Kia Sportage timing chain failures

Is normal for a timing CHAIN to go at 64,000 mi, and 5 years old, and does work of replacing usually consist of replacing : guides, and tensions?

Not normal but not unheard of either. Replacing guides and tensioners of course , they might have been the cause of failure.

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You had better check if this is an interference motor

If it is . . . you’ve almost certainly got some damaged valves, at which point it gets quite expensive, because now you’ve got to remove the head(s) and send them out, plus evaluate the piston(s) because they’ll have contacted the valve(s)

Are you the original owner?

If so, is this something that should be covered by the manufacturer’s powertrain warranty?

How diligent have you been, regarding using the correct oil and changing it on time?

VOLVO_V70 +1…Well said,

Timing chains normally last the life of the car; sometimes less. I had one fail (the only one ever) on a 1984 Chevy at 200,000 miles. Took $250 to replace it including all parts and tensioner.

Very infrequent oil changes can greatly shorten the life of of timing chains.

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+1
While defective parts can be the root cause, if the timing chain snapped after 5 years, I strongly suspect that long intervals between oil changes was the real cause.
:thinking:

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The only timing chain problem I’ve had was on a 1969 Cutlass 350 cu.in. On that the chain skipped a few teeth because of a timing gear losing a few teeth.

The 2012 and 2013 Sportage use a timing chain in the available 2L and 2.4L engines. Good thought to check.

My folks had a 1986 Crown Victoria. the timing chain broke on it completely out of the blue around 1987-88. It happens.

Did the engine have high mileage, when this happened?

Was the timing gear made of some inferior and/or soft material?

I’m in agreement with VDCdriver about irregular oil changes being the root cause of most timing chain failures.

I’m also in agreement with db4690 about this being an interference fit engine and the possibility of cylinder head damage; or worse.

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If IIRC it had about 180,000 I bought it with a little over 100,000 With unknown service history. The cam gear was metal but just plain wore down to almost nothing. I replaced the chain and gears and got another 30,000 out of it before the body rusted to nothing. Was actually a fair car for $350.

Doesn’t Kia have a 100,000 mile / 10 year warranty on their powertrain?? I just Googled that and it says they do.

I’d be checking into that little issue because a timing chain should be covered.

I think the long warranty is only for the original owner.

*Kia has a 10 year 100,000 mile powertrain warranty for the original owner, 5 years or 60,000 for the 2nd owner.

Timing chains last a long time, however there has been an unfortunate tendency to put in plastic guides lately. It is something I would try to find out about before I bought a new car.

So if this is the 2nd owner . . . :fearful:

Hyundai and Kia are having with the Theta II engines from 2011 to 2014. Does this car have one of those engines?

Usually they burn oil, bearings go out and the engine seizes, but makes me wonder the chain was the end result of this sequence.

No that isn’t normal as long as the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule is followed.

For the 2013, non-turbo engine the parts cost is appx $60, and about 5 1/2 hours labor. $150 parts cost for the turbo engine, and 6 1/2 hours labor. If you want to dance to the beat of the turbo, you gotta pay the piper.

If the problem is related to lack of or improper maintenance (as in not changing the motor oil often enough) then warranty can justifiably be denied no matter the miles or age.

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