Please help, Hyundai Santa fe 2lt CRDI 2001

[Sunnydays]

Hi all
New to this so please excuse me if I have posted in the wrong place Sorry but a bit of a long story that i will try to condense. This is the story: less than a year ago bought a 2001 santa fe crdi. Agreed before purchase that it would be serviced prior to pick up.
Loved the car but noticed after a couple of days that it was hesitant on start up and rough idled, as though searching for fuel..
Not a major problem but one we thought we should sort out before winter drew in.
1) We took it to the garage and they said they thought it was a faulty injector. They said they couldn't get a new one but could rebuild one.
We collected the car, it was exactly the same. And now cut out and died while driving along. We took it back.
2) They said they'd tested it and it was injector 4, they said they'd replaced it. We took it home no different.
3) Back again They said they had put a new DRV ? valve on the common rail ?
4) Back again they said faulty new injector. They said they would replace it, When we arrived to collect the car the bonnet was up, hubby went in to talk to them I went and sat half in the car. I watched as a mechanic cut through a pipe and added what looked like a valve into the line, then closed the bonnet. We took the car home, no different.
We were seriously not happy by this point, it should be a pretty simple fix.. shouldn't it ?
5) We took the car back and expressed our unhappiness.
They insisted we leave the car there for a few days. We did. We went to collect the car they said they had put a new DRV ? valve on the common rail ? along with the injector because they thought the last one they had fitted was faulty ?
Should also add here: After the first time the car went in for repair of rough idling and we had picked it up, the car actually just stopped while driving along, just as we had pulled past a tractor. When the key was turned it did nothing at all. after sitting for 10 minutes the car started up again as though nothing was wrong. The car continued to do this periodically (with progressively shorter intervals) until we brought it home the 5th time.
6) Within 30km of collection it started making a disturbing tapping noise, which within 2 heartbeats turned into clanking so we pulled over and not wanting to risk doing serious damage, phoned a friend to tow us back to the garage.
The garage said the big ends had gone and we had to have a complete new engine.
7) The garage decided to rebuild the bottom half of the engine instead of replacing it.
We have tried to live with the car but after so many problems we have no faith in the car now, so we have decided to advertise the car for sale, and use it untill it sold. Car had run fine for about 300 miles since the re-build then Friday started tapping quite loudly.
8) We decided after last time to try new garage, garage 1- says tappets, garage 2 -says cam shaft bearings and the original garage- says it is another injector that is giving out too much fuel.

Please help Car sounded a little tappety when we got it back but only slightly (we didn't realise they were hydraulic tappets at the time). The car has been driven in running in mode since the re-build.
The noise is not the same as last itme, it is a loud tappety noise not clanky or clonky. there is no loss of power. Not sure what other info to add. Please someone help this car has cost us a fortune so far and its still going.
Thanks in advance for any help or advise

 

[Belle427]

What a nightmare, if it were me id probably cut my losses and get rid.
Faults on a diesel engine are very difficult to diagnose and it sounds as if your garage are using guesswork which is never a good idea.
If the bottom end started knocking did you starve it of oil?

 

[Burnerman]

Hells bells and I thought that my Jeep had problems.....
First point - these cars had real warranty problems when paint from the inside of the tank came free and blocked the fuel lines a la Kia Sedona.
Second point - something doesn't ring true here - why should an engine suddenly start to clatter? An oil pressure test should show whats up here - at least to some degree. A garage deciding to rebuild the bottom end, huh....? I smell a rat somewhere!
Consider a dealer trade in rather than a private sale - less chance of a haunting when the buyer knocks on your door. The vehicle will go straight to trade auction anyway.
I really feel for you both!
John

 

[Sunnydays]

Hi Burnerman, Hi ch427, Thanks for the speedy replies.

I smell a rat too ! ! It all seems highly sus that all you have is hesitant start up when cold, and end up after going to the garage with a car that dies mid drive. You go back to garage, take home and need a new engine ! ! But what can you do ? We don't know whether the current problem is anything to do with past problems and now have 3 garages all saying it is something completely different. And we have to decide which one we believe... and then it'll still probably turn out to be something different !

The engine has not been starved of oil... well not that we know ?
I think the garage said the pump had broken which had caused the damage to the engine, leading to re-build (but hubby is not here at mo to ask). No oil warning lights came on though ?
New oil was put in at re-build and hubby insisted on new filter and oil approx 50ish km later to clear out anything that may have dislodged after the re-build ? !
He has checked the oil levels pretty regularly (mainly out of paranoia I think). No oil lights have ever come on in the car.#

Oh something else that may (or not) be important: When the tapping noise started this time we were 100ish km from home (our first long journey in it since the re-build, isn't it typical). We took it to garage 1, who checked oil, had a good listen, did some reving, had a poke around the engine and said tappets, but they wouldn't be able to fix it for 2-3 days as they are hydraulic and would need to be ordered.
We couldn't stay there, so asked if it would be ok to drive home and go to a garage at home. We were told probably as long as we took it slow and kept the revs down... We had no choice, so this we did and the sound had not changed or increased in any way when we got home.
The sound does seem to fade at a certain speed, but not sure if that is just a combination of the speed of the taps all kind of blurring together, and getting drowned to an extent by engine and road noise, if you know what I mean ? Tapping definitely sounds louder and more distinct when pulling away from a stop.
Main problem is we are living in Bulgaria and the garages are not as up to date as you would like (imagine 1970's garage working on a 2001 car). Also although we would LOVE to sell the 'beast of burden', car sales here are very slow especially for 4x4s because they are expensive and very few people have the money for one. So selling is likely to take a while and we need a car in the meantime. Oh for the chance of a trade in.. but it doesn't really exist here, unless your buying new.
Also after buying the car hubby insisted on oil filter, oil, air filter all being changed. He ran a fuel/injector cleaner in with the fuel for a couple of tanks because he didn't believe the guy had done the service before we picked it up (nothing new there).
Think I have covered everything, but I'm sure, knowing me I have probably missed something important ? ?
So any further ideas, suggestions or questions very welcome in our search to narrow down this problem.
Thanks again for your help

 

[Burnerman]

Blimey.....
If the oil pump, or the mechanical drive to it has failed, then the engine would start to knock very quickly indeed. The oil light would come on (if there's a bulb in ).
Hydraulic tappets wouldn't be damaged by this, but crankshaft and camshaft bearings would be.
Noisy hydraulic tappets are usually due to the incorrect viscosity (thickness) of oil being used. Often rattly at first, they shut up on their own accord as the oil gets pumped around the engine. They don't fail as a group of 8 either.
It would be immediately evident by looking at the old parts - oil pump and crankshaft shell bearings - if the lubrication system had failed. Normally the garage would be keen to show you these bits!
If the crankshaft bearings are worn, the noise would be more evident as the engine is put under load, and quickly quietening down after, until the next load of accelleration.
On an engine with a good few miles on, its not correct just to shove new crankshaft bearings in.....the crank needs to be measured and if necessary reground to a smaller size. Crankshaft crank pins wear oval.
New bearings on a worn crank will be finished in 500 miles.
Personally I would suspect oil pump failure has started all of this, but who is to blame - who knows.
I do think you need a complete replacement engine, if such a thing is possible over there.
Be lucky!
John