Petah78

Has anyone tracked a MY00 or MY01 for a period of time without replacing the OEM valve spring retainers and oil spray banjo bolt? I see many guys running a completely stock engine for thousands of miles without issues but i am not sure how these engines are used. I have also read report that if you plan on exposing the car to any track use, these items should be replaced. Anyhow, just wanted the feedback from guys who make frequent trips to the track.

Thanks.

ZDan

I've done 18 track days in my '01 over the past three years. I did replace the banjo bolts before I tracked it, but not the retainers. No probs so far... When I checked the valves last year (after maybe 14 track days?), there was no evidence of retainer crackage.

Petah78

Thanks for the reply. How much mileage do you have on your engine?

ZDan

It was at 38k when I bought the car in Feb '07, now at 96k. Most recent track event was two days at Monticello, NY two weeks ago.

samsam5886

I bought my 00 used at 64,500 miles without prior track usage and I started to track it at around 70,000 miles. I did 3 track days with the stock engine until I decided to put in the AP2 retainers and updated oil jet banjo bolts. The guy who took the retainers out said they still looked fine. I've done 4 more track days after that and now I am thinking about a baffled oil pan for extra protection. So far so good.

If I were to start over, they would be the first things I'd do to extend the life of the engine.

ZDan

You can inspect the retainers to look for indications of cracks. Not looking for cracks themselves, but rather where the keepers and the top of the valve are in relation to the top of the retainer. The top of the valve should be well clear of the top of the retainer, and the tops of the keepers should only be slightly below the top of the retainer. If the keepers are sunken down a bit, and the top of the valve closer to the top of the retainer, could be trouble ahead...

There are pics somewhere around here showing good vs. not-good.

My understanding is that the AP1's retainer issues are directly related to overrevving, and that they should be reliable as long as the engine hasn't seen excursions too far above the rev limiter.

Petah78

I have read reports that retainer problems are directly related to mechanical over rev in most cases but i have also heard of cases where it failed under without excessive abuse.

dan_uk

I had my retainers changed recently at 35,000 in my 03 after shifting from redline in 3rd to 2nd and a fair bit of track abuse and they looked fine

I feel a lot better now its done though

Momentum

I've done the banjo bolts but not the retainers.