I am 2 and a half weeks in with my first ever 2001 S2000.

I really do like this car. Both the driving experience and the ease of maintenance is really good. I bought this car because I always liked the S2000 and needed a project.

I have not done a lot of wrenching in recent history. Career, kids, etc have not left much time for that. But now I have teenage sometimes willing to participate help and with COVID more time. Driving the car requires less convincing for teenagers.

So far I have: (I actually did all this myself. The layout and ease of access on this car makes it a joy to work on. Dusted off my axel stands that I have not used in 20+ years)

• Changed the engine oil, with proper OEM filter
• Changed transmission oil - Royal Purple Synchromesh
• Changed Diff oil - mobile 1
• Flushed brake fluid
• Flushed clutch fluid
• Flushed coolant - Honda coolant
• Changed the spark plugs (plugs were in good shape but not the Honda recommended) - Replaced with the Honda NKG
• Spark plug cover bolts were getting stripped so I replaced them
• Cleaned and sealed the top - Chemical Guys
• Changed the cabin filter (this was desperately needed) - Honda filter
• Cleaned exterior, clay mitt and waxed. The paint on this car now that I have closely inspected it after waxing and washing is going to drive my crazy. Someone has done various chip fixes over the years but not well. Rattle cans my have been involved. After the boss has accepted its existence this may become a project in the crazy section below.
• Cleaned engine bay
• Replaced broken hood prop rod holder
• inspected all the suspension and joints for wear. Looks good so far. The suspension initially felt really firm which had me looking for failing joints. But now I am accustom to it.
• Lubricated doors, hood latch and trunk

After all this driving it feels really good!


Crazy things that I have done out of pure obsessive compulsive thinking. [I probably have a problem because I can't stop ordering stuff for this car]

• The radio looked OEM for a 2001 but was not correct for the year. Found the proper OEM head unit on ebay $25 in mint condition and replaced it.
• Registered the car with MyHonda so I could download the owners manual and check tech bulletins etc
• Purchased the OEM car cover. This is a great fit and very high quality. I went with a after market for my Mustang and regretted it until I sold the car.
• Replaced the crappy after market shift knob with OEM
• Decorative cover for the vtec sensor. A deviation from my OEM principle but the engine bay looked super clean except for that sensor which did not age with beauty
• The dash controls and buttons all look great except the fan knob. 2001 is discontinued. Going to try a 2002 as it is not discontinued. For $10 is worth the risk.
• Installed Tux Mats. The carpet is not bad. But not great. The bump in the foot wells has worn the carpet. If I could find replacement carpet I would consider it but the Tux matt covers it all. Has anyone used a carpet restoration paint with success?

Planned and waiting on parts

• Replace nylon shifter ball, sleeve, insulator
• Fix storage cabinet latch (striker replacement and adjust will do it I think)

Winter projects

• Recover the seats. Since now OEM covers are available I will look for a good interior shops that can mimic OEM. Open to recommendations!
• Was thinking about replacing the top with the glass window but after cleaning and sealing it looks really good now
• The valve cover is decent. But I would like to restore it. Any suggestions of shops who can do this would be appreciated
• Refurbish the rims.
• Tires still have a lot of tread but are coming up to 6 years old. So maybe something to look at next year

 

you can redo your valve cover yourself. After sealing top holes with tape, spray with gasket remover or aluminum stripper. clean off the goop, lightly sand, clean with brake cleaner, then spray with crinkle paint as directed on the can. I would expect for the price of a new one, a shop will refinish an old one, maybe?

Stock rims are diamond cut so look for a refinishing shop that does this specifically.

replace the tires- 6 yrs old? they're timed out. go with quality summer only rubber, 200-340 UTQG.

do a valve adjustment.

darcy

 

Since you say you are OCD (like me) here are a couple more things I've done.
1. Obtain Shin-Etsu grease from your Honda dealer and treat all the window and soft top seals. It will prolong their life
and maybe prevent squeaks.
2. Grease the rod that actuates the clutch throw-out bearing mechanism. I might not have the term exactly right. Under the
car, unbolt the clutch actuation slave cylinder and the rod pulls out. The rod has a bit of a knob at the end. Mine was dry and slightly
deformed and was squeaking when I depressed the clutch. I gave it a light filing to get the ridge off the knob and greased it and now the
clutch pedal feels smoother and is perfectly silent.
3. If your seatbelt rubs the top of the seat near the guide, it can actually make an annoying noise. My wife make a short felt tube around the
seatbelt at the top of the seat and it's quiet now.
Many complain about squeaks and rattles in their s2000s but I have chased down all of mine and the car is 100% squeak and rattle free.
OCD me? Nah!

 

Congrats on the S2K!
I pretty much did or had all those things done to my s2k plus a new serpentine belt.

I have two sets of tires went with the ap2v1 rims and kept my ap1 set for storage. The tires are 9 years old and still have OK traction. They look almost brand new. For the street anyways.

The stock head unit is pretty bad. Ended up buying an alpine newer unit used for pretty cheap with all the new tech. Sound is quite an improvement over stock too. Even on the OEM door speakers.

 

This is a great tip - I'll have to look into doing this.
Does the tube go at the top of the seat in the plastic loop that holds the seatbelt (I always thought it was friction with the plastic retaining loop where the shoulder of the seat is that caused the sound)?

 

Easy fix for the seatbelt noise. Needs longer screws. 45 minutes on my basic printer for a pair of them. Or for a less elegant solution put some washers and longer screws there.




-- Chuck

 

The loop is screwed to the seat with two screws. We removed those screws and the fabric goes under the loop and is screwed in place. Makes for a very sturdy solution to the problem. The sound wasn't coming from the seatbelt rubbing on the loop, it was seatbelt on the seatback leather. The fabric now encircles the seatbelt for about a foot down from the loop. No more squeak.

 

Interesting, that's another way to solve the problem!

 

Nothing like a several hundred dollar 3D printer to solve 50-cent problems! These are practically invisible on the seats.

-- Chuck

 

Thank you for sharing your experience.

I hate the squeaking sounds the seat belts make, I will need to find a solution, my soon to be sold Mazda MX5 NC never gave me any problems. Also, where it the cover for the Vtec sensor located? Need to take a look.

Cheers.