I know this problem has happend to at least 3 cars owned by members of this board.

I know it has been said that the problem is a "porous block" but it's still not clear to me what's happening.

Does anyone know the root cause or details of how the failure occurs???

 

The #4 failure and the porous block failure (and head) are different failures for different reasons.

Although we don

 

First, no one on this board knows what has caused a few (three or so) '01 F20Cs to have the #4 cylinder fail. I doubt Honda knows, but I bet they are looking.

Second, it seems like there have been very few #4 cylinder failures, too many, but still only a few of the several thousand '01 F20Cs.

These are the common characteristics: model year 2001, mileage between 650 and 2,900.

The problem looks like too little lubrication or too much heat at the #4 cylinder. Possible causes might be: too little oil in the engine, improper break-in, aggressive driving, after-market modifications, defects in the casting that prevent proper lubrication, defects in forming the carbon fiber reinforcement, defects in piston or ring manufacturing, tolerances slightly too tight. Perhaps there are other possibilites.

None of the above factors under my control (oil, break-in, driving) caused my own engine's failure. The oil was at the top of the dipstick. The break-in was according to the manual. I drove this car more aggressively than my '93 Prelude VTEC, but well within this car's design envelope.

Since no one knows what caused it, no one can tell you how to avoid it. Here is my advice, but it is just generic advice based on doing what you can.

Don't worry too much because it is very rare, probably less than one in a thousand thing and Honda will fix it if it happens. After all, the MY2000 has been out in the USA since mid-September, 1999, and the first time #4 cylinder came up on this board was December, 2000 in a MY2001.

Check the oil every time you buy gasoline for the first 5,000 miles or so, and then check less only if you know your car isn't consuming oil. Check at least every third gasoline fill up forever, no matter what. Check after any extended driving at higher revs. (My '93 Prelude never uses oil around town...none, but it used 1/2 of a quart on a recent highway trip that was mostly in VTEC territory.)

Don't put engine modifications on the car until you are willing to drive without a guarantee of warranty coverage.

Don't abuse the engine by missing downshifts and thus causing over-revving.

Observe the recommended break-in procedure. Avoid rpms above 5,500 for at least 600 miles. Avoid pedal to the floor rapid acceleration during the break in period. Avoid driving at constant rpm for more than half an hour during the break-in period.

I think some of us are focusing on this because we have a certain amount of fear of the unknown. However, the car is meant to drive. It has a warranty. It has a very sophisticated engine which is a large part of why we bought it and it will take some time to get a handle on this issue, both how many engines are affected and what really caused it. VERY FEW OF US HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM so we shouldn't over-react. I'm sure there are just as many or more difficulties with sophisticated engines from any other manufacturer.

Any of us willing to forego engine sophistication can just keep the rpms below 5,500 forever.

Barry in Wyoming

 

Right, Barry... BMW actually halted production of the new M5 for a while because the new engine was inexplicably eating crank bearings. Apparently Boxter engines are prone to some sort of failure as well. We just have to face the fact that highly tuned engines will have a failure rate.

 

Barry Wy, thanks for your extensive response. I've owned Honda's for the past 15 years and have never seen one burn much (a few ounces) of oil between 5000 mi. oil changes. As a matter of fact, in my '95 Prelude the oil level hardly ever changes at all.

I guess I've been fortunate.

 

After reading several post about crank #4 burn-out or engine block/head porous failure. It seems only to exist in 2001 models. Correct?
And assuming not every S2000 owner is active on this forum, there probably more problems then we read about. Although the percentage is still small, but still exists!
I am actually contemplating on waiting for the 2002 model, hoping that these problems are fixed and hopefully not introduce new ones. I know the car is warranteed and the dealer will fix any problems coming about, but it's just the fact of taking it in and having a "less skillfull" mechanic tearing out the engine and tranny. It will never be the same as it was when it came out from Japan. And to me, if the porous head failure is true, you will need a new block and head to fix it!
These problems seem pretty major!
But I guess nothing is perfect!
Just my speculations!

 

Socal28, your caution will make someone very happy: the person right behind you in line for an S2000!

I don't think there's any reason to believe the S2000 is less reliable than its ONLY real competition, the Boxster S.


If you are waiting for a high performance car to have no engine problems in the first 30,000 vehicles produced, you might have a long wait.

I am completely satisfied that my car is in "new" condition. The tranny and engine perform just like they did 4 November when I drove off the lot.

Barry in Wyoming...

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Barry WY Silver/Black '01
[B]Socal28, your caution will make someone very happy: the person right behind you in line for an S2000!

I don't think there's any reason to believe the S2000 is less reliable than its ONLY real competition, the Boxster S.


If you are waiting for a high performance car to have no engine problems in the first 30,000 vehicles produced, you might have a long wait.

I am completely satisfied that my car is in "new" condition.