Help! Blown head gaskets!

[dnew75]

Hey guys. It's been a while since my last post and if I can't resolve this issue it may be my last since I may not be a Genesis owner any longer.
I have had my oil changed and serviced regularly in my '09 4.6 8 cylinder Genesis. As I'm driving along the interstate, I hear a knocking sound from my engine when I immediately begin to pull over. Before I can get over to the shoulder my car completely dies; the engine, the dash, even my brakes, I had to use my emergency brake to stop along the shoulder. I open the hood and smoke/steam came pouring out of my car. There was no previous, obvious indication of car trouble. I had the car serviced regularly and had the oil changed only five days prior. The engine light never came on and the dash temperature gauge remained on "C" indicating a cold engine. I bought the car used with 60k miles on it and therefore did not get the Hyundai warranty. I did, however, get a "Maxwell lifetime extended warranty" from the dealer. The repair shop says that I have two blown head gaskets, warped cylinders and that I don't have compression on either side, I have no idea what this means as I am not very mechanically inclined. He says I will probably need a new engine. I ask him if the warranty will cover it and he says that it should. Upon further testing they said I have a faulty thermostat and now the warranty company says that they will only cover the replacement of the thermostat and nothing else because I drove the car beyond when I should have stopped and taken it in. The thing is is that there was no indication of the engine over heating. The dash temp gauge was literally on "C" when it failed and the engine light never came on, how was I to know. If that is the case, and they will not cover anything other than the thermostat I am completely screwed because I still owe on the car and cannot afford a new engine on my own at the moment. I do not know what to do which is why I am posting here looking for answers. Why would the temperature gauge not work? Does the thermostat communicate the temp to the gauge or could another part have failed? I am at my wits end. Any help will be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[homeofstone]

What company did the last service work and what did they say they did? I hope it was not one of those quick lube places. Investigate everything thoroughly, including what services were done on the car before you bought it and have current oil analyzed and oil filter checked to see if proper one was in the car.

 

[Ernie3647]

It seems very odd that the thermostat and temperature gauge go bad at the same time. As far as I know there is no physical connection. I think this all boils down to you having to prove the temperature gauge doesn’t work. If you’re really sure that the gauge didn’t work I would look into proving it somehow. Have someone knowledgeable find and test the engine temperature sensor even if you have to pay them. Even if the car won’t start you should be able to activate the gauge cluster for testing purposes.

 

[homeofstone]

It seems very odd that the thermostat and temperature gauge go bad at the same time. As far as I know there is no physical connection. I think this all boils down to you having to prove the temperature gauge doesn’t work. If you’re really sure that the gauge didn’t work I would look into proving it somehow. Have someone knowledgeable find and test the engine temperature sensor even if you have to pay them. Even if the car won’t start you should be able to activate the gauge cluster for testing purposes.

+1 and All part of a thorough investigation.

 

[kev4]

Try and find a used engine from a salvage yard.

 

[kpxnsfcxkp]

How did the technician come up that thermostat was only thing that was bad? Did he give you print out of all the fault codes inside the ECU? If not I would try to get that information and try to see where the problem came from.

 

[Bill K]

An overheating gauge can show cold if there is very little coolant in the system. The reason for this is because the coolant isn't pumped up to touch the temp sensor.
What usually happens is that, over time the temp gauge shows hotter and hotter, until the coolant is almost gone. If you don't have a blown hose, you must have been burning coolant through a bad head gasket, into a cylinder.
If you did have a bad thermostat, the temp sensor would have to show an overheat situation.
This "Maxwell lifetime extended warranty" sounds like a dealer BS warranty.......How much extra did this cost?......If this was some "free" dealer BS warranty, you may be screwed.
Did you buy the car from a Hyundai dealer??

 

[ShadowZ]

Sounds like a BS warranty to me. I'd fight for Hyundai to step in, I did, and they provided a new engine for me when I threw a rod with no symptoms prior. I paid for labor and that was $3,000 but the invoice for the new engine was near $13,000.

I hope it was not one of those quick lube places.

That's a bold statement as I'm sure that has nothing to do with why his car behaved the way it did. That is, of course, unless he had his coolant serviced and not properly burped.

An air pocket can cause a temp sensor to read incorrectly, it can also prevent a thermostat from opening. I didn't research where the temp sensor is located, but it is usually not in the engine side of the thermostat.

A faulty temp sensor is also a possibility, or a bad electrical connection.

A bad stepper motor in the dash will also give no warning of a problem.

Cylinders are warped? That is a stretch, but I guess its possible. A tear down would be required to make this diagnosis. The heads go far before the block does.

Oil starvation can cause rapid temp increases to blow the head gaskets, but will also show signs of extreme wear.


Thermostats either work or don't, they hardly go bad "in between" open and closed. Usually either stuck open or closed. Closed is the only scenario that it would cause overheating, that can be easily tested once removed.

 

[homeofstone]

Sounds like a BS warranty to me. I'd fight for Hyundai to step in, I did, and they provided a new engine for me when I threw a rod with no symptoms prior. I paid for labor and that was $3,000 but the invoice for the new engine was near $13,000.



That's a bold statement as I'm sure that has nothing to do with why his car behaved the way it did. That is, of course, unless he had his coolant serviced and not properly burped.

An air pocket can cause a temp sensor to read incorrectly, it can also prevent a thermostat from opening. I didn't research where the temp sensor is located, but it is usually not in the engine side of the thermostat.

A faulty temp sensor is also a possibility, or a bad electrical connection.

A bad stepper motor in the dash will also give no warning of a problem.

Cylinders are warped? That is a stretch, but I guess its possible. A tear down would be required to make this diagnosis. The heads go far before the block does.

Oil starvation can cause rapid temp increases to blow the head gaskets, but will also show signs of extreme wear.


Thermostats either work or don't, they hardly go bad "in between" open and closed. Usually either stuck open or closed. Closed is the only scenario that it would cause overheating, that can be easily tested once removed.

There have been numerous reports by investigative TV news with hidden cameras showing where quick lube shops don't change the oil, use wrong filter or no filter, use wrong oil, use cheap filters that fail, and not securing the drain plug.