Okey guys, I've now done an engine flush with Gunk, changed the oil filter to an OEM filter, and added some 10W30 fully synthetic Mobil 1 oil together with 1/2 quarts of Marvel mystery oil. I have just done some driving and it still is ticking/knocking. At first just as much as before, but when i pulled into the parking space and gave it some 2k revs it didn't knock as badly as before.

Hopefully the ticking sound will decrease more when i drive it a bit more. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to drive it a bit more, and see what that does.



The sound does however decrease when i lift of the throttle, and then start again at idle or after shifting a gear (automatic).



Guess time will tell if this made any difference, but at least now i know that there is an OEM filter on the engine, and not a STP which the previous owner had put on...

O_o



What are the chances of getting an oil pressure gauge on your engine for a quick check? It's late and I may not be thinking clearly, but noise at low engine speed (idle) and high load (after shifting) just made me think bad things like 'tired oil pump' or 'loose bottom end bearings.' Or maybe you got some of the HLAs to stop ticking and another oil flush will be required.



For ticking HLAs, Hyundai says it's "normal" if it lasts <15 minutes. Usually getting a block down the road or maybe a few blocks on a cold day is enough for my engine to quiet down, if it ticks at startup. They also say not to rev the engine past 3kRPM while this is happening.



Know that the injectors and valvetrain are not ever totally quiet on these cars. If you are used to a different type of engine noise, it can seem pretty loud with the hood of an RD up and the engine running. Can you post a soundclip or video of the engine running? Can you meet up with another member in San Diego and listen to their car?

The engine ticks at idle and under load like you said, but not when i release the throttle. Im not sure, but could there be the fuel injectors since it stops when the engine is not under load.




The sound continues after 15 mins of light driving. After driving for about 50 minutes the sound decreases to a reasonable amount.

Ill try to get some video of the sound so that you guys can listen to it, and maybe figure out what to do next :/





About the oil pressure gauge, is there any where and how-tos available for the 2.0l hyundai engine?





Video is up:







<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Gqp7mD82zBQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

^i have the SAME noise from my car right now lol. same exact situation.

That was actually exactly what I was hoping to see/hear in your video. The smaller hissing/clattering/chattering by the intake manifold is the fuel injectors, and is normal. I was thinking the loud noise at the first part of your video might be an engine-driven accessory with a bad bearing but you got closer and it is pretty clearly a top-end engine noise. That seems to me very likely to be the HLAs not being pumped full of oil, or not holding their oil properly.



There is an accessible oil gallery on the driver's side of the engine, on the front/bottom/right corner of the head as you look at the engine. You should be able to (never had to do it personally) measure oil pressure at the head from that spot. There is a rib (the oil passage) that runs the length of the head over the exhaust manifold and at the right end of it there is a hex socket (the plug). Pull plug, insert gauge. Do this with the engine off, and have towels ready!



It could be that only one or more (or all of the) HLAs are on their way out, and the oil pressure is fine. The HLAs are a couple hundred dollars for a full set (sold individually at the dealership) and if you can borrow a gauge the oil pressure check is free.



Unfortunately to inspect the HLAs you have to pull the camshafts which is not hard but REQUIRES a torque wrench to put them back on without breaking the bolts. Come to think of it, you want a torque wrench for replacing the valve cover as well, and for the same reason! You also have to set the timing which is not too hard but you have to have the tools and you have to get it right.



For future reference, you can rev the engine by manually rotating the throttle body pulley, no getting in the car required.

Forgot about that, will make it a lot easier next time :P



This is turning out to be more than a nightmare than i hoped for :/ Moved to the US bout' 3 months ago due to studies and do not have any tools what so ever here. Had to buy the 17mm socket just to take care of the oil plug.

That means i do not own any torque wrench, and doubt any of my friends do either... A used one for around 30 bucks, is that anything to consider?



Would it be possible to replace only a few HLA's and try to figure out which ones are bad? Don't get me wrong here, but I don't want to put too much money into this car that i won't get back. The car in general is not in the best shape with bad paint. Figured we bought it at a good price, but now after closer consideration maybe it wasn't as a good deal as we thought...



Is driving the car bad if i keep it under 3k rpm? Actually did a longer drive a couple of days ago and it was actually quieter when we got home than it has ever been.



Oh, i put Mobil 1 oil in the car, together with 1/2 quart of Marvel mystery oil hoping that that would clear it. It won't be running on to thin oil after putting the 1/2 quart of mystery oil in it, right?



Will have to figure out what to do, but maybe there is no other choice than to change the HLA's, and pray that the car will last forever -_-

i agree! this happened to me before a few times. all i did was have an oil change and it went away after driving. before trying all that work, i would go with a Hyundai brand OEM filter and an oil change and just drive.

Usually you can just get away with bleeding the HLAs. They only have teensy tiny oil holes, which get clogged easily. It suxorz that you have to remove the camshafts to do it, but what the hey. You just immerse the HLA in a cup of engine oil, then poke the nipple with a pin until it stops bubbling air.

This is actually what i did a couple of days ago. Did a engine flush, put an OEM filter on with high quality oil but this didn't change anything, yet...



This might be a temporary solution. Guess ill have to get myself a torque wrench and do a lot of reading before tearing apart the engine. Have never done more than refilling fluids or changing oil, but learning is fun :)



Edit: Would the HLA's cause a bit of an uneven idle when the engine is cold?

One of our members just had an HLA fail (with aftermarket cams and valve springs) and an exhaust valve was stuck open . . . it ran badly. :lol: They are what push the valves open. If that is happening in hit-or-miss fashion then it could conceivably cause uneven idle quality.



The information is all out there if you search for it. Be sure to know what you are doing before diving in to this job - you can't drive to the parts store with the cams out! :duh5: