S2000 woes :(

spaz

spaz

spaz

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Being a lovely brother I thought I'd give my sister a lift to the airport today, so off we trot to Luton, it's lovely weather so down comes the roof for the jaunt home where everything is it's usual nice and lovely self...

...until I'm several streets away from home, the car just cuts out trying to pull out of a junction as if I've stalled, but no jerk, just turns off. I try and start it up again and nothing the first time, try again and it bursts into life hurrah!

As I then pull away there's a very nasty knocking noise from the front, I've heard that noise from somewhere before....:(, I pull onto my drive, open the bonnet and give the throttle a jab and the sound is definitely from the engine and sounds like it could be from the bottom end :eek: :(

I check the oil and it's more or less at the same level I topped it up to last week at between 3/4 and full. I've barely used it recently due to the weather and now this happens, the only shred of hope I have is that because I bought it from a Honda dealer it comes with a 12month guarantee and can only pray it's covered as I seriously cannot afford to repair it myself right now.

What could the cause of this be? I've done approx 3000 miles since buying it early December and while I do enjoy a good drive as and when I can 95% of it's use has been up and down the M1 to my girlfriends place in York.

Just gutted to be honest and have had to vent somewhere!
 
Is it a knocking or tapping? I only ask because:

8 ENGINE FAILURE IN #4 CYLINDER
A small number of owners, approximately three dozen are known, report major engine failure due to the #4 Cylinder Scoring.

One of the frustrating things about this major failure is how some customer’s are treated when it does happen. For some it has become necessary to prove they were not a fault! For others, repairs were painless.

If you hear an engine noise that is very distinct and sounds like tapping. The engine will not last long after you hear the noise. You can hear the noise in the cabin, but it best noticed with the hood up, the noise will come from the bad cylinder area. If your engine makes a bad tapping sound, Honda should pull the plugs and see if all are a nice gray white or one shows black from incomplete combustion. If a plug is blackened, they should put a scope inside the spark plug holes and see if they can see some cylinder damage.

The cylinder wall scuff problem in Honda S2000 typically has shown up in the #4 cylinder. Naturally, Honda has not shared with the public what is causing the problem, assuming they know. But it’s likely a piston / cylinder / lube / cooling related thing. Factors such as metallurgy, tribology, material compatibility may be the issue. Why only number 4? Something is different about what that hole experiences compared to the others.

If you're too low on oil, the first thing to give in is classically the rod bearings, followed by the mains. The top end and pistons/cylinder walls fail from the lack of lubrication much later than pressure fed bottom end bearings. In a way the bottom end bearings act like a fuse for the other stuff.
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That's interesting to read, might have a look at the spark plugs once my dads home so I've got some tools at my disposal...
 
spaz said:
That's interesting to read, might have a look at the spark plugs once my dads home so I've got some tools at my disposal...
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If it's under warranty, I wouldn't bother, get it straight to the dealers and let them fix it.
 
spaz said:
Being a lovely brother I thought I'd give my sister a lift to the airport today, so off we trot to Luton, it's lovely weather so down comes the roof for the jaunt home where everything is it's usual nice and lovely self...

...until I'm several streets away from home, the car just cuts out trying to pull out of a junction as if I've stalled, but no jerk, just turns off. I try and start it up again and nothing the first time, try again and it bursts into life hurrah!

As I then pull away there's a very nasty knocking noise from the front, I've heard that noise from somewhere before....:(, I pull onto my drive, open the bonnet and give the throttle a jab and the sound is definitely from the engine and sounds like it could be from the bottom end :eek: :(

I check the oil and it's more or less at the same level I topped it up to last week at between 3/4 and full. I've barely used it recently due to the weather and now this happens, the only shred of hope I have is that because I bought it from a Honda dealer it comes with a 12month guarantee and can only pray it's covered as I seriously cannot afford to repair it myself right now.

What could the cause of this be? I've done approx 3000 miles since buying it early December and while I do enjoy a good drive as and when I can 95% of it's use has been up and down the M1 to my girlfriends place in York.

Just gutted to be honest and have had to vent somewhere!
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If it's under warranty, take it out for a hoon near home until it stops working and call honda assist or whatever.

This will be covered under warranty and you should get a new engine out of it.
 
jamoor said:
If it's under warranty, take it out for a hoon near home until it stops working and call honda assist or whatever.

This will be covered under warranty and you should get a new engine out of it.
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Take a car out with an identified issue, do more damage and expect it to be covered under warranty... That doesn't sound especially sensible to me, it's giving them an absolute excuse to not have to repair the car, namely carelessness.
 
Qeffects said:
did your sister make it to the airport?

as for the car :(
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She did, everything was fine until I was very near home.

Dolph said:
Take a car out with an identified issue, do more damage and expect it to be covered under warranty... That doesn't sound especially sensible to me, it's giving them an absolute excuse to not have to repair the car, namely carelessness.
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Yeah and after seeing your first post too, leaving it will be best I think, "you you took the spark plugs out did you, how do you know you didn't put them in right" etc.

I just feel I've got a fight on my hands with them over it, but perhaps because my last car was a Renault and they tried anything and everything to get out of a claim I'm just expecting more of the same! Car is now just going to sit on the drive as it is and see whether they can come collect it, if not I should be able to trailer it there, I don't wanna risk the drive to Hemel just incase!
 
jamoor said:
If it's under warranty, take it out for a hoon near home until it stops working and call honda assist or whatever.

This will be covered under warranty and you should get a new engine out of it.
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What and risk breaking down miles from home, then having to wait for hours for recovery to arrive and don't forget these cars have an onboard ECU that logs thinks which can at the drop of hat be used against you by the garage and Honda UK.
 
Is it due a service & does it have Hydraulic tappets/Lifters ? If it does it may just need an Oil change as old oil & cold weather could have effected the lifters enough for them to knock.
You may find an engine flush & new oil sorts the problem or you may have a weak oil pump, either way Don't mess about with it just Main Dealer it.
Gutted for you though mate I Love those cars.
 
You paid more money to buy it from a main dealer. This is so you dont need to worry and fret about trailering it places and taking it apart. Call Honda Assist, who will take it away and give you a loan car.
 
Dolph said:
Take a car out with an identified issue, do more damage and expect it to be covered under warranty... That doesn't sound especially sensible to me, it's giving them an absolute excuse to not have to repair the car, namely carelessness.
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I doubt they will be able to prove he could hear a knocking in the engine.
 
malc30 said:
Is it due a service & does it have Hydraulic tappets/Lifters ? If it does it may just need an Oil change as old oil & cold weather could have effected the lifters enough for them to knock.
You may find an engine flush & new oil sorts the problem or you may have a weak oil pump, either way Don't mess about with it just Main Dealer it.
Gutted for you though mate I Love those cars.
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Mechanical tappets. Hydraulic tappets wouldn't work at 9000rpm.

Is the car a JDM?
 
Simon said:
Mechanical tappets. Hydraulic tappets wouldn't work at 9000rpm.
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That's something I'd always wondered, but never remembered to ask, thanks. :D

Alfa had a hard time making mine work at 7,200. But for some reason I had it in my mind that the Honda Vtec would use them, probably the VVT. :confused:
 
jamoor said:
I doubt they will be able to prove he could hear a knocking in the engine.
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If it is down to bottom end damage, or bore scoring or similar, and you make it worse, then yes they will, unless you think they don't know their own engines very well.

The difference between an engine that's going to be noisy and hesistant, and one that is been completely screwed is easily visible.
 
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