My mechanic says I need a new engine at 115000 miles in my 6-cylinder Santa Fe. Problem is deep in engine - could be a rod making the awful clacking sound. Anyone hear of this problem before? No warning - car engine started making rattling sounds as I was driving down a freeway, so I pulled off and had it towed to a trusted mechanic. They couldn't find the problem and said the engine was a goner based on their test. No warning light came on, no hint of failure. Maybe a related issue was that the acceleration was slow - no power to merge into traffic quickly. Had it into the dealer a week earlier for a check engine light which was diagnosed as a loose gas cap (for $130). Mentioned acceleration, but didn't push having it tested then.

 

These cars don't have "rods". It's a DOHC engine. Did the mechanic say that?

Sounds like a spun main bearing. Did you change the oil? Run dry of oil? Unless you ran out of oil, this probably didn't happen.

It could be the timing belt just got so loose that if finally started jumping teeth. Did you replace the timing belt? At what mileage? More likely this happened.

That's the problem with relying on paid help, they really don't care all that much, just in it for the money. Just as happy to replace your motor. "Oh, your motor blew up??? THAT'S GREAT!"

$130 to tell you you have a loose gas cap? You must look like easy pickin's. Next time, take your car to Autozone for free to have the "check engine" trouble codes read, write them down, and come back to this website.

If it was my car, I'd take the top cover off the timing belt so I could see the status of the timing belt. It's a relatively small job, but will probably tell you exactly what is wrong.

In case of a loose timing belt, it's possible that you don't have serious engine damage, and just need the timing belt replaced. However, it is also possible the belt got too loose, and there is serious engine damage.

Don't spend $2500 to rebuild it, it's a waste of money. Get a second opinion first. Then if you still need a motor, search car-part.com and find a used motor in your area, have it shipped to your mechanic and installed. It would probably cost $1500, and the motor would be better anyway.

What is your engine size, and what is your general geographic area? I'll try to find a motor for you.

Ok, to reiterate, answer ALL of these questions:

Did the mechanic say "it could be a rod"?
Did you run dry of oil?
When did you replace the timing belt?
Can you have a timing belt inspection done by removing the top cover?
What engine do you have? Engine size?
What area do you live in?

 

The records are with the car, so we can't check them. Routine maintenance was done by the dealer. They are the ones who checked the 'check engine' light problem.

How often are the timing belts supposed to be replaced?

At the same time of the check engine light problem, we had the oil changed - this was 9 days before the engine noise appeared. After the car started making the noise, we checked the oil and it appeared the oil was 2 quarts over the dip stick full marker; mechanic confirmed this. Could overfilling the oil cause the problem with the engine?

What engine do you have? Engine size? 2003 V6 3 liter

What area do you live in? we are in CA in the SJ-SF peninsula area

 

ALL piston engines have rods. Connecting rods are how the pistons attach to the crankshaft. You are thinking push rods and that's probaly not what the mechanic is talking about. A "rod knock" when the bearings in the big end of the connecting rod go bad. A mechanic wouldn't change an engine for push rods going bad.

 

You said there was no warning light originally. Now you say there was a "check engine" light? Please explain. What was the trouble that produced the light?

Oil being 2 quarts high wouldn't ruin your motor like that. It might foam the oil, but not destroy your motor so quick.

Timing belt gets changed every 60,000 miles. If it goes bad, your motor is toast.

 

My bad, I'm thinking 30 years ago when rods used to refer to "push rods", which haven't been around since hydrolic valves. "Throwing a rod" used to mean push rods shooting through the valve cover.

 

Actually, there is no 3 liter engine. It's either a 2.7 or a 3.5. It makes a big difference.

 

I've seen this problem multiple times with the 2.7L engine. The rods tend to knock above 100,000miles if the engine oil hasnt been properly changed according to manufacturers guidelines.

 

Boy, I could have written this post myself. I'm about at 115,000 miles in my 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. Sunday wedriving down the highway and heard this loud clacking noise, immediately pulled over, and towed it to the repair shop. I'm now being told I need a new engine. We had no lights on and a recent oil change. We kept up with our oil changes and had our timing belt changed at 60,000 miles (we were going to replace it again at 120,000).

I had been told by many to get rid of the Santa Fe at 100,000 miles when the warranty ran out. In 15,000 miles I've needed a new radiator, themostat, A/C compressor, and engine. I guess I should have listened!

 

Ouch! Sorry to hear that. But Hyundai engines can easily last more than 120,000 miles. If it was the belt that broke, was it a Hyundai or aftermarket belt?