Hey guys,

I am going to be test driving an S2000 this weekend ( in the rain ) and I wonder if there is anything I should specifically look for.

I have done my homework on the S2000 and have been lurking for almost 2 months now. The car only has 22,000 miles on it, but it is turbocharged and making decent power (434rwhp tuned by Inline pro). Carfax came back spotless.

First, the specific worries:

1 - Car has been used as a "fun" car as opposed to basic transportation. This pretty much negates the low mileage in my eyes, but what are your thoughts?

2 - Owner has been forthcoming enough to state that the car has been having slight overheating issues. He states the car has been seeing erratic 220-235F temperatures while driving normally. By all indications this is a recent development as he hasn't had time to check on the problem. I plan on picking up a leakdown kit from NAPA (has always given me accurate results) and testing the anti-freeze from any sign of a bad head gasket. If that is ok, and bleeding the system works, will there be any worries about heat stress to the head, valve train (supposedly titanium s/r), or bottom end? The very last thing I want to have to do is get the car in the garage and tear it down. What are the chances that the car randomly accepted air into the cooling system? Shouldn't SOMETHING be wrong with the car?

3 - The car has a 300ZX differential conversion kit. While this is a good thing considering the fragility of the S2000's differential, this would indicate possible launching of the car and inherent clutch abuse (Competition clutch). What are the chances that the clutch is anywhere near needing replacement at this mileage? The reason I ask is my fear of clutch jobs. I hate them.

Concerning all of the above, is there anything specific I should look for when checking out the car? Is a pre-purchase inspection at a dealership even going to catch the potential problems of a heavily modified car? This car is going to primarily be a weekend car, but will occasionally take over daily driver duties when my beater inevitably/frequently breaks down. As such, I don't want to have this car in pieces most of the time.

I have no hesitations about buying the car, but I'll walk away if I am not completely confident in my purchase. Please help!

Thanks,
Ryan

 

Depends what you want it for.

Turbo'd cars don't make the best track cars except in the 1/4 mile. They have overheating issues.

As a daily driver... I don't know if I'd be buying a car that randomly overheats and no one is sure why.

 

Well, its going to basically be a fun toy and backup car for the occasional problem with my daily driver. I figure if the hydrocarbon test turns out all right, any other problem will be minuscule by comparison. I called Inline Pro a few weeks ago and they said that the overheating issue wasn't likely to cause any major problems with the motor, but it could eventually. Hopefully there is just a bit of air in the system that is causing the thermostat to remain shut a little too long.


Any other input from those with experience?

 

I can speak from experience as I've owned a turbocharged S2000 and dealt with a few of them. First off, where are you located?

What kind of radiator does the car have? If it's stock, it's NOT GOING TO WORK! That might be why the car is overheating. You're going to need a Koyo at the least. Fluidyne would be optimal. Adding water wetter will help too.

Does the car have a stock hood? Turbo S2000 and non-vented hood is not a good idea. You're going to need ventilation so the heat can escape. I would also build some cold air ducting routed to the turbo/manifold area.

Turbo S2000's blow headgaskets like prostitutes blow... well you get the idea Is the car running lowered compression? Was it built internally or is the owner using a thicker headgasket to reduce compression? Were the headbolts retorqued after the first few heatcycles (<---VERY important to headgasket longevity on Turbo S2k's)? These are the questions you need to ask the owner!

One thing to be cautious of when dealing with modified cars is that, a lot of the time, enthusiasts are more apt to work on/deal with problems with the car rather than take it to get serviced. There might not be anything on the Carfax but that's only going to show when the car is brought to a shop. I'm not telling you not to buy the car - you're actually probably getting a much better deal than buying one and then adding the turbo so financially it's a good idea. Look at the overall condition. If things look shoddy or unkempt then it's a good indicator of how the owner treated the car. I beat the piss out of my car and didn't keep up with things (I was rear ended and used the insurance money to upgrade to a Garrett dual ball bearing turbo when I still had my journal bearing Turbonetics unit haha). My car was badass but it was nowhere near "sellable condition" and I ended up blowing the headgasket, getting water damage on the piston rings which then scored up the cylinder walls, and then spun a bearing. Think about how much money you can afford putting into the car if something were to break; the install and quality of parts are going to be a good indicator of how long the car will last.

Another thing, if you're not used to this kind of power, be very careful for the first several months because 400+ horsepower will kick you in the rear if you're not careful, especially with the S2000's extremely neutral handling. I added a 30mm front sway and 275 wide rear tires to help with keeping the rear end in check on mine. You are also not going to want to use this as a daily driver. Make sure you have a backup car in case things go wrong! Also, always carry a basic toolkit in your trunk. You never know when a coupler could blow or something to that nature.

Good luck!

 

if the car is overheating while being driven normal, the headgasket is probably blown. Around town, a turbo s2000 will behave similarly to a stock s2k, which means it won't over heat unless there is something wrong. All you need is to overheat the motor a tiny bit and the head can warp. Personally, i would stay away.

 

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=652641

That is the car, and I'm in Williamsburg, VA. No mention of aftermarket radiator. I guess the defining test will be the leak down/block test.

I do all my own maintenance/mods, so an S2000 head gasket would be relatively easy compared to the head gasket jobs I'm used to (Acura Legends). I have driven C6 corvettes, modded F-bodies, another 400rwhp S2000, etc so power isn't a concern. My main concern is having to do such a job immediately after buying the car, and incurring all the expenses that go along with it.

On a side note, this would be the first Turbo charged car I've ever owned/maintained, so there will be a learning curve.

Other than a leak down test, what should I be looking for? We are going to have to bleed the system anyways after emptying a good amount of anti-freeze for the test so if it is still misbehaving should I ask him to lower the price and try a performance radiator?

 

what was ur first 400rwhp s2000? supercharged?

 

It wasn't mine, sorry I worded that ambiguously. I have driven the above cars, some more than others, never owned them.

 

Welcome and good luck...

I'm really surprised the owner is letting you test drive in the rain. I wouldn't let anyone test drive my NA car in the rain let alone an FI car.

BTW...pics show an oem radiator.

 

Well, if its pouring down in Charlottesville on Sunday then I am not going to bother making the trip. If its damp then extra caution and respect for the rules of the road should be enough to keep the car out of the ditch.