I bought this 2000 S2000 off a guy for very cheap bc of a knocking engine. I plan on having it rebuilt but I don't have a lot of knowledge about these engines. I did some digging to noticed when I turn the car on it knocks but when I rev it slightly it goes away. Also the TCT gushes oil, not leaks but more like spits out oil. Now I prepared for the worst, incase I may need a new engine but I'm a little hopeful maybe the previous owner missed something. What steps should i take to verify the engine is bad? Any help is appreciated first time exposed to this platform.

 

There are folks here who can diagnose that sound as the timing chain (or not). They will need audio taken from X number of feet in front of the car with the hood closed.

Timing chain is still my first suspect with that notorious Ballade timing chain tensioner noted for it's ability to dramatically over-tension the timing chain and damage the engine.

Start your research on replacing it. It may be just this simple. TCT, timing chain, and chain guides are still available.

Note there haven't been replacement engines for years and rebuilding them is sketchy. If it's just the valve gear, cams, or timing chain you may be able to save the car.

Best of luck. There's plenty of help here.

-- Chuck

 

Don't get your hopes up too high but you may have found yourself a gem. That's the timing chain tensioner. It's an aftermarket one made by Ballade Sports. This is an opinion but many people think the same - Ballade is a poorly run company that sells some junk parts. Their business practices are questionable and a lot of "their own" parts are repackaged crap. This is probably one of them. That could be noise just from the crap timing chain tensioner.

If it was me, I'd probably look on this forum or on ebay for a known "good" OEM tensioner. OEM ones are known to go bad and sound kinda like cards in bike spokes. You can search that issue on here. I've pre-emptively replaced them on the two cars I've owned (03 and 06) @ about 86k miles each and my OEM ones were fine. Having a noisy used OEM one is a risk that you run unless you're willing to buy new OEM. If you were to do that, you'd be best off buying a tensioner from Billman250 on this forum. If you search, you'll find him and you'll need to make a few posts to PM him. He modifies OEM ones to not break and does a nice job at it. If you're planning to use an F series no matter what, that's probably your best option. You'll want to have one anyways. If you just want to verify this engine, it may be worth taking the risk of purchasing a used one. Will need to make sure it is complete or it could damage your engine. Up to you where that risk/reward lies. It's about finding a good tensioner or at least a better one than that POS and seeing if you've got knock or just tensioner noise.

From there, you've got other decisions to make but that's the first thing for sure.

Also, do you happen to be located near Garden Grove, CA? I ask because that's where Ballade is. They like to do some goofy stuff with the head and altering timing chain geometry. If near there, it's possible PO let them butcher it.

 

Thank you! I’m looking into purchasing one right now, I’ll go cheap oem for now just to verify it’s the issue, going to check the oil and filter for metal shavings as well.

 

also I’m in Mira Loma, not to far from Gardena

 

Good idea on buying the cheaper OEM one. You can use it for the core return, so you're not even throwing money away if the OEM TCT is bad.