Blew Engine

[Satisaii]

Had a wonderful drive on the LA freeway system today...

Was tootling along minding my own business when a white BMW 750iL swung in front of me and hit the brakes.  I pull over and accelerate to pass him and he gets on it to stay in front of me. He pulls in front of me and hits the brakes again.  This time I figured I would downshift and go... and you can guess what happened.

Went from 6th to 2nd at 70 mph and killed it.

[Satisaii]

I may have gotten lucky.

Good compression numbers (195, 195, 200, 200) have my hopes up.

I cut the belt to the SC and the noises went away.  I think something may be wrong with the gears in the SC, so I will pull that and send it in for service.  I had noticed earlier that it was getting noisier.

I then pulled the codes, and reset the computer.  A quick drive around the block showed that it was in a limp-home mode after the over-rev.  I can't really remember what it was like before the SC, but it did feel like it was pulling good.  I will take the car to Honda this weekend to see what they think.

After calming down, I realized that I went from 5th to 2nd.  Still no good.

[monkeymaker]

Dude that sucks!  I hope it all checks out. 

[Vezna31]

I'm not buying it now!!

Sorry...that does suck.  I almost did it at Buttonwillow earlier this year attempting 3rd to 4th and accidentally hitting 2nd at 84 mph.  I think I got the clutch in before any damage since the car still runs great.

[monkeymaker]

I'm not buying it now!!

LMAO

[Vezna31]

Why was the guy jamming in front and then slamming the brakes?  Was it stop and go traffic or was he just being a complete asshole?

[Satisaii]

I must have pissed him off somewhere, because traffic was light.  At first I thought he was looking to make an exit since I was in the #2 lane.  When I moved to #4 he made to keep in front of me.  I went to #5, he jumped in and then hit his brakes.  I went to #4, and blew it.

[Satisaii]

I posted this on S2KCA, and the only advice I have so far is to replace the valve retainers.  I probably will do the timing chain as well.  The S/C had been gradually getting noisier, so I am going to send that off to Vortech for a check-up.  When I get all of that done, along with all of the fluids, I will get it back on a dyno to see if it still makes the same power.  That should be a good indicator of the health of the motor.  The compression numbers are too good for a valve to have hit the piston.

[Vezna31]

I must have pissed him off somewhere, because traffic was light.  At first I thought he was looking to make an exit since I was in the #2 lane.  When I moved to #4 he made to keep in front of me.  I went to #5, he jumped in and then hit his brakes.  I went to #4, and blew it.

Sounds like a case of road rage.  I would have followed him and introduced his nose to my right hand.

[Satisaii]

By that point my car was not responding to the throttle and I needed to get off the freeway before I became an obstacle.  I think the cam and crank got electronically out of sync when it happened.

[Vezna31]

What is the normal protocol for fixing it if there is a big problem?  Would you need a whole new engine and would it be covered under warranty? 

[Satisaii]

It was my fault, so I would not claim warranty.  Plus the mods voided the warranty, and it would take major surgery to get it to not show.

If it needs a new engine, then I need to decide if it is worth it.  What did you pay for yours?

It is starting to look like it just should get tested and new valve retainers.  I am trying to decide if I am going to do it, or pay Honda.  The S/C is almost out, and will be shipped off to Vortech today.  It has become very noisy, and I did not realize it until yesterday.  That I will try to get repaired under warranty.

[Vezna31]

I paid $380 for my new eingine   

Originally, they wanted to charge me $11k, but when I told them I had extended warranty, they only made me pay for machining the head.  They had said that I may have to produce all of my oil receipts to prove that I was not negligent, but they never asked for them.

I've gotten quite lucky with getting free things (new top, strut tower brace) and things fixed (engine, bumper, clutch, flywheel) for relatively low cost.     I still somehow manage to spend a good bit last year though on tires, shocks, struts, rotors and reg maintenance.  Over the course of 12 full months, I went through 3 sets of rear tires   

[Satisaii]

That is lucky.  I guess I can't do it.  I would just go in and admit that I fucked up and take the bill for it.

The S/C is out.  Need to call Vortech to get an RMA, and then put the S2000 back together enough to drive it to a dealer.  I will get an estimate and go from there.

(Looks for Vivian)  I have a friend with a better supercharger design than anything currently on the market. He needs about $15K to bring it to market, and somebody to do the legwork.  Thinking about going in %50 to get it rolling.

(Looks twice for Vivian)  If the motor is a goner, I might end up with a Honda V6 powered S2000.  Mighty tempting... a blown V6 putting out ~400hp.  Think about that torque curve...

[Vezna31]

You should put your friend in touch with me.  I can probably get him a credit line through Wells Fargo of at least that much because of all the contacts I have there.  Maybe I'll get a free S/C kit for hooking him up   

If that motor is gone, you should salvage and part out whatever is still good.  A S/C V-6 powered S would be incredibly fast, but how will it affect the weight distribution and the handling?