Broken gearbox

[zim]

Hi all

I'm so sad, the gearbox of my X just broke on thursday :frown:

About 2 weeks ago, we diagnosed a problem with the synchros, the 3rd gear was a bit hard to pass. But we took the decision to wait for the next service.

It was probably only the visible part of the iceberg .

It began on wednesday, when the shifter went out as I changed from 1st to 2nd. I didn't, at this moment, thought it was a problem, as i thought it was probably my fault not holding firmly the shifter. But thursday morning, it did it again. ok.. seems strange!
Later, on the highway, I heard a horrible sound, like metal against metal, when the gear was in (i noticed it disappeared if the gear was disengaged). I exited the highway and left my car on the closest parking I found.

After that, we brought my X by truck to my Honda agency, where she will spend some weeks I think :frown: . At the moment, I'm waiting for the diagnosis. We will probably change the clutch and the timing belt at the same time, as my car has 156'000 km (instead of doing it at 200'000km). It seems financially more interesting to me...

I can't realize it happened to me! :frown: My dream car broke !

 

[DutchBlackNsx]

Sounds like a snapring to me. Just one which went terribly wrong.
Search the faq, you cant find a lot of info on the snapring, if thats what the failure is offcourse.
Look at it from the bright side.....finally you can have shortgears :smile:

 

[ScienceofSpeed]

http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/Troubleshooting/transmission.htm

regards,
-- Chris

 

[FeetFxr]

Chris should have listed this link. I got my rebuilt tranny with short gears and final drive from them and have been very happy. Good luck!
http://www.scienceofspeed.com/produ...SX/ScienceofSpeed/transmissions/custom_5-spd/

 

[goldNSX]

Just read that you're a Swiss guy too. Sorry to hear about your bad luck. Get your car to Rikli or Mario Rüetschi, they know what to do. Rikli has a gearbox on an exchange base I believe. Good opportunity to do the short gears.

 

[MikeW]

Hi all

I'm so sad, the gearbox of my X just broke on thursday :frown:
I can't realize it happened to me! :frown: My dream car broke !

You got my condolences:frown:
I had a similar knock down with my CLK320 Automatic just 3 weeks after I had bought it.
Just in a sudden my transmission failed with clanking and crunching noises due to a disjointed roller-bearing. The car was just out of warranty and Daimler Chrysler were demanding 4500€ without labour :frown: :frown: :frown:
I really know how you feel.

 

[zim]

Thank you all

I will get tomorrow the diagnosis and we will see if it is really a snap ring case, although I was quite sure my X was not in the snap ring range. My clutch come old so we will have to change it. I will certainly do some modifications like 6-speed gearbox (if it is the problem) but I think to keep a 2-disc clutch.

My sister can lend me her car for a while.. it's a Renault Espace, what a change!:wink:

 

[goldNSX]

updates?

 

[zim]

updates?

yes.. I just got a call from Honda.

So, it's not a snap ring issue. The whole gearbox has to be changed : they offer to me to replace it with a revised one of a 44'000km.
They also said that my timing belt was quite "dry" (the car was previously in showroom during about 6 months, it could explain this). I can expect a nice bill

However, I cannot figure how the gearbox came that way, same for the clutch (which will be changed too), as I always drive with care and respect of my car.

Maybe the way the previous owner drove?

I'm currently sad.. but in the same time I'm curious to get again my car in 1 week with all prefectly working

 

[goldNSX]

44k km gearbox? That's maybe the one at Rikli's. Rikli revises gearboxes for other Honda garages. My gearbox revision was SFR 6k with Type-R specs and labor.

 

[zim]

maybe! can you tell me more about this gearbox?

Next checkpoint is on monday, I'll get the quote... then the car should be fixed within a week

 

[goldNSX]

maybe! can you tell me more about this gearbox?

You have pm.

 

[DutchBlackNsx]

yes.. I just got a call from Honda.

So, it's not a snap ring issue. The whole gearbox has to be changed : they offer to me to replace it with a revised one of a 44'000km.
They also said that my timing belt was quite "dry" (the car was previously in showroom during about 6 months, it could explain this). I can expect a nice bill

However, I cannot figure how the gearbox came that way, same for the clutch (which will be changed too), as I always drive with care and respect of my car.

Maybe the way the previous owner drove?

I'm currently sad.. but in the same time I'm curious to get again my car in 1 week with all prefectly working

Interesting. Since there has never been a TSB for the snapring in Europe i wonder if they know about it.
Or has there been a TSB for the snapring in Swiss?

??

 

[zim]

I talked about snapring to my technician but he said that was not that. However, I 'll not know more about it before monday..

 

[goldNSX]

Interesting. Since there has never been a TSB for the snapring in Europe i wonder if they know about it.
Or has there been a TSB for the snapring in Swiss?

??

No, I don't think there was a TSB. There is a longer screw available here which preloads the snap-ring in such a way it can't move/fail. So they must know about it but as I recall never admitted it. I think Gheba (?) had a big argue with the former Honda director about this problem. We had quite a few snap-ring issues here. My mechanic once said that ALL NSX gearboxes are supposed to failure one time. Well, I don't believe it but I cant prove it wrong either. Maybe most of these gerbox numbers went to Switzerland, just joking. I've heard of 5 snapring-failures (Micha, Gheba, Mario, Manolis, Leo).

 

[DutchBlackNsx]

No, I don't think there was a TSB. There is a longer screw available here which preloads the snap-ring in such a way it can't move/fail. So they must know about it but as I recall never admitted it. I think Gheba (?) had a big argue with the former Honda director about this problem. We had quite a few snap-ring issues here. My mechanic once said that ALL NSX gearboxes are supposed to failure one time. Well, I don't believe it but I cant prove it wrong either. Maybe most of these gerbox numbers went to Switzerland, just joking. I've heard of 5 snapring-failures (Micha, Gheba, Mario, Manolis, Leo).

Mmm.... i know of 2 here in NL, Guus old NSX, and my own one. But then, there where a lot of NSX's sold in Swiss, nearly none here.

 

[goldNSX]

I couldn't prove if the broken gearboxes where in snap-ring-range actually.

@zim: Just talked to Rikli, his gearbox has 44k km. Out of a crashed black NSX. In good condition.

 

[zim]

@zim: Just talked to Rikli, his gearbox has 44k km. Out of a crashed black NSX. In good condition.

good news!
thank you goldNSX !

 

[zim]

After more than a month waiting for my car to be repaired, I finally could get it back. The new gearbox (20'000km) came from France, and I'm not sure why they took 3 months to bring the piece.
I drove it from tuesday through thursday, to see if all was done correctly. Seems to be the case, the car is back in great shape! I just parked it for winter storage this evening.

For the mechanical aspect of the failure, I repeat it's definitely not a snap ring issue. I picked up the old gearbox and some of my friends who are Honda mechanics will open it to see what happened (probably a bearing) and revise it. Curious to know soon what was the real problem !

 

[goldNSX]

Good to know your car is back on the road again. Interested in the failure. If it's nothing serious and can be repaired you should get some money back by selling it.

 

[zim]

i'm furious!

we opened the box this weekend with one of my friends which is honda mechanics. Guess what... This was really the snap ring which broke!!!! You guys wew right... However I asked Honda if they inspected it and they said it was ok and that it was bearing+synchros! They made me change the gearbox whereas it was 'only' the snap ring.. grrrrrr (and the new gearbox is also subject to snap ring, as it is a used one of 92')
We found the snap ring in 10 parts inside the first ball bearing (the one that the snap ring tightens) and obviously it was also weakened by this failure. Otherwise, the other parts are perfect!

Tomorrow I will go to my garage and have a long discussion I think...
This case will not be closed before a while... and for the future I think I'll go at Rikli's as goldNSX advised me..

:frown:

 

[goldNSX]

... and for the future I think I'll go at Rikli's as goldNSX advised me..

I didn't 'advise' you, did I.
Good (not actually I have to say) that it was the snap-ring. I've never heard of other failures of the gearbox than SR. I was sure it was the SR regardless of what your garage said (Never believe people over 30 :tongue:).
Question: Was your old gearbox in snap-ring range?
So the new one is also in snap-ring-range?
Get the longer screw as mentioned above or call Rikli. If it fails again go to Rikli and get the short gears.