Wanted: 2.0 Head
12-20-2009 | 06:03 PM
#4
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 43
Likes: 0
i was told its the valve seals. but also the cars radiator fluid keeps boiling and reading medium tempature. so was told thats probably the head gasket starting to go. but all the plugs are fouled after 2 months of being in the car.
12-20-2009 | 08:24 PM
#5
Super Moderator
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 10,795
Likes: 5
From: Pflugerville, TX
Vehicle: 2000 Elantra
Head gaskets don't "start to go" they work or they don't.
Pull the engine oil dipstick . . . if it looks like coffee instead of engine oil, you have a bad head gasket (or something else Bad Wrong). With the radiator COLD to the touch, pull the radiator cap . . . if it looks like coffee, you possibly have a bad head gasket (or something else Bad Wrong).
You could also have any of a few other failed, much cheaper-to-have-replaced parts.
Assuming you have proper antifreeze in the engine, when it boils out:
Highway speed or sitting in traffic?
Always or sometimes?
Does the gauge ever get to full HOT?
Has the gauge EVER gone to full HOT?
When the car starts to over heat, it doesn't matter how warm it is outside. PUT THE HEATER on inside the car (on the air conditioner) and turn the fan on full blast. Does the engine temperature reading fall at all?
Pull the engine oil dipstick . . . if it looks like coffee instead of engine oil, you have a bad head gasket (or something else Bad Wrong). With the radiator COLD to the touch, pull the radiator cap . . . if it looks like coffee, you possibly have a bad head gasket (or something else Bad Wrong).
You could also have any of a few other failed, much cheaper-to-have-replaced parts.
Assuming you have proper antifreeze in the engine, when it boils out:
Highway speed or sitting in traffic?
Always or sometimes?
Does the gauge ever get to full HOT?
Has the gauge EVER gone to full HOT?
When the car starts to over heat, it doesn't matter how warm it is outside. PUT THE HEATER on inside the car (on the air conditioner) and turn the fan on full blast. Does the engine temperature reading fall at all?
12-20-2009 | 09:07 PM
#6
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 43
Likes: 0
The Coolant does look like coffee. long runs it does it. in the past few months ive owned it it has not gone to hot or ever came close to it. it starts cold then works up to halfway and thats it. i replaced the thermostat thinking it would help but not to much. with the heater on full blast no it dosnt move.
12-20-2009 | 09:46 PM
#7
Super Moderator
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 10,795
Likes: 5
From: Pflugerville, TX
Vehicle: 2000 Elantra
Yeah that's bad. Does the engine generally run poorly? That could be a sign of poorly-sealing valves. Valve seals leaking might cause poor valve sealing.
Valves in the cylinder head seal in 2 places. These images are from who knows what kind of car, but I hope they will serve:
The long part is called a stem. The valve stem goes up into the head and is pushed on at the top by a valve spring. There are little rubber seals near the top of the stem, keeping the oil sloshing around the cylinder head, out of the air passages and combustion chambers. To get that far, oil has to get through the valve guide (a bronze bushing tightly fitted to the valve stem) as well:
The valve itself seals against air, by smashing against its matching valve seat. This is a metal-to-metal contact surface, and if your car has leaky valve stem seals, the oil could leak down and accumulate/burn on the valve, so that the valves no longer seal properly.
********
You can have a couple of tests performed, called compression and leakdown checks. A compression test tells you how hard the engine smooshes the air/fuel mixture, and a leakdown test can give you an idea of where your problem lies. A fresh, broken-in Hyundai Beta might have a compression test in the 200-230PSI range, and all cylinders should give similar readings. If the compression test comes back very low (<150PSI) your engine could use a freshening-up or replacement anyway. If a leakdown test sends the compressed air bubbling out the radiator cap, you very likely have a blown head gasket.
Link to "leakdown test" explained some more
To replace valve stem seals is quite a hassle, and the (by far) easier way to do it involves removal of the cylinder head, which requires a new head gasket.
See if you can get those tests done, and report back. If you can find a small mom & pop garage that has been around a long time, who will let you be in the shop when they do the testing, that would be a good source of first-hand knowledge (especially if the mechanic likes to explain things). You may find more answers here than at your local dealership garage; all we do here is this kind of car! If you fill in the location in your user profile, someone may be nearby who can give you a call or maybe even come pay a visit and 'splain some things in person.
Valves in the cylinder head seal in 2 places. These images are from who knows what kind of car, but I hope they will serve:
The long part is called a stem. The valve stem goes up into the head and is pushed on at the top by a valve spring. There are little rubber seals near the top of the stem, keeping the oil sloshing around the cylinder head, out of the air passages and combustion chambers. To get that far, oil has to get through the valve guide (a bronze bushing tightly fitted to the valve stem) as well:
The valve itself seals against air, by smashing against its matching valve seat. This is a metal-to-metal contact surface, and if your car has leaky valve stem seals, the oil could leak down and accumulate/burn on the valve, so that the valves no longer seal properly.
********
You can have a couple of tests performed, called compression and leakdown checks. A compression test tells you how hard the engine smooshes the air/fuel mixture, and a leakdown test can give you an idea of where your problem lies. A fresh, broken-in Hyundai Beta might have a compression test in the 200-230PSI range, and all cylinders should give similar readings. If the compression test comes back very low (<150PSI) your engine could use a freshening-up or replacement anyway. If a leakdown test sends the compressed air bubbling out the radiator cap, you very likely have a blown head gasket.
Link to "leakdown test" explained some more
To replace valve stem seals is quite a hassle, and the (by far) easier way to do it involves removal of the cylinder head, which requires a new head gasket.
See if you can get those tests done, and report back. If you can find a small mom & pop garage that has been around a long time, who will let you be in the shop when they do the testing, that would be a good source of first-hand knowledge (especially if the mechanic likes to explain things). You may find more answers here than at your local dealership garage; all we do here is this kind of car! If you fill in the location in your user profile, someone may be nearby who can give you a call or maybe even come pay a visit and 'splain some things in person.
