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Sedans Hyundai Sonata Hyundai Sonata 6 cylinders or 4?
73 messages, Last post on Jul 27, 2009 at 4:56 AM
You are in the Hyundai Sonata Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: miamixt (Oct 06, 2006 11:04 am) Yes, with the 10 year warranty - I "do" own a Hyundai - and the long life of the plugs, there's no doubt one really doesn't have to worry, since the average person doesn't keep a car for 10 years and/or 100K miles. The engine does have mechanical lifters, as does the I4, and the Beta Elantra engine as well. No big deal. When something should go wrong after the warranty period, I would rather be facing the repair charges on an I4. It is indisputable fact that "any" V6 is costlier, and harder, to maintain in the long term than a well-designed I4. I know, as I work on the darn things daily! Not Hyundais, but SAABs, both the SOHC and DOHC I4 and the Opel-built OHC V6. I'll take working on an inline 4 anytime over a V6 - or, any "V" engine for that matter. I'm not saying that the Lamba V6 is bad - on the contrary, as I intend to buy a new Sonata Limited soon. However, it's a simple fact of life with V-designs - they're more costly to repair than inline engines, primarily because of the labor costs. And, parts costs tend to be higher, as there is two head gaskets, two sets of DOHC systems, etc., rather than the simpler design of an inline engine. This is one of the reasons why BMW still uses primarily an I6 design. The simple answer to you question is: when the valve lash is greater than the maximum spec! When will that happen, possibly never, but don't count on it. In solid lifter design wear is natural, and this is the primarily reason most designs today use hydraulic lifters, including direct actuating bucket tappet DOHC designs, which automatically take up the valve lash. Remember, I'm a Hyundai supporter, but it doesn't change the fact that long-term maintenance costs (out of warranty) on the Lamba V6 will be higher than on the Lamba I4.
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Replying to: unknown (Oct 04, 2006 11:28 am)  I believe Consumer Reports found the 4 cylinder model's braking distance to be about 7 or 8 feet shorter than the V6 (126 or so feet versus around 133 on a dry surface from 60 mph). As for mileage with the 4 cylinder, I'm getting around 18-20 in the city (a little better than what I got in my last car, an Elantra) and 28-30 on the highway. Overall I'm getting 23-24 mpg, which isn't bad considering how large the car is. |
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Replying to: w9cw (Oct 06, 2006 7:02 pm) |
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Replying to: w9cw (Oct 06, 2006 10:10 am) It's worse than that with the new lambda V6 engine series engines used in Sonatas and Azeras. (I haven't dove into the situation with the I4.) Shims are not used for adjustment according to the shop manual. Instead, after measuring the clearances for the 24 valves, the affected camshaft(s) have to be removed for access (after removing the timing chain at the front of the engine) and the out of spec original "MLA"s (mechanical lash adjusters?) removed and replaced with service MLAs of the proper lengths - there are 41 individual service replacement lengths. Once the affected tappets are replaced, then everything has to be buttoned up on each bank and the timing chain re-installed. Given the labor intensity, I don't doubt this service will exceed $1,000.00 and I wish I understood what Hyundai was thinking in abandoning largely reliable and maintenance-free hydraulic tappets. (Yeah - they can fail, but given reasonable oil change intervals, they're more often good for the life of the motor.) |
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Replying to: w9cw (Oct 06, 2006 10:10 am)
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Hello happy owners of sonata. I am thinking of buying sonata 4 cyl. with manual transmission and I'd like to ask you how good and reliable this transmission from your experience. How easy it operates, how you like the clutch performance, what engine rpms you have at 120 km/h. and how quiet a car at this speed. Thank you for any info on these questions. Enjoy your cars
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Replying to: bchris6648 (Oct 09, 2006 3:27 pm) |
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Replying to: w9cw (Oct 06, 2006 10:10 am) The lifters are hydrolic, but if you have to do any work on the heads the shimming will be needed. Just hope you never do any work there. No other valce adjustments needed. Ed_G
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Replying to: ed_g (Oct 25, 2006 5:36 am) ed_g, your understanding of what the service tech explained to you (or his understanding of what's in the shop manual) is incorrect. These new V6 Hyundai engines do NOT use hydraulic valve lifters (which, by the way, are self-adjusting by definition...). The previous generation of Hyundai-designed V6 engines DID use hydraulic valve lifters. The lifters in the new lambda (Hyundai's internal designation) V6 engines are solid machined chunks of steel. When (not if) lash wears beyond factory specified clearances, the lifter(s) has/have to be replaced outright. (Shimming is NOT an option in the new Hyundai design unless the factory makes a running engineering alteration later.) Service replacement lifters are available in 41 lengths to accomodate wear severity. Hyundai calls for measuring valve lash every 60,000 miles. That procedure is relatively easy - probably a couple hundred bucks. Should any valves measure out of design clearance, the fun begins. The front cover will have to be removed, the timing chain removed, and the affected camshaft(s) (there are four of them) will have to be removed for access to the affected lifter(s). While it's arguable whether this involved procedure will actually be necessary at every measurement cycle, rest assured that when it is, it will be expensive. Expect $700.00 or more because of the considerable labor time involved. If the chain has stretched beyond service tolerance or the chain tensioner is out of tolerance, add those items to the parts count during re-assembly. (Suddenly timing belts and hydraulic tappets look attractive, again.  ) If you're interested in reading up on what eventually awaits you, you can access the 2006 and 2007 Sonata shop manuals at HMAService.com. While intended for dealership service personnel, free site registration is open to anyone. *According to the shop manual, these are designated as "MLA"s (manual lash adjusters?). My initial interpretation from the diagrams in the shop manual was that these were shallow, but full tappets. But on further reflection, perhaps "MLA" is Hyundai-speak for shims? Dunno - I'll leave it to a Hyundai dealership tech to settle the question.
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One of the main reasons I bought the new Sonata was for 10 peaceful years of ownership (if I live that long), or 100 Thousand miles, whichever comes first!.  "While it's arguable whether this involved procedure will actually be necessary at every measurement cycle, rest assured that when it is, it will be expensive. Expect $700.00 or more because of the considerable labor time involved. If the chain has stretched beyond service tolerance or the chain tensioner is out of tolerance, add those items to the parts count during re-assembly. (Suddenly timing belts and hydraulic tappets look attractive, again. ) If you're interested in reading up on what eventually awaits you, you can access the 2006 and 2007 Sonata shop manuals at HMAService.com. While intended for dealership service personnel, free site registration is open to anyone". |
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