I bought an 03 S2 about a week ago with 117k miles.. Its making a grinding noise only on a cold start. The engine will fire up fine and once it begins to actually idol for that first .5 to 1 second its a harsh metal on metal grind. Then the car seems to run fine after that. A buddy of mine said it was the tensioner since my car was lagging a bit in all gears especially in low and mid rpm, so we replaced the tensioner and the car runs better with much less lag in all areas.. until the next morning when i started it up and the same grinding noise.. it seems to go away when the car is warm.. please help.. Thank you.

 

starter

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Does it sound like a zzzzzcchhhhhtttttt?

 

as iam7head said, it's most likely your starter motor going out. it does not affect your car negatively. just replace it when it starts to do it everytime you start.

 

i live in CO and its very cold and i have the same problem

its the serpentine belt and oil you are using, if its cold
use 5w-30 or even 0-w30
and it will go away

 

to me it sounds like your starter, as mine has done it too.

 

(i'm laughing right now cuz ^^^^ quoted me LOL)

sounds like a common problem we have.
you can grease/lube the starter gear or just deal with it.....mine has been doing it a few times a month during the winter for like 3 years,...the timing chain tentioner noise is constant ticking not a grind
https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/655...#entry14930152

 

Done my researching and it's due to the starter. Don't remember the full explanation, but the starter gear is sticking and causing the grind. The sound should be similar to pushing the PushStart button (or turning the key in the ignition on a regular car) while the engine is already running. The solution is to lube up the gear. Moving to a warmer region helps too I'm moving to AZ from WI.

This does not damage anything, just an annoyance. I get it on my S2000, too. It's a common S2000 problem.

 

LOL! Yeah, you gotta admit it's pretty funny.

anyway, it's your starter.. don't worry too much. your serpentine belt has nothing to do with this.. if anything the belt would make a squeaking sound.