Yesterday I managed to sell the FTO. In with my S2000, so after work i went for a lookout. Found a nice MY99 model with the following mods

Kakimoto exhaust
HKS Air Filter with HKS Induction pipe (Steel pipe from engine to filter)
Mugen ECU
23000Km
Silverstone colour
Black leather trim


The HKS filter is sitting on a steel tray. I assume it is a heat shield. I also noticed that there is no cover on the front side of the engine, which leaves the cam belt and the other belts exposed.

After reading the guidelines on the forum and "Buyer's Guide on Honda S2000" on Japanese Performance magazine January 04, the car does not have any history known. How is it possible to check if some known issues are fixed or not mostly the clutch buzz at around 4K rpm in third under engine breaking?

What else should I look for being a tuned car??
BTW I live in a hot climate country (37deg in summer)


Thanks

 

Cam belts uncovered and the HKS filter on a tray sound about right..

I'd be wary of the MUGEN ECU as it will naturally stress the engine slightly more than a stock ECU. Never heard of that exhaust system..

Only way I know of checking for recalls is to enter the VIN on the Honda website, but I think this might be a UK only thing. If you have the VIN you could try calling Honda.

Temperature should be ok. I took my UK car with a PRM fitted to south of france last year for 2 weeks at 35-40 degrees and didn't have a single problem with it

Good luck.

 

Personally I would not touch an NA car like the S2000 with a different or modded ECU. Its another matter on a turbo car though.

 

Kakimoto is an excellent exhaust system. Mugen ECU will be fine as logn as the cooling mods are done (thermostat and switch) and you run 80 octane fue minimum.

The car sounds as if it's a Japanese import.

The exposed belts are not the cam belts but the auxillary belts and are more exposed with the stock airbox removed.

HKS suction kit is not a very accomplished design I'm afraid. Suffers from too much heat soak - but if performance isn`t an issue, the sound it makes is pretty nice.

HTH

 

The tray for the HKS attempts to get the filter to take air from behind the headlight rather than radiator exhaust. Doesn't work too well though.

If it's a JDM car that's been driven in Europe with those mods I would not touch it. The Mugen ECU will run happily on EU fuel, if the car is setup properly for it. The HKS is a worse intake for hot air than the standard one under some circumstances, giving an increased risk of pinking at the least, or detonation at the worst. Given that, and how much it'd cost to get an endoscope in the bores to check for any signs of problems, I wouldn't touch this particular car. I'm not knocking the Mugen ECU - I'm a big, big fan of it. If the car is a EU market car, it'll have lower compression which reduces the risk, but I would still not be happy.

The belt on the front of the engine is the auxilliary drive belt - it drives the alternator, water pump, and air con pump. There isn't a cover for it. The cams are gear driven from a idler that's driven by a chain - and is fully encased.

You can get any Honda dealer to check the VIN against their database, which will list any work done. If it's a JDM car though, it's unlikely to have had the plug change, or the clutch change.

-Brian, the guy who supplied the info for the Jap. Performance article.

 

Thanks you all for the help Guys. I really appreciate it. This forum rules
Finally I put my money (hopefully having it tomorrow) on a non modified silversone MY00 model with just 5000 on the clock, a year warranty, and Uk spec car. Actually, it has a small rear spoiler, Different side skirts and a front low add-on spoiler. I will put up pics as soon as i have them..

It has a different ice unit that is a pioneer deh-p8100r and has an attachment to keep the original s2000 controls working (volume etc...) 2 huge speakers at the back and an amplifier. On the test drive, i noticed three things

When my foot is resting on the clutch pedal and engine breaking around 3500rpm the pedal vibrates. But I cannot hear any buzz sound. Is this the fault the buzz clutch problem everyone talks about? If it is, Is there any Honda service/recall bulletin about it ?

The 'changed' ice unit picks up engine rpm and this should be solved with a filter or something similar.

I noticed a rattle coming from the compartment behind the seats (where the speakers are) when i have the hood up. When open it stops rattles. I assume the huge speakers are so heavy that they are not fixed as they should be and the hood when open is pressing the speakers down forcing the rattle to stop . Anyone has the same problem??

There is also a amplifier running around at the back. and its operational but not fixed the car. Just floating about.. Is there a good place where I can fix it permanently???

BTW the chassis number is : XXXdeletedxxxxxxxx

cheers
Ev

 

If the clutch is quiet then you definately do not have a recall problem. There is a recall, but for a VERY noisey clutch.. Can't help on the ICE questions.

You will probably want to remove your chassis number from the post, that's pretty sacred information!!!

 

Too late I've copied it

 

What will you do with now ?

 

Hassle you to make sure you fill in the insurance spreadsheet