OKay. The dealer now recants his earlier statement and advises that the clutch is not yet burned out but is slipping. He blames the slipping on how the car is being driven and advises the S2000's are very sensitive (???) in this area!! Now I have owned many stick shift cars, even a prior 6 spd sports car and have never in all my life even managed to wear out the clutch on any one of them - or even obtain this lovely smell that they tell me is caused by my clutch slipping. They tell me to try letting the clutch out a little faster! Now they tell me to take the car back (they have made no repair) and try driving it for a week. The big question is...Will the odor ever go away?? I bought the car brand new and have never had this odor..now it smells like this constantly..you cannot smell it in the car but if you put the window down or stop there is this horrible stench coming from under my hood! I didn't think this was normal unless the clutch is continuing to burn...And I am not burning up the clutch!! Is it possible there is something in the clutch assemby causing it to bind and burn and make this odor?? I am almost embarassed to drive the car smelling like this...Help! Not to mention the fact that I now have concerns about the clutch having some issues as well! And could severe clutch chatter have anything to do with this? It has chattered pretty bad since day one but several people told me that was normal and there was nothing that could be done (including the dealer). Any thoughts?

 

I've got the same problem! I thought at first I was dragging a dead animal. JAGlady thought it was the chili I had for lunch.

This is a surprising design flaw! You'd think that a high performance car would have a high performance clutch! I dread the inevitable day when I confront my dealer with this.

Anybody have advice?

 

MyBad:

More than likely, it is when you "drive on" the clutch. Some folks call it "burning" the clutch. If you don't release the clutch soon enough and accelerate too quickly, the clutch rubs harshly and a horrible "cat piss" smell eminates from the car.

The very first time in my '00, I took this guy for a ride from my office and I backed out of the parking space and then really revved hard (tried to impress ). At any rate this smell started to eminate and I thought it was the "guy!"

It was an awful smell and the first time ever I had experienced it!

At any rate, I did it maybe another two times and then never ever again!!! Whew!

With my '02, I have yet to ever do this, thankfully!

Don't worry, unless you do this on a constant basis.

BTW, MyBad, perhaps if you would try and put more than 3k miles, then you'd have a better experience!

Kidding. . .

 

are you sure it isn't the exhaust smell? being new, it takes a few hundred miles for the exhaust smell to go away.

 

1) Find another Honda dealer.
2) Tell them you hear deceleration noise.
3) Refer them to TSB
4) Get new clutch and say goodbye to smell.


If you want to do it the honest way call the AHM customer line..

 

I'm not sure about the clutch explanation. I drove a couple used S2000s a few weeks ago and both had this peculiar odor, almost toxic in nature. The dealer said it was windshiled wiper solution burning off (although we hadn't used the wipers in either car). Maybe it was the clutch, although I use a clutch all the time and never smelled anything like this.

 

airgate,
Thanks for the tip. You'll be proud to know that I've broken 4k miles! Not counting trips, I'm up to an average of around 5 miles a day!

 

5 miles a day! Poor you, I would hate not being able to drive my 50 a day! >:0 gives me some quality time with my car, and tailgating people who drive 50 in the goddamn left lane! No really, I wish I had a commute like yours

 

You guys don't know what a clutch burning smells like?

Go out,
start your car,
pull ebrake up,
hold clutch half way down,
start revving.

you'll smell it.

Anyways, its either you're riding on the clutch too much, not releasing quickly enough, or you're riding on the clutch too much.

Do what KeithD said.. I know I need to get my clutch replaced..
I heard AP1s were much easier on clutches than the AP2.. where the flywheel weight was significantly increased and they came out with the CDV (clutch delay valve).

Combination of the heavy f/w, CDV, and poor engagement all leads to clutch failure.

 

2002!! Two thousand freakin' TWO!

OMFG! Wow...