the firing order for an inline 4 is usually 1-3-4-2
1 and 4 are companion cylinders
2 and 3 are companion cylinders
This is how you figure out which cylinders are companions, assuming the engine has an even number of cylinders
Divide the number of cylinders in half, and put the first half . . . starting with #1 . . . on top. Put the second half on the bottom, directly below the first. The cylinder “on top” is companion to the cylinder directly “below” it
As I mentioned up above, the firing order for a straight 4 is 1-3-4-2
1-3
4-2
1 and 4 are companions, and 3 and 2 are companions
Here’s another example, for a straight 6. The firing order is 1-5-3-6-2-4
1-5-3
6-2-4
As you see, 1 and 6 are companions, 5 and 2 are companions, 3 and 4 are companions
You had the correct cylinders paired with each other. But your firing order was wrong. If your firing order had been correct, 1 and 3 would be companion cylinders, and 4 and 2 would be companion cylinders
I don’t mean to sound like a lecturing jerk, but there are times when it’s quite important for a mechanic to know the firing order. And if he doesn’t, then he’ll probably be wrong about which cylinders are companions. And that could lead to mistakes in diagnosis
Hyundais were from the beginning above average in overall reliability it seemed @asemaster. But they marketed to the lower end of the market where “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” was the motto. At one time I believe they offered a buy one get one free plan. And today with their improvements they are a bargain for those who have somewhat long commutes and take maintenance seriously. I have seen a few Sonatas with 300,000+ miles still running strong. And I believe that all current models have timing chains.
Hyundais were very rare at my shop until the late 90s but those that I saw seemed to be Mitsubishi clones and and they were mechanically quite “adequate” so to speak. Upholstery and trim were on the cheap side but as I said earlier they were marketing to the lower end of the market.
db4960 said the firing order for an inline 4 is usually 1-3-4-2
Yeah, that's what I meant. Typing faster than I'm thinking. Happens sometimes. Normally, I review better than that. Could be a touch of dyslexia kicking in, too.
Hyundai has come a long way since then, and today I would put them up against most other major brands as far as reliability and ease of service. They're reliable, simple to work on, easy to maintain, and are quite durable. I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who's bought a Hyundai in the last 5-10 years and isn't happy with the car.
Truer words…
My SO doesn’t give 2 figs about cars. Rolls her eyes when we pass a Ferrari and I excitedly point it out.
She bought a Veloster when they first came out. Loves it. Raves about it. Talks about it all the time. Joined a Veloster forum. Organized a Veloster club car meet. That’s a pretty amazing reaction for someone who doesn’t care about cars, especially when the car isn’t an exotic or luxury car.
That said, I’ve been quite impressed with it. Handles well - a bit nervous over bumps, but considering the price range I don’t really expect German high end handling out of it, looks very cool (bright orange with orange inserts in the wheel spokes. Nice) and it’s biggest problem has been lousy materials on the leather-wrapped steering wheel. But when it peeled they replaced it with another wheel that has much better leather on it.
While she was shopping for it I drove a Genesis Coupe - the manual 6 cylinder. I was blown away. It’s fast, handles very well, looks stunning, and the cabin is a very nice place to spend time. I very seriously considered trading in my TL for one. Hell, it’s 3 years later and I still toy with the idea.
Hyundai/Kia have really stepped up their game, and it’s good to see them taking the oddball risks that Honda used to take in the days of the CRX with cars like the Veloster, Coupe, and even the Equus, which everyone compares unfavorably to S-class Mercedes and BMW 7 series… But it’s loads cheaper and, hey, it’s being compared to S-class Mercedes and BMW 7 series. Nothing Honda ever put out was even mentioned in the same sentence. Not bad!
Honda, I suspect, is privately very nervous about what Hyundai will do to their sales. I suspect the “emergency refresh” of the Civic a couple years back, and the fact that we’re apparently getting a Civic Type R in the US finally is at least in part because people looking for fun cars are no longer looking at Honda these days and instead are wandering into Hyundai dealerships.
The 1986 Hyundai Pony was not a good car; the engine from Mitsubishi was OK, but that was about all. However, like the Japanese they went on a very steep improvement curve and soon Hyundais were better than domestic cars.
The Elantra was top rated compact by Consumer Reports for several years after the crash ratings improved.
Hyundai/Kias seem to be good cars. I also believe recent years have gone to timing chains. They earlier ones definitely left something to be desired. I had a teacher back in HS who drove a Mitsubishi Precis which was a rebadged Excel and talk about a tin can. It looked just like http://www.moibbk.com/images/mitsubishi-precis-2.jpg and burned oil, backfired, and the like. It was basically junk. Everyone laughed but he didn’t care. His wife finally forced him to get a new car. He actually got her the new car and took her old one.
I helped someone look at a used Hyundai a couple years back. The resale was terrible although the car seemed fine. I did some research on this and found out that the issue was that they were one of the cheaper cars when bought new. The reason this was an issue was that people would buy them and never do any maintenance. This includes oil changes and TIMING BELTS as seen in this story. I know people who never change the oil (only add) to save money. They see nothing wrong with this and say crap like oil changes are a communist plot to make you spend money. I would never buy one of their cars unless for scrap value. I mean they NEVER change the oil and go like 100k like this. This is a testament to the durability of modern engines although I wouldn’t do it.
And I see the people in my line of work who spend more than the value of something in repairing it because they paid 10x the value at a rent to own store. Take a laptop that would be $300 at Wal-Mart. We are talking about a disposable. Well they pay $3000 for it rent to own so spending $350 to fix it is a good deal. You can’t talk them out of it. As mentioned with the cars, they tend to leave behind their equipment and never answer your phone calls. At least disposing of a junk computer isn’t as hard as dealing with a car and I make sure to have everyone sign a form agreeing to pickup non-repairable units within 14 days, otherwise it gets recycled. Dealing with the low end is a pain if you ask me so I no longer cater to them. Yes, they also like to blame you for their problems. Sure, it was broken when they brought it to me but that doesn’t matter and it must be my fault.
