Greetings,

I purchased my 2000 S2000 a few months ago and decided to change the intake valve retainers and keepers to ap2 last weekend. After removing the camshafts, I found the rear half of the #5 intake journal, cap, and corresponding cam surface have increased wear. All other surfaces look as expected. I plan to remove the vtec assembly and inspect the oil screen. Is this common for the F20 engine? Is this an issue that I need to address?

 

That´s the firewall side. My guess is, that this is the very last bearing wich get oil feeded with pressure after the engine is started. Maybe Billman could tell more.
If this would be mine, i would very carefull and smootlhly polish it and go on. That´s the simplest option.
I have seen worse camsahft bearings on Japanese Motorcycle engines from owners wich dont understand a thing about engines . E.g. If the engine is cold, rev it to the moon. But the engines run long, nevertheless.

To avoid this, when ever you start the engine, give it a few seconds to pump the oil to all bearings bevore you rev it and drive away. On my Motorcycle, i allways start the engine, then put my gloves and helmet on, and then drive away. Same with the S2000... Start the engine, then fasten the seatbelt, adjust the volume of the stereo, search for your sunglasses etc...

As a side note, why did the S2000 FSM sevice manual dont contain a diagramm of the Oil path and circulation in the engine like any other FSM i ever read?

 

I never thought of that not being in there.

Happy New Year!

 

Correct.

That's also my belief for the cause of the damage. Start it up cold and immediately drive away. I always let my vehicles warm up a bit before driving slowly until normal operating temp is reached, but unfortunately this car has been owned by others for 24 years. There is no reason to not let your car warm up a little bit before driving but some people insist it's unnecessary because of tighter tolerances of newer vehicles and fuel injection.

Billman's input would also be very appreciated since he has worked on more of these engines than most people. The first thing I did was install his improved TCT on my car and his workmanship appeared to be high quality.

That's the direction I am leaning because I don't see this condition worsening with proper habits like letting the engine warm a bit. Opinions from other knowledgeable people would be welcome and help ease my mind about re-installing this after a slight polish. I have wanted a sports car for a long time and the dream has become reality, but I can't afford to wreck this expensive engine.

I have never noticed oil path circulation diagrams but only have the FSM for the S2000 and one other vehicle. The rest are Haynes and Clymer. Now I need to look.

 

German Owners manual of the S2000 states that you should let the engine idle for a few minutes after starting if the temperature is below freezing point or if the car was sitting for a few days.
But, as we all know, reall, grown man dont need instructions. They know everything. Only geeks and nerds read instructions and manuals.


Fun fact: The german owners manual also reminds you that letting a engine idling after start is not allowed in germany. (for enviroment reason)

 

It may snow in Munchen but those Deutsch lawmakers never lived in Minnesota. When it is -45F or -42C outside and you successfully start your car, you will want to idle the thing. A few years back, a particularly low cold snap for several weeks forced those good Alaskan citizens to leave operational vehicles running 24/7 or they would never resort. Had some interesting aviation impacts as well and not just for starting motors!

It is common to see auto options for heaters on engine blocks and see them plugged in at home and at establishments around town. I would remove the battery from my beater and store it overnight in my hotel bathtub with hot water so it would crank it out to the max in the morning.

 

When I bought my first Hondas back in the 90's the owner's manuals used to suggest idling the car for 2 minutes after start up to let the oil circulate and warm up to protect the motor. I think they would still agree with that if it wasn't considered an environmental no-no by some groups.

 

One of the reasons why the Germans lost WW2 was the cold Russian winters, which the German engineers did not consider when designing their gas engines. It was argued that the Soviets' loose-tolerance diesel engines were better suited to the sub-freezing winters of Russia.

The German Army often built fires under their tanks and half-tracks at night to keep the oil from congealing — and even that didn't work on the coldest nights.

 

@Billman250 do you agree that a slight polish to remove potential high spots would be sufficient in this case?