Reliability expectations?

[Swingle1]

Hey guys...

I'm just curious as to people's experience with reliability on the S. The sense I have is that most of us have relatively few miles on their cars. Do any of you have over a 100K miles WITHOUT a rebuild or other MAJOR repairs? Is it reasonable to expect 150K if the car is driven mostly as a daily driver and is only occasionally driven aggressively?

Yeah, I know. It's kind of an open-ended question. But I'm not talking about self-inflicted damage... just reliabilty after normal wear & tear on a high RPM car.

[Java Junky]

C'mon Swing. It's a Honda for cryin' out loud.
Be well.
Java

[Swingle1]

Totally agree, Java. Having owned five Hondas, it's hard to imagine anyone making a more reliable car. You're preaching to the choir about Honda.

That said, I never had my Accords up to 8-9K RPMs. Everything else being equal, I have to believe that kind of use tells on a motor at some point.

Getting 200K+ out of an Accord or a Civic isn't unusual. But does that follow with an S?

[Vezna31]

I had to get a new motor at 62,000 because of oil starvation in the #4 cylinder, but it was my fault for not checking it while going a little longer between oil changes. Now, I have 102k miles on the car and have only had to replace a few wear items...tires, brakes, rotors, wheel bearings, spark plugs, etc. I had to replace the master and slave cylinders too, but that was also my fault in that I didn't realize the clutch fluid had its own reservoir and it sludged up on me by 90k miles and a dozen track days. Still have the original clutch and feels as good as new since the M & S cylinder replacements.

[gomarlins3]

I can't imagine it running any less than other Honda car. Just follow the basic maintenance schedule and I would bet you would be fine.

[Swingle1]

Thanks Vezna. Exactly what I was looking for. I'm sure others are out there on this site, but I just haven't heard of anyone else racking up over 100K miles on their S... let alone how well their car withstood the beating.

You put together a pretty good testimonial.

[DRKNEVL]

Hi Swing,
I know I am a newb on this board but I have owned my S for a long time and I currently have 106000 miles on her. I would think in most cases of even the S2000 you would get the usual Honda reliabilty. I baby my car as it is my daily driver. I usually only hit lift (vtech) maybe once a week or two. All in all an average owner/driver. My car is bone stock. I have recently started having a very rough idle an occasionally the car will stall at stand still at a light. Seems to idle very rough on hot days and even worse when the AC is on. The clutch pressure (how hard I have to push the clutch) seems inconsistant, some days goes in easilly and some days seems very hard to push. Other than that does not seem to have any other problems.

[Vezna31]

Originally Posted by DRKNEVL

The clutch pressure (how hard I have to push the clutch) seems inconsistant, some days goes in easilly and some days seems very hard to push. Other than that does not seem to have any other problems.

This could definitely be a reservoir/slave cylinder issue. Check the reservoir to make sure you have enough fluid or that it hasn't sludged on you. Your clutch should not be inconsistent. I have a dozen track days and 102k and the clutch was perfect once I took care of the fluid issue. My clutch pedal stuck to the floor as I was approaching Turn 5 at Laguna Seca and I couldn't downshift. I had a lot of play in the pedal travel before feeling back pressure when it happened.

[DRKNEVL]

Didn't mean to hijack the post but thanks for the advice Vezna, Ill give it a try when I get home from work!

[Java Junky]

Now, there ya go. I didn't realize that you could "hijack a post". 'Learnin' all kind'z'a neat stuff from you younger folks.
(Can't wait to throw that at 'em at work)
All that aside, DR, Vez is tellin' it like it is: the clutch shouldn't be inconsistant.
Be well.
Java

[s2000isu]

my clutch feel is horrible. One day its stiff like it should be the next day its soft like a kia. I checked my fluid looks like new hmm.

[Vezna31]

Originally Posted by s2000isu

my clutch feel is horrible. One day its stiff like it should be the next day its soft like a kia. I checked my fluid looks like new hmm.

Soft as in there is a lot of pedal travel before you feel the springiness? If so, have the slave cylinder checked. Does it get worse the more you drive the car during the day? Example...feels good the first couple miles, then deteriorates the more you drive? Could be that once the clutch fluid warms up, it may be thinner and the slave cylinder is less effective. Kinda the same like boiling brake fluid...brakes feel fine, but the fluid warms/boils and you now have a mushy brake pedal.

[s2000isu]

its really random. Lets say I normally need 25 pounds to push the pedal down sometimes it only takes 10 pounds to push the pedal to the floor. Sometimes the pedal feels more solid at a certain point and then gets very light down low. Sometimes it will start stiff and get weak others it will start weak and get stiff. Usually it happens after I beat itbut not always.

[Vezna31]

Originally Posted by s2000isu

its really random. Lets say I normally need 25 pounds to push the pedal down sometimes it only takes 10 pounds to push the pedal to the floor. Sometimes the pedal feels more solid at a certain point and then gets very light down low. Sometimes it will start stiff and get weak others it will start weak and get stiff. Usually it happens after I beat itbut not always.

Still sounds like a slave cylinder. My problem didn't become real apparent until I was on track beating...in other words, heat buildup leading to breakdown. Have it checked. The last thing you want is to get stuck somewhere. Do you ever have any trouble getting into gear when it is acting up?

[s2000isu]

I miss 2nd and 3rd like mad when I shift fast. I wrote it off as wearing synchros. I wont be driving the S much anymore so im sure I will be to lazy to play with it for some time.

[Java Junky]

"I wont be driving the S much anymore"???????
Ummmmm-m-m-m-m . . . . isu . . . is there somethin' you wanna tell us buddy?
Be well.
Java

[s2000isu]

nope. My s already has 65k miles and I would like to keep the miles down. A bit less daily driving. So I bought a daily driver and I will prolly only use the s every now and then. Prolly everyday in the fall and spring though hehehe.

[DRKNEVL]

Do you guys think that the rough idle and stalling could be fixed by getting the injectors cleaned?

[HELL_ON_WHEELS]

I had the same problem right after I bought my "S" with the rough idle and stalling

It turned out to be a bad coil pack (a 60.00 fix)

[Vezna31]

Originally Posted by DRKNEVL

Do you guys think that the rough idle and stalling could be fixed by getting the injectors cleaned?

What kind of gas do you use? A Top Tier brand of premium, I hope. The first and cheapest thing I would do first is run a tank of nature's best, go out on the freeway and do the speed limit in 3rd gear for an extended period of time to blow out any possible buildup. The high RPM is like milk. It does a body good

If that doesn't work, maybe your spark plugs need to be changed since you have 106k miles. Then try the injector cleaner. If none of that works, then maybe someone else has a suggestion because I'm limited in my knowledge of what to do next except to take it to someone else and let them figure it out.

[DRKNEVL]

Thanks guys! Your help is much appreciated. I do always run Chevron or Mobile Premium but ill definitely try running it in 3rd on the freeway for a little while on my way home tonight. If it is the spark plugs why would they only run like crap at idle and not at speed? I tried the fuel injector cleaner from pep boys (The kind you pour into your gas tank.) AKA the cheap fix and it didn't work. I took my car to the mechanic and of course it didn't stall at all why he looked at it. He recommended getting my injectors cleaned as that was all he could think it could be. My last question is what is the coil pack? can i install this myself?

[MattG]

Could it be the MAP sensor? Try the MAP whack? Tried resetting the ECU?
These are simple things to try first.