I told the dealership to stop working on the car and that I'll be picking it up this afternoon. I told them about the lower price of a new diff from majestic, and they lowered the price to $3500 in parts and $560 in labor. I'm going to take it home, jack it up and see if there is anything out of the ordinary on the brakes and on the underside and on/near the diff. After seeing how much wanted to charge me for the parts, I just don't trust this dealership anymore.

Is there anything I should be out on the look for when I put the car on the stands? Can anyone recommend a good mechanic or help in Chicago?

 

I would suspect as Ben said a dragging brake caliper or backing plate first and foremost. Another possibility would be a failing rear wheel bearing, especially if the axle nuts hadn't been re-torqued.

Here's the thread to help you figure out if yours have already been re-torqued, and if not, show you how to re-torque them.

https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/929...e-nut-tsb-diy/

Good luck and please post back up once the issue is found/resolved.

 

Got it!


I'll check the brakes and the axle nuts this weekend. Guess I'll be taking the bus this week!


Many thanks to all who responded and I'll be sure to report back!


Kwincy

 

So it was your car that I saw at grossinger..

Yeah their prices are outrages..but hopefully it'll be a cheap and easy fix compared to your quote.

 

Kwincy, you need to find a fellow S owner you can compare with.

 

Tell me about it. I really need to be more active in the s2ki community. To be honest, I really haven't seen more than 3 or 4 other S2000s in my part of town.

 

It's most likely the axle nut. I had the same issue...twice. The first time it was the passenger rear, thought it was the brake pads. Took them apart and nothing. Later down the road it got worse and worse. Eventually it started grinding. The hub and bearing basically disintegrated. I ended up getting a used rear knuckle and replaced it. The 2nd time it happened was on the driver side. Again, I found a used hub and replaced it. I recently heard a light scratching sound on the driver side last summer. I did the axle nut TSB and the noise went away.

 

Thanks for this info! Everyone in this thread has been great with the tips and advice, I really do appreciate it!

 

I ordered a used set of calipers from eBay, new pads and rotors from Amazon and got all the parts needed for the axle nut TSB. The first thing I did was the axle nut. As soon as I was finished, I took the car for a spin and it started making the noise immediately. I then started the brake job with my crappy tools and started on the drivers side rear since the sound came from that area. Unfortunately, the caliper I bought via eBay was seized and I couldn't get the piston to screw back in. I even rented a caliper tool from Autozone and it still didn't budge. I was able to install the original caliper, used caliper bracket, new rotor and pads and the sound went away!

However, when I took the car around the block, the brake pedal went all the way to the floor and now makes a hissing sound. I think I'll need to bleed the entire system to get the pedal firmness back. I've ordered some rebuilt calipers and will finish the brake job next weekend. I'm sure that there is a brake bleed DIY on the forum that I can follow next week. Until then, the car is sitting in the garage. A few oddities when doing the TSB and taking off the wheels though. First, it didn't take much force to take off the axle nut, I didn't even need my cheater pipe. I bought a large torque wrench that goes up to 250 ft-lbs, and it was able remove the nut quite easily. Second, my lug nuts didn't require much force either, and I don't know if I didn't tighten them enough when I put on the AP2v1 wheels a few months ago or if the dealership didn't put them on tight when they inspected the car last week.

Speaking of the dealership, I sent a nastygram via email to the manager and owner letting them know how I didn't like the fact that they stripped the threads of my oil pan and the fact that they overcharged on the parts for the suggested repairs (after I pointed out that new parts can be easily purchased for less than half of what they charge) and they gave me all my money back.

Thanks to everyone who replied to this thread and I look forward to hearing your response!

 

Great to hear they gave you your money back! That rarely happens.