Clicking on startup, turned into knock?

Hello SANTEFE2009,

Thank you very much for the great video.

After listening to it, it seems unfortunately it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the serpentine belt or any accessories. It sounds to me like you have some internal damage. The engine is going to need to be opened up and inspected unfortunately.

It most likely was originally a timing issue but may have ended up getting worse and worse causing internal damage.

It is possible the bearings on the crankshaft are worn and causing it to slam when the cylinder fires and pushes the piston down making the knocking noise. This would also cause low oil pressure and keep making things worse.

You may be looking at replacing the motor with a used one as your best option. Any work done to the motor is time consuming and can get expensive fast.

Looks like you have the 2.7L in that so I don't know if it will be covered by the warranty through Hyundai, but I would try them first and have them give you a quote. This way you will have some kind of warranty for the work. I have seen certain jobs get what is called "Goodwill Warranty" through manufacturers before, even if it didn't meet a specific criteria for warranty coverage.

I did look around in my area for this engine and they are around $750-$1200 used, I am in New York.

This site will help you find one cheap:
https://www.car-part.com/

So, then you will need to pay labor. That depends on the shop but like I said, start at the dealership and see if they will Goodwill Warranty it or if they can give you a quote on replacing it.

Unfortunately, I think this is your next best step.

I apologize, I wish there was more I could do for you but with the noise being that loud and seems to be coming more from the passenger side of the engine, it is going to need to be disassembled.

Thank you,
Brendon

Hello SANTEFE2009,

Some dealerships are not great unfortunately. The thing that is good about them though is these mostly only work on that one brand. Now you have a technician who has seen this hundreds of times and knows Hyundais very well.

But like you said they are mostly worried about selling vehicles. I was hoping a dealer might be able to find a cheap cause for you because of their experience plus see if they can get it done under warranty.

Usually, vehicles with issues like yours will head to the more experienced techs too.

But you right a lot of these issues start at around 70,000 on these engines so the fact you made it to over 250,000 is something to be happy about.

Thank you very much for the compliment, I really appreciate it. If you need anything else just reply back.

I am here to help anyway I can.

Thank you,
Brendon

Hello SANTEFE2009,

Is this what you found on your vehicle?

This is the tensioner for the timing chain. This could be your issue. However, the entire front of the motor needs to come apart. It may have caused other damage at this point as well.

Are you thinking this is what is going on?

Thank you,
Brendon

Hello SANTEFE2009,

Okay. I thought to myself that this tensioner might have been at fault. However, without taking it apart it is hard to be sure.

By then you are already into the engine work for hundreds of dollars for labor to diagnose it. Got to go through the wheel well on the passenger side and remove the motor mount and everything off the front of the motor. Then the timing cover can come off. Then you will need most of the timing chain components and if there has been any other damage done then that will have to be addressed also. It can spiral from "oh yeah we can fix that cheap for you" to "well we found other issues, so it's going to cost more money".

I believe we determined the noise was coming from that area from what we could hear.

Weighing the cost of fixing an engine with over 250,000 miles vs getting a used lower mileage engine installed. It will probably be a lot cheaper to put a used motor in it with a warranty. The older the motor gets the more issues it could potentially have.

I would find a good mechanic in your area and get a quote on both, fixing this engine or replacing it. Then weigh your options and decide what is best for you.

Do you want to put potentially thousands into an old motor and have more issues later or get one with around 100,000 miles with some sort of warranty?

For instance, my truck had 228,000 on the motor and it had an issue where it needed new heads. Went to do heads decided to replace worn lifters, pushrods, timing chain and a lot of other things. By the end I had put over 2 grand in parts into it. Went to replace the camshaft and found all the bearings in the motor were bad. Oil pressure was fine so no indication there was an issue until I had it apart. Then I was left with the choice of now having to remove the motor and strip it down and send it to the machine shop. Then I would also need more parts.

At 228,000 miles I should have planned to rebuild the motor but thought I could get away fixing it for cheap and ended up costing myself a lot more money.

Thats when I decided I should have just got a used motor a skipped all this because I needed a vehicle and at the time, I worked 45 mins away.

I bought a used motor for around $600, and some gaskets plugs and a few other things. Got a motor with only 130,000 miles on it with a 90-day warranty instead. Up and running in 2 days.

In the end swapping the motor cost me about a grand vs trying to fix everything which I ended up losing thousands in parts. That's with me doing the work. No labor included.

I don't want that to happen to you. So, keep in mind that fixing an older motor may not go as smoothly as it should and end up costing you more money.

That should have had the timing chain done around 100k-130k miles I believe, so that has been driving with a loose/worn timing chain and components for close to 150,000 miles.

Also, the noise may be that tensioner but that just means it is the loudest not necessarily the only problem.

Just my opinion from my own experience and seeing customers get into the same situation.

So, like I said, get a quote for both and weigh your options.

Hope this helps.

Thank you,
Brendon

Hello SANTEFE2009,

So that price for the motor replacement isn't too bad depending on if it had a warranty and the mileage on it. Says it should take 16 hrs. to replace the motor as a complete assembly. At say $120/hr. you would be at about 2 grand for labor. These motors from the ones i have been finding are around $800-$1400 approximately. I'm in New York so my prices will be different.

For the timing chain my information says labor is about 4 hrs. but that doesn't include getting to it so probably closer to 6hrs. Parts for a timing chain are around closer to $1000 or more. So be probably around $2500-$3000 parts and labor. give or take. As long as everything goes smoothly.

So unfortunately, not that different but this is me estimating in a completely different state, so could be more or less depending on your location.

Maybe the prior owners did take care of it and the timing chain will go smoothly. It should be fine but there are always special cases.

I would google Mechanics near me and see if you can find a couple of shops and do some research on them like checking customer reviews. You can tell if a place is good just by the way it looks. But with better techs come higher labor rates.

I would also contact Hyundai and tell them what is going on. They can set you up an appointment at a dealer and they will be watching and checking in to make sure you are taken care of. Sometimes they will even "Goodwill" warranty it.

Here is there number:
800-633-5151

Here is their site:
https://owners.hyundaiusa.com/us/en/contact-us.html

In the end these shops need the work too just as much as you need it done. So, it may not seem like it, but they will bargain with you to get the work.

You can also try something like Car Shield, it's a vehicle warranty or coverage protection for costly repairs. But they don't require an initial inspection so you might have to wait a few months then take it to the shop after the waiting period. Usually, 30 days or 1000 miles.

Here is their site:
https://www.carshield.com

Here is another one:
https://www.protectmycar.com

I would look into one of these and see if you can do something with that or like I said call Hyundai or visit their website. Along with searching the web for mechanics near you.

Unfortunately, these things are very expensive, and I wish I had better options for you.

I hope this information helps.

Thank you,
Brendon

Hello SANTEFE2009,

No problem, I am happy to help. I haven't delt with these companies personally but when I worked in the parts department, I used to have to discount all my prices for them so they would pay the claim. Thought about getting one for my Nissan but decided I would rather fix it myself. I don't like other people touching my vehicles lol. Comes with the territory of being a mechanic my whole life, I guess lol. I overthink things constantly myself, so I understand.

If you want to send me a link, I can take a look for you, but it sounds a little fishy to me. Sounds almost like they can't wait to get rid of it. I would be very cautious. If it sounds like a good deal, it more than likely isn't. Too many people out there willing to cheat people for their own benefit and don't care who they hurt. Terrible really.

But if you want to send me a link, I will be happy to take a look for you.

Thank you,
Brendon

Hello SANTEFE2009,

Yes, send over the VIN or ad to me and I will check it out for you. Don't give them yours or any other personal information or send them any money. Sounds fishy to me. I would never buy a car without test driving it personally.

Thank you,
Brendon

Hello SANTEFE2009,

Yes, weird they don't know you but are fine extending credit as long as you gave them a down payment. Sounds like a scam. When you finance a car, the title won't be in your name until it is paid off but they don't sound like they are a finance company so a third party would have to be involved somewhere.

"They have a good feeling" sounds really odd. People don't generally do favors for anyone. If you are going to get something I would buy something from a reputable dealer with a contract and a warranty.

When I bought my Nissan, it was brand new, and I only gave them $1,000 down. Brand new, no issues ever with it. Still paying on it though lol. But at least I can get in and just drive it. Came with a warranty and all maintenance free for 36k miles. Hyundai and Kia now have 100,000-mile warranties.

I wouldn't buy anything without physically going somewhere.

You can try Carvana maybe. See what they will give you for a trade in and get something newer.

Here is their site:
https://www.carvana.com

Thank you,
Brendon