Background story. Bought the car 2 days ago. Seller said he topped off oil before he sold it. I take full responsibility for being too complacent with what people say and being an irresponsible new owner. Found out today that I was driving it with no oil. Today was the only time the car ran like shit (Drove no more than 15mins) Dipstick could barely touch any oil. I heard a ticking sound when I stopped at a stoplight after I hit VTEC 15 seconds before but went away as soon as I started driving and it hasn’t came back. Topped off oil and she sounds normal. Did I get saved by the grace of god or am I still in danger? Any advice would be much much appreciated. Video below of the sound. You can hear the ticking faintly in the background.

 

How much oil did you need to add?

Thanks!

 

windhund: How much oil did you need to add?

I added 2 quarts and it’s lingering around L & 1st circle above L. Engine was super hot. Might’ve overheated? I was hoping to let it settle down for the night, check the oil level and add more oil depending on what it reads. Please let me know If you have any advice. Thank you

 

Did the low pressure warning light happen to come on at all? Even a flicker? You wouldn't have been the first person to run low on oil....Assuming it's an 00-03? Ap1s are notorious for consuming oil....Ask me how I know...

Take my input with a grain of salt, but if it sounds fine, and runs well, I'd say rest easy. Just ensure you get that oil full on the dipstick, but look up how to read it properly on here, as there's a particular way to do it (silly, I know). Next oil change inspect your drain plug and drained oil for the sparkly bits. OR you can send in a sample to Blackstone to check the contents. If you ran it low and did damage, there'd be clear evidence of excessive bearing material in the oil when it comes to an analysis over trying to verify visually.

Let's just put it this way - My buddy has an 02 with like 180k on it. He ran it so low on oil that VTEC would cut in and out because it couldn't maintain enough pressure....Car still runs fine and purrs like a kitten after he added oil....

None of these situations are ideal, not even close, but I believe you dodged a massive bullet. F2X's are becoming prohibitively expensive at this point, so depending on mileage and condition of the car, some people would sell the roller or K-swap as it almost becomes unjustifiable to replace it with an F-series again.

 

Even if there is an 1/8” of oil on the bottom of the stick, it will maintain oil pressure during most street driving situations.

Heavy cornering is a different story.

I think you’re fine.

 

Assuming your low oil pressure indicator is functional (lights up on the dash before starting the engine) I agree with Kyle that you're OK, I didn't hear any strange noises and with mechanical valve lifters there should be some clicky sounds. No noise can mean the valve clearance is too tight. Easy albeit tedious to verify.

Oil level is good as long as it's between the H and L marks on the dip stick. Do not needlessly top up to H constantly since some engines (not just the S2000) will burn some oil down to a certain level and stop. Top off and the engine will just burn down to that level again. Only add oil if the level is near or below the L mark. Checking every fuel stop is adequate until you determine what if any oil loss is happening. Early cars tend to use more oil than later models. I haven't needed to add engine oil to my 2006 car between oil changes in years for example. I recall the owner's manual says something like a quart every 1000 miles is OK.

An engine oil analysis is highly recommended especially for new-to-you cars. The results will either be terrifying or reassuring.

-- Chuck

 

Maybe you can do a sooner oil and filter change than usual. What model engine do you have (AP1 or AP2)?

Good luck!

 

If you damaged the engine, there's not much you can do about it now. Either you need a new engine or you don't. Do an oil + filter* change now, since the 2-3 quarts that were in the engine before you added oil are probably in rough shape.

For now, CHECK THE OIL EVERY 100 MILES. If you find the car not using any oil in 100 miles, you can relax this to every time you fill up with gas. Do this with every car you buy/own. You may never know when oil leaking/consumption starts, unless you check regularly.


*Use the correct Honda OEM 15400-PCX-306 oil filter, and torque it to 7/8 turn or 15-18 lb-ft. It is impossible to do this correctly by hand, you must use a wrench.

 

More information than you need as long as you get the correct oil filter from a Honda dealer and not off Ebay or even Amazon where counterfeits are claimed to be sold.

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/s2000-un...ersion-192750/

-- Chuck

 

You're checking oil on a flat surface? A driveway or street is typically not a flat surface, BTW.

If you are checking on a flat surface, it would imply that the previous owner either did NOT do an oil change...or only filled 2 or 3 quarts of oil during the change.

If the car isn't knocking, I think you're fine. It had oil in it. Just not the proper amount.

Do an oil change with the genuine Honda filter and the correct type/amount of oil. Buy the torque adapter so you can torque the filter. You cannot do it by hand.

Look at the old oil for signs of bearing material. Send a sample to an oil analysis lab if you want

Monitor the oil consumption (check at least every 200 or so miles) and drive as normal.