Helix Auto Works

After cleaning up some of the engine components, I decided to take apart the oil pump from this C32B. To my surprise, the oil pump gear was stuck in place and showed signs of significant overheating.

The original C32B from the ’05 NSX also suffered an oil-related failure, based on the damage we found when we tore it down. I also had the chance to pick up parts from another C32B that experienced oil issues as well—making this three NSX C32B engines with oil-related problems that ultimately led to engine failure.

All three engines had different mileage but suffered from the same issue: oil problems and a spun cylinder #5 bearing. I even remember a few years ago a Targa 3.2 NSX that also spun a bearing during a track event.

I don’t know if there’s any direct correlation here, but it does seem like C32B engines may be a bit weaker in this area—or possibly have an oiling-related design issue. Or maybe it’s all just a coincidence. Either way, I’ll be in contact with the engine machine shop to see if there’s anything we can improve to help prevent this issue moving forward.

Have any other C32B owners experienced oil pressure issues or bearing failures, especially on cylinder #5?👀

Do you think this is a design limitation, a lubrication issue under certain conditions, or just coincidence?
I’ll be discussing possible improvements with the machine shop, but I’d really like to hear from the community.🙌

On a side note, I’ll be focusing more on the carbon fiber parts over the next couple of weeks while I wait for the engine and chassis work to be completed.

After several months of waiting for parts to arrive from Japan, we were finally ready to repair the heavily damaged 6-speed transmission that came with this NSX. At first, I was only planning on replacing the transmission case, but after further review and some advice from my friend Ben at Daisy Auto, I decided to replace the clutch case too. That delayed the work a bit, but since we were going to take everything apart anyway, it made sense to swap everything at once.

During the inspection, we also replaced a couple of synchros that showed some wear—even though this transmission has very few miles on it. Every gear and shaft was carefully checked to avoid any future issues. After a few hours of patient work, the transmission got new cases (front and back), fresh synchros, and bearings—so it should be ready to handle another 100k miles without a problem. Big shoutout to Ben at Daisy for lending me a hand with this part of the project.

No word yet on a potential C32 replacement for the NSX, so at this point I’m considering using an early-generation C30A engine with either a supercharger or a turbocharger to make up for the lack of displacement. In the next few days, we’ll shift focus to the interior and, hopefully, have a partially complete NSX back in the garage soon.

While the engine parts continue their long wait game, we decided to shift gears and start messing with the interior.

After successfully installing our upgraded sound system bracket, we moved on to 3D scanning the interior panels from the '05 NSX with the goal of creating our very own carbon fiber replacements.

The rear panels in these cars are made from a pressed cardboard-like material—which, in our case, had gotten wet somewhere along the way. And even though they’re wrapped in leather, the damage was done. The panels were warped and deformed, so we figured this was the perfect excuse to try something new.

Using our RaptorX scanner and our H2D , we replicated the original panels and now have a solid CAD file we can use going forward. Definitely not an easy task—we’ve never done anything like this before—but with the help of a few tutorials and some guidance from our friend Jeff over at , we’re feeling confident about the final product.

As for the rest of the project: like we mentioned in the last episode, we’re still waiting on engine parts to return so we can figure out if they’re reusable… or if it’s time to start considering a potential swap.

We also have a few A/C lines on the way from Amayama, and once they’re installed, we’ll finally be able to reassemble the front end and make this chassis look more like a complete car again.

We’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear anything new about the engine—or when the carbon fiber interior parts are finished.

Until then, thanks for following the journey, and stay tuned!