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Hi everyone thanks for the responses. Just couldn't sleep without making a decision. Took the cover off and really took a close look at the suspect retainer. It looks better the second time around. I think I'll take your advice and" leave sleeping dogs lie".
I did adjust the valves. All where loose .002-.003 " loose. Put everything back to specs. What a difference. Tappet noise greatly reduced and low end power very noticeably stronger. Do you think someone may have adjusted the valves on a warm engine?
This is the first valve adjustment I've made on an S2000. I used Craftsman angled gauges it was still hard to get a reliable reading. Everything is so tight. Couldn't get the gauge to rest without it flexing against something. Not a lot of room to get a feel. Has anyone come up with better gauges for this application?
okay i just replaced mine today and will have pictures posted in the north texas forum later tonight. most of my cotters were flush with the top of the retainer but all my intake retainers were cracked!! i had two retainers that were almost cracked the entire way across! i replaced mine on the exhaust and intake side with AP2 retainers. the design is relatively different and thicker than the AP1 retainers. I have 84k on the motor and have had it for half its life. i am extremely meticulous with maintenance and care given to this car. i would do this simply for peace of mind, and especially if you are not the only owner of the car.
i would not recommend this if you have not done valvetrain work before. there is not a timing belt to deal with but the rocker assembly can be a pain to set correctly and required some rigging to get it to set right. just find someone who is trusted and get it done. better to drop a little cash now to ensure the safety of your motor now or possibly pay a lot of money down the road.
This is the next thing my buddy and I will be doing. I have only had the car for a couple of months, and the thought of cracked retainers getting ready to go has had me fretting.
What would it cost to have the stealership do this? Im thinking of having it done. 118k on the car and no idea what they look like. Im the third owner.
1) What are the pitfalls? I have read the write ups on the web. It doesn't sound to difficult.
2) Should I replace the valve guide seals since the springs are off?
3) Are the AP2 retainers and cotters 100% compatible with the valves in this engine?
The only reason I ask is the AP1 retainers are still for sale. It seems if this problem exists with the old AP1 style retainers, only newer style AP2 retainers should be sold.
4) If you've changed retainers would you do it again or pay to have it done?
5) If you would pay to have it done and you live in Tampa, FL. Who would you take you car to? I don't have a mechanic I would trust this work to.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Talk me into it or talk me out of it. Please
I did mine and apparently it wasn't immediately necessary. I found no damage. I am slowly working towards FI so it was still worth the effort.
1) Make sure that WHATEVER YOU DO you don't lose any of the cotters. I underestimated how small everything was and how difficult it would be to get the cotters into the new retainer. I shot one old cotter to god know's where in the garage and dropped another down one of the oil holes. Thank goodness I already had the oil pan off... Which brings me to another point: If you're up for it do like I did and replace the banjo bolts at the same time.
2) I didn't see the need to on mine. You can do a leak-down for giggles before-hand.
3) I ordered mine for an '05 from Majestic. Everything worked well. I'd guess I've driven it 5-800 miles with plenty of trips to 9k.
4) Tackling this job really depends on your proficiency and collection of tools. You'll need to torque everything to spec upon reassembly and will probably want to do a VA while you're in there. I also ran 40psi of air into the cylinders which made reassembly much easier.
For those of you breezing over my response: YOU NEED TO TORQUE TO SPEC on reassembly. IIRC you'll need an lb-in wrench as well as a lb-ft wrench. A lot of damage cam be done to the cams and rocker assembly if you aren't careful or don't know what you're doing. Whomever had my car before me over-torqued and damaged the intake cam and one of the cam caps. I had to replace the entire rocker assembly while I was in there. Thank goodness I decided to replace my retainers or I wouldn't have found the damage until after it was too late.
I'd do it again. PM me if you have any specific questions.
^Yes torquing the caps down is very important! Also it may help to use one of those magnet wands that extend to catch the keepers/cotters. then you just have to worry about getting them back in
11-29-2009, 01:09 PM
