And spent a week adjusting the valves on a Fuhrmann engined Porsche.
-
Protip: Profile posts are public! Use Conversations to message other members privately. Everyone can see the content of a profile post.
6spd Manual Transmission Problem: 3rd Gear Keeps Popping Out
They weren't always the good old days
LOL ,your absolutely right , today I was at Honda dealership checking some issues with the building and talking to my friend ( mechanic/tech) who works there .A younger tech asked what i was doing there , I told him that I was I correcting a few ventilation problems there then I asked him what job was he doing ,he started explaining too me like I never raised the hood on a car . My friend stepped in and told this tech "this guy been turning wrenches longer than anybody in this building and he can also do your job . As I was leaving the shop the Tech came over to me and said "your the guy with the NSX ,I heard about you " .
yup thats me, I am a mechanic also but now just for fun cause I RETIRED !!!
Following up on this discussion. I sold my house and underestimated how hard it would be to get another one (rookie mistake in these covid times especially in CT). In any case, I'll probably be storing the Acura for a while so it seems like an opportunity to repair.
Anyone have any suggestions local to the CT area for this kind of work? I had the 60k service done not that long ago but at 70k miles now, I feel like maybe I should do the clutch. Not excited about that as it may be fine but it will be apart.
My alternate plan is to literally ship the car to SOS. Seems like overkill and expensive but at least I would know the car was in good hands with people familiar with the car.
Anyone have any suggestions local to the CT area for this kind of work? I had the 60k service done not that long ago but at 70k miles now, I feel like maybe I should do the clutch. Not excited about that as it may be fine but it will be apart.
My alternate plan is to literally ship the car to SOS. Seems like overkill and expensive but at least I would know the car was in good hands with people familiar with the car.
Man.. i'm sorry you have to struggle over this decision. Seems like we'll all be faced with this type of decision at some point. We're lucky here in SoCal we have HQ Engineering (LA) & Niguel Motors (OC) to support us. Good luck! I reckon if I was in your situation I might take on the job myself... but my back would not be happy about it!
Closest to you is Mitch at Mechanics Direct in Lowell, MA. Not too far and you get to take the back roads.
He's one of the original factory-trained NSX techs. https://www.mechanicsdirect.com/
Closest to you is Mitch at Mechanics Direct in Lowell, MA. Not too far and you get to take the back roads.
https://www.mechanicsdirect.com/
Honcho: My worry is, would a certified tech even know how to handle this? There is actually a pretty good certified in Berlin Acura (his name is pronounced VEETECK which means VTEC to me....). He's alignment my car before. Problem is, first, he's at an Acura dealer so you can double the prices. Second, what dealership fixes tranny's? Not many. They just send it out somewhere.
I'll call these folks and ask some questions. Lowell really isn't that far from me. An hour or two. Thanks.
....I wish I hadn't sold my house. I'm not opposed to learn how to remove a transmission but right now I'm in a rental with little space. First world problems, only have a 2 car garage and no lift....
I would trust Mitch with any NSX work, no matter how complicated, including transmission work. He is far more than just a certified tech- he's one of the few NSX master techs left who are still working and he owns his own shop. LarryB used to send people to him and that is enough endorsement for me. I'd give him a call and talk through what you need done.
This was SPECTACULAR recommendation! I called a minute ago. I have total confidence after speaking to Mitch for a few minutes. I can't believe there is a NSX specialist in the area and they do the actual transmission work (not just send it out). He stated there are really only 3 places in the US. SOS, another place in Cali and them. Thank you so much. I already have an appointment. I just need to sell a few organs so I can afford the bill
... So much stress has just come off me....:smile:
This was SPECTACULAR recommendation! I called a minute ago. I have total confidence after speaking to Mitch for a few minutes. I can't believe there is a NSX specialist in the area and they do the actual transmission work (not just send it out). He stated there are really only 3 places in the US. SOS, another place in Cali and them. Thank you so much. I already have an appointment. I just need to sell a few organs so I can afford the bill
Glad it worked out- one of the benefits of the Prime forum.
You go NSXPrime!
Conclusion
Conclusion: Note - this Car just hit 70k miles.
1. Mechanics Direct was excellent (pretty much dealt exclusively with Mitch). They obviously have a lot of experience with NSX's and at least from an explanation perspective, inspired confidence they could repair pretty much anything on the car. So if you're in the New England Area, I would highly recommend. They are in Lowell, Mass. I can't really speak to pricing, this was a large bill but it was a large amount of work.
2. They agreed there was a problem with the transmission and pulled it apart and found a number of worn parts that had to be replaced. It took quite some time to get the parts from various sources including Japan. Gears, Synchros, Forks, etc, etc.
3. They felt is was due to one of 3 things or a combination: Hammering on the car, Short Shift kit binding a bit on a bolt, resting hand on shifter or a combination of any of these. The mostly likely being hammering and Shift Kit binding. INTERESTINGLY when putting these records away, I did notice a previous owner had an Acura dealer replace some clutch parts or all at 42k miles which was about 1000 miles before I got the car. This makes me suspect the car may have been hammered on in it's early days (speculation but a new clutch at 42k miles seems early and it did include the flywheel).
3. This said.... Mechanics direct also found the current clutch was toast including the pressure plate and fly wheel (which per above, literally had less than 30k miles on them and mostly from me...). It felt fine but apparently was not. This concerned me due to the fact this had to be from my driving (or maybe some kind of bad install mis-alignment). I do not drive the transmission aggressive at all. In fairness to the clutch, I did have a two different people drive it and roasted the clutch (accidentally) so maybe that could be the clutch source (it was pretty bad, I smelled clutch - not to self, don't do that again...). Although I really like the stock 6spd single plate clutch, the need for a flywheel really increased the cost so we went with the SOS 275 clutch since I'm only on the street.
4. They also did the full 60/120k service with belts, hoses, water pump, and a slew of other things (throttle body, cam plugs, spark plugs, valve adjust, Master/Slave cylinders.
5. My car was lowered when I got it (Teins) and they also got my alignment square which was great because I was killing the insides on the front (I think a camber kit was used, I have an Ayotte Kit on the back).
The car is back now. It took like 5/6 months really due to getting parts. Car feels great now. I'm not yet in love with the SOS clutch yet but need some seat time to conclude on that. It's not bad though, just a bit heavier and a bit less feel to my recollection. Tranny feels super tight which I guess it should. I suspect there will be some mild break on relating to that such that it will be a shy smoother (not that it isn't smooth but it seems a bit notchy/tough to get into gear but probably also me re-acclimating).
So that is the story. She's back together and on the road turning heads. Appreciate all the support. I'm not going to post the bill or total cost but it was a ton of work and well over $10k. If anyone needs some additional information on the cost, you can PM me.
Conclusion: Note - this Car just hit 70k miles.
1. Mechanics Direct was excellent (pretty much dealt exclusively with Mitch). They obviously have a lot of experience with NSX's and at least from an explanation perspective, inspired confidence they could repair pretty much anything on the car. So if you're in the New England Area, I would highly recommend. They are in Lowell, Mass. I can't really speak to pricing, this was a large bill but it was a large amount of work.
2. They agreed there was a problem with the transmission and pulled it apart and found a number of worn parts that had to be replaced. It took quite some time to get the parts from various sources including Japan. Gears, Synchros, Forks, etc, etc.
3. They felt is was due to one of 3 things or a combination: Hammering on the car, Short Shift kit binding a bit on a bolt, resting hand on shifter or a combination of any of these. The mostly likely being hammering and Shift Kit binding. INTERESTINGLY when putting these records away, I did notice a previous owner had an Acura dealer replace some clutch parts or all at 42k miles which was about 1000 miles before I got the car. This makes me suspect the car may have been hammered on in it's early days (speculation but a new clutch at 42k miles seems early and it did include the flywheel).
3. This said.... Mechanics direct also found the current clutch was toast including the pressure plate and fly wheel (which per above, literally had less than 30k miles on them and mostly from me...). It felt fine but apparently was not. This concerned me due to the fact this had to be from my driving (or maybe some kind of bad install mis-alignment). I do not drive the transmission aggressive at all. In fairness to the clutch, I did have a two different people drive it and roasted the clutch (accidentally) so maybe that could be the clutch source (it was pretty bad, I smelled clutch - not to self, don't do that again...). Although I really like the stock 6spd single plate clutch, the need for a flywheel really increased the cost so we went with the SOS 275 clutch since I'm only on the street.
4. They also did the full 60/120k service with belts, hoses, water pump, and a slew of other things (throttle body, cam plugs, spark plugs, valve adjust, Master/Slave cylinders.
5. My car was lowered when I got it (Teins) and they also got my alignment square which was great because I was killing the insides on the front (I think a camber kit was used, I have an Ayotte Kit on the back).
The car is back now. It took like 5/6 months really due to getting parts. Car feels great now. I'm not yet in love with the SOS clutch yet but need some seat time to conclude on that. It's not bad though, just a bit heavier and a bit less feel to my recollection. Tranny feels super tight which I guess it should. I suspect there will be some mild break on relating to that such that it will be a shy smoother (not that it isn't smooth but it seems a bit notchy/tough to get into gear but probably also me re-acclimating).
So that is the story. She's back together and on the road turning heads. Appreciate all the support. I'm not going to post the bill or total cost but it was a ton of work and well over $10k. If anyone needs some additional information on the cost, you can PM me.
[MENTION=11589]N-Wing[/MENTION] I'm really happy it worked out well for you. Mitch is a great resource for you NE guys. Also, I referred to your bumper assembly video twice today- that thing is a lifesaver!
Thanks and happy the bumper video has helped out. Would like to have done a Tranny video but that was beyond my motivation…
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Glad to know there's an option for Transmission repair on the east coast. As an enthusiast you can almost tell when you're "in good hands" and that means a lot. We've all had nightmare stories of bad dealerships and incompetent shops.
Mike: I am glad it worked out well for you. Nice to know there are still a few people that can service the subassemblies of these cars. Regarding the new SOS clutch, give it some seat time. I think you will find that the touch is a bit different compared to the stock setup. I had mine changed out to the same clutch and after a few days of driving, I got used to it and all is well. Lastly, I used your bumper video to remove and fix a split in the plastic bumper. Thanks for that. I would love to see a video on how to remove the transmission. Jerry
