- Joined
- 13 March 2013
- Messages
- 23
Forgive me if I don't post this properly... pretty much my 1st post as an NSX owner... Here goes... thanks to Larry B. for all the help along the way!
Finally bought my very own 1992 NSX 5 speed black top. Been dreaming about this ever since I owned my first 1987 MR2 AW11 back in 2000. Best part is I’m the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] owner, 86K miles, stock everything, Sebring silver with zero accidents (the Wolf), and a clear title. The one down point is the previous owner opted to do some cosmetic fixes on the front and rear bumper and the color match is slightly off (darker, doesn’t bother me, minor as I’ll be sitting in the car driving it and I’m stoked that the engine and frame are perfect!). It was quite the adventure to find it, inspect it, test drive it, seal the deal, and drive it 17 hours plus over 1,196 miles to it’s new home. I had a lot of faith that it would make it, as everything seemed to be in pristine condition. However, along the way I ran into a freak occurrence that could have shot my transmission that is not in snap ring range. Lucky for me I ran into a number of good Samaritans and Larry B. was more than gracious to talk me through the problem. In the end it was fun and I’m just elated by my purchase.
Promised Larry B. that I would blog this as my very first post for new NSX owners should they ever encounter a similar problem or want very simple instructions to changing or checking the transmission fluid on an NSX. (I’m no expert, so please feel free to correct me if I’ve done anything wrong, as I was learning in real-time on the interstates across 7 US states. It might help me to refine my techniques).
Problem:
During the inspection, all seemed to go fine, aside from a pre-disclosed clicking of what was identified as the ABS pump upon warm-up. No leaks aside from one small semi transparent drip. 1 drop to be exact.
After driving 250 miles on the initial leg of the trip, I stopped for gas and noticed a few more drips. Due to my rookie knowledge, I thought it was ABS fluid and thought it would be fine as the brakes were still firm. Eliminated that it could be oil since the oil side of the engine bay was clean both top and bottom and the stick was full.
Drove 50 miles further and stopped at a rest stop. Now the leak was worsening because the drip was starting to blow back to the exhaust and causing a burning smell. I thought it was just due to my over confidence in overtaking any semi truck that I thought could kick up some rocks and nick my new baby. So I decided to call Larry B., who in good fashion picked up the call, and advised me to check the fluid levels ASAP since neither of us knew how long the leak had been there. Of course I had no clue on how to check the fluid.
I decided I needed a good low pro jack. Problem was it was nightfall and I was in the middle of nowhere in a state that has every major stop no less than 50 miles apart. Finally got to a Wal-Mart, bought a low pro jack, 2 jack stands, and a cheap tool set with sockets wrenches from ½ to 3/8 drives (along with towels and simple green). After jacking up one side of the car, I realized I’d need 2 more jack stands to do this right. So with half the car up, I turned on the blinkers and ran back into buy 2 more jacks.
AS SEEN HERE:
After several runs back into Wal-Mart, I had the car up and took out a plug that I thought was the filler plug. It used a ½ driver socket to get to and I placed my finger in it to find there was still fluid with silver shavings. I sent Larry B. a picture who was probably asleep, replaced the plug, cleaned off all the drippings which had gone all throughout the rear axle and undercarriage of the rear driver’s quarter panel just below the air filter box with the intention of stopping up the road to recheck.
AS SEEN HERE: (wrong plug)
I drove another hour, listening intently, and monitoring the shifting to see if I could feel any negative changes. Upon stopping at a gas station, I put the car up on all fours again. I was hoping to find some Manual Transmission Fluid at this gas station, as Wal-Mart only carries Automatic (ATF)… go fig, everyone drives automatics nowadays. Again, since it was 2am in the morning I didn’t have many options for auto stores or dealerships. A good Samaritan who had worked at Honda Auto shops in the area offered to help, got under, checked the plug that we thought were the filler and some fluid came out. However, this hole could not take your finger so it kept bothering me. He suggested checking the owner’s manual, which I actually have along with the original Bose sound system manual, but it was pretty much worthless with a tiny cartoon and some nonsense about using 10w-30 SG Motor Oil as transmission fluid. Since there was still fluid, I figured I was over reacting and decided to keep driving.
Drove through the night and in the morning at sunrise I got a call from Larry B. Saying, that’s not the transmission filler. Re-check and refill the fluid. Stop at a Honda dealer and buy the Manual HGH fluid. (They only carry one type of Manual Transmission fluid as seen in the pics below in a quart bottle.) Tranny takes 2.5-2.9 quarts btw (you’ll know it’s full after it starts dripping out from the filler hole). Larry pointed out that the filler how is a 17mm bolt, towards the back rear of the transmission, almost centered under the rear trunk and points at a 90 deg angle towards the driver’s side of the car.
AS SEEN HERE:
higher bolt up towards the back is the filler (17mm bolt, crush washer, just above and behind axle seal), lower is the drain (3/8in socket driver, crush washer, below axle seal)
It was NOT the ½ drive plug that I had been check. That ½ inch plug he said is for removing and installing the trans. Found a nearby Honda auto parts dealer, bought 2 quarts of fluid, went to a nearby performance parts auto store, bought a fluid pump that could fit both a quart bottle top and a gear oil containers.
AS SEEN HERE:
Decided to hit the road with a fresh batch of MTF in the Transmission and check it up the Interstate. Drove about 20 minutes and started noticing an inability to shift into 4[SUP]th[/SUP] gear and looked for the first rest stop. Pulled over and did not feel good about the situation. Parked, turned off the car, and looked under the car. All the fluid I had just replaced had sprayed out under the car to the point it was covering my entire rear end and driver side under carriage. All the worst case scenarios went through my head: Cracked Axle boot, cracked transmission, destroyed gearbox, damaged gears, transmission change, cost to get towed 2 hours home, rental/taxi fees, etc. etc.
AS SEEN HERE:
Finally had the guts to call LarryB. and ask for some advice fully thinking he would say “I told you so”… but right at that moment, looking down just under the air filter, I noticed a very hard to see area that looked like it could be the source of the leak and should have a bolt or a plug in there… took a photo and sent it to LarryB.
AS SEEN HERE:
Immediately, he called and said, yup, that’s a plug, and it is very important due to the fact that the NSX Transmission has a pump and a pressurized oil system that keeps everything flowing. Without that bolt, the pump is shooting the oil from that hole. In true fashion, LarryB. went down a list of potential bolts to use as plugs from odd lines, mounts, and M8 bolts on the front hood stand mounts… unfortunately this bolt is one that is typically installed on a work bench with the trans removed from the engine bay. To make matters worse, a transmission-mounting bracket sits right above the open hole so that making it very specific to a very very short bolt. On top of that I had no clue or reassurance of the size of the bolt or incline angle of the thread required. On top of that, I had no car to get me 20 miles back down the Interstate to the location that I thought might have the parts and MTF oil required to refill the trans if I actually could plug it.
First desperate act, after finding that a taxi ride would cost over $120, no rental car companies in the area, I started walking along side the Interstate and waited to see a long interval between cars moving at 80MPH… saw a break and started sprinting, crossed it, ran through a bunch of sharp bushes and muddy medians and to my bad luck and surprise there was a cop sitting right on the other side. He whooped his siren and waived me over. He hollered, are you NUTZ! You could get killed, that’s illegal, I could give you a summons for that. I explained my situation, he said it’s ok, but not to do it ever again. I apologized and continued on my quest to hitch a ride down south. Saw some ladies, thought that would be weird, saw a family, car too full, then saw a single younger dude with camo pants and a dirty truck and asked. Livern, a Farmer with a giant auger said sure I’ll drive you back down, because he’d been in the same situation before and would have loved if someone helped him out. I got the fluids, walked a mile to the auto parts stores, found a couple potential bolts with the right size M8 1 or 1.25 thread incline and quickly reacquainted myself with the metric system and sizes of bolts for plugs, brakes, and batteries. On top of it, to my frustration, realized that they do not make crush washers for M8 bolts! In my quest to get the right parts for a random part that no one carries or makes, many of the shop owners feeling my frustration recommended the local hardware store. Problem was it was 3 miles away and the sun was quickly going down and I still needed to find a ride back to my car. Stepped outside of the autostore, saw a nice lookin old man and asked for a ride to the hardware store. He said he was going the other way, but had been in my situation before and he would have loved if someone helped him out. He even took my number to call me later to check if I was alright. Found my prospective bolts and a fiber washer at the Hardware store and exited into the parking lot. Immediately I saw a couple guys sitting in their SUV just chillin about to leave. I asked if they were going north on the Interstate, they said nah, they were headed south. I asked if they wouldn’t mind getting me to a gas station near the north bound exit, they agreed saying they’d been in the situation before and would have loved if someone helped them when they’re car broke down.
Got to the north bound gas station, found a guy going north and he agreed to take me because, yet again, he’d been in the same pickle in the past. 20 miles later, I was back, with my NSX, with 1.5 hours of sunlight to maneuver a very tight and difficult bolt into place hoping one of them would fit… …after dropping bolts, washers, and tools into unreachable places I finally got one to grab with the fiber washer. Using the tippy tips of my cut up fingers and tools for tasks that they weren’t designed for, I finally got the hole plugged with enough confidence to refill the trans.
Jacked the car up on all fours. Loosened 17mm transmission bolt with crush gasket. Opened my 3 quarts of Honda Manual Transmission Fluid from the dealer. Attached my quart pump and hose. Placed it into the filler hole, tube facing up and quart bottle fluid level facing towards me and pumped like a mad man. Resting only to renew the blood in my arm… takes about 50 pumps per quart… after about 2.7 quarts had gone in, the fluid started to drip from the filler hole… Indicating it was full. Cleaned the undercarriage and back of the NSX with Simple Green/Auto Detailing formula with auto paper towels. Lowered car, drove a couple times around the parking lot and checked the plug. It was HOLDING! Sent LarryB. the fix job, sun just went down, and prayed to the transmission gods that it would hold.
AS SEEN HERE:
assortment of options
M8, 1.25x12mm length
As I drove, the condition of the transmission improved and I stopped at every exit checking for drips… No drips, but still burning and smoke from all the previous spills (I had hoped)… Checked about 6 times and finally had the confidence that the plug was holding and fluid was in the trans. Drove my final 2 hours, arrived at my final destination, and decided to recover 3 sleepless nights. Polished my car last night and noticed how amazing the body and paint is for being a 21 year old car. Tonight I jacked it up on all four and checked the trans fluid and it’s full! Condition of the shifting continues to improve, but takes a little warming up. I’m sure I caused some fatigue, but it’s still drivable. Will look into using a higher grade of Manual Transmission fluid, but if all else fails, will likely implement an upgrade to the gear ratio. So far so good and I’m loving every second of owning this supercar!
Despite the trials, I view the trip as a blessing. I learned about everything to know about this car. Mostly good and quickly got re-immersed into my mechanical passion! Never thought I’d spend so much $$ to work on a new used car the first day. I also met a lot of good Samaritans, which was reassurance that there are still a lot of good people out there despite what you see on the news. Best of all LarryB as there helping me each and every step of the way. Sorry for the long blog. Just felt like I had to share and illustrate my experience since the most common response I received from my friends that helped me along the way said “No worries, I’ve been in the exact same situation and I would have sure loved to have someone lend a hand when I needed it”. Made the trip and purchase all the more memorable!
Hope this one day helps someone.
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have questions/comments!
Finally bought my very own 1992 NSX 5 speed black top. Been dreaming about this ever since I owned my first 1987 MR2 AW11 back in 2000. Best part is I’m the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] owner, 86K miles, stock everything, Sebring silver with zero accidents (the Wolf), and a clear title. The one down point is the previous owner opted to do some cosmetic fixes on the front and rear bumper and the color match is slightly off (darker, doesn’t bother me, minor as I’ll be sitting in the car driving it and I’m stoked that the engine and frame are perfect!). It was quite the adventure to find it, inspect it, test drive it, seal the deal, and drive it 17 hours plus over 1,196 miles to it’s new home. I had a lot of faith that it would make it, as everything seemed to be in pristine condition. However, along the way I ran into a freak occurrence that could have shot my transmission that is not in snap ring range. Lucky for me I ran into a number of good Samaritans and Larry B. was more than gracious to talk me through the problem. In the end it was fun and I’m just elated by my purchase.
Promised Larry B. that I would blog this as my very first post for new NSX owners should they ever encounter a similar problem or want very simple instructions to changing or checking the transmission fluid on an NSX. (I’m no expert, so please feel free to correct me if I’ve done anything wrong, as I was learning in real-time on the interstates across 7 US states. It might help me to refine my techniques).
Problem:
During the inspection, all seemed to go fine, aside from a pre-disclosed clicking of what was identified as the ABS pump upon warm-up. No leaks aside from one small semi transparent drip. 1 drop to be exact.
After driving 250 miles on the initial leg of the trip, I stopped for gas and noticed a few more drips. Due to my rookie knowledge, I thought it was ABS fluid and thought it would be fine as the brakes were still firm. Eliminated that it could be oil since the oil side of the engine bay was clean both top and bottom and the stick was full.
Drove 50 miles further and stopped at a rest stop. Now the leak was worsening because the drip was starting to blow back to the exhaust and causing a burning smell. I thought it was just due to my over confidence in overtaking any semi truck that I thought could kick up some rocks and nick my new baby. So I decided to call Larry B., who in good fashion picked up the call, and advised me to check the fluid levels ASAP since neither of us knew how long the leak had been there. Of course I had no clue on how to check the fluid.
I decided I needed a good low pro jack. Problem was it was nightfall and I was in the middle of nowhere in a state that has every major stop no less than 50 miles apart. Finally got to a Wal-Mart, bought a low pro jack, 2 jack stands, and a cheap tool set with sockets wrenches from ½ to 3/8 drives (along with towels and simple green). After jacking up one side of the car, I realized I’d need 2 more jack stands to do this right. So with half the car up, I turned on the blinkers and ran back into buy 2 more jacks.
AS SEEN HERE:
After several runs back into Wal-Mart, I had the car up and took out a plug that I thought was the filler plug. It used a ½ driver socket to get to and I placed my finger in it to find there was still fluid with silver shavings. I sent Larry B. a picture who was probably asleep, replaced the plug, cleaned off all the drippings which had gone all throughout the rear axle and undercarriage of the rear driver’s quarter panel just below the air filter box with the intention of stopping up the road to recheck.
AS SEEN HERE: (wrong plug)
I drove another hour, listening intently, and monitoring the shifting to see if I could feel any negative changes. Upon stopping at a gas station, I put the car up on all fours again. I was hoping to find some Manual Transmission Fluid at this gas station, as Wal-Mart only carries Automatic (ATF)… go fig, everyone drives automatics nowadays. Again, since it was 2am in the morning I didn’t have many options for auto stores or dealerships. A good Samaritan who had worked at Honda Auto shops in the area offered to help, got under, checked the plug that we thought were the filler and some fluid came out. However, this hole could not take your finger so it kept bothering me. He suggested checking the owner’s manual, which I actually have along with the original Bose sound system manual, but it was pretty much worthless with a tiny cartoon and some nonsense about using 10w-30 SG Motor Oil as transmission fluid. Since there was still fluid, I figured I was over reacting and decided to keep driving.
Drove through the night and in the morning at sunrise I got a call from Larry B. Saying, that’s not the transmission filler. Re-check and refill the fluid. Stop at a Honda dealer and buy the Manual HGH fluid. (They only carry one type of Manual Transmission fluid as seen in the pics below in a quart bottle.) Tranny takes 2.5-2.9 quarts btw (you’ll know it’s full after it starts dripping out from the filler hole). Larry pointed out that the filler how is a 17mm bolt, towards the back rear of the transmission, almost centered under the rear trunk and points at a 90 deg angle towards the driver’s side of the car.
AS SEEN HERE:
higher bolt up towards the back is the filler (17mm bolt, crush washer, just above and behind axle seal), lower is the drain (3/8in socket driver, crush washer, below axle seal)
It was NOT the ½ drive plug that I had been check. That ½ inch plug he said is for removing and installing the trans. Found a nearby Honda auto parts dealer, bought 2 quarts of fluid, went to a nearby performance parts auto store, bought a fluid pump that could fit both a quart bottle top and a gear oil containers.
AS SEEN HERE:
Decided to hit the road with a fresh batch of MTF in the Transmission and check it up the Interstate. Drove about 20 minutes and started noticing an inability to shift into 4[SUP]th[/SUP] gear and looked for the first rest stop. Pulled over and did not feel good about the situation. Parked, turned off the car, and looked under the car. All the fluid I had just replaced had sprayed out under the car to the point it was covering my entire rear end and driver side under carriage. All the worst case scenarios went through my head: Cracked Axle boot, cracked transmission, destroyed gearbox, damaged gears, transmission change, cost to get towed 2 hours home, rental/taxi fees, etc. etc.
AS SEEN HERE:
Finally had the guts to call LarryB. and ask for some advice fully thinking he would say “I told you so”… but right at that moment, looking down just under the air filter, I noticed a very hard to see area that looked like it could be the source of the leak and should have a bolt or a plug in there… took a photo and sent it to LarryB.
AS SEEN HERE:
Immediately, he called and said, yup, that’s a plug, and it is very important due to the fact that the NSX Transmission has a pump and a pressurized oil system that keeps everything flowing. Without that bolt, the pump is shooting the oil from that hole. In true fashion, LarryB. went down a list of potential bolts to use as plugs from odd lines, mounts, and M8 bolts on the front hood stand mounts… unfortunately this bolt is one that is typically installed on a work bench with the trans removed from the engine bay. To make matters worse, a transmission-mounting bracket sits right above the open hole so that making it very specific to a very very short bolt. On top of that I had no clue or reassurance of the size of the bolt or incline angle of the thread required. On top of that, I had no car to get me 20 miles back down the Interstate to the location that I thought might have the parts and MTF oil required to refill the trans if I actually could plug it.
First desperate act, after finding that a taxi ride would cost over $120, no rental car companies in the area, I started walking along side the Interstate and waited to see a long interval between cars moving at 80MPH… saw a break and started sprinting, crossed it, ran through a bunch of sharp bushes and muddy medians and to my bad luck and surprise there was a cop sitting right on the other side. He whooped his siren and waived me over. He hollered, are you NUTZ! You could get killed, that’s illegal, I could give you a summons for that. I explained my situation, he said it’s ok, but not to do it ever again. I apologized and continued on my quest to hitch a ride down south. Saw some ladies, thought that would be weird, saw a family, car too full, then saw a single younger dude with camo pants and a dirty truck and asked. Livern, a Farmer with a giant auger said sure I’ll drive you back down, because he’d been in the same situation before and would have loved if someone helped him out. I got the fluids, walked a mile to the auto parts stores, found a couple potential bolts with the right size M8 1 or 1.25 thread incline and quickly reacquainted myself with the metric system and sizes of bolts for plugs, brakes, and batteries. On top of it, to my frustration, realized that they do not make crush washers for M8 bolts! In my quest to get the right parts for a random part that no one carries or makes, many of the shop owners feeling my frustration recommended the local hardware store. Problem was it was 3 miles away and the sun was quickly going down and I still needed to find a ride back to my car. Stepped outside of the autostore, saw a nice lookin old man and asked for a ride to the hardware store. He said he was going the other way, but had been in my situation before and he would have loved if someone helped him out. He even took my number to call me later to check if I was alright. Found my prospective bolts and a fiber washer at the Hardware store and exited into the parking lot. Immediately I saw a couple guys sitting in their SUV just chillin about to leave. I asked if they were going north on the Interstate, they said nah, they were headed south. I asked if they wouldn’t mind getting me to a gas station near the north bound exit, they agreed saying they’d been in the situation before and would have loved if someone helped them when they’re car broke down.
Got to the north bound gas station, found a guy going north and he agreed to take me because, yet again, he’d been in the same pickle in the past. 20 miles later, I was back, with my NSX, with 1.5 hours of sunlight to maneuver a very tight and difficult bolt into place hoping one of them would fit… …after dropping bolts, washers, and tools into unreachable places I finally got one to grab with the fiber washer. Using the tippy tips of my cut up fingers and tools for tasks that they weren’t designed for, I finally got the hole plugged with enough confidence to refill the trans.
Jacked the car up on all fours. Loosened 17mm transmission bolt with crush gasket. Opened my 3 quarts of Honda Manual Transmission Fluid from the dealer. Attached my quart pump and hose. Placed it into the filler hole, tube facing up and quart bottle fluid level facing towards me and pumped like a mad man. Resting only to renew the blood in my arm… takes about 50 pumps per quart… after about 2.7 quarts had gone in, the fluid started to drip from the filler hole… Indicating it was full. Cleaned the undercarriage and back of the NSX with Simple Green/Auto Detailing formula with auto paper towels. Lowered car, drove a couple times around the parking lot and checked the plug. It was HOLDING! Sent LarryB. the fix job, sun just went down, and prayed to the transmission gods that it would hold.
AS SEEN HERE:
assortment of optionsM8, 1.25x12mm lengthAs I drove, the condition of the transmission improved and I stopped at every exit checking for drips… No drips, but still burning and smoke from all the previous spills (I had hoped)… Checked about 6 times and finally had the confidence that the plug was holding and fluid was in the trans. Drove my final 2 hours, arrived at my final destination, and decided to recover 3 sleepless nights. Polished my car last night and noticed how amazing the body and paint is for being a 21 year old car. Tonight I jacked it up on all four and checked the trans fluid and it’s full! Condition of the shifting continues to improve, but takes a little warming up. I’m sure I caused some fatigue, but it’s still drivable. Will look into using a higher grade of Manual Transmission fluid, but if all else fails, will likely implement an upgrade to the gear ratio. So far so good and I’m loving every second of owning this supercar!
Despite the trials, I view the trip as a blessing. I learned about everything to know about this car. Mostly good and quickly got re-immersed into my mechanical passion! Never thought I’d spend so much $$ to work on a new used car the first day. I also met a lot of good Samaritans, which was reassurance that there are still a lot of good people out there despite what you see on the news. Best of all LarryB as there helping me each and every step of the way. Sorry for the long blog. Just felt like I had to share and illustrate my experience since the most common response I received from my friends that helped me along the way said “No worries, I’ve been in the exact same situation and I would have sure loved to have someone lend a hand when I needed it”. Made the trip and purchase all the more memorable!
Hope this one day helps someone.
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have questions/comments!
Last edited:
incredible story and congrats!!!!!
