so What Is The Cause Of The Infamous Hyundai Theta

[wemay]

Originally Posted By: ctrcbob
Originally Posted By: MParr
Who knows? Hyundai/KIA isn’t the only company experiencing this problem. GM 4 cylinders have been spinning rod bearings too. GM blames the problem on bad bearings. I have a friend who is a Hyundai tech and he works for the local dealership. He is certified by Hyundai, KIA and Chrysler. He has replaced over 1,000 of the Hyundai recalled engines. The main thing he is seeing on the ones he has replaced is poor maintenance. When I say poor maintenance, I mean lack of oil, not changing the oil at recommended intervals.
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2013/12/faul...nt-be-recalled/


Funny you should mention your Hyundai Tech friend. I also hsve a Hyundai Technician friend. (Dealership was once a Chrysler Hyundai dealer but now only Hyundai). He told me the same thing. Owners not changing oil or checking oil level. He also told me that Hyundai still honors the warranty. That shocked me.

BTW. My Hyundai Tech is the best. I trust him implicitly. I drive 30 miles to his dealership vice closer dealerships.


Absolutely the same thing I've heard from my dealership Service Tech. Soccer moms and dad extending out to yearly (15k +) OC with dealer bulk conventional QSAD.

I use QS as an example only because Hyundai and Shell have a contractual agreement that QS is the dealer fill.

 

[Krieg]

Didn't Fram redesign the XG9688 Ultra for Hyundai? Burst strength was 235 psi and is now 300 psi. Now, there seems to be another cause?

 

[JustinH]

I have one of these bomb Alabama motors, now has 60k.

Runs great. I change the oil with synthetic every 3750 miles.

Book says 5w20, 5w30, or 10w30.

I typically use sale synthetic 5w30 but will try 10w30 this summer.

Always OE filter.

I think the problem with these things is maintenance. Many people I work with (office) would never lift the hood on their car for any reason. Once a week I check oil level, etc and these things do use a little bit of oil.

Hyundai has tried to band-aid it by raising the level of oil in the engine, by issuing a new dip stick.

Its funny, this is my first Hyundai product. My Toyota's never used a drop of oil when I turned them in at 125k.

When the Sonata gets close to the end of the engine warranty, that will be the day I trade it in.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Originally Posted By: ctrcbob
Owners not changing oil or checking oil level. He also told me that Hyundai still honors the warranty. That shocked me.

Interesting account. Sounds like Hyundai/Kia needs to install oil level sensors on their engines. Subaru and some GM engines have had it, German cars too. It comes in handy if the oil level is very low but the oil pressure light hasn't activated yet!

 

[bigjl]

Kia and Hyundai are two or the most reliable brands in the UK.

And in fact Ghana is full of Kia and Hyundai vehicles being worked hard and proving robust and reliable.

Is this an issue with the vehicles made in North America?

As far as I am aware all Kia/Hyundai vehicles Europe are made in Korea.

And most of the Kia/Hyundai vehicles in Ghana are imported from Europe or South Korea.

 

[MParr]

Originally Posted By: ctrcbob
Originally Posted By: MParr
Who knows? Hyundai/KIA isn’t the only company experiencing this problem. GM 4 cylinders have been spinning rod bearings too. GM blames the problem on bad bearings. I have a friend who is a Hyundai tech and he works for the local dealership. He is certified by Hyundai, KIA and Chrysler. He has replaced over 1,000 of the Hyundai recalled engines. The main thing he is seeing on the ones he has replaced is poor maintenance. When I say poor maintenance, I mean lack of oil, not changing the oil at recommended intervals.
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2013/12/faul...nt-be-recalled/


Funny you should mention your Hyundai Tech friend. I also hsve a Hyundai Technician friend. (Dealership was once a Chrysler Hyundai dealer but now only Hyundai). He told me the same thing. Owners not changing oil or checking oil level. He also told me that Hyundai still honors the warranty. That shocked me.

BTW. My Hyundai Tech is the best. I trust him implicitly. I drive 30 miles to his dealership vice closer dealerships.

Exactly! They are replacing the blown engines regardless of poor maintenance. Many have never seen an oil change. Looks like this has turned into a Hyundai/KIA bashing thread. No bites at all on the GM products having the same issues?

 

[wemay]

As part of the test procedure...
Its funny how they recommend Quaker State conventional oil for vehicles which "PASS", and QSUD as fill for those which get new engines. One more interesting note is that regardless of the engine (2.4L or 2.0T), 5W-30 is the grade used.Thats enough to get me to change permanently.

 

[addyguy]

It is NOT the same engine, but I have a 2L MPFI engine in my Soul.

Recommended oil is 5W-20; and an OCI of 5K.

At that point in the OCI, the oil is black and looks like garbage. I've run the oil to about 7k once, and it was bad. Every time I get the oil changed I get comments that 'it looks like I went too long' even if I didn't.

I think Hyundai engines are a LOT harder on oil than people here and elsewhere are willing to admit.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: bigjl
Kia and Hyundai are two or the most reliable brands in the UK.

And in fact Ghana is full of Kia and Hyundai vehicles being worked hard and proving robust and reliable.

Is this an issue with the vehicles made in North America?

As far as I am aware all Kia/Hyundai vehicles Europe are made in Korea.

And most of the Kia/Hyundai vehicles in Ghana are imported from Europe or South Korea.


Southeast Asia beats up on Hyundais as well, my dad tells me a lot of box trucks in Cambodia and Vietnam are Hyundais but those were also based on an older Mitsubishi Fuso design - Kias of that era were heavily Mazda-based. Hyundai Kia didn't delcare their independence from Mitsu and Mazda until the early 2000s.

Seems like the problem is with American-made Hyundai vehicles and their Alabama plant was only spun up in the mid-2000s. The engine is a GEMA design but only a few things are common with the Mitsu and Mopar variants. Sounds like maintenance and maybe poor design, just like the Toyota MZ/5S-FE debacle.

 

[JustN89]

Oddly enough, with the release of the AD Elantra (2017+), the American made vehicles are the preferred choice over the Korean made cars. The seats are made of a different foam in the U.S. and are more comfortable than the Korean seats. The Hyundai forums have a good thread on this with both makes of seats taken apart and photographed.

 

[wemay]

I visit Trinidad & Tobago often. Hyundai is everywhere, from work trucks to personal vehicles. They take extensive abuse on these poor roads and steeply angled hills, etc. The build quality and integrity are of little concern to me where temps are more moderate and the terrain is flat as an ironing board.

 

[Driz]

Well all I can say is ours was beginning to die at 46k ticking starting early 40s just not loud . Oil always changed 5-6 OEM Filter top tier full synthetic 5/30, never even the beginnings of running low and it was ticking it’s way slowly to dealth. So show me the abuse there? Strange thing must be a coincidence , gee. Good olld #2 bearing coincidentally like all the others I read .
So the saga continues. They do whatever for the new engine, Short , long block I’m not sure because I’m stuck overseas temporarily. Oh how I wish I was there ......... So she gets the car back making a [censored] of a racket, goes right back inside. No way fix this. Guy looks at it, alternators trashed . Took half a week to find another one. Oh well, what can you do. Whatever they did changing engines who knows but I had a stethoscope right on it before it went in, no noise.
She goes picks up yesterday night . Calls me says it’s ok, maybe doesn’t feel like it shifts (Standard) quite right as compared to the other engine and is definitely louder than the old one aside from the death tick. Just louder valve train. I tell her as soon as that things cooled down get out and look everything over GOOD especially Oil and fluid levels in the overflow tank AND RADIATOR. Sure enough tank empty and can’t see anything in side the radiator as far as could be inspected with a flashlight, Great . Well at least she verified the temp gauge never went up at all and there was none of the slight up and down bobbing I’ve seen Hondas do when the coolant is getting low. I told her take a picture of the rad and tank and go in make them give you some antifreeze , don’t even drive it like that just put it in yourself.
And people wonder why I prefer to do most of this stuff myself. How in the world do mechanics do this stuff and not drive or let it run long enough to not burp the air out of it.?? I really shake my head on this one. Sorry but I’m calling a spade a spade here. Call it bashing, really well if it’s not the truth what is it? That’s where were at so far . I’ll,post more if ANYTHING ELSE develops.
Oh, Iriginally asked in this what about this piston coating thing? No ones said and all I know was reading that it was a problem that showed up particularly on the 13 s was fixed with a new coating in 14 . I can see first hand by a dead 15 that nothing’s changed. That block milling issue was solved (Sonatas) in April 2012. Sorry my faith ain’t there no more be it the Theta engine series or Made In Alabama. Hers is going next year for a Toyota / Honda and not long afterwards my so far aside from [censored] Khumo tires is going away as well.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: Driz
How in the world do mechanics do this stuff and not drive or let it run long enough to not burp the air out of it.?? I really shake my head on this one. Sorry but I’m calling a spade a spade here. Call it bashing, really well if it’s not the truth what is it?



When you're a flat-rate tech, you have to race against the clock to get as many cars in your bay before your 10-12 hours for the day are done. Dealership techs also play salesman as well with the service advisor if they find something that can be turned into a sale.