retmana

Hi there,

Got my S as a company car two weeks ago (ish) in loverly Imola Orange and now upto about 2,400 miles. I was very well behaved during the run-in period and managed to avoid VTEC for the first 600 miles, revving upto 7.5k @ 700 miles, 8.5k @ 900, then pretty much red lining (with flashing rev limiter on occasion) since then...

For the first week or so the weather allowed lots of top down driving, since then there's been a wet spell so I've noticed lots of strange new engine noises I didn't before. I'm not sure if I've hammered the car too much when it's so new? Oil level has been checked religiously and didn't move until I started using VTEC - now uses about 200ml per tank of fuel.

Just yesterday I noticed a problem with VTEC engaging - the engine was warm and oil fine but it refused to VTEC, although it would still rev to red line but without the lovely noise. Stopped for some Optimax and the problem went away again. I did also notice a very brief rattle when I first started the car from cold that morning at about 2000rpm. Waited 20 seconds or so then gently revved the engine to find rattle had gone.

Then today I experienced the same symptoms with VTEC not kicking in, although this time VTEC was fine before filling with fuel, but wouldn't kick in afterwards. Went for a little drive at lunchtime and it seemed fine. On the way home from work this evening VTEC was fine the first few times, then after maybe 15 minutes of driving refused to engage again. Stopped off for some shopping then VTEC was again fine, but this time on throttling back heard a very strange (and much louder) metallic vibration noise coming from engine bay at around 5,000rpm. This was very disconcerting but dissapeared after a few seconds...

Listened to the engine when I got home and detected a definite rattle around 2,500 rpm but nothing worse - I tried revving the engine whilst looking in the engine bay but couldn't reproduce it. Checked the oil level and that was still fine (halfway between min and max on the dipstick). I did notice however that some kind of white coloured liquid has leaked out onto the exhaust manifold from a pipe connected to what I presume is the fuel rail!

So I plan to get the car booked into the dealer for a health check as soon as I can, but in the meantime maybe someone could help me answer a few questions about my experiences:

Is it okay to be running into the red line (with limiter flashing briefly) on a regular basis - maybe 4 or 5 times per day? Is this acceptable for the S or will it cause excessive wear? I will have the car for 60,000 miles so it doesn't need to last forever... Should I be using the red flashing bit as a shift light - I try to shift just before it comes on but don't always catch it iin time (new to the car and everything...)

Is it possible that I've knacked the engine so quickly with this kind of treatment - and could this attribute the strange noises, or am I just being paranoid and these are normal? Is this a typical symptom of loose spark plugs or has that issue now been sorted for MY03 cars?

Finally, does anyone have any idea what that white stuff is? My guess is that it's some kind of coolant, but white is an odd colour for any kind of car related liquid. Maybe it's refrigerant from the air con? The pipe is difficult to describe but is fairly central on the fuel rail looking thing.

Sorry for making my first post so hugely long winded! I've spent quite a while searching on these topics but haven't found anything totally relevant - and no mention of the mysterious white fluid! Thinking about it, what's left around the pipe and on the manifold is kind of a dry residue left over from something that's obviously been heated by the engine.

Please help put my mind at rest - I'm already addicted to VTEC but would hate to think that I could have stuffed the engine so quickly!


Cheers,

Andrew.

san2000

Hi Andrew

White fluid - worrying; would be surprised if it was coolant...for some reason thought this was colourless; I might be wrong.

Reving to first red flash should be ok, as discussed in a recent thread.

cheshire carper and coxyboy have had probs with rattles recently - they will be able to advise on this hopefully.

Oil level might be better being closer to max.

Best thing is as you are doing and getting the dealer to look at it.

HTH


San.

Tonky

Running the engine to the limiter is fine, you've no worries on that score, it's what the car is designed for. A lot of rattles have been attributed to the exhaust manifold heat shield which is on the left of the engine as you stand looking at it from the front. Often the rattle only comes at certain revs, a bit like a tuning fork, and it can be intermittent too. The heat shield is made up of several separate pieces and it can be a bugger to trace the noise. I'd tell the garage to check it out if I were you.

Same with the white fluid. My Honda garage use a white lubricant on hinges and a lot of moving bits and they're very fond of splashing the stuff everywhere... probably to show the car's been serviced. Other than that I've no idea what that could be.

Hmmm..... I wouldn't think that my oil was OK if it was halfway between min and full. VTEC is engaged hydraulically and is entirely dependent on oil pressure for it's efficiency. I always top up a VTEC engine to the max mark however small an amount I need to put in, as VTEC performance is soon degraded by low oil. I'd definitely keep the oil up to the max mark and see if the VTEC engagement improves. I'd make sure the oil level was at max before I took into the dealership anyway!

Edit.....

I just noticed you car is only 2 weeks old and you're doing a lot of miles! You really need to keep that oil checked regularly, you just can't do it too often, as some of these engines will use scary amounts of oil to start with. With the mileage you're doing, particulary if you're caning it, you need to keep topped up. You just can't afford to neglect an engine that revs to 9K.

retmana

Many thanks for the advice guys - much appreciated!

Think I'll go out and check the oil again then, just in case - didn't realise the level was so critical. Lesser cars seem perfectly happy so long as the level is somewhere between the two marks on the dipstick - guess the S is just a bit more special!

I'll take heed of your advice and keep it topped up to max at all times - hopefully that will sort the VTEC engagement. I'll also have a quick look at the heat shield to ensure that's tightened properly. I'm guessing that spark plugs loosening is no longer an issue on the newer cars?

The white stuff leaking definitely looks more like some sort of fluid than lubricant. It's been leaking around a pipe where it bolts to the fuel rail, from there it's dripped down the side of the engine and some has landed on the manifold, where it's taken on a powdery appearance. Not a lot has leaked out - maybe it's resealed itself but I'll get the dealer to have a look next time I'm nearby.

I have to do a fair few company miles (3 trips from Coventry to Bristol this week) so will do a few checks just to make sure it won't cause any damage in the meantime.

Thanks again!

Andrew.

Tonky

Any chance of a pic of this white stuff and where it seems to be leaking from? I'm totally intrigued. The spark plug problem should definitely be no issue in an '03 model.

If it is the heat shield causing your rattle, don't expect it to be an obvious or easy fix, or even necessarily due to loose bolts. Brian Marshall who posts here had a hell of a game with the heat shield on his S before it finally got sorted. It can be due to loose bolts but it can also be due to the shield just catching the surrounding engine parts at certain vibration frequencies. It may not be the heat shield but it's best you're aware of the possible issues with it.

retmana

Okay, I'll give it a whirl....

Not too familiar with the mechanism for posting pictures on the board yet, so here's a couple of links for now:

This shows the component in question close up, you can clearly see white stuff around the joint and on the manifold. There's also a large drip on the other side of the pipe but that was very difficult to photograph without it being extremely blurry:

http://www.aops84.dsl.pipex.com/s2000/Imgp1417.jpg


This one shows the component in context - maybe someone can identify what this component is and whether I should be very worried or just slightly worried? Is the car safe to drive in the meantime and just what is this stuff?

http://www.aops84.dsl.pipex.com/s2000/Imgp1408.jpg


Cheers,

Andrew.

Tonky

Damn, I've no idea what that component is, but that white stuff does look suspiciously like the white lubricant my dealer mechanics are so fond of splashing around. It doesn't look like a part that requires lubricant though does it? Are you sure it hasn't always been there and you've only just noticed it?.... something they did at pre-delivery prep?

Unless someone can throw some light on this, I'd check with your dealer. If you can't get in, then ring them perhaps. Maybe you could e-mail them the links to your pics.

Shipley

Retmana

Do a search on MAP sensors. My got stuck and the car completely refused to Vtec or felt very lumpy if it did.

If you open your bonnet it is the small blue square box on top of the manifold.

Unplug it, inscrew it, give it a sharp tap and re-connect it. (They are prone to sticking)

It worked for me !

san2000

is this white stuff similar to that over the battery terminals
(I assume this stuff should be ther right?)
Just don't know what it is........

Tonky

[QUOTE]Originally posted by san2000
[B]is this white stuff similar to that over the battery terminals