1994 Hyundai Elantra Repair Question
Topics covered: Rough idle, Timing belt, Piston.
Mileage: 130,000 miles.
Mileage: 130,000 miles.
Asked on November 9, 2010
1994 Hyundai Elantra I had my timing belt replaced
1994 Hyundai Elantra 5 speed 1.6L I4 mileage: 130,000. Hi guys, my question is, about a year ago, I had my timing belt replaced; it was a preventative maintenance repair, not because it broke. Then after about 3 months, my car lost power on the highway one day, I took it to a repair shop, and it was determined that the timing belt was not installed properly (it was off by a couple of teeth). Ever since then, the car has had a rough idle. Now because of the rough idle, it causes the muffler to shake, and make a weird noise. I'm trying to sell the car now, but I would like to fix the rough idle first, if it isn't to expensive. Is raising the idle speed a little a good thing to do, or is this an even bigger problem?
Asked by 2CarPros-ArchivesAnswer
Replied on November 9, 2010
You can try raising the idle speed but we do not think it will smooth out the idle. You may have a bigger problem. Have a compression check done on the engine; it may check low. When the timing belt was off "by a couple of teeth," that changed the timing between the valves and the pistons. That change may have resulted in a valve hitting a piston bending a valve or two.