Have got my 2006 Hyundai Tuscon 2.0l 4cyl booked in for a timing belt change (original belt as far as I know so I figured its high time it was done).
Not cheap, but I figure I saved enough doing everything else on the car myself to get a mechanic to do it (especially since its an interference engine)
I figured whilst its off, the serpentine belts should be replaced and I figured the valve lash should be adjusted (the manual specs 100k valve lash interval). From what I have heard, the timing belt has to come off and the cam needs to come out and shims need adding to adjust the ‘bucket tappets’.
Sadly, not like the old days when you could do it in half an hour with 2 ring spanners, a flat blade screwdriver and a set of feeler gauges.
I asked the mechanic (who comes highly recommended from several friends) how much it would cost to do the valves at the same time – he said they have non adjustable hydraulic tappets – and one is probably sticking.
I am no stranger to hydraulic lifters, but I just can’t understand it.
I know the engine went from 68-92k with only 1 or 2 oil changes immediately before I bought it, but it doesn’t have the symptoms of a stuck hydraulic lifter. It only ticks slightly cold, for 20 seconds on warm restarts and occasionally on the overrun if not fully warmed. Stuck lifters tend to tick nearly constantly or if the oil has bled out sitting
So I rang 4 other Hyundai dealers and got answers ranging from “The guys are fairly sure they have hydraulic lifters” to a nice older guy practically guaranteeing it does have hydraulics and strongly suggesting I go get a bottle nulon lifter free up and not wasting money to get it pulled down unless it really needs it (which I thought was honest)
Everything online points to solid tappets – so I now have no idea.
Does anyone have a G4GC in a Tuscon, Tiburon or Elantra and know for sure?
According to what I can find on that engine it uses DOHV camshaft setup and they use valve adjusting shims either over the bucket or under the bucket design. It may may be that shims are either worn or the valves are worn and thicker shims are needed.
Now take this a grain of salt as I have repaired a DOHV engine valve train yet.
DOHV = Dual Over Head Valve (other words two camsshaft with one for intake valve and the other for the exhaust valves)
My 1982 DOHC Honda bike has buckets and shims and I adjusted the shims a few years ago,I guess you could call them solid lifters,I can't see anyway they could be hydraulic. I have never heard a noise from a Huyandai starting up and we have 2 of them and they are getting the ks up on them, though not much these days seeing we are not allowed to travel more than 5 ks from home.
A quick look and I know in 2004 they had solid buckets with shims for adjusting lash so without a manual or dismantling the motor I'm not sure if in 2006 they went to hydraulic buckets ,I would guess it still has the shims for adjustment.
It kind of reminds me of working on old English Jaguar cars with the shimmed buckets.
It remained the same with the solid lifters up to 2012 from the info. I've seen ,I would think 2001 this motor used solid lifters as the info doesn't mention a date that it changed.
I dropped it off on wednesday. Questioned the service manager. He said that The manual is printed for the UK, Canada & Nth Europe market where they have solid tappets due to cold climate. He gets people asking regularly because its in the service schedule.
In Asia and Australia, they used Hydraulic Lifters. I said ok, but it sounds like BS, even though he is a really nice guy who clearly knew a fair bit about them.
Got a call that the tensioner (which they do not normally replace) was leaking grease (probably more due to age than anything else) and the bearings in the idlers on the serpentine were on their way out (gritty). So had to do those as well.
Exit $400. And it wouldn't be ready that day.
I can quite happily whip the Camira timing belt off, inside an afternoon, but took one look at this and went 'I am probably going to cause $3000 worth of damage jut trying to do this'
After driving it 200km since the repairs, the lifter tick is practically non existent - meaning it probably wasn't lifters at all (I wasn't billed for anything to fix/quieten them anyway)
The engine is much quieter overall
The idlers (paired with loose or slipping and dry rotted belts) must have been gritty enough to make a noise similar
Hi Tyler, good news, now just keep up the oil changes and you will get thousands more ks out of it, my opinion of them is they are just a car, nothing flash but well made and probably the best value for money car anywhere in the world
I am retentive about oil changes - usually under 5k between changes - often as low as 2.5k. Overkill, but for $10 of castrol + $10 for filter (z79a ryco on special) its cheap insurance
Hi fellas, I knew a work colleague who changed the oil on his Corolla every 2K as a matter of course. Nothing retentive when you think of what it's got to do going though temperature extremes day in day out. It's the bridge between a well running engine and self destruction. It's not hard to imagine a breakdown occurring on a molecular level. The prescribed intervals are designed I think as the maximum tolerance to keep it realistic for the lowest common denominator to keep a minimum standard before destroying the motor. This 15,000km bull-sugar the makers are peddling now is lunacy. I won't even run to my 1980s Laser's 7.5K Intervals. My latest one was 3K and the oil was already looking quite brown on the dipstick. Oil is really like a vital mechanical part of the motor which must be replaced when it wears out.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
The other extreme would be me ,I had a VL 3 lt OHC Commodore (Nissan 6) in 12 years never changed the oil or the filter ,It burned a little oil but didn't smoke and leaked a little oil (gaskets) and all I did for 12 years was to top up the oil ,after 12 years the LPG system stuffed itself (corroded out ) never even used inhibitor ,the motor cooked itself I had water in the sump oil and oil in the radiator so I replaced the head and new head gasket replaced the gas converter and it's still running fine ,it probably got topped up with a few litres per year as that was what it lost. I have bought many car engines from wreckers for $50 , the VL engine cost me $50 ,I just don't see the point of spending hundreds of dollars on servicing when I can buy a motor for $50 ,these days motors cost me $200 and that's usually with a good gearbox thrown in.
I drove that VL with oil in the radiator and water in the sump until it would not run anymore ,it had about 15 lt of sludge (water and oil) in the sump when I replaced the top end.
If I have a good engine I will change the oil every 10,000 ,plugs last me 40,000
The old Corolla and Laser I would only change the oil every 10,000 ,sometimes a little black oil means nothing , I've changed oil on lots of diesel motors and you never get all the old black oil out when draining, when you put new oil in it's a little black from the start.
I must admit, I barely if at all notice a difference when I change the oil of my cars. My CL Valiant went through so much it was getting one anyway with all the replenishing it needed. I even discovered it had the wrong size air filter for four years, leaving a 1 inch gap for unfiltered air to come in over the top. The Borg Warner 35 auto transmission started giving out by the time we sold it for spares while the engine was still pulling well.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
Reminds me of a story about a taxi driver back in the grey motor days (up to EJ) who did a similar thing. Drivers were told to change oil once per week. He worked out it was cheaper to buy a repco short motor and throw it in himself if the grey failed. He worked out that the greys would go 70k+ miles on oil before starting to protest.
From memory he did 60k mile oil changes and replaced short blocks around 110.
Just to put an end to this thread I was across the road from another Hyundai dealer today and decided to walk into the parts department and instead of asking "does this car have hydraulic lifters?", I asked the price and availability of a set of hydraulic lifters for it.
After checking the vin, and referring to parts diagrams, the parts man said I can have a set of hydraulic lifters for $0 - it doesn't have any!
He then asked if I was alright as I apparently my face had turned red and a vein was bulging out of my forehead haha.
After chatting to him for a few minutes and telling him the full story, he basically advised me that if they had done the job properly, when the belt is off you pull the valve cover, unbolt the cams and reshim. Add an hour or 2 labour on top of the timing belt change, a few shims and a rocker cover gasket.
But, because of the sh** advice the initial dealer gave me when they did the belt, if I want the valve gap adjusted I would have to basically pay for another timing belt from scratch.
Will be writing a nasty email to the dealer principal of the servicing dealer - though a lot of good it will do!
I noticed an elderly couple in a metallic goldy colour Tuscon like yours yesterday Tyles, in showroom nick. I see lots of them now. On the flip side I saw a beaten up white example and immediately thought young subsequent owners. Absolute bludgers.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
