Hello, I have recently been shopping for a S2K and I have found what seems to be a reasonable deal on one not to far from me. It is a 2000 w/68K on it. the body and interior are in perfect shape, it needs a new set of tires but it drove fine.

I test drove the car and it ran fine, but as we were returning to the guys house I noticed that it had a tapping sound from under the hood...I poped the hood and listened to it ideling and my first impression was a quiet rod knock, but when the engine was reved the tapping went away, it seemed to be comming from the valve cover aswell. He said that he did not get the honda reccomended 60K tune up and the tune up includes a valve adjustment and he says that should take care of the problem.

He said he still had a 100K mile warrenty on the drivetrain so i gave him a deposit on the car and told him to take it to the honda dealer to have this service done and get a clean bill of health for the car before I paid in full.

What do you guys think that tapping could be and is it common with S2Ks? Also is there anything else that I should look for?

Thanks
-Curt

 

if it a slight tapping, its just injectors. s2000's have loud injectors and they will be heard. My friend has a 2005 with under 5k miles and his makes the same tapping as my 2000 with 80k miles. The valve adjustment period is actually 100k miles , not 60k , but id say to get it done far before 100k. How does it idle?

 

The F20C (engine in the North America S2000) is known for making a light valve tap at idle.

Many of us adjusted our valves long before the recommended interval (105k miles) for peace of mind. Properly adjusted valves also yield a smoother idle.

I hope that you realize that new tires for the S2000 are not inexpensive. OEM replacements will cost about $750 and lesser performing alternatives will run anywhere from around $400 and up.

 

well, this tapping was much louder than normal, my roomate has a high miles 00 S2K and his doesnt sound anywhere near as loud. the tapping Im describing doesnt sound metalic, more like ceramic pots clanking together. But like I said before the noise is comming from the VC and goes away as soon as you put load on the engine.

The car idled fine, no problems at all, however I did not get a chance to cold start the car, the guy told me he had driven it before I arrived.

 

well... you made the right decision on not buying it right away.. . see if he goes to honda, and gets you those receipts. Also verify it actually has the 100k powertrain warranty, and that it is fully transferrable. If the guy doesnt wanto cooperate 100% , get your down payment back, and walk. I also hope you are getting a good price, because tires arent cheap as coral said above.

 

I bought a set of yoko AVS's for my old car, they were pretty expensive, how much would a good set cost for the s2k and which ones would you reccomend for daily driving and an occasional weekend autoX

 

the stock tires are probably the best, no joke (potenza s02), but the wear is horrible, and they are hella $. Many people go for kumho ecsta mx tires, they are less expensive, and provide a ton of grip, wet and dry. the grip is much better in the wet than the s02's. They also have good reviews on tirerack, check it out.

 

yeah I was wanting a set of those Kumho's how wide can I get them on the stockers without having to worry?

 

You can put 225/245 on the stock wheels. If you're buying an aftermarket set, you HAVE to buy 245s on the rear. The OEM tires are wider than most 225s on the market. I'd just recommend you go with the Potenza SO2s

 

Could just be the timing chain tensioner. Costs about $130.