9kRpmYoo

Hi i sold my 350z for s2000 few months ago, and it has cost me more in maintenance owning the s2000 in the past 7 months than my 350z ever did in the 3 years of its ownership! I have put more money into this car than what i bought it for, and has cost me a fortune and what a headache!

When i first got the car it was running sweet then i noticed this weird ticking rattle noise on/off when in lower gears and turning, then vtec went all lumpy. I searched the forums and people were saying low oil level so i checked and it was low but no warning light came on, so i put a litre of fully synth and the noise went away when driving but comes on/off when i start the car from mostly hot start.

After this i took it to my local garage and had a full service oil,diff and gearbox and it drove absolutely amazing again! The low down torque when not engaged in vtec had more than noticeably increased and when in vtec wow like driving a completely different car! This lasted all but 100 miles and know i have this wierd metalic noise when engage vtec in 1st and second gear on and past 6k rpm? The sound is like the engine is not getting lubed with oil, It drives like before not very healthy is it worth saving? Im thinking of just ditching the car!

The start noise sounds like what this user is describing but its coming 100% from engine bay?
https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/113...le-on-startup/

NNY S2k

Sounds like you have a mess, probably time to move on.

amsfoto

Wow! That's discouraging.

Does the motor pull well or does it seem like it's something internal? In my case (I posted in that rattle thread) everything runs & pulls fine.

Try posting a video of the issue/sound. It should be pretty easy to determine if it's an issue with the motor vs. mounts or something else.

9kRpmYoo

The car at the moment is just loud and does not perform well. I wouldn't of known any better unless the serviced was done, so i do have a feel of how good these cars can perform! But only around 100 miles and what 100 miles that was LOL! The mechanic said the oil was black! When i bought the car it had full oil change, so within 6 - 7 months and only covering 800 - 1k miles this has happened!?! My 350z would of done 10k + and still wouldn't need oil and pulled like a train!

Could i have damaged the engine running it with lowish oil even though the light did not come on? I mean after i topped her up with oil the ticking/rattle noise went from driving to just start up? Its hard to catch the rattle/ticking noise on start up, only last few seconds and then sometimes doesn't happen at all?

Its currently in the body repair shop again! So i cant get a video of it until end of the week, getting rust from the door sills/arches removed!

Been in the body repair shop and garage for longer than on the road! It was only meant to be toy for the summer and has cost me a fortune!

It is a early AP1 with current mileage of 130k. It was in mint condition when purchased with no noticeable problems and had a key fob attached from this website.

I will upload video here of the metallic noise when engage in vtec, and i will try and catch the rattle on start up when its back in my possession, but it will be going back to the garage again to get new shocks + CV boot kit! The faults never ends!

windhund116

"The car at the moment is just loud and does not perform well. I wouldn't of known any better unless the serviced was done, so i do have a feel of how good these cars can perform! But only around 100 miles and what 100 miles that was LOL! The mechanic said the oil was black! When i bought the car it had full oil change, so within 6 - 7 months and only covering 800 - 1k miles this has happened!?! My 350z would of done 10k + and still wouldn't need oil and pulled like a train!

Could i have damaged the engine running it with lowish oil even though the light did not come on? I mean after i topped her up with oil the ticking/rattle noise went from driving to just start up? Its hard to catch the rattle/ticking noise on start up, only last few seconds and then sometimes doesn't happen at all?"


This doesn't sound good. Yes, you prolly damaged or further damaged a "borderline" engine. Time for a compression & leak-down test. Have the bad oil assayed. Be prepared for overhaul/replacement $$$ option.


Sorry.

B serious

Sounds like someone unloaded a problem onto you. Previous owner was probably a total jerk. Its not common to require heavy maintenance with a S2000. In fact...it barely ever happens.

Yes, you likely damaged the engine by running low on oil. The light is not a level light. Its a pressure light. You may have oil starved a portion of the engine or stretched a timing chain or ruined the chain tensioner.

Take it somewhere reputable and have it fixed.

Why are the wheel arches and door jambs rusted??? Sounds like the previous owner half assed/neglected quite a few things. Never buy a car from a half-asser.

s2000Junky

At minimum is sounds like the timing chain tensioner needs to be replaced with a BiIlman unit. This is one of the few "weak" links in the car that all of us will go through at some point, and it’s an important part of keeping the engine operation healthy. This is the rattle sound you hear at start up, and could also be what you are hearing in vtec engagement.

Older Ap1/f20 drank oil, its common, but there is a normal tolerance Honda deems acceptable which is a max of 1Q per 1000 miles. So you will want to keep track of this to help determine your engines overall health. You need to keep tabs on the engine oil level with every gas fill up, making sure its topped off. This should be done religiously with this motor. Later ap2/f22 engines didn’t have the same consumption issues your engine does, especially at 140k. But should still be checked often. Its a very high revving motor, that alone requires frequent oil checks/top offs.

Doing a valve adjustment and then a compression and leak down test will really give you a good idea of where you stand. Proper valve tolerances are needed to get the most accurate leak down and compression test. Unfortunately that requires more money to invest.

I would start with the engine stuff, replacing the TCT, valve adjust, leak down/comp test, before you invest anymore more money on this car. Last thing you want to do is spend a few thousand bucks on other drive train stuff to find that your motors days are limited. It may not be. Good Luck!

And finally after all this, if it seems ok, but you are still going through more oil then you care too, using a heavier 10/40 non synthetic oil will usually reduce some usage. This will also increase your oil pressure a little when up to temp, so not a bad thing based on your current symptoms. Do not exceed this weight however, so no 20/50 or you will eventually create more harm then good.