I want to hear what a healthy AP1 sounds like. Like so many others on this board, it seems like the tapping/clicking/baseball card against bike spokes sound is a common thing. Can someone please upload a sound click from their engine, preferably stock. I'll upload a clip of my car tonight. I've had a few people tell me its perfectly normal, but needa make sure.

 

I've got the same sound on my AP2. It drives me nuts, but people are saying its normal too. Do you hear it around 3-4k RPMS best?

 

Bump for this. Maybe once someone has a video it can be placed in the FAQ's.

 

Seems the easiest thing would be to stop by a dealer and have them start one up for you, or get with one of the locals in your S2000 community. Most S owners look out for each other and you can't even go to an SCCA event without finding a herd of them. It also is probably not a coincidence that the exact description you gave is used to describe a failing timing chain tensioner, which is a common problem and an easy fix. Good luck getting this worked out.

 

are the tensioners covered under any warranties?

 

Tapping noise is normal and is most likely comming from the fuel injectors. If the noise is coming from beneath the black plastic piece on the drivers side of the valve cover, thats most likely it.

A flapping noise similar to baseball card in a bike wheel is often used to describe a failing chain tensioner as mentioned above. This should be covered under warranty, but since you have an 01 you have no warranty left Apparently it's an easy job, and you should be able to find directions on here somewhere.

 

The fuel injectors on the S are somewhat loud compared to most. They have more of a really fast clicking noise.

 

This does sound like a timing chain tensioner problem, I had the same problem and it was covered under warranty. does the noise occur at low rpms, around 1500?
rich scotti

 

I don't hear anything with my noise until 3000-ish RPMs. It is audible up until about 4000 RPMS and after that it either goes away or it drowned out by the sound of the motor. I absolutely do not hear it around 1500 RPMS, but then again I'm not in the habbit of really being below 3k very often. I don't hear anything at idle either. There is a little valve noise I guess, but I've compared it to other s2k's and it idles normal. It's really only audible in the RPM range I noted above.

I have driven the car up to like 60 MPH and then popped it into neutral and let it coast down to a stop. I then notice I hear the tapping just while the RPMS go back down and once they drop to around 3000 and below the car can coast all the way to a natural stop and it doesn't make the noise. This leads me to believe it could not be much else but engine related? The car is still moving at speed (even though the engine is not working) so this to me rules out tranny/diff/cv joints, etc. The dealer just told me I'm nuts, but I don't have much confidence in them (at least not the one I went to last).

Sorry to somewhat thread-hijack ItsBen, but I think we are all describing the same thing.

 

http://www.geocities.com/iiibruce/Picture006.mp3

my contribution