Over the months I've learned a lot about the issues Hyundai has with its various engines, especially the Theta II and Nu I-4, and every now and then come across advice from members as to how to mitigate destined failure. My goal for this thread is to be a more centralized place to share advice and experiences about maximizing longevity. In other words (either in general or related to a particular engine and variant), what steps can owners take starting today to help stop these problems?
For example, I'll start:
I have a '19 Tucson SE (23K miles) with the GDI-variant of the 2.0L Nu. Since ownership 2 years ago at 17K miles I've experienced the issue of fuel diluting the engine oil. I first discovered this after I changed the oil a few months after purchase (November 2020). Prior to changing, the level was over the full mark by a lot and I assumed it was overfilled. I checked the oil once a month since changing it and it continued to rise little by little each month.
In short, I've discovered that upon switching to premium fuel (91 octane) a year ago instead of continuing to use 87, the oil level has stopped rising. Prior to premium, I tried ethanol-free 88 but the level continued to increase. As of today, the level has not risen since and a year has gone by. Or if it has risen, the rate is not nearly enough to be noticeable compared to what it was.
So if anyone is experiencing oil-fuel dilution issues, try using premium fuel and monitor the level on a monthly basis. For more specifics and pictures, I created a dedicated thread about this a while ago, but this is a brief summary.
Still taking the Nu as an example I'm especially interested in learning how to mitigate its propensity to develop piston slap beginning around 60K-ish miles, especially with Elantras. I've heard of a few theories about the root cause such as the piston is designed shorter than it should be but I wonder if it's other things as well. (I am aware of the recall where the piston rings are too hard and score the cylinder walls), but only non-GDI variants are being recalled. Why? What's so different about the rings a non-GDI variant has compared to a GDI variant like the one in my Tucson? And is there anything owners of the affected variant can do to stop the cylinder wall scoring starting today?
For example, I'll start:
I have a '19 Tucson SE (23K miles) with the GDI-variant of the 2.0L Nu. Since ownership 2 years ago at 17K miles I've experienced the issue of fuel diluting the engine oil. I first discovered this after I changed the oil a few months after purchase (November 2020). Prior to changing, the level was over the full mark by a lot and I assumed it was overfilled. I checked the oil once a month since changing it and it continued to rise little by little each month.
In short, I've discovered that upon switching to premium fuel (91 octane) a year ago instead of continuing to use 87, the oil level has stopped rising. Prior to premium, I tried ethanol-free 88 but the level continued to increase. As of today, the level has not risen since and a year has gone by. Or if it has risen, the rate is not nearly enough to be noticeable compared to what it was.
So if anyone is experiencing oil-fuel dilution issues, try using premium fuel and monitor the level on a monthly basis. For more specifics and pictures, I created a dedicated thread about this a while ago, but this is a brief summary.
Still taking the Nu as an example I'm especially interested in learning how to mitigate its propensity to develop piston slap beginning around 60K-ish miles, especially with Elantras. I've heard of a few theories about the root cause such as the piston is designed shorter than it should be but I wonder if it's other things as well. (I am aware of the recall where the piston rings are too hard and score the cylinder walls), but only non-GDI variants are being recalled. Why? What's so different about the rings a non-GDI variant has compared to a GDI variant like the one in my Tucson? And is there anything owners of the affected variant can do to stop the cylinder wall scoring starting today?
