Fellow s2000 aficionados:

I am currently leasing an'03 s2000, which I picked up new. I have a little over 50k mi. on it. I have been driving cars with manual transmissions for over 21 years. My last car was a del sol and the clutch did not warrant replacement until after over 110,000 mi. The clutch on my car prior to the del sol lasted up to around 90,000 mi.

I have begun to experience issues with the transmission; i.e, I have trouble putting my s2000 in gear. It gets easier as the car warms up. But, it is not at all like when the clutch used to spring and the car could be put in gear easily.

Any information regarding this issue would be welcome and appreciated.

 

Replacing the transmission dope is usually a good place to start.

 

raymo19:

Do you mean replace the transmission fluid and the clutch fluid?

Thanks for the advice.

 

If you've changed neither for 30K+ miles, then definitely. And the diff fluid as well. The problem you described (gear engagement) could be fluid related or you may indeed have a clutch problem. I would replace the fluids and then see if it improves.

 

raymo19:

Thanks for the advice. I did notice that the clutch fluid level is at the minimum mark. So, I will add dot 3 brake fluid and see if there is any improvement. I am trusting that is all that will be required to fix the problem.

 

If you haven't and don't plan to change the other fluids as well, SOON, then I hope your lease is up in the very near future.

I would advise checking the manual for the 30K service. Many of the folks on this site who know best would advise transmission and diff fluid changes either annually or bi-annually.