Engine noise on cold start

[alanjyoung]

My Genesis has a noticable noise on the cold start. The dealer says Hyundai says this is normal or within range. I dont think so. I purchased the vehicle in January of 2009 the noise was not prominent then. I live in Texas where I can't blame the noise on excessively cold winters. Basically the engine is a bit noisey anyway for the quality of the vehicle.
ADVISE!!

A.Y.

 

[ctrcbob]

My Genesis has a noticable noise on the cold start. The dealer says Hyundai says this is normal or within range. I dont think so. I purchased the vehicle in January of 2009 the noise was not prominent then. I live in Texas where I can't blame the noise on excessively cold winters. Basically the engine is a bit noisey anyway for the quality of the vehicle.
ADVISE!!

A.Y.

I also had noticable noise on cold starts last month when I was in North/West Texas. (Brownfield - Post - etc and Roswell NM) and from an overnight stay north of Fort Worth (Bridgeport/Denton area). It was COLD. I was using "warm weather oil" that I had from Florida. I changed the oil to a thinner recommended oil, and the cold start noise is no more. Now quiet.

 

[crhbobby]

I too have noticed a slight knocking noise on a cold Indiana morning. One time it was prominent enough that it had me worried. Usually I let my car warm up for a minute or 2 when it is cold.

I use 5W20 oil, which I thought was appropriate for most temperatures.

Bob

 

[brihvac]

My car has done this since day one. Its pretty loud. I was at the dealer and started up a Genesis on the lot and it made the same noise.
Issue is the oil filter is mounted on the top of the engine. Hyundai does not have any kind of check valve to keep the oil from draining back into the pan. So when you start the car it is taking a second or to repump the oil to your filter and engine. Your noise is "dry start" from lack of oil. My wifes Sonata does the same thing but not as bad. Its a horrible design.

 

[scottdk]

I guess I'll be the opposite in this thread. My engine is louder in warmer climates vs colder climates. I have the V8.

 

[Disaster]

It is interesting how not all people are experiencing this...which should happen if it were a design issue. Could it be the different fill levels contributing? Some are filling to 4.5 quarts, while others to 5.5.

 

[Sayantsi]

I think it comes down to what people consider loud. Also, the emissions system makes the V8 at least idle rough on cold startup, not sure about the V6, so it would be normal for some noise and roughness.

 

[Disaster]

I think it comes down to what people consider loud. Also, the emissions system makes the V8 at least idle rough on cold startup, not sure about the V6, so it would be normal for some noise and roughness.

It sounded like people were specifically talking about "knocking" like when what is heard from the lifters. "brihvac" said his wife's Sonata does the same thing so it doesn't sound like it is limited to the V8. By the way, I haven't heard this with our V6...yet, but we only have 600 miles or so on it...on the original factory oil.

 

[tjc78]

My V6 clatters on every startup whether cold or hot. Naturally, in the colder temps we have now the first start in the morning is the worst. It lasts for about 2 secs and goes away completely. Even after only sitting for half hour I still can hear it if I listen.

I mentioned it to the dealer and of course got the standard answer "they all do it" I thought about persuing it further, however, my car is leased and don't think it will have any long term effects in 36K miles.

 

[brihvac]

My V6 clatters on every startup whether cold or hot. Naturally, in the colder temps we have now the first start in the morning is the worst. It lasts for about 2 secs and goes away completely. Even after only sitting for half hour I still can hear it if I listen.

I mentioned it to the dealer and of course got the standard answer "they all do it" I thought about persuing it further, however, my car is leased and don't think it will have any long term effects in 36K miles.

Mine is exactly like yours. Does it in cold and hot weather. Its worse when its colder out. It seems like it is getting louder. I bought my car outright but dont keep them too long. I also started a brand new Genesis on the lot and it made noise. Not as bad as mine, but it was there. Mine is a V6 not V8. Like I said, my wifes 3.3 V6 Sonata makes the same noise. Hers is not as bad, but she only has 3000 miles on it. I took my car back to the dealer with 700 miles on it and complained. I left it there overnight and they said they did not hear the sound. They must have been deaf. Its a really bad design flaw not to have something holding the oil in the filter. I dont care what anyone says, over time this dry start is prematurly wearing your engine.
Heres my thread I started when I first started having this issue:
http://genesisowners.com/hyundai-genesis-forum/showthread.php?t=2224

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[2010titanium]

I STARTED 2 GENESIS ON THE LOT ODAY, AND HEARD THE NOISE, SOUND LIKE A SEWING MACHINE, MAYBE LIFTERS. IT DID CONCERN ME BUT THE SALESMAN TOLD ME IT WAS IN FOR SERVICE. DOES THE NOISE GO AWAY AS THE CAR WARMS UP? GOTTA TELL YOU, IT MADE ME WONDER ABOUT BUYING ONE, SHOULD i?

 

[Disaster]

Until someone starts seeing premature engine failures, I don't think this is a huge concern. So far the highest mileage I've seen reported for the Genesis is 60,000. I imagine someone out there has put on more. Meanwhile there are Sonatas with much higher mileage and you don't hear about a rash of Sonata engine failures. I suspect it isn't an issue.

 

[scottdk]

emdoller sent me a message saying he had the same issue with his 4.6 and he stated the following:

"Regarding the issue, the showed me a drawing of the valve train and showed me what they replaced. I don't know the spcecific nmae of the part as there were only part numbers. They said there was one other car that had this. They did not know until they called their " regional service rep""

I did notice my engine did not make this sound anymore when temp got below 30 degrees.

I'll see how things sound with the engine when I take the car out of storage in the spring. If I hear the sound again, I'll take the car to a different dealership to see what they can drum up.

 

[Sayantsi]

The V6 at least is a proven engine for durability and longevity, and I can't imagine the V8 being unreliable.

 

[ImInPA]

It is interesting how not all people are experiencing this...which should happen if it were a design issue. Could it be the different fill levels contributing? Some are filling to 4.5 quarts, while others to 5.5.

Not all people may notice it or scrutinize it. Some may just not be sensitive to it. No real mystery here. Noises are one of the subjective and elusive issues with cars.

 

[BocaDave]

Sorry, ImInPa, while I agree with you that "...Noises are one of the subjective and elusive issues with cars," the Genesis (any model) is noisy compared to competition, even much lower priced competition.

Before buying I shopped cheaper cars (Buick, Avalon, Sable, and hybrids), and equal priced or more expensive cars (BMer, Infinity, Lexus 350, Cadillac STS and CTS, Lincoln, etc.) ALL had quieter engines than the Genesis.

Now, if you measured interior noise, they were all pretty close, but once you opened the window... Genesis was loudest (maybe the Buick was as loud, I don't recall).

New question... does anyone know if its safe to overfill your crankcase with 1/2 quart or a full quart of oil? Over the years, on other cars I've found this MAY help with starting noises, but some writers infer that it causes foaming of the oil in your engine, and possibly fouls your spark plugs, not good things if true.

 

[brihvac]

Disaster Overfilling ,or underfilling, your crankcase by 1/2 quart does not contribute to start up noise. Your oil sump is about 1/4 inch off the bottom of your oil pan so it would be submerged in oil at all time reguardless. I have not heard a V6 Genesis yet that did not make the noise. Some are worse than others. I think that some people just dont pay attention too it. People in warmer climates are less likely to hear it as well. Also, some life experianced people (older) may be unable to hear it. Bottom line is: its a bad design flaw to have a top mount oil filter with no check valve. My wifes Sonta is the same with the top mounted oil filter with no check valve, and hers makes noise also. She does not even notice it.

As far as the "dilemma" of how much oil to put in.....IMO the level should be completely full when the engine is running, not sitting. So I add the extra 1/2 quart. I warm the car up, shut it down, and check the oil after a few minutes.

 

[CanukV6]

While start-up noise levels may be subjective, there is no question that the V6 Genesis engine makes a noticable clatter when started from cold. As has been explained in previous posts, this is due to the lack of a check-valve in the lubrication system. That means your oil pump has to move oil from the oil pan, fill the oil filter housing and then push it to the noisy valvetrain that is running 'dry' for those few seconds after a cold start. It is certainly not a great design and anybody with some level of mechanical sympathy will wince every time it happens. Once warmed up the valve noise disappears and I find my 3.8 a very quiet engine under normal running conditions. Using a Synthetic Oil will probably help as they tend to leave a film of oil on metal surfaces, but I haven't tried this on my Genesis as I change oil too often to justify switching to synthetic. Long term, I doubt this problem will have any serious affect on engine longevity or reliability, its just not the sound you expect or hope to hear from a 'quality' vehicle.

 

[brihvac]

While start-up noise levels may be subjective, there is no question that the V6 Genesis engine makes a noticable clatter when started from cold. As has been explained in previous posts, this is due to the lack of a check-valve in the lubrication system. That means your oil pump has to move oil from the oil pan, fill the oil filter housing and then push it to the noisy valvetrain that is running 'dry' for those few seconds after a cold start. It is certainly not a great design and anybody with some level of mechanical sympathy will wince every time it happens. Once warmed up the valve noise disappears and I find my 3.8 a very quiet engine under normal running conditions. Using a Synthetic Oil will probably help as they tend to leave a film of oil on metal surfaces, but I haven't tried this on my Genesis as I change oil too often to justify switching to synthetic. Long term, I doubt this problem will have any serious affect on engine longevity or reliability, its just not the sound you expect or hope to hear from a 'quality' vehicle.

I also hope there are no long term effects. I also switched to synthetic at 1000 miles. It made no difference in the noise.

 

[CanukV6]

I also hope there are no long term effects. I also switched to synthetic at 1000 miles. It made no difference in the noise.

Out of curiosity, what Synthetic oil are you using?