Honda S2000 Top Won't Move: Hall Sensor Issues & Fixes

Hey there! I have some experience working on Hondas, and I actually faced a similar issue with my 2008 Honda S2000. Being a Honda owner myself (also have a Pilot), I know how frustrating electrical gremlins can be! Last month, I had a problem where some connections were acting up. Took it to my regular mechanic who found faulty cables and connectors in the wiring harness. The whole repair, including diagnosis and fixing the connections, cost me around 95 Euro, totally worth it for peace of mind. Before I share more specific advice about your S2000's convertible system, Does it make any noise when you try to operate the top? When did the warning light first appear? Have you noticed any other electrical issues? These details would help me figure out if you're dealing with something similar to what I experienced. Let me know!

Hey! Thanks for responding. Yeah, mine makes this weird clicking sound when I try to operate it. The warning light showed up about a week ago, right after my last service at 214302 KM. The top worked perfectly fine before that. No other electrical problems that I can spot. My mechanic recently checked all the fuses and they seem okay, so it's probably something else. Just hoping it won't be too expensive to fix!

Hey again! Thanks for those details, that clicking sound you mentioned actually rings a bell! My S2000 had almost the exact same symptoms at around 200K km. After my previous reply about electrical issues, I did some more digging and remembered that in my case, that clicking noise was indeed related to the Hall sensor, just like you initially suspected. When my mechanic investigated further, he found that moisture had gotten into the sensor housing over time, causing corrosion on the contacts. The good news is that it wasn't as expensive as I initially feared. The sensor itself only needed a thorough cleaning and resealing, no full replacement needed. Total cost was about 150 Euro including labor, way less than I expected to pay! Quick tip from my experience: while you're waiting to get it fixed, don't keep trying to operate the top when you hear that clicking, I learned the hard way that it can potentially stress other components in the system. Have you noticed if the problem gets worse in damp weather? That could confirm if we're dealing with the same moisture-related issue here. Let me know how it goes with your repair!

Thanks so much for all that info! That's super helpful to know about the moisture issue, actually, now that you mention it, the problem does seem worse on humid days! I've definitely been guilty of repeatedly pressing the button hoping it would magically work, so I'll stop doing that right away. I'm really relieved to hear it might just need cleaning and resealing rather than a complete sensor replacement. 150 Euro sounds way more manageable than what I was imagining! I'll get it checked out this week and specifically mention the Hall sensor and moisture possibility to my mechanic. Will let you know how it turns out, thanks again for sharing your experience, it's given me a much better idea of what I'm dealing with!