Can anyone with an 06 S2000 verify that the part I circled in red is now plugged up with a cap in the 06 models?

 

Yes, the air pump was nixxed from the new S2000.

 

what does that air pump do anyway? I hear it going every time I turn my car on?

 

So, the air pump is the pump that was behind the drivers side faux vent right? So could this mean a better CAI design since it doesnt have to use the slot all the way across to the passenger side faux vent?

 

it is a function of emissions.
the engine needs to be rich when cold to stay running, well that pumps soot into the atmosphere (CO or carbon monoxide) well, thats what the cat converter does, burn off any unburnt fuel, and partially burnt fuel. well, the cat cant ignite when cold, and soot is being poured into it. it needs a flame to light off, well that only happens once the engine is warm. well, to cutback on emissions on cold start, they realized if you add air by the exhaust valve, the left over fuel is still hot enough to ignite. so when you hear the air pump, it is adding air into the exhaust igniting the left over fuel, and causing a flame to be tickling the front of the cat, and getting that little oven lit up soon after you start the car, instead of 10 minutes down the road once the motor is in closed loop.
does that help? hehe. best i could describe it so normal folk will understand. later dave

 

"Normal folk"



So any ideas why they would get rid of it in the 06??

 

as far as my research went, air pump is only used for S2000 in honda line-up. plus, honda have to cover it under the warranty for 7yrs in lieu of EPA standard. well... honda's airpump has been seizing left and right. mine seized like it was bolted on. other members seized because plastic backing melted. it costs $650 from dealer. (for other cars, it's between $50 ~ $250) since lowest price I found new was $450, I assume it will cost dealer $400. it doesn't make sense to keep this around and keep on fixing it. I'm glad they got rid of it and I want to know how they did it without triggering CEL.

and last, the idea looks like it came from mid-50's. old muscle cars have it such as corvette.

 

until i have all the info, the possibilities are endless. for one, better throttle control, due to the dbw setup is the main key. before you relied on idle air control (IAC, a controlled leak around the throttle blade) to make the car idle high enough not to stall while warming. now, the throttle plate is controlled by the ecu, and can do what it feels best to keep the car idling. IE throttle plate open further, and car running leaner, so cat lights off way quicker.
along side this neat new setup, youll see most likely zero difference in your idle no matter what condition. AC kicks on, youll never know. VW's have this, and have had for a while. so i work with this stuff all day. many neat problems arise. hope honda isnt plagued with any of them.
anyways, i dont wanna get overtechy, later dave

 

I agree, but I thought it added the air to the intake (hence the line into the intake tube). I don't recall seeing any tubes running into the exhaust and I've taken everything out from the exhaust ports back.

 

I do agree that I did not see any type of tube going to exhaust. I think it uses air pump valve that's behind the engine.

for that tube on intake, that's the line to feed air to air pump. it does require "filtered" air. from air pump, air is pumped to air pump valve.