Looks nasty. I have to wonder though, how much the engine is worn so far. If you were to have the engine disassembled, cleaned (soaked in solvent?), reassembled, what kind of condition it would be in.
That kind of work is beyond my capability, but perhaps some more experienced mechanic would know if it is feasible at all.
Oil changes? What's an oil change? :-)
The truth is that I didn't really do them. I bought the vehicle with about
24,500 miles on it and it now has about 93,500 miles. I am guessing that it had about 2 or maybe 3 oil changes in between -- all when it was being worked on for some other reason. So, 2 or maybe 3 oil changes in almost 70,000 miles. All I really did is add oil if it got a little low. Not a smart thing to do, and now I know why.
Here's the latest update:
The good news is that it looks like I have saved my car from extinction!
My car is fixed and I don't need to get the engine replaced or trade it in for virtually junk value etc. And, unless I am mistaken, the immediate problem that caused the oil pressure light to come on etc. was that the oil screen was clogged.
For those who were following this, I originally tried taking the lower and upper oil pans off on my own and I tried changing the oil pressure relief valve, spring, and plug -- about $15 in parts and a huge job which took maybe 12+ hours for me to do on my own. That didn't fix the problem.
Then I took it to a Hyundai dealership who took the valve cover off and found a tremendous build-up of sludge, and due to the oil pressure light staying on and loud valve noises etc., they said it looks like I need a new engine.
I decided to try taking the valve covers off and cleaning out the sludge on my own and changing the oil. I was able to figure out getting the front valve cover off, so I did that one first. I cleaned that half of the engine first, but the second valve cover in the back seemed too hard to get to due to having to remove the intake manifold etc. So, I stopped there, put it back together, and replaced the oil with new 10W-30 motor oil. The oil light still came on and the loud valve clatter was still there. So, I thought that probably means that the bearings are worn and that is why the oil pressure light is coming on and the valves are clattering.
Then I thought that maybe I would try changing over to synthetic oil since I read somewhere that maybe synthetic oil gradually cleans out the oil built up sludge that regular oil causes if the oil isn't changed regularly. I also thought that I should try a heavier weight of oil just in case the heavier oil would help compensate for the worn bearings. And, then I thought that while doing that, maybe I should make a better effort to clean the oil screen.
Unfortunately, back when I had first taken off both the lower and upper oil pans to replace the oil pressure relief valve, I had an easy chance to take off the oil pickup arm and screen and thoroughly clean it. But, I didn't do that back then. Instead, I just sprayed carburetor and brake parts cleaner in there and tried to clean the screen with the arm still in place -- a stupid idea, now that I look back at it. Had I taken the arm and screen off then and completely cleaned it, the problem may have been fixed back then. But, if it was, I probably would have thought that I fixed it by replacing the oil pressure relief valve when, in fact, it probably would have been fixed due to cleaning the screen.
Anyway, this time, I did not want to go through all of the effort that it takes to take off the upper oil pan (a huge job) just to get the oil pickup arm off. Instead, I just took the lower pan off, cut the sheet metal baffle that is between the lower oil pan and the upper oil pan, and I bent it back so I could get to the two bolts that hold the oil pickup arm and screen in place. I took off the arm and I soaked it in carburetor and brake parts cleaner and some paint thinner and I completely cleaned the screen. This time, with the arm completely off, and with the screen and arm completely cleaned, I could see through the screen and I knew it was clean -- something I didn't know about before.
I then put everything back together and I replaced the regular 10W-30 oil with Mobil One 0W-40 synthetic oil.
Voila! That worked! The oil pressure light no longer comes on, and the engine is completely quiet -- no valve taps, clatter, etc. It runs just the way it did before the oil pressure light started coming on back when all of this started about a month ago.
Here are a few more pictures:
The first photo is from back when I had the upper oil pan off and I could have easily removed the oil pickup arm and screen, but I didn't. I just tried cleaning it in place with some carburetor and brake parts cleaner etc.
The second photo is after I took the front valve cover off and before I cleaned that half of the engine.
The third photo is of the oil pickup arm and screen when I started cutting back the sheet metal baffle to get to the bolts to take off the arm. This photo shows just one side of the sheet metal baffle cut and peeled back. Later I cut and bent the other side so I could get to both bolts.
So, overall, the bottom line is that my car is now working. I don't need a new engine and I don't have to trade the car in for virtual junk value. The bearings must be okay because the oil pressure light does not come on and there is no valve tapping or clatter. And, I assume that means that no major damage was done to the engine -- other than the fact that there is still a build up of sludge on at least one half of the engine. It is running well, so I don't think I am going to bother trying to get to the second valve cover and clean that half of the engine. Hopefully, the synthetic oil will start to gradually clean out the existing sludge and I will change that oil and the filter soon and replace it with more Mobil One synthetic oil (this time, probably 5W-30 instead of 0W-40). Then, I'll take my time and start looking at dealerships etc. for a newer Santa Fe that is still under warranty. And, I'll be able to trade this one in for a normal trade-in value, not a salvage trade-in value.
big snip
Thanks for taking the time to detail the results. Glad it is working well for you now and lots of $$$ saved.
I don't recall your earlier posts on this car, but I am curious as to how many miles the car has on it. It looks like this engine went 50,000 miles between oil changes! I haven't seen such a mess in an engine in a long, long time!
The engine may be running fine now, but it likely won't last long. With that much crap in the engine, it is just a matter of time before the pickup screen clogs again.
Matt
Previously in this thread, someone asked about how often I did oil changes etc. Here's what I wrote before:
"Oil changes? What's an oil change? :-)
The truth is that I didn't really do them. I bought the vehicle with about
24,500 miles on it and it now has about 93,500 miles. I am guessing that it had about 2 or maybe 3 oil changes in between -- all when it was being worked on for some other reason. So, 2 or maybe 3 oil changes in almost 70,000 miles. All I really did is add oil if it got a little low. Not a smart thing to do, and now I know why."As I mentioned before, if you are going to clean out the engine this way you need to change the oil filter frequently and probably change the oil frequently until it is cleaned out.
The prior post is correct that you are runn>> TomR wrote:
--- Posted via news://freenews.netfront.net/ - Complaints to snipped-for-privacy@netfront.net
Thanks. I do plan "The issue is that synthetic oil will break loose the gunk and stuff that has collected over the years and so at first, while this is happening, you run the risk of getting clogs. I would worry that if you have some crucial passages which are partially blocked too much loose debris might close off a passage."
Part of where I got the idea of switching to synthetic oil to help break up the old sludge was from your post as well as from elsewhere on the Internet. I didn't find anything definitive about whether synthetic oil actually does that, but I decided to give it a try. Some of the information seemed to indicate that the synthetic oil does this very gradually rather than the way that products like "Motor Flush" or the use of transmission fluid do it. Again, that could just be an Internet myth -- I don't know for sure.
And, yes, there is a risk involved but in my case I think the risk is worth it.
What I am also doing now is watching the new synthetic oil on the dipstick to see if I notice it changing color or showing any signs of sludge or debris. So far, nothing -- it looks brand new and clear.
Maybe, but the project involving getting the intake manifold off first looks pretty daunting. I'll have to think about that carefully before venturing into trying that.
I forgot to mention that I did bend the sheet metal back into place after putting the arm and screen back on and before putting the lower oil pan back on.
Ah, that explains it. Well, you have learned an expensive lesson, but not as expensive as it could have been and may be if the screen clogs at
70 MPH on the interstate.That engine may run another 70,000 miles or it may die tomorrow.
I would keep changing the oil regularly and hope for the best. I saw a note that you had synthetic in it and I wouldn't recommend that in your case. The sludge in your engine is like asbestos in an old building. There are really only two good options:
Anything in between is trouble. If you aren't prepared to completely overhaul your engine and clean it thoroughly, then I would run regular oil in it and change it every 3-5,000 miles, depending on what kind of driving you do, and hope the sludge stays in place.
Matt
Thanks for the link. It looks interesting and is helpful. Some of the wording seems to be the same as what I saw in a Hyundai Santa Fe service manual that I looked at while in a local Pep Boys auto store. I also found some other links and information online, including a schematic diagram on the AutoZone.com website that seemed to be more detailed and clearer than the one on the hmaservice.com website.
My engine is a 3.5L and it looks a just little different than the engine on the link that you provided. The slightly tricky part for me has to do with the 3 bolts that are in the back that everyone refers to in their instructions. I am not quite sure yet if I can actually find or see all 3 of those bolts, but I haven't done a really good search yet. Today, it is supposed to 100 degrees outside where I am, so I won't be looking today for sure. I may pick a cool morning one day soon and take a better look to see if I can see where those 3 bolts are actually located.
But, even if I do find those 3 bolts, I may just pass on doing anything with it at this point. The engine seems to be running fine and it is quiet. The new synthetic oil that I put in hasn't changed color yet, but I have only driven it a few hundred miles since it went in.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.