My engine is toast

[OughtNotSoToBe]

I bought my 2013 Genesis 3.8 Sedan at an Indy dealer in November of 2020. Last night, after only a year and a half, and with only ~140k miles on it, I'm afraid she's done. I drove about a half hour to the airport to pick up my wife, and on the way back when we were almost home, I started hearing noises coming from the engine, and it started hesitating some. Different rattling and some other random racket. I was close to home so I kept going. I already knew beyond any doubt that I was experiencing a catastrophic engine failure. I made it home with a very loud knocking at idle (or any other engine speed). This engine is finished.

I had recently started noticing a knocking or rattling sound when accelerating to high RPMs, and I had intended to do some investigation. This car uses oil - a quart for every 700 miles or so, but after searching that issue, I found numerous reports that certain Kia and Hyundai engines have oil consumption issues. So I became vigilant about checking my oil weekly and I started giving serious consideration to the idea of trading the car in on something else quick - but with a home purchase in the imminent future, I didn't want to screw with my credit at all until that was finalized.

So I have this awesome car with a dead engine. I don't owe any money on it, and I don't have a warranty. What should I do? Is the car worth the expense of an engine replacement? If I replaced it, with 140k miles, is the transmission next? Will the replacement engine eventually suffer the same fate?

I figure that my options are to either A) Sell it to a junker, and buy something else, or B) Find a used engine and a shop to install it. I'd be grateful for any advice, especially from someone who has any insight about the real costs of an engine swap on this car.

 

[toxicavenger70]

a quart for every 700 miles or so, but after searching that issue, I found numerous reports that certain Kia and Hyundai engines have oil consumption issues

That is not normal at all.

Different rattling and some other random racket. I was close to home so I kept going. I already knew beyond any doubt that I was experiencing a catastrophic engine failure. I made it home with a very loud knocking at idle (or any other engine speed).

Have you checked your idler pulley, water pump or pulleys?

 

[OughtNotSoToBe]

That is not normal at all.

Yep, I mean, I'm not a mechanic, but yeah. It's very alarming to me. No oil spot on the ground, no oil smoke either, yet it drinks the stuff like it was going out of style.

Have you checked your idler pulley, water pump or pulleys?

Yeah. I'd be embarrassed if I hadn't!

I can start it up and listen with the hood up while it's idling. It sounds as if there is an angry person trapped inside the engine block trying to fight his way out with a hammer! That is classic "rod knock" isn't it?

 

[tarhoosier]

Have you checked the coolant. I have had two vehicles augur in and the cause was head gasket failure leading to milk shake appearance of coolant.

 

[Shady_panda]

so...my engine start burning a quart every 1000 miles, my last resort was to change the PCV valve before trading it in...
I jsut check my oil this morning at 900 ish miles after the change, and surprisingly it burn very little if any at all.
try that, its a simple fix, cost 27 bucks to buy the new part and I'm so glad I did it.
mine is a 5.0 though.

 

[OughtNotSoToBe]

Have you checked the coolant. I have had two vehicles augur in and the cause was head gasket failure leading to milk shake appearance of coolant.

It's a valid question, because I do have a coolant leak in this car's history. But I never over-heated it. Visually, coolant looks like it should, as does the oil. Neither looks milky or otherwise contaminated.

When I posted this, I was less concerned with cause, and more concerned with "what do I do now?" What I've found out so far:
Hyundai will charge around $4500 for an engine swap, not including the engine, which would run over $7000. $12k at the dealership. Nope.
An indy mechanic would charge more like $2500 for the swap, and the engine cost all depends on what's available. Looking at engines from zero miles on up to around 112k miles, and even considering rebuilding the one I have, the cheapest option I can find is around $7000 + unexpected...

The hell of it is that if I replace or rebuild the engine, I'm still driving a car with a 140k mile transmission. Ticking time bomb? I have loved my Genny, but with the constant jump starts, battery and alternator replacements, mystery coolant issues, stuck buttons in the console, and now a dead engine...

At this point I think I'm going to take my $1200 bucks from the junker and buy something that doesn't break

 

[kraze4u]

It's a valid question, because I do have a coolant leak in this car's history. But I never over-heated it. Visually, coolant looks like it should, as does the oil. Neither looks milky or otherwise contaminated.

When I posted this, I was less concerned with cause, and more concerned with "what do I do now?" What I've found out so far:
Hyundai will charge around $4500 for an engine swap, not including the engine, which would run over $7000. $12k at the dealership. Nope.
An indy mechanic would charge more like $2500 for the swap, and the engine cost all depends on what's available. Looking at engines from zero miles on up to around 112k miles, and even considering rebuilding the one I have, the cheapest option I can find is around $7000 + unexpected...

The hell of it is that if I replace or rebuild the engine, I'm still driving a car with a 140k mile transmission. Ticking time bomb? I have loved my Genny, but with the constant jump starts, battery and alternator replacements, mystery coolant issues, stuck buttons in the console, and now a dead engine...

At this point I think I'm going to take my $1200 bucks from the junker and buy something that doesn't break

I replaced my engine in my 2012 3.8 sedan. The timing chain tensioners broke which sent metal fragments into the engine. My car was at 215k when I replaced the engine with another 3.8 that had 39k miles along with new tensioners for the timing chain. So far the replacement engine is working great.

 

[swltf183]

I think I'd take the $1200 and move on.
Sorry for the bad luck.