S2000 valvetrain at 184K miles

[robertcope]

2001 Honda S2000. I've owned the car for about 3000 miles. Pulled the valve cover off to check valve adjustment, check retainers, replace all the gaskets, replace the PCV valve, etc. Valves were all spot on, so that's nice. I was also able to put a camera down the spark plug holes to inspect the pistons and some of the cylinder walls; the pistons didn't have a spec of carbon on them and everything looked perfect.

Not real happy with the coloration, but I suspect a few short OCIs with M1 0W-40 will clean it up.

robert

 

[robertcope]

Car runs strong and is so much fun. Took it to the track last weekend:

 

[toneydoc]

Love the golden hue to the varnish. That metal is well protected. Would not worry about that

 

[Cujet]

Very nice! It's amazing how long these things last with good maintenance.

Also, that sure looks like it's had a diet of synthetic all its life. That light Amber color is normal for Mobil 1 after many miles.

 

[nicrfe1370]

Great pics, thanks for sharing! I'm not an expert, but honestly for a high specific output, high rev motor with 184k miles it looks really good.

 

[nicrfe1370]

{Ignore this, I double posted by accident.]

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: robertcope
Car runs strong and is so much fun. Took it to the track last weekend.

It is. One of the best 4-cyl normally aspirated piston engines since 2000, after 180+k miles the engine seems to run as strong as new. Not only the engine is good, the transmission, suspension, steering ... are very good too.

 

[robertcope]

Originally Posted By: Cujet
That light Amber color is normal for Mobil 1 after many miles.


It's true, they seem to be super reliable. I've run other cars with a lot of miles with M1 and they always looked shiny. I'm not worried about it, it looks healthy and clean, just a little funky colored.

robert

 

[robertcope]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR

It is. One of the best 4-cyl normally aspirated piston engines since 2000, after 180+k miles the engine seems to run as strong as new. Not only the engine is good, the transmission, suspension, steering ... are very good too.


Exactly, it's a complete package of greatness. Honda decided they were going to build something to show off and they did.

robert

 

[Sayjac]

Looks ok to me. In fact very similar in appearance to the 2001 Civic EX valvetrain pics I posted in 2012 and linked below.* Light amber coloration not hurting anything.

BTW, the Civic is still going at 230k+ miles with no major engine work, just a head gasket replacement around 160k. Also original auto trans still shifting fine (knock wood).

Thanks for the pics.

*http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...__01_Civic_~168

 

[Rolla07]

Originally Posted By: toneydoc
Love the golden hue to the varnish. That metal is well protected. Would not worry about that


+1

 

[daves87rs]

Looks good....love the video!

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Thanks for the pics. Your engine looks great

 

[Cujet]

Oh yeah, I forgot to add that the video is awesome!

My car is a 2004 S2000 with an Inline Pro Stage 1 turbo kit. The car is an absolute blast. But the turbo kit has been problematic. From the 3mm head gasket issues, to the excessive lag, it's certainly not a perfect setup.

I've been "tweaking" the turbo setup for proper function for about 2 years. It's better, but it is still too biased towards the top end. No boost 'till 5K and full boost at 6K. That means it must be driven at 6-8K RPM for the turbo to be in play. And, it's amazingly difficult to modulate the power.

 

[robertcope]

Fun! I think I'd find a Rotrex kit if I wanted to go FI so that the nice throttle feel would still be there. I'm pondering it on my Miata for next year. I think the S2K will remain mostly stock for now...

robert

 

[robertcope]

 

[GaleHawkins]

I think the top end looks very clean. If you are concerned about the varnish look I am getting some good top end cleaning using Archoil AR9100. Read up on the Ford diesel truck forums about its cleaning power if interested.