Well, had an 02 S2000 at the shop today for full maintenence. Has 35,900 miles on the clock, talk about close to warranty. Aftermarket intake and exhaust, basically stock. This car has been meticulously maintained since it was new, Mobil 1, pcx filter, the whole nine. While doing the valve adj (first since new) I found one valve on the exhaust side, cyl 3, to be at .0095. BARELY tight, no biggie, but this is the first valve I've found to be tight, and I've done over 25 S2000's. Moving along to cyl 4....Major problems. Both intake valve retainers have started to walk up the valve stems. One walked about .015. The other intake valve retainer has walked up the valve stem so far, the tip of the valve is recessed below the retainer, making measurements impossible. AND...the retainer is so high, it has worn a small grove in the rocker arm roller, and the grove has transfered a groove onto the cam lobe, which you can feel with your fingernail. The only symptom the guy has is that he can't pull on other S2000s like he used to. It was only a matter of time before the valve dropped into the cylinder, and they would have surely blamed him for a mechanical over-rev (mis-shift)

We'll be calling the dealer Monday morning, and getting some surefire warranty work done....Anybody else have a problem like this?

It could be a cracked or worn retainer, worn keepers, worn stem.

 

I think he/she owes you a brew

 

id be interested to find out if it was a cracked retainer or broken keepers. Defenitely the route to go id say is Ti retainers.

 

Yes yes....if we go the warrantee route, I'm hoping the dealer will let us buy some upgraded retainers and keepers, and supply them for the job...

 

This is not a new problem. This usually occurs from a slight overrev at some point in time that caused the valves to float but not make contact with the piston. The retainer is cracking on the underside where the keeper sits. If you have a stem below the retainer, the retainer might also be dished instead of being flat. Also, If the keeper is cracked, the valve would have dropped by now. I just checked mine (an 02 also) and all is well. Fatigue can cause this also. Everyone should look for this when doing a valve adjustment especially if the car is driven the way it should be. You should post pics of this.

 

All I can say is I wish we had a mechanic like you down here.... nice job.

 

I won't speculate on the cause of this. I believe the retainers are just not up to the job when pushed beyond their max, giving no insurance. Just a little more info...the keepers are in correct relative position to the valve stem, but the valve/keepers as a unit are sitting an honest 1/4 inch lower than they should be, in realtion to the retainer (in appearance, but in actuallity the retainer has moved up, raising the valve spring installed height) I will ask the customer if he can recall any slight over-rev issues...so we can get some honest leads

 

are you replacing it with OEM retainers or other titanium retainers?
what it the recommended replacement time for titanium retainers?
does anyone know what Alaniz/AEBS recommend in term of when to replace their titanium valve retainers?

 

-If it goes through warr, and they don't allow us to supply parts, then it will be stock...

-If I do the job, I will look into aftermarket retainers and keepers...

I don't know about intervals on Ti retainers, so some research on this whole thing will decide the best route to go...

PS...did my own valves at 10K...now at 32k, I'll re-check this week and look for any early signs that this is problematic...I was gonna do them the week before FC04, but I think I'll get in it early in case I find impending doom

 

Ti retainers are known to have a 20-30k service life on average before they'll need replacing. Not the way to go for a relatively stock car.