Front bumper removal question

[WhyOne?]

Long time no post!

I hope everyone has been keeping safe, well and sane?

This coming Monday my car is having its much delayed a/c overhaul, which includes new condensers. This of course involves removing the front bumper - I have the relevant service manual page (and a helpful YouTube video) but fog lights are not included on the diagram.

Does anyone know if these have to be removed separately from the bumper or can they be left in place and just the cables disconnecting before the bumper is lifted away from the car?

Many thanks.

[Kaz-kzukNA1]

Quite busy at the moment so just a quick one.
You must remove the fog light unit.
It's held with just one bolt at the outboard body.

The inboard side has a flat protrude section from the fog light housing and it's inserted into the slit on the front bumper lower skirt.
When removing the front bumper, you need to lift it up slightly and then pull towards your body.

Good luck with the alignment of the front bumper on installation.
Each NSX has different number of shim for alignment purpose and you need to adjust the torque figure to get the best result.
For this reason, it's my own policy not to touch the front bumper unless 100% have to.

Be careful with the fitting at the condenser.
As you are replacing the condenser itself, in better position but these are the worst fittings to deal with as they are exposed to all sorts of debris due to being at the front lower section close to the road surface and heat cycled for years.
The fitting coupler/hex is on the pipe side so be careful.

Kaz

[WhyOne?]

Hi Kaz and thank you for your comprehensive and helpful advice.

I shall just be assisting the a/c specialist but I will pass on all of your advice - we'd rather not have to take the bumper off but it's the only option to get the a/c up and running again unfortunately.

[duncan]

As you’re replacing the condensors you will need to remove the bumper.
I’d suggest start by removing both parts of each front wheel liners in the wheel arches. Don’t bother with OEM Honda rivets but get generic ones from eBay in bulk, allow for serious breakage. The cross point screw heads on outer lip of the liners only need loosening and the liner pushing in and away from the lip.
With the liners removed, undo the 2 nuts and 1 transverse bolt (10mm) (per side) holding the front and side of the bumper.
The spire nuts holding the lip in place could be a real pain as you risk shredding up plastic they are retained on, from memory, 1 in the centre of the radiator duct, 4 in in the air dam and another 2 that are afixed to 2 downstands.
Unplug the external air temp sensor, you probably can’t unplug the horns yet.
Remove the front fog lamps.
Remove the front combination lamps, a long Philips screw driver through the access slot to back-screw the single retaining self tapping screw.
Don’t touch the 2x2 vertical bolts ahead of the top radiator tank, don’t touch the vertical black plastic screws in the nose opening.
The 6 main holding bolts can now be removed.
The bumper is supported on a pair of clips so needs to be lifted and brought forward, a second pair of hands is now useful as the following need to be unclipped whilst semi supporting the bumper: electrical plugs to the horns and washer bottle, plastic water hose to the washer bottle. Washer fluid will run everywhere.
If you’re ‘just’ replacing the consendsors the centre radiator shroud can stay in place, if the cross pipework is being replaced then the shroud should be unriveted and wiggled out.

[WhyOne?]

Many thanks for the information, tips and advice Duncan, greatly appreciated.

Condensers and pipework are being replaced - seems silly not to replace the whole lot as it's such a mission to get in there! Only one of the condensers is leaking, but both being replaced.

As a matter of interest, how difficult was it to get the bumper aligned once you re-fitted?

[NSXGB]

Hi Ian...is this a mobile guy you are using that you'd would recommend?

[WhyOne?]

Hi Simon.

Yes, PM me if you want to know details.

He works on a lot of quite exotic cars as well as more routine stuff.

He first looked at Y1 over a year ago and following this I picked up the condensers in the States last year. Events, including CV-19 conspired against him getting to my car earlier, but we are meeting tomorrow to give it a go! The place I store my car has a workshop with a lift so heading over there first thing.

Sorting the a/c shouldn't be a problem as long as we can persuade the bumper to come off!

Fingers crossed!

[duncan]

To realign the bumper.
As the bumper cover is separate from the crash frame and is flexible, I didn’t get a lot of joy trying to wiggle the complete unit about before clamping up with the 6 main fixings, obviously it needs to be the fist pass but it’s difficult to lift accurately as the cover flexes. I found the two nuts in the far front of the wheel well made more difference as they pull the front into the wings. It might be worth trying to mark around these nuts before the front end is dis-assembled to give register marks to aim at. In the end I backed off the 2 pairs of vertical bolts to the front of the top radiator tank and shimmed out the cover using a couple of stock washers. By doing so I got a good line between the bumper and bonnet.
Last year I replaced both condensers, one went OK, the other I messed up completely as (unbeknown to me) the sleeve nuts had previously been damaged and in fitting them wrecked both of the LH condenser’s threads. I tried a work round by having replacement AN hydraulic fittings welded onto the condenser, followed by JB Weld to try to recover a leak in the welding.
Almost worked but not quite, this year I had the joy of repeating the process. . . (For sale, shortly, a year old LH condenser, almost OEM!)
The sleeve nuts are like brake line nuts, either they go on and can be run up finger tight or any resistance and they’re not on straight so try and try again. I used PAG oil as a lubricant on the thread to compliment the oil on the rubber seals. The sleeve nuts on the cross pipes are bit like Citroen brake pipes with a belling in the line that the nut tightens against, any over torquing will crush the section. The works manual page 22-65 gives a torque of AN6 fittings 14Nm, AN8 fittings 23Nm.
If it’s more convenient for you, the bumper and inner arch liners can all be replaced before pressure testing and re-gassing as all of the condenser and drier nuts are accessible in situ.

[WhyOne?]

Good afternoon all.

Does anyone know the spec for the bolt in the image below please? It is underneath the car and central to the number plate - this was missing from my car when we removed the bumper yesterday and I'd like to source a replacement.

[Silver Surfer]

No images attached Ian.

SS