S2ksmee

Hello all,

Long time S2000 owner. Bought mine in 2001 brand new and it has 50k miles on it now.

Anyways over the past couple years there was a slight whining coming from the transmission, faster you go the faster the whine. I asked the dealer about it a while back and they said they didn't hear anything unusual. Well it has gotten so loud now that, my dad, sister, and friends ask about it when riding in it, there is even a slight grindy sound now. I know not good. So I went back to the dealership and told them to listen more as it really did not sound good still. Anyway the dealership now agrees that yes something is wrong with the transmission. Seeing as I am waaaaaaaaaaay past any warranty, even though they admit the tranmission should last much longer than 50k.

So they gave me two options.

Brand new replacement for $7000.

Or rebuild it for $5000, they would ship it out to some honda place that does it as they do not work on them in house.

I plan on keeping this car for a LONG time.

My question is is there something special about he s2000 transmission as other cars transmission are not this expensive. Dealership says new ones price is $6000. Does this seem normal or inline to anyone here?

Any insight from this wise community would be great. I know it seems like a lot but I was thinking there was possibly something unique about the transmission.

Thank you.

Update 8/28/15 From recommendations here I am taking it to Evasive next week. I will let you know what they say.

Update 8/28/15 Been looking through these forums more and I am pretty sure this is what is going on Other persons post from 2006

UPDATE 9/2/15 Went to Evasive earlier this week. (Ended up not needing any transmission or rear differential fluid draining and replacement because I had already done that in the last 6000 miles) Over the phone they quoted me a $100 and something to diagnose the problem, which I was ok with. Took it down there and a guy took it in the back and then probably less than 5 minutes later brought it back and said he heard the noise right away. Although he thinks it might not be the transmission. He recommended replacing the Pilot bearing as it seems to be coming from in front of the transmission. He will know more once he is in there. So as long as I am paying them to replace the bearing I am going to replace the clutch with a new OEM one while they are in there. New clutch is not that expensive for parts, it's the labor. Got 50K on it, it might last a good amount longer but as long as I am in there I am going to do it. Full OEM clutch replacement is $1359 from them. Dealer was $2010+ asked them about a year ago. I'll come back when it is done with my report, I think they also use synchrotech for their rebuilds also. Oh also he ended up not charging me anything for telling me this so thumbs up to Evasive for that.

UPDATE 9/14/15 Well had the clutch replaced today with all OEM parts ran me 1379.38 total. Noise is still there. But at least I got a new clutch, clutch pedal operates a tiny bit easier now and I cant tell it grabs a little sooner. Evasive said I had 30% to 40% left on the old one with 50K miles on it. Oh well it was worth a shot. Now that we know it is from the transmission for sure. Looks like OEM new ones are no longer in stock. So it comes down to a rebuilding it or getting one from a totaled s2000. Personally I am leaning toward rebuild because I plan on keeping this car for a long time, already have had it for 14-15 years now. Dealer says they will rebuild through H&A Evasive says they would rebuild through syncrotech I think. I like evasive but they have a small lot so, I would have to tow my car home while I wait the 4 weeks for the rebuild. Then tow it back which I am not too excited about. Where the dealer would be able to store it. I am not sure what I am going to do at this point. Waiting for a few quotes from evasive. I thought about getting one from a totaled car but not knowing the history bothers me. If this was a civic or any other normal commuter car sure. We will see. I'll update as things happen.

UPDATE 9/15/15 Ok, rebuild through dealership is $5,300 they use H&A it comes with a 2 year 36k warranty. rebuild through Evasive is $3300 to $3800 they use syncrotech, $1800 of that is Evasive labor the rest is the rebuild cost, so there is some decent savings there. Ontop of that Evasive is saying turn around time is probably going to be around 5 days if syncrotech has the parts. So they would be able to keep it on the lot and I would not need to get it towed then. So now I need to think of what I want to do.

99SH

Find another dealer is my first reaction. A new transmission costs $3840 from majestic honda. Buy the part yourself and furnish the tranny to a shop. Expect labor in the $500-800 range.

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...NSMISSION+ASSY.

S2ksmee

Wow that's a eye opener! Thanks I will start looking.

99SH

Where are you located? We can refer you to a reputable s2k shop.

I would personally avoid dealerships at all costs.

S2ksmee

That would be great. I live in Whittier, CA. Zip is 90605. A private s2k shop that knows it's stuff would be just what I need. I like to keep my car in good condition. So if you know a reputable shop, I am all for it.

B serious

But....you can buy a perfectly good used AP1 trans for like $400-500ish. Have a shop install it for you for like $800ish.


AP1 transmissions are everywhere. I believe you can even get used low mile JDM ones from legitimate importers (with a warranty). Its extremely unusual for one to fail the way you're describing.

Which would bring up.....why did it fail so early and unusually? Even with lack of maintenance, and mild abuse, it should still be fine.

Have you tried changing the fluid?

If it really has failed...then a rebuild at a REPUTABLE independent shop would be a viable solution.

Tip: buy a new Honda clutch set from a Honda dealer if you plan on replacement of the clutch while you're in there.

S2ksmee

I agree, the dealer said it should not have failed this early and I do not abuse it. Maybe I got the one bad faulty one off the line or something. I plan on having it taken apart after I replace it and have them try to figure out what went wrong.

Have not tried changing the fluid but I think the damage is done. Something is grinding or rubbing it sounds like.

Yes I plan on doing the clutch too if I am doing this part Good suggestion.

99SH

Take a look at Evasive, their rates are $500 for a tranny job.
https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/900...enance-thread/

My personal on buying a used transmission is don't. It's a risk/gamble which may or may not pay off. It may grind gears and you may inherit new problems from that previous owner. Since you plan to keep the car in the foreseeable future, I'd personally pay the extra $$ and get a new trans or get your rebuilt.

Evasive also rebuilds transmissions, get a quote and weight your options from there.

S2ksmee

Thanks for the help, I will contact them in the next couple days. I'll post back once I get this thing taken care of and let you know how they were.

superchargedk20

Hit up synchrotech. They specialize in honda transmissions. I don't know if they do s2000 trans but I would assume they do. They have great customer service and a great turn around. They addressed all my needs and if I ever have trans problems with my s2k they will be the 1st I contact again.