S2000 Under The Hood S2000 Technical and Mechanical discussions.

Cylinder Head Options

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Old Sep 28, 2025 | 02:58 PM
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Default Cylinder Head Options

Hello everyone,

I recently discovered my motor has low compression in cylinder 1 which explains my misfire and rough idle but smooth driving. Performing a valve adjustment showed that both intake and exhaust valves were extremely tight.

I believe my valves are burned up and leaking and I figure the next course of action is to repair the cylinder head.

I see some cylinder heads local to me and am wondering if it's worth buying a used good one after I test it for straightness and leakdown or sending mine to a shop to rebuild?

Thanks!
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Old Sep 28, 2025 | 03:05 PM
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Any details of age, milage, previous owners, you know, an abbreviated history of the car?
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Old Sep 28, 2025 | 03:16 PM
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Are you referring to the cylinder head for sale or my car?
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Old Sep 28, 2025 | 04:04 PM
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You need to do a leakdown test (after valves properly adjusted) to co firm leak is valves, and only valves.

Where you hear air leak hiss, will tell ypu if leak is valves vs rings, and intake or exhaust valves.

If your valves seats aren't really bad, you might be able to just get new valves, lap them, new valve seals just because. You might not need a new head.
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Old Oct 1, 2025 | 03:07 AM
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Rebuild. Read the service manual
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Old Oct 2, 2025 | 04:38 AM
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Do the valve adjustment. See if that fixes the issue.

If it does, why rebuild the head? You haven't confirmed burnt valves. So maybe they're fine.
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Old Oct 3, 2025 | 04:18 AM
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Originally Posted by B serious
Do the valve adjustment. See if that fixes the issue.

If it does, why rebuild the head? You haven't confirmed burnt valves. So maybe they're fine.
Do VA

Do leakdown test & compression test

Evaluate results
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Old Oct 7, 2025 | 10:18 AM
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When I removed my cylinder head at 200,000 km, the valves were leaking, the exhaust valves needed replacing, the intake valves were at min. of spec, and the valve seats and valve guides were worn. I replaced everything except the valve seats. S2000s run for a lot of miles, but that doesn't mean everything is fine. If you check everything with the HELMs manual, many things will be worn out, out of spec.
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Old Oct 8, 2025 | 08:43 AM
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Performed a leakdown test. I have 27% loss in cylinder one and I can feel air escaping from cylinder 2 spark plug hole. I also can hear air coming from out the back exhausts. No air coming from coolant though.
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Old Oct 8, 2025 | 08:44 AM
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Already did the valve adjustment. Performed a leakdown as well. Air is leaking from cylinder 2 even though I’m leak down testing cylinder 1 at TDC.
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