Tested a 1992 NSX, want opinion on a potential transmission problem.

[Alan Ing]

Hi all,

I just registered and this is my first post. I wasn't really looking for an NSX but I've been in the market to replace my daily driver and came across a 1992 NSX that only has 15,000 miles on it. Needless to say, I just had to see it and went for a test drive today. I was a bit skeptical on the mileage for a 11 year old car, but the car is very clean.

Anyway, the real question I have is about the transmission. I drove the car in the City and ran it on the freeway. During a short burst of acceleration, I dropped the gears from 4th down to 2nd, and up to 3rd. As there really wasn't any more room to accelerate on the busy freeway and traffic was moving at about 55, I decided to skip 4th and go directly into 5th backing off on the throttle expecting to maintain speed at 55. Well, the transmission did not seem to like that it seemed to grind its gears going into 5th. At first I thought maybe I had missed a shift, but the owner of the vehicle said that it does that when you skip 4th and go directly into 5th. Being that I was just getting used to the car, I didn't accelerate that hard and don't believe that should be normal for a car. Funny though, it doesn't grind when you use all gears in sequence. Has anyone heard of this before?

I checked the transmission number and unfortunately it falls within the snap ring issue series. The car seems to shift fine otherwise. Could this be the infamous snapring problem or is a synchro just bad.

The car is in very good condition otherwise and accelerates well. I am thinking about making an offer, but am a bit worried about this condition. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[AndyH]

i got 92 but out of snap ring range.......i do skip gear from time to time.......never have any problem

 

[DutchBlackNsx]

It is definitely not the snapring problem.
It is though not as it should be.
15000 miles and a worn 5th synchro? No way.
Have you checked if the trannycase has been replaced, w.o.w. , the snapring problem has been repaired?

Eitherway, if you decide to go for this one, make a budget for a tranny repair really soon.
If the rest of the car is worth it, and the price is good, you have to do the 1 + 1.

Dutchy

 

[PHOEN$X]

Welcome to the forum. That is definitely not normal behaviour. If you decide to pursue this car, definitely get it checked out. Good luck!

 

[bayareansx1999]

how much are they asking for the car?

 

[Alan Ing]

According to Carfax, the car indeed has only 15,000 miles on it. The interior is fairly clean with a little wear on the edge of the drivers seat where you get in. Also, jus a few corrosion dimples under the paint of the center console. Looks like the center console is aluminum with some sort of black coating which developed a couple of bubbles. The car also has a minor ding in the rear quarter panel. Not easily seen but under the right lighting conditions you can see it. Only a couple of scratchs to the underbody at the outer edges of the car. quite a bit less than what I would expect for a car this low. Engine compartment is very clean, no leaks, but has the amount of dirt that you'd expect to find in a 2 year old car.

The seller is asking Was asking $42,000 and now is asking $39,900. With the potential transmission problem, I have second thoughts. As I said going through the gears under hard acceleration from 1st to 5th seemed to be fine. But under medium acceleration from 3rd and going to 5th (skipping 4th), I experienced some grinding noise and vibration in the stick.

The clutch also shudders a little in 1st. Could be that I'm not used to the car.

Your continued comments and opinions are greatly appreciated.

 

[Roadrunner]

Have a Acura dealer inspect the tranny!
In cold weather, I can get some grind on the first or second shift
but I've got a 6 speed and they have noted some early 6 speeds
have a weak syncro. (2nd gear only)
Be sure to push clutch to floor, not 2/3'ds like I was doing from a previous car.
Good luck!

 

[PHOEN$X]

The seller is asking Was asking $42,000 and now is asking $39,900.

I'd say that's a little on the high side, according to the pricing guide. You didn't mention whether the timing belt has been replaced, but I'm assuming it hasn't (typical for cars of this vintage & mileage). That, plus the minor issues you mentioned and being in the snap ring range puts it in the "B" category IMO.

 

[Alan Ing]

Yes, your right, the timing belt has not been replaced yet. Also, the window regulators have not been replaced. The service records aren't complete, but it has had maintenance but probably not as many as it should do to the low mileage of the car. The car did get a 30K service last year. Everything is completely stock with all original parts. With that in mind, what would you think its worth? about $30k - $35K?

I don't know, the transmission has me a bit concerned although for the most part it seems to work. Having only 15,000 miles on it, I would hate to think that the snap ring is just waiting to go out on this car.

Again, thank you for all the responses.

 

[hlweyl]

just my opinion, car is worth @30k. You must budget to have snap ring issue taken care of, timing belt/water pump replaced, and window regulator issue addressed. The owner is asking way too much.

 

[Larry Bastanza]

15,000 miles and a worn bolster on the seat?? Regardless of Carfax, it just does not sound right. That and a potentially worn/damaged 5th syncro, sounds like a story is brewing

HTH,
LarryB

 

[dougjgreen]

I agree, the car is worth $30-31K tops. Only way a '92 is worth more than that is if it's in pristine condition, and this one isn't.

I also think it's fishy for as many "minor" issues as this one has for the 15K miles to be accurate.

 

[Soichiro]

I would not let this problem kill your enthusiasm for the car. I have heard of other low mileage cars that grind going into fifth gear. I would ask/pay a knowledgable tech like Mark Basch for an opinion. I think the 5th gear synchro is liable to wear quickly but I cannot remember the reason I was told this.

I'd be more interested in the tranny number vis a vis snap ring issues. You can work around a weak synchro (shift slowly) but you cannot drive a car after the snap ring fails. OCTJMO

 

[PHOEN$X]

And I agree with the others. It's difficult to gauge a price until we determine the extent of the issues. However, it's obviously not a pristine vehicle, and as such cannot command top dollar.

 

[NVSNSX]

Is this car located in Hawaii? If so, I wanted to take a look at it but the price of the car is insane! $42,000-39,000 for a 92' NSX with issues, IMHO that's crazy. There was a 91' NSX a little over a month ago at the local Acura dealership going for about $29,500! That car had only 21,000 miles, the matinence was done, and it was also in recall range for a waterpump (the timing belt could also be changed during the process). After coming across a deal like this, the 92' seems way way overpriced. I know what it feels like to look for a NSX in Hawaii. There really hard to come buy, but I think if you wait for a while you might run upon a better deal. Just my $.02.

 

[Vytas]

I don't know, the transmission has me a bit concerned although for the most part it seems to work. Having only 15,000 miles on it, I would hate to think that the snap ring is just waiting to go out on this car.

You must understand that it's the snap ring "groove" (cut a bit too wide) in the upper transmission case that may case the snap ring to eventually break. Replacing the snap ring will not fix the problem. A new upper transmission case must be replaced to fix the potential problem.

Not all NSXs in the snap ring range may fail. As the cutting bit cut the groove for the snap ring in the affected trannys, each groove varies in width. Depending on how wide the groove is will determine if there's enough slack for the snap ring to eventually break from the sideways motion. There are NSXs in the range with no problems and I've seen my fair share of transmission failures as a result. If you consider this car, use the snap ring problem and the timing belt service in the negotiation process.

 

[ChrisK]

I know what it feels like to look for a NSX in Hawaii. There really hard to come buy, but I think if you wait for a while you might run upon a better deal. Just my $.02.

I agree, that is why I got my NSX from the mainland But yea, if this is the 92 in Hawaii I've seen it listed and the price is pretty high. I'd say $35K in Hawaii would be a good price for this car (If it is the Hawaii NSX). You have to remember that for Hawaii owners who buy in the mainland you need to pay $920 on top of the final price for shipping and also have to wait anywhere from 3-6 weeks for the car to arrive. The window regulators would not bother me as long as it didn't snap yet. $16 would fix that, but you probably could mention the potential problem to work the price down even more.

Another thing you can do with the snap ring issue is see if the owner can get the local dealer to agree to a goodwill repair if the snap ring breaks. Then, see if you can have that deal transfered to you if you buy the car. When my friend bought his NSX it was in snap ring range but they were able to get in writting that the dealer will horor a good will if he bought the car. A few years later when the snap ring gave out it was good willed by the dealer just as the agreed to do. He used this time to put the NSX R gears (Short gears and 4.235 R&P) as well.

 

[Alan Ing]

Yes, the car is in Hawaii and is currently listed at $39,900. The car was originally purchased in New Jersey, and in 1997 or so made its way to Seattle and finally to Hawii a couple of months ago. The car currently is on its 3rd or 4th owner. Forgot to mention that the hood was repainted some time ago in Seattle do to a rock chip. Hood paint job is okay for an average car, but isn't as smooth as the rest of the finish. $29,500 for a 1991? Wow, I would have bought that if I knew about it. As I mentioned, I wasn't really thinking about an NSX, but I need to replace my daily driver (1988 Acura Legend) when I happened upon the add. Actually I also have a long term project car a 1977 Ferrari 308 GTB that has been sitting for 4 years waiting for me to put back into one piece. I had a lot fun driving that car but something possesed me to fix an oil leak which ended up in a full engine rebuild modification plan and body repair (Big Mistake, Big Money). Needless to say, I am in the need of an exotic car fix. Since the NSX is finally approaching numbers I can afford, I thought it just might be something I could drive everyday and have my exotic car fix too. Sorry, don't want to get into the NSX/Ferrari debate. To me the cars are just really too different to compare. My 308 GTB is a carburetted classic born in the 70s and the NSX is a modern computer controlled fuel injected marvel. Unfortunately now I want both!

 

[NVSNSX]

Now that you mentioned that the car has had four owners and a repaint, I think it's really not worth your money any more. Kinda weird that the four owners only bothered to drive the car for 15,000 miles, and also that there's some wear on the seat. Maybe they found something wrong with the car and that's why it changed possession so many times. Hmm... I think I'll personally go take a look at it and see what's up. Wanted to check it out anyway. I'll keep you guys posted.

 

[The REAL nsxtasy]

Definitely too many issues on this car at this price. It's WAY overpriced for what they're asking. Plus, there are inconsistencies that make it a risky proposition.

If you decide to proceed and get them down to a price that's more reasonable (considering all the problems), keep in mind that you are probably looking at opening up the transmission to fix the shifting problem (possibly a synchro), so fixing the snap ring problem by replacing the snap ring and upper transmission case will only cost you the cost of the parts (~$1K from Dali Racing) if you do so at the same time.

 

[Alan Ing]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I guess the smartest thing to do will be to wait and see if he will come down in price. The car is definitely a looker but the weak 3rd to 5th does bother me. Also, I guess while the car looks great, its not in mint condition either which would remove it from the high end of the market. These cars just don't show up too often.

Actually, it would be nice to find a 1995 model if I could afford it as I really want dual airbags and power steering. Negotiating my parking area can be a real pain without power steering. Hmmm, just thought of this, is a power steering retrofit possible or should I say practical since the automatics had them anyway?

What about a 6 speed. If the snap ring destroyed the transmission, would it be difficult to get a 6-speed?

Gee, I don't even own one and am thinking about modifications

I'll probably give the guy a call and see if I can negotiate something lower.

 

[The REAL nsxtasy]

What about a 6 speed. If the snap ring destroyed the transmission, would it be difficult to get a 6-speed?

There's no need to worry about replacing the transmission. Just become familiar with the symptoms of snap ring failure, and if they occur, you can have the snap ring and transmission case replaced instead of the entire transmission. But again, if this car needs transmission work anyway, replace them then and you'll never have to worry about a snap ring failure.

 

[PHOEN$X]

Hmmm, just thought of this, is a power steering retrofit possible or should I say practical since the automatics had them anyway?

You may want to read this thread.

 

[ChrisK]

Alan, Don't worry about the lack of power steering in the early manual cars. You wont miss it at all. I'm not exactly a big strong guy (Only 5'4" and 135lbs) and I have no problem with the manual NSX steering at low speed. At about 5-10MPH you can already steer with one hand. Anything faster and it should definately be no problem.

Also, if you really want a T than wait for a T. If it doesn't matter to you than it still might be worth persuing this car if the owner comes down in price. When I was looking for an NSX I really wanted a 97+ not for the T but for the 6-Speed and 3.2. I ended up buying my friends 92 that had short gears and 4.235 R&P, updated window regulators, 98 16/17 rims, great service histroy (Although slightly on the higher miles side) and I'm glad I did. The car is still more than powerful enough for me so I'm happy. Since I don't really need the T I'm thinking a BBSC and maybe a 6-Speed conversion may be in my distant future. I'm more of a cruiser than a racer so I'll probably add an 02 rear valance and WW sides before I and any real performance though.

Either way, good luck with your NSX purshase and let us Hawaii owners know when you finally egt one.