[number9]

 
My i30 cut out at a junction last week and I was told that timing had skipped and the engine is dead and valves damaged. Quoted (before they've even sourced a recon engine...) "£2200-2500" for engine and refit by local dealer. I'm waiting for some quotes via online breakers/engine suppliers and have a decent garage in mind but if anyone has any similar experience and can give me some pointers then much appreciated.

this was definitely a "Friday afternoon (poor quality)" car from the outset. I had a rear door handle just shear off after about a year, air con unit failed, interior light switch snapped on first use. I'm "gentle" and looked after this and haven't pushed the engine too far...

gutted. what a peice of crap!

[Dazzler]

Welcome Number9. You have certainly been unlucky, Hyundai i30 engines are normally very strong. 

I was wondering, can't imagine any reason why you couldn't use a 1.6 Ltr Petrol engine if one of those was available for a similar or lesser price..

Tim, are you there? (for an official comment on my idea)

[Wingerdave]

I'm thinking the car would have to be re-registered if a larger engine were dropped in, at least it would here. Not sure if the Brits are that strict, though.

[Lorian]

Not re-registered but a costly deceleration to the insurance company. I'd stick with the stock motor.

How far out of warranty is it, and have you tried asking by customer service if they can help at all, assuming it has full and proper servicing?

[eye30]

Sorry to hear about your car but it may help if you provide some further info such as:

How old is the car?
How many miles on the clock?
Was it serviced at stated intervals in accordance with hy schedule?
If so, by whom? Dealer or indy?

Plus any other history of the workings of the engine/electrics etc

[Johnno]

Hi Number9, have you had the car from new?  It's not unheard of a timing belt jumping a tooth, it's just one of them thing's, it could be a failed tensioner, or not adjusted correctly, worn belt/ stretched but it does happen no matter what make of car you have.
In the Hy servicing schedule there is provision's for inspection and replacing the belt that's if you've had Hy service your vehicle.

And if I had a car for 6 years i would be quite happy if that is all you had go wrong with it, apart from the timing belt issue.

Don't forget most of the parts on a car are manufactured from 3rd party suppliers.

[Surferdude]

Hi Number9, have you had the car from new?  It's not unheard of a timing belt jumping a tooth, it's just one of them thing's, it could be a failed tensioner, or not adjusted correctly, worn belt/ stretched but it does happen no matter what make of car you have.
In the Hy servicing schedule there is provision's for inspection and replacing the belt that's if you've had Hy service your vehicle.

And if I had a car for 6 years i would be quite happy if that is all you had go wrong with it, apart from the timing belt issue.

Don't forget most of the parts on a car are manufactured from 3rd party suppliers.

Johnno, whilst that last statement is true, it hardly excuses the vehicle manufacturer who is ultimately responsible for the quality and reliability of the items sourced. If they aren't up to scratch, alternative suppliers should be sought.

[crayman]

Not enough info posted here.
Timing belts are a distance AND time replacement item.
In my cars it's 100,000k or 5-years whichever rolls over first.
Having said that, I've never seen a cam belt jump teeth under normal service.
I've seen them jump due to collapsed tensioner or idler bearings but never from normal use.
The composite belt does a stirling job when serviced as per instructions.
Modern cars have interference engines. Break a cam belt and you're going to do damage.

[Johnno]

Hi Number9, have you had the car from new?  It's not unheard of a timing belt jumping a tooth, it's just one of them thing's, it could be a failed tensioner, or not adjusted correctly, worn belt/ stretched but it does happen no matter what make of car you have.
In the Hy servicing schedule there is provision's for inspection and replacing the belt that's if you've had Hy service your vehicle.

And if I had a car for 6 years i would be quite happy if that is all you had go wrong with it, apart from the timing belt issue.

Don't forget most of the parts on a car are manufactured from 3rd party suppliers.

Johnno, whilst that last statement is true, it hardly excuses the vehicle manufacturer who is ultimately responsible for the quality and reliability of the items sourced. If they aren't up to scratch, alternative suppliers should be sought.

Your right mate but they do slip through the net, you just have to look on the net and see other consumables that have failed they might check 1 in every 100 or even 1000 made, its the same with any consumer goods be it Tv's washing machine or so, nothing is guaranteed to be  100%, if it was there would be no need for guarantee's. But as the OP said the car's a load of crap, thats a bit OTT.
I had a aircon condenser go after 18 months and it was a tiny pin hole

[cruiserfied]

I want to know why it's automatically a complete motor?
If it were me it would be a new set of valves and a head job, check the Pistons but I'd bet there fine (a small dent at most) and put it back together.
I doubt that would run half the cost quoted.
Oh and of course diagnose and rectify cause of belt failure.

Dazz I agree that it's a good idea to got the 1.6p but as has been stated it might be more costly in the long run. Probably not a hard job to carry out though.

[Wingerdave]

When the pistons try to share the same place in space ant time as the valves then its the valves, seals, head, pistons, con-rods, bearings and crankshaft that share the consequences (not to mention the possibility of literally throwing a con-rod through the casing or massive scoring of the bore or a hole/crack in the piston).

So..... New engine is the most economical, unless you have a complete workshop in your garage and weeks and weeks to spare.

[CraigB]

If it were me it would be a new set of valves and a head job

That's the option I'd choose

[Asterix]

I'm with Cruiserfied here.

We did that kind of repair a few times when I worked at a VW dealer. No problems because of a dent or two in the pistons.

I actually don't remember we ever replaced the complete engine because of a failed timing belt.

[elantraelite]

Does the 1.4 Gamma have a timing belt or chain? I thought it was chain driven for some reason? ... Confirmed its chain... Would there be even more major damage if a chain snapped??

I know the 2.0 Beta is belt... Unless they used the old Alpha?

[The Gonz]

I want to know why it's automatically a complete motor?
If it were me it would be a new set of valves and a head job, check the Pistons but I'd bet there fine (a small dent at most) and put it back together.
I doubt that would run half the cost quoted.
Oh and of course diagnose and rectify cause of belt failure.

[number9]

thanks for all the posts and comments.

This car has a timing chain not a belt.

the local Hyundai dealership has the car and said that the valves are damaged.

There seems to be a debate here re new engine or full repair. I'm not a mechanic so I don't know whether the dealer is just looking for the quickest or most profitable option by suggesting a recon engine.

In answer to the previous post, I did not experience any rattle, noise or any indication whatsoever there was a problem.

I'm not very happy as you can appreciate. Who expects their car to (engine) last 6yrs/58000 of one owner careful driving?

Won't be buying Hyundai again. I'll want to have a rant to Hyundai complaints but don't expect any recourse because 1) out of warranty and 2) don't have full documented service history although vehicle well maintained.

This car is a very poor advert for Hyundai. It reflects poor quality.

Aircon fault. (warranty. replaced on third visit to dealer after two refills quickly emptied.complained and was told by a partner of the dealership "oh, yes. There's been problems with these units and they need replaced...")
Front rollbars fixed 3 times. (one under warranty - others, I didn't realise were covered at the time)
Rear door handle fixing sheared off. (warranty after about 12 months!)
Paint work seems to chip very easily.... (and also noticed both corners of the bonnet near the window are chipped indicating this has worn when the bonnet is opened/closed)
Interior rear light switch snapped. (warranty)
interior trim seems to wear more quickly than previous cars I've had (btw I', 6' (1.83m) and a reasonably fit 12st (76kilos) - not a fatty)
all interior plastics scratch very easily!

I feel like putting an obituary notice in the local paper to warn others against buying Hyundai...

[Dazzler]

Certainly sounds like you got a lemon.

Not withstanding fairly ordinary hard plastic interior and cheapy carpet material, the FD i30 has been generally one of the most reliable cars in its class.  They are equal to or better than the leading brands in the same price range.

So you have been unlucky, I'm afraid to say.

[Phil №❶]

Never heard of a cam chain actually breaking before. 

[elantraelite]

Definitely sounds like a lemon. I praise the FD for its good build quality and interior plastics.

With saying thay my car has come from Korea.

With the current GD in australia you can tell the difference in materals used between the Korean and European built.

I think you might need to take the car to an independant mechanic and confirm what has gone wrong here.

[number9]

Never heard of a cam chain actually breaking before. 

chain supposedly "skipped", not broken

[Johnno]

Just found this on you tube, not your engine but still it's a Hyundai i30 also there's a russian one

  Hyundai - Warning! - YouTube

?????? ???? ??? ?IA CEED - YouTube

[Phil №❶]

Must be a hoax, it won't start playing for me.

Restarted comp, plays ok, unfortunately, for them. 

[Dazzler]

Must be a hoax, it won't start playing for me. 

It played for me...  (thanks Johnno)

[Johnno]

Must be a hoax, it won't start playing for me. 

Both work for me Phil

[Johnno]

It would be good if Meehalych could give us the jist on what's he saying?

[crayman]

Couple of things going on there.
Chain has stretched. No idea of age but to be stretched that much it must have done a lot of K's. (or the stock chain is rubbish)
Hydraulic tensioner has a very poor spring.
Spring is required until oil pressure gives the tensioner some grunt, but perhaps with that stretched chain the slack adjustment limit was reached?
As a by-the-by, this is the reason one never forces a timing chain engine to rotate backwards. Tension is on the wrong side and the slack adjuster can't do its job. 

[Phil №❶]

  crayman

[Johnno]

Couple of things going on there.
Chain has stretched. No idea of age but to be stretched that much it must have done a lot of K's. (or the stock chain is rubbish)
Hydraulic tensioner has a very poor spring.
Spring is required until oil pressure gives the tensioner some grunt, but perhaps with that stretched chain the slack adjustment limit was reached?
As a by-the-by, this is the reason one never forces a timing chain engine to rotate backwards. Tension is on the wrong side and the slack adjuster can't do its job.

Quite right crayman, pity they didn't say what mod they did to the tensioner or what had failed in it, because if you look in between there's a toothed ratchet maybe that has worn and is not keeping tension as the chain wears, but that is one heck of a worn chain.

But the good thing about that video shows how little damage is done, so Like Tim said he could get away with replacing the valves and smooth off the crown of the pistons and new tentioner and chain be like new again. I wonder if the new tentioner's that are out now have been modified by Hyundai?

[crayman]

I've always been cranky there was no workshop manual readily available for these cars.
Having seen this video at least I now know what's going on with Mr's engine on cold starts, and I'm unimpressed.
It makes a noise exactly the same as a worn clutch throw out bearing, has done since day one.
Once the car has been started, very rare to hear the noise again.
Local Hyundai had never heard of my problem yet I've read of some owners having the timing cover replaced due to chain damage. 
The tensioner would appear to have a ratchet device built in so as to maintain tension when the engine is off.
I'm thinking this must be faulty allowing the chain to back right off overnight.
What a rubbish piece if work.

[Johnno]

You can't really tell from that video, he shows you it moving back but the chain is already stretched and it looks like the tentioner  is already at its max, looks like the rachet is out as far as it can go if you compare the length of the rachet and the tentioner body, and the next time he shows you the tentioner it looks like a new one fitted with the new chain so there's little movement. So has he really done a mod?