Hey guys, I am a long time s2ki lurker and owner of a 2008 chicane silver for over 5 years with 60k miles on it. Its been a weekend cruiser and autocross weapon (stock on Nitto NT-05s - awesome tire, more on that later). I appreciate all the help this forum and community provide.

I love the car so much I impulsively pulled the trigger on a clean 2 owner 2004 suzuka (my favorite year s2k) with 47 miles for a great deal. There was a known catch though, there were a few things not right with the car that I figured I could fix on my own along with the helpful threads here on s2ki. Knowing what a 'normal' s2000 rides and feels like I was able to pinpoint what was not right with the 2004. There are still a couple of things I could not explain or find when searching. Wondering if you guys could help out:

-Car pulled left on hard acceleration: swapped wheels/tires from the '08, problem fixed - must be wheels and tires. Bought some Michelin PSS this week in stock sizes, what's left to be said about these tires that hasn't already - they are excellent. Still wish they made a 255/40 for the back, oh well.

-Starter grind on cold start: apparently a benign issue, moving on.

-Second gear grind: Fixed with Billman250's write ups. You're awesome man, I owe you a beer or ten if you drop by Texas. Second gear still pops out sometimes, not often enough to be a nuisance like the grind was.

-Cooling fan stays on start up and continues to stay on: Going to try some of the fix suggestions from my searches. Not like it will cause any problems in the meantime from what I've gathered.

Now the stuff I can't figure out:

-Getting on the throttle hard and off throttle abruptly feels "rubbery" like the clutch is worn. This was the case before and after Billman's clutch adjustment. Are these the symptoms of a clutch on it's way out? 47k miles is low but not sure about driving habits of the previous owners.

-Engine is slow to drop RPMs. Already changed the oil with Mobil 1 synthetic right when I bought the car.


Thanks for your help guys, awesome group of owners for an awesome car. If I had the space and money it wouldn't be hard to convince myself to buy a third or fourth one!

 

Cooling fan: is your AC switch or front defrost setting turned on?

Rubbery feel: Check out the engine mounts.

Pull from side to side on acceleration: Tyres may be the issue. Or just tyre pressure.

Engine slow to drop RPM: Sticking throttle? Any CEL's on?

 

Unlike your DBW '08 the '04 has a mechanical cable throttle so check that to be sure it's releasing the throttle when you lift off the pedal. Good bonding experience with one of your kids (with the engine off!). Also check the cruise control as that's also a mechanical connection (with another cable) to the throttle.

Did the new tires fix your slewing issue? BTW: Bridgestone S-04s come in 255/40. I have these on the rear of my '06.

-- Chuck

 

B serious: AC and defrost are off. Will check the engine mounts and throttle cable.

Chuck S: Will check throttle cable... I know its drive by cable (why I prefer the 04-05 models ) instead of DBW but did not consider it as a source. Thank you two for the help. Will have to ask a friend since I don't have any kids... a big reason why I am able to have 2 of these cars!

Yes, changing the old unevenly worn tires which were made of wood to new Michelin Pilot Super Sports fixed the problem. Rear passenger wheel is out of true which is likely why the uneven tire wear occurred to begin with. Now it has an almost unnoticeable slight pull on acceleration to the right instead of left probably because of the wheel but NOTHING like the pull was before. You could steer the car with acceleration/deceleration before, now you can accelerate with your hands off the wheel and stay in your lane.

Considered S-04s and Hankook RS-3 V2s, the MPSS was within $100 for the set and available that week at the local tire shop so I went with those.

 

Changed some driving habits by letting off the throttle ever so slightly earlier than I do with my 08 and there seems to be a lot more harmony with changing gears - similar to what I've been used to for the last half decade. Maybe drive by wire and drive by cable systems ARE truly that much different.

Engine mounts look ok. No sticking of the throttle when I play with it from the engine side. Car also stalls on 6th gear roll from stop, maybe it isn't the clutch. May address some maintenance bits such as spark plugs. I have also wanted to try Hondata, maybe now is a good time to give it a shot.

 

The TB on the DBW cars is larger than the 04-05 resulting is a different feel as well. You could get a larger TB for the 04-05 and it would likely feel similar. Hondata Flashpro only works on DBW cars. 00-05 need a full ECU like Kpro or AEM in order to tune since Flashpro only works on the DBW cars.

I would guess the car needs an alignment. Good thing to do now to prolong your new tires life. Also look into the Euro alignment specs as those are popular over the USDM ones.

Trans stuff is a bit odd. Have you changed all the fluids? Trans, clutch diff? May need a new clutch slave cylinder? The hose could also be worn and need replacing.

 

Thanks for the insight on the throttle bodies and ECU differences on the year models, never knew this!

Alignment to come after a small drop maybe coils (all for show really) in the next month work allowing. There won't be more than 50 miles put on these tires in the next month anyway.

Only changed the oil. Have not touched trans, clutch or diff. These are also on to do list. I'll check clutch hose this evening. How can I test my clutch slave cylinder? Is this a normal wear item?