Kia Forum banner

Engine failure 2.5l diesel 114000km

17K views 17 replies 5 participants last post by  BK3 
#1 ·
I have a 2009 2.5l automatic diesel Sorento with 114000 km always serviced at Kia and the engine failed while on the highway at 100 km/hr. No noises or indication just a complete engine failure. Here's my description of the failure - Cylinder 1 injector broke away from the clamp and was going up and down, the dipstick had blown upwards and engine oil was over the engine bay. Engine inoperable. Just put new Pirelli ATR's on the front,

Has anyone experienced such a premature failure like this? The engine oil pump had started to fail about 2-3 months ago and was replaced. This was apparently the first pump failure in Australia.

The rest of the car is in terrific condition but without an engine it ain't no good. Could cost $8 - $15000 to recondition. Most likely the latter, Ouch!!!!!

Any suggestions as to a solution???? No long or short Kia motors in Australia apparently. :(
 
#2 ·
Injector clamp bolt failure is not unheard of, but is usually not a cause of total engine failure on it's own*. There was a Kia limited recall for incorrectly torqued bolts from the factory about 2008, but should not apply to yours. Of course, if the injectors have been serviced, then that may be a clue. I would suggest a second opinion on the engine damage. [And no, Kia may not keep replacement engines on the shelf in Australia, but they would be in the supply chain somewhere (like Korea).]

*ps There are pictures around of an injector having been blown through the engine cover ..... the engine was ok iirc!
 
#4 ·
If that is the case then the oil has probably CAUSED the injector failure. HUGE pressure generated trying to compress fluid; sufficient to bend things like rods and crankshaft. The injector failure might have saved other components, but it looks like the only solution (other than motor) is a strip down and check everything.

The question arises as to where the oil came from? Possibly turbo seal failure, but you would surely have noticed something (smoke, noises). Quite likely intercooler is oiled up in that case.

Internal oil failure associated with oil pump replacement? Who knows?? Have to say I have never heard of anything quite like that (except for the turbo failure).
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the feedback. I have spoken to Kia Australia about this and they want me to pay for the stripping down of the engine, about AUD1000, by a dealer so a report can be done. Depending on the history of servicing and the report they may give help. The car has always been serviced by Kia. In the meantime i have bought another Sorento same colour and age of mine with 74000 km on it so i have a vehicle to use. I thought of a new Sorento but they do not have the towing capacity which i need to pull my boat and caravan which are around 1650 - 1800 kg.

If anyone has a list of the recalls that Kia has had on these BL Series 2007 manufacture with 03/2009 on the compliance plate vehicles i would appreciate it. I am wondering if mine was one of the vehicles that may not have had the injector recall done which has brought about such an early demise at 114000km. I have talked to 2 workshop managers and they are surprised that this happened to such a low mileage diesel.
 
#6 ·
Hi BK3 The best place for diesels is Kia Owners Club - Kia Forums, Kia Reviews, Kia News, Discounts
I have only heard of one similar case but oil pump was not replaced. On investigation after forum advice it seems the car had probably had ceased piston ring. The rebuild was not too bad as no scoring of bore but.
New pistons new shells all round all valves reground. the Kia did not do that type of work so he took it to engine rebuilders.
A fraction of price and good firm will give 12month warranty.
the new Sorento diesels do come with tow pack and an extra pack to that enables you to tow 2+ tonnes and with extra add on 150 kg nose weight instead of 100 kg.
Good luck

Jeff
 
#7 ·
Your other possible option since you are in Australia is a Jap engine importer, some of them do Korean engines as well. Or maybe a wrecker although I know as a Sorento owner myself, Kia bits are hard to come by in wreckers in Australia. There are a couple of Korean parts places on the web that will send used or reconditioned engine bits direct from Korea for quite good prices, but the freight to Australia for big heavy bits is a bit frightful.
 
#8 ·
Kia Australia response

Unfortunately Kia will not help in any way with this problem.
Their reasoning is that this should have shown up during the warranty period and seeing it is out of warranty even though the kilometre reading is low - 114000 km - it is my problem. I could appeal but was advised that this really would not make any difference as their decision has been made.
So i now have two Sorento's an EX - 74000 km - and LX Global Circuit (engine useless). An engine from a wrecker with 107000 km is going to cost $8200 + labour and the car MAY be worth around $12k with the new engine so i cannot see this new engine as a viable proposition.
Any suggestions? Can sell it as is i suppose but what would it be worth.
 
#9 ·
Sorry to here your bad news BK3 Usually only manual tow cars blow up or damage due to using too low revs., not possible on Auto.
I have heard of oil pumps being incorrectly fitted other than that I can not see any compensation coming from Kia.
The fact that you had the pump replaced by Kia shows the engine was not right and there action was probably insufficient and leaves the door open to renegotiation.
A similar case happened with a 3 year old Renault my daughter had serviced by them had oil issues 2 weeks out of warranty engine blew up. As the oil incidents were recorded in warranty period the garage and Renault came to agreement to replace the engine for a small charge, no liability admitted.

Jeff
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the info Jeff
Unfortunately both these incidents happened without warning or any prior indications. I thought Kia had a good reputation in assisting with problems and the only reason I hung on to mine after warranty was this supposed good reputation and that diesel engines would last much longer, but what a fool I was.

In future i will only buy cars which have a good warranty and sell them prior to the warranty expiring. It may cost a bit more but better than losing a car because the engine fails at about a quarter of its expected life.

I always thought that there was a lifetime expectation that went beyond the warranty. I wonder what Consumer Affairs says about this. I am not sure if Kia has made any statement or claim about the expected lifetime of their diesel engines.
 
#11 ·
Hello BK3 quite often it is the dealers that cause the grief they can put a completely different twist to on the actual details to Kia. The servicing up to date and on time and if any Kia garage did oil pump replacement which would be warranted from time of fitting Kia would be sympathetic.
Renault were not wiling at first but when contacted and full service records and visits complaining of oil usage were drawn to their attention was when they changed their attitude and made the Garage do the work for nothing and they supplied engine at cut price.
Your garage may be not willing to have their servicing quality scrutinised by Kia. Did you see a copy of letter they sent to Kia and Kia reply or was it just words.
All manufacturers will use non OEM or servicing by non franchised dealers as get out clauses. In UK Hyundai 5years Kia 7 years the cars serviced at franchised dealers do not receive bad treatment from Manufacturers but dealers are different. when Kia are involved often things change.

Jeff
 
#12 ·
Thanks Jeff
I am contacting my local dealer here again today to see if they will support me in this and put a case to Kia. They did tell me of a Sorento that had been badly neglected and had an engine fail (oil rarely changed and had resultant engine damage) and Kia replaced that engine after much toing and froing by the dealer and owner. I am not one to sit back and accept things readily and will see what I can do. I still believe that this is a result of the oil pump failing without prior warning. Kia says all these things should have shown up in warranty!!!
Barry
 
#13 ·
Do not give up, in Australia you still have recourse under the new consumer laws. If a product does not meet the fitness of purpose as advertised by the manufacturer or dealer then you are entitled to some recompense even after the official warranty has expired. A diesel engine failing completely at that mileage does not indicate a fitness for purpose, ie a 4WD diesel vehicle which any reasonable person would expect to last at least twice as long. ie I have a cheap 1st generation Sportage that is now at 300,000 Km and still going strong. Others have won settlements under these laws.
 
#14 ·
Thanks for the info re Consumer Affairs. I will contact them today.
I contacted the dealership yesterday who is going to see what they can do to help as they see this as a premature failure. Of course they can not guarantee anything but at least are trying to help which is very good indeed.
Barry
 
#16 ·
Even the Kia dealers are surprised at the damage to this engine. But Kia Australia does not seem to want to help.
It was interesting to note that when the new oil pump was installed and they had to take off the sump pans that they found that they had to clean out the oil pickup pipe due to carbon build-up blocking it.
I would have thought that if this is a known problem then this procedure of cleaning the oil pickup would be done under routine maintenance at regular intervals during servicing so that the integrity of the engine could be maintained.
I contacted Consumer Affairs or Fair Trading today and got advice as to how to respond to Kia Australia. I will keep you informed of any progress with an appeal to Kia re changing their decision.
 
#17 ·
Hi Bk3 not normal for carbon build up in oil unless the breather system is not working correctly and considering the engine blow up this looks to have been wrong for some time before your oil pump was replaced and should have been thought of then and sorted.
The EGR are replaced often under warranty.

Jeff
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top