Supra

I have a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon 4 cylinder 2.0L L4 DOHC 16V with an automatic transmission with 80,000 miles on it. I was driving it 60 mph down the highway and all of the sudden the car begins to decelerate and steam comes out from underneath the hood. I looked at the temperature gauge, which said hot, which at that point I put on my hazard lights and drove off on to the berm of the highway and turned the vehicle off. I called emergency roadside assistance and they towed my car to a garage. At this point in time, I'm thinking it's just the water pump that needs replaced because that was the exact same thing that happened to me when I had my 1996 BMW 328i.



The guy at the garage asks me what I think is wrong and I told him. He said he was busy and wouldn't be able to look at it until next week. Next week came by and he called me, told me one of his technicians looked at the car, said something was melted underneath the hood and the timing belt was gone, the engine was done for and suggested that I should just have the car scrapped. He gave me 4 days to think about it.



I decided to have the car towed to my apartment. A friend of mine, my neighbor, decided to take a look at it. When you put the key in the ignition and try to start it, the engine will turn over but it won't fire. He also took the cover off the timing belt. The timing belt is still there and is in time and the battery is good. The engine is not seized up and doesn't make any odd noises. (PLEASE HELP ME) THANK YOU.

i8acobra

You need to do a compression test. You probably blew the head gasket and may have warped the head. It's not starting due to low or no compression.

MaverickLC

First I think you need new radiator, it is common problem on GK Coupe and XD Elantra.



Second check your compression like i8acobra suggested and if compression is ok than put it on tester and see if you see rpm’s while cranking.

SR Tech

i8acobra

I wouldn't even look at the radiator until you know why it won't start. A new radiator (if it's even needed) may be like using a Band-Aid on a sucking chest wound.

Visionz

on the compression test. That will tell you a lot about the car and how bad of a condition it's in. Good thing though is you can find whole engines and cylinder heads pretty cheap all over ebay and the internet, so if you were to replace the engine completely...it shouldnt run you too much.

03tibe85

Those Beta II engines are HARD to kill believe me. Some steps to do before a compression test and BEFORE you try to start it.



1) Rent/Buy/Steal an OBD II scanner and see if any CEL codes pop up with the key on.



2) Double/triple check the timing marks on the crank pulley and cam pulley are lined up when the motor is at TDC on Cylinder #1 (Cylinder closest to passenger side)



3) Check the condition of the crankshaft sensor. These are known to burn up because they are not really shielded from the nice and hot OEM exhaust manifold/converter combo. The crank sensor is near where the engine block joins the transmission in the lower right corner towards front of car. The sensor has a connector on it with 3 wires. A good place to look for melting/damage is where the connector connectors to the sensor.



4) Check condition of coil pack and coil pack connectors. These are also known to fry if the engine bay gets too hot. You can Rent/Buy/Steal a spark tester as well and check for spark while trying to start motor.



5) If you have spark then next check for fuel. Try to listen for the fuel pump under the back seat when you turn the car on. It sound like a little whine as the pump primes the fuel rail. A more messy way is to disconnect the fuel line at the fuel rail and turn the key on. Be sure to put the fuel line in a bucket to catch any fuel that may come out.



6) If the crank and cam pulley are timing correctly and you have fuel and spark but the engine still won't start. Pull the spark plugs and take a look. If they oily or smell like gas then they could be fouled. Pick up some cheapys at the auto parts store to be sure they are in good shape.



7) Even a motor low on compression should still start. It won't sound pretty but it should still start.

Stocker

^ to expand on 3) above: "cranks but won't start" problems are VERY often related to the crankshaft position sensor in these cars. I saw the title of this thread and my brain said "crank sensor" before the page loaded. Checking an obviously-melted CPS or associated wiring takes a couple of minutes including the time to find a flashlight, so it's worth a look.



...sometimes the wiring melts inside the wrapped-up loom, but it's rare.

SR Tech

I would still do a compression test before any of that^^^ to make sure im not wasting my time checking for fuel,spark and crank pickup.



If you do not have reasonably healthy compression then it's pointless to check all of that anyways.