Marioshi

Posting this as information only. Not looking for sympathy, feedback, or anything like that.

So I decided to swap out the LSD on the 2004 S2000 that I recently bought (the car I bought had a Kaaz 1.5 installed but the owner provided the stock LSD). I initially thought I could reuse the hardware that connects the rear drive-shafts to the rear differential but after looking in the service manual I noticed it refers to these nuts and bolts as "special" and requires replacement of these hardware items with each removal so I ordered the parts through Majestic Honda along with some other parts I needed. Well, everything that came was fine except for the 12 "special" nuts. The part number I ordered was 90002-S10-000 as specified in the diagram for a 2004 S2000 but the part number I received was 90002-TZ3-A00. This part number is meant to supersede the previous number, which is a relatively common occurrence. The only problem is that this nut looked a bit different than the one it was replacing, see below:



So I immediately go under the car and check to make sure the new parts will work only to find that the nut has much too big a surface area to be fully tightened down on the differential side. Bummer. I call Majestic the next day to ask why the new part number is not the same part as the old part number. They don't know, they also seem confused as to why I am using it on an s2000 differential as it is primarily a part used on a control arm of some sort. So I tell them I would like to send it back and proceed to order the original part number with two local dealerships. Same deal, order part 90002-S10-000 and recieve 90002-TZ3-A00. The guy at the parts counter says "I dunno why that part comes automatically but we don't have any other parts that will work" (hard to believe).



So I decided to call American Honda to try to track down the misunderstanding. The first guy I talk to tries to tell me "well the part you need is still available, the dealership just ordered the wrong part". Unfortunately, having ordered the part myself I know this is not the case and having confirmed that the same situation occurs at no less than 3 dealerships, I tell him this is not the case. So he sends my information to a case manager.

The case manager called me today to once again, pin the problem on the dealership, saying they should be able to give me a refund for the incorrect part. Not the issue at all, so I proceed to tell him how frustrating it is to order parts from American Honda and get the wrong item. He tells me "It's just a nut, you should be able to get it at a hardware store, we don't make parts for this car anymore". This response seems highly inappropriate to me but maybe that is just me. Honda doesn't provide parts for a car that was sold less than 6 years ago? What do the dealers use when an S2000 comes in with differential problems? Anyway, that is besides the point. I THINK I found a solution.

So I was doing some digging, and I found that the diagram for 2000-2002 S2000s calls for part 94050-10080 instead of 90002-S10-000 so I went ahead and ordered 12 of those from the local dealership, who I am hoping will call me today to let me know the parts are available. Like I said, I don't need sympathy, I just wanted to share my experience of ordering parts from American Honda and potentially save someone the headache of going through what I went through.

goldenfri

I've replaced those those nuts before and got the right ones. Not sure what part order I used, I guess it must have been the AP1 one.

goldenfri

Ok yea i just looked and yup I ordered: 94050-10080 that is the right part number (used on an AP2 diff)

Marioshi

I am hoping that the nut listed for 2000, 2001, and 2002 will work and is still available. It seems odd to me that the nut part number would change in 2003 if it was an AP1 vs AP2 issue. I will update this thread if that part ends up working.

I am currently trying to elevate it with Honda Customer Service to see if I can get a more satisfactory answer as to why the replacement nut doesn't work with the S2000 application. If this new nut works it would be nice to see them update their catalogs but I am not holding my breath on that.

Marioshi

Awesome, now I am hopeful that I have a solution, even if Honda doesn't give a crap, I will at least be able to let people in the S2000 community know. Thank you for the checking. Now if my dealer would call me and let me know my parts are ready!

rrounds

I'd take the good bolt(the one that fits right) to my hardware store and get the bolt there. My ACE store has grade 8 on down. With a nut and bolt I could go with US or metric, I'd use the one that fit the best. There is no reason to go to Honda for something like a standard nut or bolt.
It also just might save you time and money.

ROD

Marioshi

Thanks for the suggestion Rod. It's more the principal of the thing. When you pay up for Honda brand parts, you ought to get the right item. Considering that the service manual says they are "special" (which I have read means that they are supposed to stretch when torqued???) then I would prefer to use the correct parts.

Having said that, I am sure a hardware store nut would work fine, I just wanted to inform people that Honda was shipping out the wrong nut for the application. I know it is a really specific instance but we are talking about the driveline, Not a nut for the interior or the exhaust (which I would buy at the hardware store).

PixelJunkie94

Thanks for the information OP. I agree Honda should have there shit together. I'm unsure why some members are giving you a "hard" time about this. Some people are unappreciative I suppose.

Chris Brewer

PixelJunkie94

Thanks for the information OP. I agree Honda should have their shit together. I'm unsure why some members are giving you a "hard" time about this. Some people are unappreciative I suppose.

Chris Brewer

Gottabfast

Not grade 8! Use metric class 10.9 for equivalent strength. That is really important on driveline and suspension bolts/nuts. Also, the bolts carry the tension - so the stretch only occurs on the bolt side of the joint.

Also, usually when it's a "special" nut from Honda, it has 1 or more of:
1. nylon for locking
2. a 3-point deformation at end of the nut for locking
3. some coating (loctite or some friction modifier to achieve torque/clampload or prevent rust)
4. nut flange area is larger or flatness is controlled more tightly

If you notice the part has one of these features, you probably want to get the Honda part or if you use hardware store stuff you probably want to try to duplicate the feature as best you can.