Black, 1991, Manual, Bone Stock, 2nd owner in 2018

[mwagner10702]

Highly recommend you purchase a used service manual from eBay. Yes - you can download one from the Wiki and there is this HTML manual compiled by a fellow primer @oddomatik (http://nsxshop.com/ ). I bought mine off eBay and find it much easier to use than the online versions YMMV.

Also - I looked at your pictures again and it looks like you do have an OEM shift knob - so if it turns I can only assume the threads are stripped.

And thanks for donating to the site.

 

[Old Guy]

Car arrived Friday.

I've burnt about a 1/4 tank of gas riding around figuring out what needs to be done.

So far:
1] How to set the clock - DONE 4/1/2018
2] Shift knob turns for no reason
3] Rear hatch open light on, even though hatch is closed
4] Brake light burned out light on, even though lights work correctly
5] No heater at all (might be user error though)
6] Rear window tint is wrinkled
7] Door windows move very slow, both directions
8] Seat risers need to be removed (the previous owner was a very short woman) - DONE 4/1/2018
9] Unlock fobs not working (bought batteries, hopefully that's all it is)
10] Scuffs on driver door and sill
11] Paint worse than I remember it, might be time for a respray
12] Might have the early turn signal off, but not so troublesome
13] Might need new rear hatch struts

Whoof, that list seems longer now that it is collected in one place other than my mind. Time to get to work.

3 - chances are that it is a faulty contact switch at the hatch latch or that the insulation on the wiring has frayed and is shorting out. I can't remember whether the positioning of the switch is adjustable in which case it may just be a matter of repositioning the switch to make sure the contact opens when the hatch is closed.
4 - do a search on Prime. There are a number of threads covering this and similar brake light issues. I can't remeber the specifics; but, the brake light current sensors in the trunk may be a problem or you may have a dash cluster issue.
5 - if the climate control unit is completely dead (no heat, no AC, no display), you may have a blown fuse or you may have the dreaded control unit failure. Do a search on Prime for a number of threads covering this. Member Brian K. offers a control unit rebuild service (I think Science of Speed also offers the service or refurbished CCUs) and at least one thread covers repair of the CCU if you are handy with a soldering iron.
7 - If you check the Prime Wiki, you will find a couple of articles covering the chronic slow operation of the window regulators and what you can do to minimize the problem. There are a number of threads on Prime discussing slow window operation. Prime member Hugabuga manufactured an upgrade kit for the window regulators to improve their operation. However, I don't know whether he is still offering those kits. You would need to PM him to find out whether they are still available.
12 - from personal experience, unless it is really bad just leave it alone.
13 - no surprise on 27 year old struts. OEM replacements are available; but, a little pricey. If you search on Prime, you will find the name of a company that rebuilds the struts and has received positive reviews (I think strutwise.tech). Much cheaper; but, you have the downside of having to live without the struts while the repair is being done.

From my personal experience, mwagner's advise is right on the money. If you plan on doing any amount of work on the car I find it much easier to work from a paper version of the manual. Paper versions can be found on Ebay; but, they are getting rare and pricey.

Welcome to the club.

 

[Okami-san]

There's been a lot that happened since I posted last. I'll try to update that later.

But currently I am having an Idle Surging Issue. I took the car to an independent workshop, who services another NA1 NSX, here in Richmond. They found some possible causes:
1) A/C Compressor Belt tension was too tight. They loosened it, but the surge is still happening. I mention it here just to remember that at one point, they had said that the tensioner pulley was not spinning. But after loosening the tension, it started spinning, so I'll have to keep an eye on it.
2) PCV not good. They are replacing it now, and it took a while to get the part from the parts supplier.
3) While waiting on the PCV, they went ahead and cleaned the IACV.
After all of those, they say it idles much better now. Still not perfect, but better. Hopefully this weekend when I'm running through the mountain roads, I can get some throttle into it and help finish cleaning that stuff out. (I really need to get a stock air filter installed in the car, but the parts cost is very large. Wondering if I can adapt something else.)

4) They are aligning the wheels also. Seems like they should have it wrapped up today.

Looking forward to a proper drive, tomorrow.

 

[Okami-san]

Well, the alignment is ok, but I need a RR toe-link in the future.

Idle surge still there. Time to start the hunt for an Idle Control Valve.

 

[Old Guy]

Tell me about the price of the OEM air filter! I just purchased one from the dealer. The aftermarket supply for the NSX air filter seems to have dried up. Purolator still lists one (A35407); but, none of my local vendors could source it. At least Acura stocks it and I had it overnight. If you are going to own an NSX you are now entering the 'pay to play' zone. I have a personal aversion to the oiled element air filters because of the nasty side effects if you don't get them set up perfectly.

The search for the EACV is easy. Although they are NLA here, they are still available form Amayama

Honda 36450-PR7-A01 (36450PR7A01) VALVE ASSY., ELECTRONIC AIR CONTROL

Honda 36450-PR7-A01 (36450PR7A01) VALVE ASSY., ELECTRONIC AIR CONTROL. New & genuine Japanese car parts. Fast shipping. Low prices. Request a quote from Amayama Trading Co. online.

www.amayama.com

Not that pricey by NSX standards. Before replacing the EACV, you can check to make sure that the valve is still operating. I expect that it is PWM controlled so applying a variable voltage between 0 - 12v should cause variable opening of the valve. If it doesn't operate smoothly more cleaning is required or replacement. When they cleaned the EACV did they clean the matching ports in the throttle body. No point in putting a new EACV on if the idle air port is bunged. The other significant contributor to a fluctuating idle is manifold air leaks. Check the vacuum hoses for cracking - even if they are not cracked if they are original replacement of 30 + year old rubber would never hurt. Air leaks result in high idle speed and the idle control system can go into oscillation because it jams the EACV shut to drop speed, then the RPM drops too much and the EACV opens back up and the speed overshoots (repeat over and over).

 

[Okami-san]

Thanks for the tips Old Guy. Especially the parts link.
I'm unsure what the shop did, but I'll call them on Tuesday and talk to them. For the price I paid, it should have been fixed.
They assured me that the would stand behind their work. I guess we are going to see.