My son’s 2007 Hyundai Sonata had an engine noise that was eventually diagnosed as bad timing chain tensioners. However, one Hyundai dealer repeatedly denied the problem, so it was 8 months before another Hyundai dealer admitted it and changed the tensioners. A couple of months later, the engine light and oil light were on and he was told he needed a new oil pump. By this time, the warranty had expired and he had to pay for the new oil pump and eventually a new engine. My question is this: Could the failure of the oil pump have had anything to do with the timing chain tensioner problem?
More than likely it was the other way around. Low oil pressure could have caused the tensioner problem. Engine sludge, engine oil level very low or out, etc. could be behind this.
You have not stated some of the critical information. How many miles on the engine, how regularly the oil was changed, how much oil was in the engine when the light came on, and how often (if ever) the oil level was checked.
I read this quickly once and said to myself “well I guess there are cars that ONLY need the oil pump replaced and all else is just fine”,but I see I was in error. Putting in the pump did not fix things,you needed a complete engine. You would be doing better to ask “why did the engine in my son’s 2007 Hyundai loose oil pressure and require replacement”?
47,602 - car purchased from dealer; prior maintenance history unknown
52,720 - oil change
55,884 - oil change
58,010 - oil change
58,169 - timing chain tensioners replaced
59,516 - check engine and ESC lights on; sensor replaced
61,095 - oil light on
61,095 - oil change
61,201 - check engine and oil lights on
61,259 - oil pump replaced; problem not solved, engine replaced
This car came with a 10 year 100,000 mile warranty that becomes a 5 year 60,000 mile warranty for the second and subsequent owner. Since the timing chain tensioners failed prematurely ( it must be prematurely or it wouldn’t be covered by the warranty ), it can be argued that the chain of destruction that destroyed the engine 2100 miles later started when the car was under warranty and the oil pressure should have been tested then to see if that is what killed the tensioner.
Gert the zone office involved and if Hyundai doesn’t pick up most of the tab try small claims court.
There’s just not enough info known by either you or me to really know what transpired with this engine problem and likely never will be known.
You certainly did a good job on the oil change regimen but the problem could have started in that first 47k miles.
The red flag is the oil light on and an oil change at that time. Once the red light comes on you’re in trouble and adding oil, replacing an oil pump, or whatever is strictly a hope and pray proposition.
Another potential red flag is the oil change at 58k miles and the oil light on a shade over 3k miles later. This would be a red flag to me IF the oil level was not inspected during that 3k miles and especially if it’s unknown as to whether that engine was consuming oil or not.
I don’t think you will get anywhere with warranty unless some evidence is provided about the maintenance history in that first 47k miles and even then it would be a very tough row to hoe. Bottom line is the tensioner did not cause this problem.
(JMHO, but I’m not a fan of oil pump replacements as a cure for an oil light problem. That’s actually a pretty misguided approach because the oil pump is the first part of the engine to see oil. It stands to reason if the pump is bad then the pump is not providing the oil pressure needed to properly lube the engine. For what it’s worth, I’ve been a mechanic a bit over 35 years and have yet to see a bad oil pump. Maybe one of these days…)
Thanks for your input. It does appear that the prior owner did not maintain the car. When my son brought it in for service due to an engine noise at 52,720, the tech said the car had no oil and it looked like the filter had never been changed. Could that early lack of maintenance cause the oil pump to fail 8500 miles later?
It could help to contribute to oil pump wear but it’s unlikely the oil pump actually failed. Someone may have stated that it failed but they were incorrect.
Believe it or not, oil pumps are quite often replaced in a misguided effort to raise oil pressure, save an engine, turn out the oil light, etc. and it seldom if ever works.
If the engine had no oil at 52k miles this could be your son’s fault if he never checked the oil level from the time of purchase. This means the engine was doomed at 52k and sheer luck pushed it to over 60k miles.
Well, if you buy a car from a pretty well known dealer, it seems reasonable to assume that the car should have some oil in it 5K later.
Well, if you buy a car from a pretty well known dealer, it seems reasonable to assume that the car should have some oil in it 5K later.
With this kind of thinking it’s no wonder that the auto recycler yards are filling up so fast. Checking the oil is a very important aspect of being a driver. I have to agree with the other posts that this vehicle was doomed from the time it was purchased.
Assuming that engine fluids are at the proper level has destroyed more engines than automotive accidents.
It doesn’t matter if the car purchased is brand new with 0 miles on it. Even a brand new car should have the oil level inspected every few weeks.
The car in question is a used one and even if it had not been properly taken care of by the original owner (or owners) the main fault will lie with the son if he used this car for 5k miles without raising the hood to check anything.
This kind of thing is very common anymore and unless your son gets in the habit of checking fluids under the hood every few weeks then he is going to be facing the same problem the rest of his life.
Your son is just one of many of the apparently increasing number of people who post here with a trashed (fill in the blank) due to not checking something or motoring on in spite of warning lamps and temperature gauges.
Of course it’s a good idea to have regular maintenance done on a car, but honestly, I don’t know anyone who checks their fluids every few weeks. Maybe because you’re in the business, you do, but I think that’s pretty unusual. This issue is not as black and white as you’re making it seem. I have to wonder whether you work for Hyundai. My son had the car in to a Hyundai dealer for service 8 times before the oil light ever came on, and by the way, it never came on when the tech said there was no oil in the car either. That itself is a defect in the car in my opinion.
This reminds me of the way things were done centuries ago. One empire sends an envoy to another empire with a message to the king. The king does not like the message so he sends the envoy’s head back on a platter.
This IS a black and white issue and up to this point I have not heard an answer as to whether junior was checking the oil level on a regular basis. Based on the response you seem to think that it’s unneccsary and a total waste of time so I assume the hood never caem up until disaster struck.
This attitude is exactly why his car was in the position it was in and it WILL happen again if it continues.
This forum is littered with countless stories of engines and transmissions that are wiped because someone it not checking anything. Maybe some of these stories are from your friends who do not check anything either.
I do not buy the inoperative oil light for one second. That excuse is one of the most common ones in the book when things go south. "It’s not my fault, it’s …(fill in the blank).
By the way, I check fluids and tire pressure on every vehicle I own every few weeks and also check many other things on a monthly basis. Maybe that’s why I don’t have engine and trans failures.
And nope, don’t work for Hyundai, never have, and no plans to ever do so.
No, I don’t think checking fluids is unnecessary or a waste of time and I don’t know what “stories” you’re talking about, but this is not a black and white issue. Thanks for you time.
Some people lease a car for 3 years and never open the hood…Oil change? why bother? Not my problem…Buying a lease return can be risky unless service records can be verified…
“Does timing chain tensioner affect oil pump?” No, running the engine out of oil affects the oil pump and everything else…
No not really, I had a new 1983 Mustang GT that went through a quart every 800 miles. The Owner’s Manual for my wife’s 06 Sienna states that oil consumption of 1 qt/1000 miles is considered normal. The Sienna has not needed any oil between changes since new, but that doesn’t stop me from checking the level every few weeks.
Tf the hood was never raised from the time the car was bought to when the engine started making noise, this one’s on your son not Hyundai. Read the Owner’s Manual, more than likely it will state to check the oil level at every fillup.
Ed B.
This sad little story is one that is repeated every single minute of every single day. Someone screws up a car and it’s everybody else’s fault; the dealer who sold it, Hyundai for making bad oil pressure switch, and anyone who even hints that junior might be at fault.
The “stories” I’m talking about are the ones that pop up on this forum constantly (and keep in mind the ones here are just a tiny fraction of the whole) in whioh the same thing happens to their cars as happened to this one.
How many times has someone posted on this forum about a botched oil change on their new or near new vehicle and they all swear the red oil pressure lamp was never on. It doesn’t make any difference what year, what make or model, or what engine the story is always the same; the oil light never came on. It was on alright; it was just unnoticed or ignored. People have copped to both.
deb9158 wrote:
Well, if you buy a car from a pretty well known dealer, it seems reasonable
to assume that the car should have some oil in it 5K later.
That’s a very dangerous assumption. And based on your later comment where the service tech said it looked like the oil filter had never been changed, you can see it’s also dangerous to assume the car had sufficient oil in it when you purchased it at 47,602.
This forum is filled with opening posts asking why their new cars are burning a quart of oil every 1000 or 1500 miles. They are then surprised to be told by the auto manufacturer that rate of consumption is considered “normal”.
The moment you’re driving with the oil light on, it’s often too late.
This (the OP’s attitude) is why I’m not buying any used cars over 1-2 years old.
“You don’t know anyone who checks their fluids every few weeks.” That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t, just that you and the people you know ignore basic car care and sometimes have to buy new engines. I am a retired truck driver and have never worked for any car company.