Britludes NSX story

[Senninha]

Always interesting to see what else you’ve found to address ... and how you have all the toys to complete ... with ref to powder coating of brackets, I did all th front bay one some years ago returning them to an OEM look but with a far more resilient finish that still looks good today ... definitely one for your to do list Sir ...

[Pride]

been a bit tardy with posts lately... so a quick bit of house keeping, as i seem to have a few straggly threads...

http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?15394-been-chasing-a-gearbox-issue .... chasing a gearbox glitch that is related to throttle position sensor signal...... not resolved here....

http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?15591-unstable-idle.... also an unstable idle issue which also includes an added bonus of an aerial change, and TPS change (which should be in here!)

and finally http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?15611-Ecu-reset-procedure 3 pages of unstable idle, associated investigation, blowing up of components and a resolution!!!!

upshot, lots of investigation, swapping of bits, swapping back, more testing, accidentally killing ecus, replacing ecus, and more tweaking and all is well! we have a gearbox behaving, an idle in the 750-800rpm area, and the exhaust is running far cleaner... so finally we can move on

at Beaulieu Supercars, it was noted by Sarah, that her leg was getting wet as we pulled into the show..... hmmm.... no coolant pipes around her, but put the heater on full and drips were spitting out of the lower heater vents...... hmmm....

pull the carpet mats up, and the carpet .... fortunately i had made new, finest green carpet, so its in sections, rather than a single moulding, so i quickly found the puddle of pure fresh water in the footwell.... a proper sloshy puddle! so unscrew the footwell vent cover and pull that bit of carpet out of the way, and lo, the heater box was dripping quite profusely! pull out the drain hose, and nothing, prod a twig up it and it starts to drip....

now i've only seen a AC wee puddle under my car about twice in the 14 years i've had it! so avoiding using the AC and on returning home pulled the carpet and under mat sound deadening, which does a really good 'sponge' impression and dried it all out over a few days.... wringing wet was the literal phrase!

putting a tiny camera up the drain tube hole showed a couple of bits of dead foam so a quick airline blow was used to clear it, and heater on full had airflow out of the drain tube.... but i still wanted to make sure...... so.....

start digging:

and a hole, with AC evap pipes close behind, so wise to go gently! the foam was cut with a scalpel.....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48773258538_2d64fca0cf_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2hiVGwE)IMG_20190921_162332 (https://flic.kr/p/2hiVGwE) by jon sutherland (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

so now i have a viewing window, that i can investigate with my lil camera thing! (after finding out it wifi's to my phone, and sulks if it's near metal, so camera in car, control box and phone outside, just to be awkward!)


no doubt going in from the other side would be better, as the evap pipe loop isn't that side, but then you have to fight around pedals..... and cant get the carpet out of the way so easy.... and there'a a steering wheel in the way..... etc etc!!!

So I'm assuming Jon you found the leak, was it from that very small pipe indent area you've shown or are you still investigating where it's coming from??? 🤔

Very good photography by the way. 👍

[britlude]

The 'leak' is not from the Aircon circuit, or the engine coolant circuit, it's a product of the Aircon doing its thing...

Think of a coke can straight from the fridge, open, pour and the can/glass gets wet on the outside with humidity condensing on the cold surface. The same happens on the air con evaporator (hence why a screen demists quicker with the Aircon on).... And the evaporator is a heat (cool) exchanger with a lot of surface area... So a lot of water can be generated!

The Aircon/heater box has a funnel arrangement at the bottom feeding to the drain tube, but as it was not draining it was filling, and spilling into the interior.... So the drain tube was blocked, usually by ingested debris, tho I have a filter on the air intake to the heater system, or old foam that has become unstuck or broken down and fallen down. A probe with the camera up through the drain hole showed some dead foam, so I wanted to get a better look, hence the 'drastic' measures.... The alternative is to strip out ALL the dash to get to it!!!

Anyway, took it out for the day, air con on all the way there and back, and an investigation under the car when we returned....


https://youtu.be/k-piHv-EzdQ

The Aircon drain tube dripping fluid as it should :)

[britlude]

All the front bay brackets are now satin silver powder coat, I was finishing a couple of stragglers! Next on the list are the ones under the car.... The timings mean I can do one, and while it's cooking I can remove/prep the next.....

Now I have an inspection hole in the bottom of the heater I can do this, ok it should be rotated clockwise as the shafts are vertical....


https://youtu.be/qliUvuJ2cpo

This is the internal doors moving from the hot setting (air channels covered so all the air has to go through the heater core, then to cold setting and the shutters move to cover the heater matrix.....

[britlude]

a couple of random things over the last couple of weeks.....

turn the key and the starter was 'hesitant' to start, you know, it's doesn't turn quite as instantly as you expect, so i knew something was going to need looking at, so i ordered another ignition switch electrical unit (fits on the end of the key barrel)

a little later it decided it didn't want to turn over, until about the 6th turn of the key... plenty of relay clicking going on, and a clunk from the starter motor, so investigation needed!!

i took off the air filter box, and popped the end off the starter solenoid.....

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49261519252_b605268350_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2i45aqQ)IMG_20191213_141333 (https://flic.kr/p/2i45aqQ) by jon sutherland (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

terminals a bit pitted but nothing dramatic! a quick sand of all the contact surfaces gave me this....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49261319361_4bfb6cb611_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2i4491r)IMG_20191213_141904 (https://flic.kr/p/2i4491r) by jon sutherland (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

reassembled, a turn of the key, and exactly the same symptoms, lots of clicking, but no motor turning! swapped in the ignition switch unit and all was well!!!


gave the computers behind the glove box a quick once over! nothing untoward found! http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?15774-best-laid-plans-and-all-that!

[goldnsx]

There's an overhaul kit for the starter for a few bucks. I recall I've got mine from the UK. Highly recommended to install it because sooner or later ...

[britlude]

Yup, well aware, as I overhauled mine in 2014 http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?12102-starter-motor-service!!! Followed by a few others!!

Carl is still supplying kits, so I have a new repair kit in stock for when it needs renewing (£15+postage).... Note, not all starters on the NSX are the same, you need your specific starter number!

[Kaz-kzukNA1]

Hi, Jonathan.

Do you mind sharing the info on how many miles you covered since the starter was overhauled in 2014?
Also, did you have a chance to look at the contact surface on the plunger side (the one that connects the two terminals in your above photo)?

Always nice seeing someone working on one's daily driven NSX.


Kaz

[britlude]

The plunger side of the contact was much the same 'hammered finish' from the spark erosion as the contacts in the picture, but not a severe erosion, a quick wipe over with sandpaper smoothing the surface. The erosion was all the way around the contact washer, showing the plunger is turning to spread the contact area.

Checking an old mot, mileage shows about 35k miles since I did the starter overhaul in 2014. Being a daily means its used more than most! I checked the starter end first as it's a quick fix, and the contacts can be checked on mine with the starter still in situ....

[britlude]

MOT time, so a quick look round and the front anti roll bar drop links have bitten the dust, the rubber old and broken.... i'm pretty sure they haven't been changed, can't remember doing it, so not surprising really! the top bolts, the ones through the anti roll bar end didn't want to unscrew fully, fortunately an angle grinder and a ultra thin cutting disc made quick work of removing them!

fortunately, after market replacements are available, so the dreaded NSX tax can be avoided! i got both sides from ebay, with a 5% discount of you spend over £20 AND the seller had a general 20% off code too.... result, both sides for just over £20!!! yes they are not OEM, so a disaster for some, but they are a consumable unit, and cheap and easy to replace!!!! not many things you can say that about on our cars!!!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49630318057_5191bb6bcd_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iBEmsV)NSX front drop links.... (https://flic.kr/p/2iBEmsV) by NSX Jon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

anyhoo, another MOT passed, and with the replacement engine ECU, which struggled through emissions the last couple of years (the TPS 5v line having noise, confusing everything) it now passed with negligible CO and hydrocarbons! super clean!

[britlude]

also ordered new door/body seals that go over the side glass.... these are overly complicated rubber mouldings with various internal and external channels, and mine had split on one of the moulding joins, and no matter what i tried i couldn't get them to seal adequately, and the water was managing to appear behind the rubber at the front and rear corners, getting the flocked body edge seal wet, wicking the water inside and getting it damp. i've always had this issue, and enough was enough!

so new seals purchased, i had replaced them many moons ago!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49630634032_789c2d91b7_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iBFYoL)NSX body seal.... (https://flic.kr/p/2iBFYoL) by NSX Jon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

so fitted and extra attention used when fitting the ends... there are channels to direct water that gets into the rubber seal core (yes really!) to outside the door seals, so a bit of juggling and extra silicon was used to make sure water stayed where it should.... fingers crossed its ok... it fails in a very heavy downpour, but they have been a bit extreme lately!!!

so the rubbers fitted, they were tested with a bit of spray instant detailer in the rubber 'holes' to see if the fluid was directed correctly.... (instant detailer being a milky colour to make it obvious!) and all seems well... except....

the passenger side front.....

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49629846773_7c091ceb69_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iBBWnk)NSX secret water channel (https://flic.kr/p/2iBBWnk) by NSX Jon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

in the front channel beside the glass there is 2 holes, one half way down, and one where the channel ends where the front triangle panel meets the glass/body seal....... except this one wasn't properly formed, a skin over where the hole should be! a quick trim with a scalpel and a hole was returned!!!!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49630370766_dbc7b13210_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iBEC8G)NSX secret water channel (https://flic.kr/p/2iBEC8G) by NSX Jon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

[britlude]

with pandemic lockdown, got some bits done..... http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?15814-my-corona-virus-lockdown-thread

edited highlights...

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49743559851_bd3b1a9c80_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iMEKiD)IMG_20200329_121238 (https://flic.kr/p/2iMEKiD) by jon sutherland (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49743020908_6de4dc0b3a_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iMBZ6w)IMG_20200406_123118 (https://flic.kr/p/2iMBZ6w) by jon sutherland (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49751868463_b3dbaf66b3_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iNpkaz)IMG_20200408_125740 (https://flic.kr/p/2iNpkaz) by jon sutherland (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49747121667_2eee352751_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iMZ17g)IMG_20200407_141909 (https://flic.kr/p/2iMZ17g) by jon sutherland (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49753313338_d8940614a5_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2iNwJFd)IMG_20200409_153119 (https://flic.kr/p/2iNwJFd) by jon sutherland (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

[britlude]

Latest additions.... Door seal membranes and more overdoor sealing nonsense!!!!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50672615366_8e48567a07_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2kcLp9b)IMG_20201113_120917 (https://flic.kr/p/2kcLp9b) by jon sutherland (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

chasing drips....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50672699457_99e3f120d6_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2kcLQ92)IMG_20201128_144607 (https://flic.kr/p/2kcLQ92) by jon sutherland (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

read the details here...... http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?15873-latest-musings-in-the-real-world-nsx-ownership!

[britlude]

got myself a fire stick extinguisher

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50853634487_510d559412_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2ktLaPv)IMG_20201230_153546 (https://flic.kr/p/2ktLaPv) by jon sutherland (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr



a few more pix here.... http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?15886-fire-extinguisher&p=130487#post130487

[britlude]

blimey, it's been a while since i updated this... those that see my facebook page know i've been busy, so here's a quick update for those that have missed out...

think i've finally got to the bottom of the damp interior issue, only taken 15 years!!!! anyway, update here http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?15873-latest-musings-in-the-real-world-nsx-ownership!&p=130875#post130875

bottom line, the foam seal in the over door trim are ok for washing the car, but give it 4hrs of rain, then the water can seep through and get behind the seals and into the car.... that's why it was frustrating and a pain to find.... before i got the car the roof had been sprayed a couple of times, going green, then black again, so the sealing foams had already been damaged before i got it. and had no reference to the foam properties... a lot of trial and error later, i might be there!!!

i have puddles, which is encouraging!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51181183089_db3053a36b_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2kYGWBc)IMG_20210513_130409 (https://flic.kr/p/2kYGWBc) by NSX Jon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr


driving home one day, the sun visor made a loud pop and went floppy..... not good, i might have to complain the the vendor that sold it to me!

anyhoo, i took off the vinyl cover i'd already made to cover the typical split, and investigated...
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51181183409_0d48d44051_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2kYGWGH)IMG_20210424_155405 (https://flic.kr/p/2kYGWGH) by NSX Jon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

the spring steel clip, it turns out, has a rivet through it, to make it tighter.... the small silver circle is the rivet head that had pinged off... so a new rivet was made, literally out of an old nail...
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51181483380_bf64cd3c27_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2kYJtSC)IMG_20210425_094608 (https://flic.kr/p/2kYJtSC) by NSX Jon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

reassembled, cover sewn back on, refitted, to find the clip was the wrong way round, so held the visor to the screen, not the roof.... so remove,cut stitching, reverse clip, resew, refit....


.... to find it's not tight enough, so remove, cut stitching, tighten rivet, resew, refit.... seems the rivet has to hold the 2 flats the rivet goes thru very tightly together.. the picture above isn't tight enough!!!!
live and learn!!!!

had the brake bulb warning light come on, on the dash, a first for me!!! was it the bulb sense controller spitting its dummy?

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51181483355_3a901fcf97_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2kYJtSc)IMG_20210428_073615 (https://flic.kr/p/2kYJtSc) by NSX Jon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

no, turns out it was working perfectly!!!

and last, but no means least, i finally got a break in the weather to fit a new starter inhibitor relay, the one that (in my JDM car) is buried on the computer rack behind the glove box just above the sub, no where near any other relays, or easily accessible..... as starting the car was giving increasingly regular issues.... by a process of elimination, having changed/serviced everything else, this was the prime suspect

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51180388716_6652bcff2d_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2kYCSt7)IMG_20210508_154543 (https://flic.kr/p/2kYCSt7) by NSX Jon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

note... the mounting bracket has been slotted. yes, it is that fiddly to get to that and this allowed me to fit the mounting bolt, slide the bracket into place, then nip the bolt up.... without having to take half the dash apart to get to it!!! ta Honda!

touch wood, since it's been swapped in the issue has vanished.... give it another week and i'll take the emergency reserve wire off the starter motor!

the relay is a Denso 056700-8570

don't buy this one !!! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263077327846 , i'm hoping the £110.99 price for a s/h unit is an extreme typo!!!

think that's the main bits covered....

[britlude]

just going to add a thread cross-link to the seat fun and games from January http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?15887-if-your-seat-decides-to-not-recline

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50852820333_e9aaeb64c0_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2ktFZNn)IMG_20201222_121310 (https://flic.kr/p/2ktFZNn) by NSX Jon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr

[britlude]

169k... Oil change, nothing exciting to report, apart from the fur door trims seem to be dry after heavy rain, so the foam I put under the over door trims after the new screen seems to be working...

[britlude]

i did a budget glass hatch strut refresh using aftermarket struts....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51770024321_204043e226_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2mSJUAe)IMG_20211223_125940 (https://flic.kr/p/2mSJUAe) by jon sutherland (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152809076@N06/), on Flickr


read about it here...
http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?16035-Glass-hatch-struts-on-a-budget&p=131537#post131537

[britlude]

as i have been somewhat remiss updating this thread, here's an update as to what i've been doing lately......

the shiny new JDM rear lights i ordered have finally been fitted, not before a bit of red tint was put over the reversing lenses.... it annoys me that they had the opportunity for a clean red rear panel (after all they did it with the indicators, but not so with the reversing lights, and it offends my aesthetic!!!!) anyhoo, reversing lights are now the fogs, and reversing light is stealth!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52258625228_28eebc3a5d_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nBV7BN)

centre console... mine was damaged/wrinkled/broken when i got the car, so i stripped it and painted it.... several times.... seems the plating coating is to hold back the porosity of the underlying material.... i peeled it off, so i get blisters under the paint....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52259095605_de7b251cac_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nBXwrK)

scraping the blisters show just where the bubble started
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52258891564_20909e5888_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nBWtMN)

so they were covered in thin superglue, allowed to soak a bit, then hit with activator... hopefully it got in and sealed it a bit! after that it was the traditional sanding and flatting, before colour
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52258609741_c197df95d6_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nBV31M)

then lacquer and back in
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52258625273_0c66022aaa_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nBV7Cz)


next up was the seats... my leatherseats.com covers are over 11 years old now, and the green sections suffering a little, so time to get ahead of any issues....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52258891919_bf047d2907_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nBWtTV)

so a kit was ordered to restore the cushion sections....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52258625708_48925997e5_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nBV7L5)

the seats had also faded from green to blue, here's an offcut of the original leather.... with the tip recoloured with the kit
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52258625663_94c5e397d6_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nBV7Ki)

decided it might be a bit bright, so mixed in some black from the same manufacturer to calm it down
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52258891704_7b544311f6_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nBWtQd)

this was then applied following the multi stage and multi chemical process...
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52258891759_bb8caf2fb5_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nBWtRa)

spot the cushion with the faded colour!!!!

[britlude]

here's the before and after.... bearing in mind i'd darkened the green down significantly!!!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52258625503_866cc1071e_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nBV7Gx)

and now it's just before Beaulieu supercars, and my plans for a complete respray are on hold for the time being, i decided to sort the horrid drivers rear wing... it's been offensive for years, but finally too much.... it's had paint sometime in its life, and a patch of lacquer right in the middle art the top had made a bid for freedom. so.....

the offending bit.... lacquer was also lifting along the edge next to the bootlid....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52259095405_a7c56e0edb_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nBXwoi)

so flatted back, masked off and a bit of colour...
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52258625153_e702f0aa0e_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nBV7Av)

then lacquer, leave in it natures oven to cure, flat and polish the next day and get....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52258609566_afdb77d31a_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nBV2XL)

it'll do until it gets the respray it deserves.....





https://youtu.be/_1d5POOJ_DY

[mutley]

Hi Jonathan, great update and a lot of work done. My bumper bars were in a similar corroded state when I got the bumpers off, and now I know why you wanted my old broken rear lenses .

Cheers
Jim

[britlude]

a quick revisit to the steering rack here... from post 67... http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?15568-eps-steering-rack-delvin-into-the-deep!/page7

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52892355944_b01a374edd_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2ozV9Fs)IMG_20230422_124151 (https://flic.kr/p/2ozV9Fs) by JON SUTH (https://www.flickr.com/photos/197052607@N08/), on Flickr

[britlude]

rear upper ball joint mod.... http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?16170-rear-upper-ball-joints

[britlude]

rear suspension overhaul.....

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53270619576_899b0aa9c1_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2pakRhd)IMG_20231014_113027 (https://flic.kr/p/2pakRhd) by JON SUTH (https://www.flickr.com/photos/197052607@N08/), on Flickr


read about it here.....

http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?16191-Rear-suspension-refresh-(picture-heavy-HURRAH!)