joe_s2k

Here's my story....

My check engine light has been going on and off for the last 2 months without any noticeable idling/performance difference. It is on one day and off the next or it's on for a couple of days and then turns off again. Shingles was kind enough to meet me after work and run his ODBII diagnostic setup on my car and let me know what the ECU Codes were. I had the 0301,0302,0304 codes which meant Cylinders 1,2,& 4 were misfiring.

I kept trying to get to the dealer when it was on, but never could show them "the light". Then one day when I was starting the car up to drive home from work and the Check Engine light made it's presence known with an irregular idle. The car had a slight vibration and this time I knew something a little more serious was going on.

With the Check Engine Light still shining this time, I took the car to the dealer and they pulled the same ECU codes as before and added a Cylinder 3 misfire to the mix. So now ALL four cylinders are misfiring which has left my car at the dealership for the last 5 weeks.

The dealer originally thought that I had over-revved my engine with a missed downshift (5th to 2nd). It turns out another S2000 was brought in a few weeks before that exhibited the Cylinder 1-4 misfiring problem. That car was overreved, so they thought I had done the same thing. They even asked me straight out if I had overreved the engine. Since I haven't, my answer was a solid NO.

Anyway, the dealer worked with the Honda-Tech line who gave them the standard over-rev diagnostic list of procedures. None of the tests were conclusive so they sent the head to a machine shop for some compression/leakdown bench tests. My service advisor was surprised that the head came back so soon with the results showing that all of the valves were in tact and displayed NO LOSS of compression on each cylinder. At this point, I was cleared of over-revving my engine which I had claimed all along.

I was told yesterday(09/07/01) that they will be putting the head back on to run more tests with the engine put together. So it seems that I am back to the proverbial "SQUARE ONE". Within the last 5 weeks, all of the tests have shown what the problem ISN'T.

The one thing that I would like to clarify is that the dealership is doing everything in their power to resolve my problem. I have no problems with them or their ability whatsoever.

Short of sounding arrogant, I would have expected them to really want to correct a problem with their "Flagship Vehicle". As has been covered in other threads, I feel that the Honda-Tech line/AHM does not understand the responsibility it should assume with the many S2000 owners/enthusiasts. Even people that don't abuse their cars are running into reliability issues that need to be addressed.

I've had my car in the shop for over 6 weeks during my first year of ownership(08/22/00-current). I have also managed to drive 32k miles in that time. I somehow feel that I am performing an accelerated "long-term" testing service that may be indicative of what's in your car's future. Or maybe I just bought the bad apple in the bunch. I also know of other owners that have not had any problems whatsoever with nearly the same amount of miles as I have. We'll just have to see what trends develop when a larger sample of S2000's reach the 30-40k miles mark.

Even with all the problems my car has encountered, I still think that it's the best performance car for the money. The feelings of enjoyment while having the car still outweigh the feelings I am experiencing now. I just hope that I get my car back soon...

Dee-Dee

I have also been getting the "check engine" light. I bought my s2k in August and have only put about 900 miles on it. The light came on two days ago, and I called the dealership. They said to tighten the gas cap as a first resort. The light didn't go off. So they said that I could still drive it safely over the weekend but to come in on Monday. I don't think I've over-revved it - if I have at all it's only been once or twice (pardon my tech ignorance).

Any suggestions?

josh3io

the AHM tech line is like calling your ISP's tech support...pimply faced 15 year olds on the other side who know absolutely nothing just telling you what the attourneys have approved as "information appropriate for consumers' ears"

Pinky

I had a miss fire as well........supposibly the #2 lost compression bla bla bla. It all better now!!!!!!!!!

joe_s2k

[QUOTE]Originally posted by josh3io
[B]the AHM tech line is like calling your ISP's tech support...pimply faced 15 year olds on the other side who know absolutely nothing just telling you what the attourneys have approved as "information appropriate for consumers' ears"

Utah S2K

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dee-Dee
[B]I have also been getting the "check engine" light.

cmnsnse

Are your plugs gapped properly?
Might be an electrical problem, I think the ECU sends an electric pulse through the plug on exaust to check for complete burn - the result of proper combustion is almost no resistance at the plug.

Come to think of it, it would have to be electrical, anything else they would have surely seen during a tear down.

An over rev should break a valve or at least bend one, just about inabling your car. Obviously you didnt do that.

joe_s2k

The dealership reset the ECU multiple times, but the light comes back on immediately.

This was repeated during the process of going through the Honda-Tech checklist. They apparently were getting a snapshot of all the sensor readings with their ODBII tools when the check engine light would turn on. They would then send the "snapshot" to Honda-Tech for further evaluation before proceeding to the next item on their checklist. The Tech line has my mechanic on hold for hours at a time. It's a phone-tag kind of process that makes progress very slow.

Dee-Dee

Well, my problem is resolved. I took my baby to the dealership this a.m. By noon it was ready. Basically when I bought her the gas cap was missing, so they promptly replaced it with and on I went. Well, come to find out, it wasn't the "right" gas cap and the tank wasn't sealed properly... so the "check engine" light came on. Well, needless to say, I was relieved.
Joe_s2k - I hope your problem resolves itself as easily.

MyEeek

I just got my car back from the car dealership like 3 weeks ago. My car had a misfire on the #3 and #4 cylinders. I also had some bent valves. When the engine check light came on before, I took it immediately to the dealership. They said what they had to fix is covered under warrenty, so I got my car back in after two weeks. Well, my baby is okay now, but for some reason I can now hear the K&N air filter! I thought that was awsome.