RadeRadak

My '00 s2000 was making some metallic grinding sounds late last week so i took it into a local honda specialist to have it checked out. When they drained the diff fluid, pieces of metal came out and they told me all was not well. So far i have been quoted a little over $1000 in internal parts that must be replaced; but there may be more as the technician fears that the clutch plates may have been damaged as well. The shop told me it will be another $1000 dollars if that is the case! My car only has 38,000 miles and is driven normally NEVER any drop clutch takeoffs or anything like that. The thing that makes a me a bit concerned is that no more than 3 weeks ago the car had its 30,000 mile service performed at the local dealer. I believe that that included a diff fluid change but am not certain. Could that be the source of my cars trouble?

Anyway, I have a few questions that the tech couldn't give me definite answers on because it was the end of the day and he couldn't phone Honda in time.

a) If my car is ordered with MY2000 parts, will they be updated to the standards of the later diffs (like 02+) that are not prone to fail? I'm not too excited about dropping 2 grand if this stuff is gonna take a shit in another year.

b) Am i better off installing a used MY2003 diff that has like 30K miles to save money? I know this is an updated design, but i worry about how this will last.

I am a bit pissed because i bought this f*cking car with the idea that it wouldn't break like the european cars i had had prior. I love my s2000 but she seems to be digging her own grave in my eyes!

SilverKnight

they probably used wrong diff fluid. CRV AWD maybe....

I don't hear any metal noises in my car but what did yours sound like conditions, loudness etc, just in case any members need to know?

Do you have the extended warranty?

xviper

I am going to assume that you have the OEM diff since new.
First, the OEM diff DOES NOT have clutches in it. Being this is the case, RUN, DON'T WALK from that service dept. Next, like SilverK just said, it is likely that they have been putting in the WRONG fluid into the diff this whole time. If you can prove this, you're home free. Many dealers mistakenly put the fluid that is meant for the CRV and Pilot. It is call VTM-4. Honda has a directive to all dealers to NOT use this fluid but dealers can be very dense about this sort of thing. Honda DOES NOT have an "in-house" diff fluid that is suitable for our cars. They must go to their motorcycle division to get the right stuff.
Also, an annual diff fluid change is minimal. If this was not done, then the diff can go KABOOM!
With 38,000 miles on the car, the diff fluid should have been changed about 4 times. This includes the first one that should have been early (within the first few thousand miles). This is not in the maintenance schedule but many have reported that this first change can be very important depending upon how the car is driven.
If you feel the urge to put in a whole new diff, I would suggest looking into putting in an '04 diff. They are built slightly stronger than all the previous models. I believe this was done because Honda suspected there was a "weakness" in the older diffs, given the way that N. Americans drive.

apex2k

[QUOTE=RadeRadak,Aug 23 2004, 11:42 PM] So far i have been quoted a little over $1000 in internal parts that must be replaced; but there may be more as the technician fears that the clutch plates may have been damaged as well.

apex2k

Damn, xviper, between my slow-ass typing and the wine . . . . .

I swear I was all over this.

(I'm a snoozer, boozer, and a loser.)

xviper

Sorry, want me to delete mine?

apex2k

[QUOTE=xviper,Aug 24 2004, 01:18 AM]Sorry, want me to delete mine?

jyeung528

keep us updated on what caused the failure.

RadeRadak

i think that I wrongly said "clutch plates" instead of "clutch packs" as the tech told me on the phone. Anyway, those are toast too so he talked me into ordering a diff with 17k miles out of a 2003 from a reputable salvage yard. At first I insisted on having new parts put into the car, but he insisted on using this salvage company which will cost me less than half than new parts. He said that he called honda and asked them if new parts would be updated as not to fail again, but they denied any knowledge that 00+ diffs are fragile. I should also mention that i am using an independent shop because my experience with the local honda dealer has been HORRIBLE. I supposedly will get my car back on friday, which i look forward to, but I don't know whether or not i will keep it.

aklucsarits

It looks like you recieved some excellent advice from the posters here 3 days ago when you initially created this thread, but then you chose to completely ignore that good advice...

Andrew