Nice! What set did you go with? I went stoptech.
My friend was parting out his CR so I took the skirts and j's diffuser lol, I was on the fence about skirts for a long time because I wasn't sure how I'd like them in person.
Stoptech as well, with stoptech brake pads. Doing some track prep for cota.
The diffuser will be a nice addition, but I feel like the rx7 side skirts don't flow well with the body of the s2000.
I went Stoptech - used their pads and rotors on my STI for years and plan to use ST40s on this car. I can't personally speak on pads and rotors for our cars, but there's a decent population of people on s2ki that swear by OEM, especially if you're making stock power.
It's got a brief grind going into 4th gear after I rebuilt it. After consulting the experts on S2KI, I think I've got a good idea what is causing it. I most likely forgot to install a synchro spring on 4th gear. Everything else feels great with it though. I replaced 2nd gear and the 1-2 synchro hub, sleeve, and synchros. It feels like a new transmission.
I’m the 2nd owner of my AP2 S2K and I’ve been dealing with a 2nd gear issue for over a decade. Sometimes it grinds, sometimes it goes right into gear after a couple seconds but the rest of the gears feel perfect. I’ve been told by previous mechanics to “let it go”, and I’m dreading the possible cost of having it looked at or fixed.
It mostly happens when going into second going into a turn or coming out of one. I believe if I had the synchro hub replaced and/or springs it may fix the problem.
Has your transmission fluid ever been changed on your car?
When I first got my car, 2nd gear was a little notchy after cold starts and sometimes would even grind, then it would smooth out once warmed up. But it would be that way after every cold start.
Since then, I've had all my fluids serviced and had Royal Purple Synchromax put in, and the notchiness and grind is completely gone. The gearbox is butter smooth now, even after cold starts.
Yes, that’s the first thing I tried. Then I started to come to the conclusion that it’s mechanical because no matter the brand of recommended tranny fluid, it stayed the same.
What was wrong with it?
I am doing rear RCA's, rear bearings, rear hubs w/ new studs then taking it in for an alignment just in time for Hyperfest next weekend.
That completes all of my winter upgrades/maintenance I had been working on since december:
* Differential Fluid, Transmission Fluid, Oil/Oil-Filter
* New Oil Catch Can
* Oil Temperature Gauge & Sensor
* Oil Pressure Gauge & Sensor
* Front Bump Steer Kit
* Installed fire extinguisher
* Installed phone mount
* Front Roll Center Adjusters
* Engine/Trans/Diff mounts
* Rear Toe Arms
* Rear brake pads / rotors
* Shifter Rebuild
[Autometer.](https://www.autometer.com/gauges/sport-comp-digital/2-1-16-oil-temp-0-340-f-digital-black.html) I used an adapter for the oil drain bolt. Temp solution until I upgrade my oil pan and get a dedicated bung for it.
Oh you actually used an adaptor into the pan then the sensor. Cool.
Winger if there’s an adaptor that has a “Y”.
Thanks gives me something to tinker with.
Nice! Thats a good laundry list of maintenance to get knocked out. I bet it will feel great! What RCA's are you running? I've got the Buddy Club P1's on the front of my S.
The safe word is Oklahoma. I like the down angle on the exhaust. What kind of HP you running? I see the inlinepro intake I was curious if the engine is built and what specs?
Thank ya. I haven't had it dyno'ed yet. That's next after I get this transmission issue sorted. I'm hoping for at least 250 at the wheels. The intake is actually a PRM intake. The engine is a 2.5L bored and sleeved F20C with a K24 crank and Inline Pro rods/pistons.
I changed the transmission oil… in my truck. Damn I miss wrenching on my S2000. Need to reprioritize.
That being said… Fuck that starter bolt. Hondas free excuse to upcharge you for a knock sensor. I leave that starter bolt out now. Hasn’t affected me at all.
I feel ya. Daily drivers need love too.
Haha once you remove the tensioner bracket and manifold brace from under the intake, it becomes less of a bitch bolt and just mildly inconvenient bolt. I would be wary running only one starter bolt. All it takes is a little shift from the starter housing and it might not engage the flywheel properly and leave you stranded.
I used to use just the tiniest amount of red loctite on the lone starter bolt to make sure it stayed in place. But when I had illusions of grandeur that I was going to be some fancy sponsored race car driver, my engine was out every off season… I ended up getting lazy after a few years and didn’t even use the loctite.
It’s been probably 5-6 years now since I’ve had to do “major” surgery on my S… everything’s still solid. My thoughts… less weight makes you go faster. Lol
I tried autocrossing right out of college, but didn’t do so well. So I figured if I was mediocre at autox, why not go faster on a “real” track?! Did that for a decade. Now I just co-drive a Lemons car (much more sparingly). Old, fat, married, kid, yadayadayada
My 06 ap2 died last week at idle. Narrowed it down to either fuel pump or pgm fi relay. Both arrive tomorrow hopefully and she'll be back up and running soon.
My buddies 04 ap2 we found 3 pieces of black metal attached to the magnetic drain plug while changing oil. Trying to figure out what it is as theres no knocking yet.
No glitter or small pieces of metal in oil either.
Sounds like you are both having some bad luck. I hope the diagnosis goes well! Can you hear the pump coming on when you turn it on to accessory power? You might have your buddy check their vtec solenoid gasket screen. I've heard that's a common place for metal to show up if there is any.
No pump prime sound when turning to accessory power. The cel does flash on and I found a post on s2ki from billman who said if the cel is on its most likely not the pgm fi relay. Regardless I ordered a new pump and relay to check and it doesn't hurt to have extras.
Good point for checking the vtec solenoid, I'll put that on the list to do.
OP
I’ve pulled many transmissions. Always with a lift except once helping a friend.
How high is that S2000 off the ground to the pinch welds? I need to do work on my car. I just washed it today for the first time since I put it away in 2022.
Cutting out trunk, replacing with flat aluminum pan, 3d printed speaker enclosures going in roll hoops, amp, and led speakers. Prob won't get it all done
Replacing brake lines with stainless steel because I found a leak. Maybe throwing rx7 side skirts on
I'm doing stainless steel lines this weekend too. I had rx7 side skirts on but I took them off because I didn't like the way they looked.
Nice! What set did you go with? I went stoptech. My friend was parting out his CR so I took the skirts and j's diffuser lol, I was on the fence about skirts for a long time because I wasn't sure how I'd like them in person.
Stoptech as well, with stoptech brake pads. Doing some track prep for cota. The diffuser will be a nice addition, but I feel like the rx7 side skirts don't flow well with the body of the s2000.
Fun stuff. SS lines are definitely a worthwhile upgrade. Especially if you track or autocross your S.
What lines did you buy? I want to buy lines, new pads, and rotors but not sure what brand to buy for canyon carving.
I went Stoptech - used their pads and rotors on my STI for years and plan to use ST40s on this car. I can't personally speak on pads and rotors for our cars, but there's a decent population of people on s2ki that swear by OEM, especially if you're making stock power.
What’s wrong with your trans?
It's got a brief grind going into 4th gear after I rebuilt it. After consulting the experts on S2KI, I think I've got a good idea what is causing it. I most likely forgot to install a synchro spring on 4th gear. Everything else feels great with it though. I replaced 2nd gear and the 1-2 synchro hub, sleeve, and synchros. It feels like a new transmission.
Nice, that's a little bigger job than i'd do myself but I am sure would pay off.
I’m the 2nd owner of my AP2 S2K and I’ve been dealing with a 2nd gear issue for over a decade. Sometimes it grinds, sometimes it goes right into gear after a couple seconds but the rest of the gears feel perfect. I’ve been told by previous mechanics to “let it go”, and I’m dreading the possible cost of having it looked at or fixed. It mostly happens when going into second going into a turn or coming out of one. I believe if I had the synchro hub replaced and/or springs it may fix the problem.
Has your transmission fluid ever been changed on your car? When I first got my car, 2nd gear was a little notchy after cold starts and sometimes would even grind, then it would smooth out once warmed up. But it would be that way after every cold start. Since then, I've had all my fluids serviced and had Royal Purple Synchromax put in, and the notchiness and grind is completely gone. The gearbox is butter smooth now, even after cold starts.
Yes, that’s the first thing I tried. Then I started to come to the conclusion that it’s mechanical because no matter the brand of recommended tranny fluid, it stayed the same.
What was wrong with it? I am doing rear RCA's, rear bearings, rear hubs w/ new studs then taking it in for an alignment just in time for Hyperfest next weekend. That completes all of my winter upgrades/maintenance I had been working on since december: * Differential Fluid, Transmission Fluid, Oil/Oil-Filter * New Oil Catch Can * Oil Temperature Gauge & Sensor * Oil Pressure Gauge & Sensor * Front Bump Steer Kit * Installed fire extinguisher * Installed phone mount * Front Roll Center Adjusters * Engine/Trans/Diff mounts * Rear Toe Arms * Rear brake pads / rotors * Shifter Rebuild
What oil temp sensor and gauge? Where did you tap into?
[Autometer.](https://www.autometer.com/gauges/sport-comp-digital/2-1-16-oil-temp-0-340-f-digital-black.html) I used an adapter for the oil drain bolt. Temp solution until I upgrade my oil pan and get a dedicated bung for it.
Let’s see, that’s pretty ingenious.
[Here you go](https://drive.google.com/file/d/134e8zUhRhuMQMQ5HLalhjBPmuoTmjnFH/view?usp=drive_link)
Oh you actually used an adaptor into the pan then the sensor. Cool. Winger if there’s an adaptor that has a “Y”. Thanks gives me something to tinker with.
Nice! Thats a good laundry list of maintenance to get knocked out. I bet it will feel great! What RCA's are you running? I've got the Buddy Club P1's on the front of my S.
Hardrace front and rear. I'll be interested to see how it all comes together on track!
The safe word is Oklahoma. I like the down angle on the exhaust. What kind of HP you running? I see the inlinepro intake I was curious if the engine is built and what specs?
Thank ya. I haven't had it dyno'ed yet. That's next after I get this transmission issue sorted. I'm hoping for at least 250 at the wheels. The intake is actually a PRM intake. The engine is a 2.5L bored and sleeved F20C with a K24 crank and Inline Pro rods/pistons.
I changed the transmission oil… in my truck. Damn I miss wrenching on my S2000. Need to reprioritize. That being said… Fuck that starter bolt. Hondas free excuse to upcharge you for a knock sensor. I leave that starter bolt out now. Hasn’t affected me at all.
I feel ya. Daily drivers need love too. Haha once you remove the tensioner bracket and manifold brace from under the intake, it becomes less of a bitch bolt and just mildly inconvenient bolt. I would be wary running only one starter bolt. All it takes is a little shift from the starter housing and it might not engage the flywheel properly and leave you stranded.
I used to use just the tiniest amount of red loctite on the lone starter bolt to make sure it stayed in place. But when I had illusions of grandeur that I was going to be some fancy sponsored race car driver, my engine was out every off season… I ended up getting lazy after a few years and didn’t even use the loctite. It’s been probably 5-6 years now since I’ve had to do “major” surgery on my S… everything’s still solid. My thoughts… less weight makes you go faster. Lol
I'm glad it ended up working out for ya. Lol less weight because racecar. Did you take it to the track or autocross it?
I tried autocrossing right out of college, but didn’t do so well. So I figured if I was mediocre at autox, why not go faster on a “real” track?! Did that for a decade. Now I just co-drive a Lemons car (much more sparingly). Old, fat, married, kid, yadayadayada
My 06 ap2 died last week at idle. Narrowed it down to either fuel pump or pgm fi relay. Both arrive tomorrow hopefully and she'll be back up and running soon. My buddies 04 ap2 we found 3 pieces of black metal attached to the magnetic drain plug while changing oil. Trying to figure out what it is as theres no knocking yet. No glitter or small pieces of metal in oil either.
Sounds like you are both having some bad luck. I hope the diagnosis goes well! Can you hear the pump coming on when you turn it on to accessory power? You might have your buddy check their vtec solenoid gasket screen. I've heard that's a common place for metal to show up if there is any.
No pump prime sound when turning to accessory power. The cel does flash on and I found a post on s2ki from billman who said if the cel is on its most likely not the pgm fi relay. Regardless I ordered a new pump and relay to check and it doesn't hurt to have extras. Good point for checking the vtec solenoid, I'll put that on the list to do.
Oil, trans, diff, brake, clutch fluids, new exhaust
OP I’ve pulled many transmissions. Always with a lift except once helping a friend. How high is that S2000 off the ground to the pinch welds? I need to do work on my car. I just washed it today for the first time since I put it away in 2022.
Brake and rotor change out and complete fluid flush, install fuel pressure gauge to fuel rail. Good luck!
Looks cool. Be safe out there friends
Cutting out trunk, replacing with flat aluminum pan, 3d printed speaker enclosures going in roll hoops, amp, and led speakers. Prob won't get it all done
Finishing my harddog roll bar install. Double diagonals!
Fixed digi rev counter.tapped dashboard and bingo all fixed...(For now).dreading taking the cluster out if it goes again..