Gearbox Problem - please help

[jason]

Hi guys,

My automatic gearbox in my NSX looks to be dying and I was wondering if anyone has had a similar issue before and could point me in the right direction. The car was driving for around an hour the other night and when I put my foot down to drop a gear to overtake, it just went in to neutral and I had to call the AA to come get me.

I tried it again this morning to get to to my local garage and it ran fine for around a mile and a half and then did the same again. I then left the engine off for 2 minutes to let everything cool down and it then gave me back drive again and I got it the final half a mile into the garage.

It just seems to be having difficulty selecting the gear when its warm. I've checked the gearbox oil which is at the right level and very clean as the car has been regularly serviced by Honda.

Anyone had a similar issue? Any ideas?

Cheers,
Jason.

[britlude]

when it trips out, does the 'd' go out on the dash?

if you put a jumper wire in the service check connector ( see here... http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Trouble_Codes ) and see what flashes up, the 'D' flashes on the dash to give the auto gearbox fault codes.

Also it might just be worth unplugging the autobox computer and plugging it back in a couple of times, just to cycle/clean the connector.

[jason]

when it trips out, does the 'd' go out on the dash?

if you put a jumper wire in the service check connector ( see here... http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Trouble_Codes ) and see what flashes up, the 'D' flashes on the dash to give the auto gearbox fault codes.

Also it might just be worth unplugging the autobox computer and plugging it back in a couple of times, just to cycle/clean the connector.

The D is still on solid and all dash lights look normal. I'll try the connector thing tomorrow and see what happens. Anythings better than forking out 2k to get the gearbox refurbished which is what I was quoted earlier.

Oh and I was looking at your Double Din Stereo post - nice job - looks good. That was going to be my next project, but I fear the money might be getting swallowed up in this gearbox instead :-(

[Kaz-kzukNA1]

Hi, Jason.

I guess your NSX is at the garage now so I don't want to interfere with them but did you experience any sort of symptom in the past? For example, sudden slip (rpm increase) during automatic upshift, big shock when selecting D from N and so on.

Just as a matter of interest, how did you check the ATF level? You need to be very quick to check it properly after shutting down the engine.

Do you know whether the selector cable was disturbed in the past or not?

When you lost the drive, did you try other shift positions such as 1, 2, 3 (or 3/M depending on the year model) and R?

Hope your garage will find out the cause of the issue very soon.

Regards,
Kaz

[jason]

Hi, Jason.

I guess your NSX is at the garage now so I don't want to interfere with them but did you experience any sort of symptom in the past? For example, sudden slip (rpm increase) during automatic upshift, big shock when selecting D from N and so on.

Just as a matter of interest, how did you check the ATF level? You need to be very quick to check it properly after shutting down the engine.

Do you know whether the selector cable was disturbed in the past or not?

When you lost the drive, did you try other shift positions such as 1, 2, 3 (or 3/M depending on the year model) and R?

Hope your garage will find out the cause of the issue very soon.

Regards,
Kaz

Hi Kaz,

The gearbox has been fine up until now with no noticeable change and it wasnt slipping or anything. I've tried it in D, 1, 2,3, R but all I get is neutral after the car is hot. No idea about the selector cable, but I know the actual gearstick was jammed a few months ago and Honda lubricated it. Is the selector cable anywhere near the actual gearknob at all?

So far today I've been told that my gearbox is burnt out, but I'm having doubts about that as the car has only done 65k and the initial mechanic said my gearbox oil is spotless. I would have thought if my gearbox was burnt out that the oil would be filthy - can anyone confirm if this would be the case or not?

Also been advised it could just be the gearbox filter thats clogged up and restricting the oil from flowing through it. Anyone know if this is a serviceable part that your standard mechanic could fix or I am going to have just bite the bullet and take it to the gearbox specialists who are already trying to rip me off by quoting 2k + vat. I know if I take it to them they are just going to take out the gearbox and refurbish it n charge me even if the fault was only a simple one.

Its not really in a position where I can drive it around to get quotes so I'm just gonna wait a few days and see if I can speak to any gearbox specialists who dont sound as though they are gonna rip me off then get the AA to take it to them. If anyone knows any reliable specialists in central Scotland who aren't just out to fleece me, please drop me a note.

Cheers,
J.

[gsuds]

My auto BMW 530d did exactly this a few years ago, as you say fluids all fine, but clutch was indeed worn out. Cost me over £2k for a rebuild.....seems that's just what it costs! Might be worth a few professional opinions though.

Graham

[jason]

Just thought I'd update this post just incase someone else has the same issue in the future. It turned out that it was the clutch that was worn out and needed the box completely overhauled. I took it to a place in Glasgow to get it done and it ended up costing £1100 + vat (£1265). Now that I have it back I can tell the difference when I kick down the gears, its definitely a lot slicker at changing than it was before. I hadn't noticed anything wrong with it before it broke, but now that I can compare before and after, there was an extra few milliseconds when changing gears previously. It took 2 weeks for the repair and that seemed like forever. So glad to see it back running again and spent all day Saturday and Sunday waxing and polishing. Must have spent about 9 hours each day waxing and re-waxing. I'm sure I can now probably re-make the karate kid film :-)

Cheers to everyone who replied to me.

J.

[mart155]

Jason,
Glad you got it sorted now and for a lot less that you originally thought.