation.) The NSX thermostats are a complex design designed to never stick closed, but this complicated design seems to have a short life and then stick open. The problem is so common on NSX's that quite a few folks think that it's normal and have been driving that way for years (Not recommended).

Have a look at this 2007 thread, which I resurrected in 2021, when my NSX had the same symptoms you're describing; it will give you all the answers you need, including the fact that an air lock can be a bit similar. Purging after coolant change is difficult, but critical. I switched to a Stant stainless thermostat that @Honcho and @ftuhy suggested and it solved my problems. Heats up before I get out of the subdivision:

How hard to replace thermostat?

I'm quite sure my 97 needs a new thermostat. Mine is one of the cars with a very slow warmup. Not an issue in the summer but fall is upon us and winter is coming where this matters more. I searched and I found that several here have replaced their thermostat, but I couldn't find any...

www.nsxprime.com

Thanks!

 

[jsullyboy]

The car is ready for summer now. I had the timing belt service done, oil change, new thermostat, new spark plugs, valve adjustment and new fuel filter. My local Oakville Acura dealer is fantastic. They have a couple of mechanics who still know these cars and they did all the work for a reasonable cost and quickly. The person who worked on my car took the time to meet with me when I picked it up and walked me through all the work he did. Also gave me some reassurance that it was a solid car. Which is always nice to hear right after a purchase. Also, my son and I got the daytime running light solution working which was a requirement for safety. I was feeling good about the car, spring and driving season then it promptly snowed. The second real snow we had all winter was in spring! It's all melted now. Anyway, the car is ready to go.