Heyas,

I got the car a month ago and while inspecting it, the plugs had to be changed. I won't do this myself, i have a trusty mechanic that does all this stuff for me (while i'm still trying to learn hehe). The car is an AP1 2002. I bought it from the original owner who kept all receipts of maintenance etc. One of the receipt is about the recall on the spark plug but it says that they "loosen" them. Maintenance was always done by a Honda dealer and all i could find about the recall on the spark plugs is actually to "tighten" them from 13lbs to 18lbs. I'm guessing that the receipt only has a typo on it. The recall was made while the car had around 5000kms (3000 miles) and it's now at 59700kms (~37000 miles), so i guess problems would've popped by then.

On a side note, should the new plugs be tighten to 18lbs now (just to make sure) ?

Best regards,

trep

 

the early plugs from the factory had issues with the washer design so they loosened easier than other plugs would. Definitely tighten plugs to 18 foot lbs.

 

see if the current plug has the what I believe is an S at the end of the product # which designates the new syle recall plug

 

My ap1 plugs came loose and the compression ripped off 1 of my plugs from the head... had to take out the head and send it to a shop for new treads... now my plug are at 22lbs

 

I recommend DIY if you want to learn. This task is a great opportunity as it is a very easy job. You will need some tools though, torque wrench ($20-30) and spark plug extractor (sub $10).

 

Imo would spend a little more on a torque wrench, or borrow a good one instead

 

Well, after reading about the subject, i've found evidence that the plugs were changed and torque to spec as part of the recall. They will be changed today anyway as suggested by the mechanic who inspected them.

I'm not feeling confident trying my mechanic skills on the s2000 hehe. I've got another car i could start working on but before all that, I just want to watch mechanics working on the car etc. (just like a kid hehe). Also, being a bit ignorant on the mechanical side doesn't help and i tend to feel like cars are very fragile (much more than it is in reality). Gaining knowledge will certainly help on this side i guess.

Thanks for the inputs !

trep

 

With such low miles its really not necessary to replace the plugs. Remember the thread inserts on the heads are aluminum and weak, bad idea to change plugs more then its actually needed.

 

In Canada, when the sparkplug recall was done back in the first couple model years, the tech would use a metal punch and stamp a "." right above the "1" in the serial number on the firewall near the battery. This tells all dealers that the recall was done. The dot is quite obvious because it really doesn't look like it belongs there.
As for not changing the plugs any more than necessary due to aluminum heads, this a fallacy. Look at guys who track their cars. Many change their plugs regularly and frequently to get that last bit of "edge" and to vary the plugs temp range dependent upon the conditions of track day. So long as the proper plug is used and anti-seize is used where necessary (some plugs don't require anti-seize) and the proper torque is not exceeded (18 lb/ft for the S2000), no harm will come to the threads in the head. Only where the installer is "ham-fisted" and shouldn't really be let loose with any kind of tool, will misfortune happen.
Hell, even the oiljet banjo bolt recall in Europe in the early 2000's resulted in S2000 engines getting ruined from idiot "expert" Honda techs cross threading the bolts and not seating them properly using the guide notch. There were several reported in this forum over 10 years ago.
Honda recommends sparkplug change intervals well in excess of 100K miles. If you've ever seen the condition of some S2000 plugs after only 50K miles, you will know that this is one Honda decree that should be taken with a big grain of salt. This has also been evident on the topic of change intervals for the tranny fluid. Blind faith in mother Honda can sometimes lead to an unhappy outcome.
Plug change intervals are long in modern day cars NOT because of aluminum heads. It's because on most other cars, the plugs do last that long. With the S2000, we don't have a "normal" engine. Plugs can last a long time but depending on the operating conditions of each individual car, plugs need to be change and the very least, checked periodically. One bum 10 buck plug can blow an engine.

 

Well, the gap was down to like 0,039 (or something like this). Mechanic said they had to be changed when he saw that. Throttle body was cleaned at the same time and car runs much better now (at least, i really felt a difference).

I share the same opinion as xviper, just because they tell you that it "should" last X miles doesn't mean it will. It depends on a lot of factors besides milage imo, weather, usage, age etc.

As for the recall, I also read that the mechanic who did the recall must put a sticker in the owner's manual that states new torque spec for the plugs. That's how I found it was done (also had the receipt about it). I tried seeking the punch on the VIN around the engine yesterday but couldn't find it. Out of curiosity, i'll take another look since i know the exact location now

Regards,

trep