Don't Let Your 2011 - 2019 Kia Optima or Hyundai Lose: Understanding Power Loss and Tapping Engine Noises

Are you driving a 2011 to 2019 Kia Optima or a similar Hyundai model? These vehicles are popular for their style and features, but like any car, they can experience specific issues. One concern we've encountered recently at Chuck's Garage involves a Kia Optima owner who experienced sudden power loss and a check engine light while driving. It's a classic case that highlights the importance of paying attention to your engine's warning signs!

The Customer's Tale: A Sudden Loss of Power

Our customer reported driving up a hill when their car abruptly lost all speed, and the check engine light illuminated, staying solid. This happened without warning, leaving them understandably concerned. Such symptoms are often a red flag for deeper engine troubles.

Technician Notes:

diag: drivability ::: upon inspection found fuel pressure dropping signal from the fuel pump in tank to the high pressure fuel pump.  There is also a misfire detected on cylinder 4. recommend to test fuel pump , and high pressure fuel pump to ensure both have power and ground and are getting signal. will also need to inspect the cylinder 4 due to misfire. while there will check injector and coils

fuel pressure test

upon inspection of fuel injectior found cylinder 4 injector not spraying fuel all computer test power and 5v refance good 

Behind the Scenes: Our Technician's Findings

When a vehicle comes in with these types of symptoms, our skilled technicians begin a thorough diagnostic process. Here's a look at what we uncovered for this particular Kia Optima:

1. Fuel Delivery Check: Initial diagnostics pointed towards a potential fuel delivery problem. We found a drop in fuel pressure signal from the fuel pump in the tank to the high-pressure fuel pump, which can severely impact engine performance.
2. Misfires and Injector Issues: Alongside the fuel pressure concern, the engine was experiencing a misfire in cylinder 4. Further testing revealed that the fuel injector for cylinder 4 wasn't spraying fuel correctly, even though the computer showed it was receiving power and a proper reference signal.
3. Compression Test Reveals Deeper Issue: To understand why the injector wasn't spraying and the misfire was occurring, we performed compression tests on the cylinders. While cylinder 1 showed healthy compression at 140 psi, cylinder 4 was alarmingly low at just 60 psi after multiple tests. This significant difference strongly suggested an internal engine problem, likely a sealing issue within the cylinder.
4. The Culprit: A Burnt Valve: After ruling out other possibilities like ignition coils, the low compression pointed towards a burnt valve in cylinder 4. This diagnosis necessitated the removal of the cylinder head to confirm and repair the issue.

The Fix: Cylinder Head Replacement

The solution involved carefully removing the cylinder head for repair at a specialized machine shop. During this process, we also replaced essential components like the engine cylinder head gasket, valve stem oil seals, spark plugs (including replacing the one from cylinder 4), intake manifold gasket, valve cover gasket, oil and oil filter, thermostat, cooling system service, and even discovered the need for a new variable timing solenoid and variable valve timing (VVT) sprocket.

Technician Notes:

fuel pressure test

upon inspection of fuel injectior found cylinder 4 injector not spraying fuel all computer test power and 5v refance good - compression test, cylinder 4 with coil and injector test

upon completion of cylinder 4 60psi after doing the test 4 times

cylinder 1 140psi

continued to exhaust to see if it was sucking air it was

cylinder 4 has a burnt valve recommend tear down of cylinder head to verify burnt valve

Remove & Replace Cylinder Head

removed head will resume after head repaired at machine shop

What Does This Mean for Your Kia or Hyundai?

If you own a 2011 - 2019 Kia Optima or a similar Hyundai model and start experiencing:

• Loss of power or sluggish acceleration.
• Unusual engine noises, such as tapping, ticking, or knocking.
• An illuminated (especially solid) check engine light.

Don't wait! These symptoms, particularly tapping noises, can be early indicators of serious internal engine problems that, if left unattended, could lead to much more extensive and costly repairs, or even complete engine failure. While this particular vehicle needed a cylinder head replacement, getting these issues diagnosed early can sometimes mean the difference between a manageable repair and a major engine overhaul.

Proactive diagnostics are key to maintaining your vehicle's health and longevity. If your Kia or Hyundai is exhibiting any of these signs, bring it in to a trusted shop like Chuck's Garage. We'll get to the bottom of it and help you get back on the road safely and smoothly.

Book Now at https://www.chucks-garage.com/killeen-auto-services/engine-diagnostics?mg_show=true