Buying an S2000
Discussion
Not sure about the engine behaviour maybe a short clip would help?
The OE arch protection is easy to remove with a pressure washer given the age of these cars; I did mine this summer and repainted the inner arches with Carplan Tetroseal.
Those rubber strips are to protect the arches from stone chips and the inevitable rust caused by paintwork damage...they can hold water though. I removed mine to check, they will go back on if they aren't too damaged but they are not expensive to replace...I would recommend keeping them in place.
The OE arch protection is easy to remove with a pressure washer given the age of these cars; I did mine this summer and repainted the inner arches with Carplan Tetroseal.
Those rubber strips are to protect the arches from stone chips and the inevitable rust caused by paintwork damage...they can hold water though. I removed mine to check, they will go back on if they aren't too damaged but they are not expensive to replace...I would recommend keeping them in place.
Edited by trails on Friday 27th December 09:05
Not sure how much of a video clip I can put on here but there is not much to see, press the start button and the revs go straight to 2000 then drop maybe 200 rpm per minute, while researching other things I saw a clip on YouTube on another subject but it also showed the car starting and it also went to 2000, so is it normal?, it’s not normal on other cars ?
Bit of a bump but for those mentioning 1st to 2nd gear change is crunchy when cold, I found a very very old thread somewhere saying to go from 1st to neutral, then from neutral to second by jamming the stick ALL the way left (no need to take the clutch up in between) - worked for me even though it becomes a bit of a dance in traffic jams waiting for it to all warm up!
Won't pretend it fully resolved the crunching but it felt like it notched in a lot better. Apparently the original issue was due to people shifting so forcefully and quickly they've 'opened' linkage gates a little with wear.
Won't pretend it fully resolved the crunching but it felt like it notched in a lot better. Apparently the original issue was due to people shifting so forcefully and quickly they've 'opened' linkage gates a little with wear.
The S2k box is very notchy when cold. A fluid change can assist, but to be honest it's best to double clutch for the first few miles for 1st, 2nd, 3rd until the box is warmed up.
I recently took the entire gear shift assembly apart and regreased the moving parts and replaced the cage and ball on the shifter. Big difference in smoothness, but the notchy behaviour when cold is within the gearbox itself so it needs to be treated gently intially.
Here is a guide for anyone interested;
https://youtu.be/H9DY_vidZaQ
I wish this guy was in the UK, he is very OCD with S2000's.
I recently took the entire gear shift assembly apart and regreased the moving parts and replaced the cage and ball on the shifter. Big difference in smoothness, but the notchy behaviour when cold is within the gearbox itself so it needs to be treated gently intially.
Here is a guide for anyone interested;
https://youtu.be/H9DY_vidZaQ
I wish this guy was in the UK, he is very OCD with S2000's.
Edited by Badgerboy on Monday 6th January 18:46
Paulprior said:
Thanks Badgerboy, did you have a stiff movement before doing it or did you just try to see if it would improve the notchy cold behaviour?
I actually did it to fix a sticky reverse push down and to improve the feel when the gearbox was warmed up.Only way you will improve cold shifting is via fluid and technique.
You'll definitely start to get a feel for it over time too. I do recommend trying to keep the gear lever as left as possible when going into second, almost like you're pulling it down along the left edge!
If you're getting a garage to do the gear box lubrication then double check what they need as one started working on mine before finding they needed additional items or caps and Honda aren't the quickest at sending out consumables they aren't fitting in my experience...
If you're getting a garage to do the gear box lubrication then double check what they need as one started working on mine before finding they needed additional items or caps and Honda aren't the quickest at sending out consumables they aren't fitting in my experience...
Coming up to 8 years of my s2000.
Pretty much repeating what has been said previously, but purely to put emphasis on it:
- Geo bolts - if it hasn't had a recent alignment they will be seized no doubt.
- Rust - ditch the rubber wheel liners they hold water. I I underseal my car every year now (was every 2) as paranoid about it now after seeing a car in at TGM Fleet for both inner and outer rear arches that cost £5500 to sort! (Luckily mine is rust free but it is a garage Queen)
- Gear change- will always be notchy when cold especially 1st to 2nd. Every year on mine I will do the following which helps:
-gearbox oil change *every 2 years actually
- clutch fluid change and bleed
- re-grease shifter mechanism
- re-grease fork and piston in slave cylinder
I've also got new plastic parts and spring on the shifter from Honda (less than £20 in total)
With all the above I still have to double clutch from 1-2-3 until warm.
Driver side seat base bolsters can be rebuilt with some foam adding (covers are easy to take off) also worth fitting heated seat elements while there.
Roof will need replacing at some point (I upgraded to a mohair) make sure you grease the seals with shin etsu also to keep them supple and water proof
Roof drains need clearing out often otherwise water spills over into the sills and they rust inside out like the mx5s do.
Calipers prone to seizing, cheap fix, EP3 fronts are the same and often cheaper to buy (backs are different)
Plenty more info on s2ki website - best source of info on these cars.
Pretty much repeating what has been said previously, but purely to put emphasis on it:
- Geo bolts - if it hasn't had a recent alignment they will be seized no doubt.
- Rust - ditch the rubber wheel liners they hold water. I I underseal my car every year now (was every 2) as paranoid about it now after seeing a car in at TGM Fleet for both inner and outer rear arches that cost £5500 to sort! (Luckily mine is rust free but it is a garage Queen)
- Gear change- will always be notchy when cold especially 1st to 2nd. Every year on mine I will do the following which helps:
-gearbox oil change *every 2 years actually
- clutch fluid change and bleed
- re-grease shifter mechanism
- re-grease fork and piston in slave cylinder
I've also got new plastic parts and spring on the shifter from Honda (less than £20 in total)
With all the above I still have to double clutch from 1-2-3 until warm.
Driver side seat base bolsters can be rebuilt with some foam adding (covers are easy to take off) also worth fitting heated seat elements while there.
Roof will need replacing at some point (I upgraded to a mohair) make sure you grease the seals with shin etsu also to keep them supple and water proof
Roof drains need clearing out often otherwise water spills over into the sills and they rust inside out like the mx5s do.
Calipers prone to seizing, cheap fix, EP3 fronts are the same and often cheaper to buy (backs are different)
Plenty more info on s2ki website - best source of info on these cars.
I had one, from new, in 2002, most fun car I've ever had.
Very tempted to go back in time and get a similar aged one, maybe '04/'05 and have some cheap thrills
Had a look at a couple and seems to be recurring theme around badly fitted aftermarket immobilizers or keys that either start the car or unlock it but not both. File under 'things to look out for'.
Very tempted to go back in time and get a similar aged one, maybe '04/'05 and have some cheap thrills
Had a look at a couple and seems to be recurring theme around badly fitted aftermarket immobilizers or keys that either start the car or unlock it but not both. File under 'things to look out for'.
Leo31291 said:
I'm looking to move on the 987.2 Cayman for something cheaper and this is on the list. The weather right now however doesn't seem ideal for a test drive though.
I went out in one on Saturday morning, it was just above freezing, was fun in places, tiptoe in others.The hardest thing about viewing cars now is getting to see them in daylight, by the time people are home from work it's pitch black.
Oh, I bought it
MrLou said:
I went out in one on Saturday morning, it was just above freezing, was fun in places, tiptoe in others.
The hardest thing about viewing cars now is getting to see them in daylight, by the time people are home from work it's pitch black.
Oh, I bought it
Congratulations on the car. I like the colour: The hardest thing about viewing cars now is getting to see them in daylight, by the time people are home from work it's pitch black.
Oh, I bought it
I haven't been driving mine much recently due to the weather. I have been waiting for a chance to give it a quick wash and then put the cover on it again,
MrLou said:
Leo31291 said:
Nice! Were you looking particularly for a hard top?
No, but this was a good example. Oh and:
Gassing Station | Honda | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff