Engine Kia-Hyundai G4KD / Mitsubishi 4B11
Characteristics of the G4KD / 4B11 engine
Production – Kia Motors Slovakia/ Mitsubishi Shiga plant
Engine brand G4KD/ 4B11
Years of production – (2005 – our time)
Cylinder block material – aluminum
Power supply system - injector
Type – in-line
Number of cylinders – 4
Valves per cylinder – 4
Piston stroke – 86 mm
Cylinder diameter – 86 mm
Compression ratio – 10.5
Engine capacity – 1998 cm3.
Engine power – 150-165 hp. /6500 rpm
Torque – 196 Nm/4800 rpm
Fuel – 95
Environmental standards – Euro 4
Engine weight - n.a.
Fuel consumption - city 9.3 l. | track 7.0 l. | mixed 5.6 l/100 km
Oil consumption – up to 1 l/1000 km (in severe conditions)
Engine oil G4KD 4B11:
5W-20
5W-30
How much oil is in the G4KD 4B11 engine: 4.1 (until 2012), 5.8 l. (since 2012)
When replacing, pour to MAX.
Oil changes are carried out every 15,000 km (preferably 7,500 km)
Sportage 2.0 engine life:
1. According to the plant – 250 thousand km.
2. In practice – 350 thousand km.
TUNING
Potential – 200+ hp
Without loss of resource ~ 165 hp.
The engine was installed on:
Chrysler Sebring
Dodge Avenger
Dodge Caliber
Jeep Compass
Jeep Patriot
Proton Inspira
Malfunctions and repairs of the G4KD / 4B11 2.0 l engine.
The G4KD / 4B11 engine is part of the Theta II family, according to Mitsubishi it is 4B1 (where 4B11 is the successor to the well-known one), replacing the old engines of the series. These engines were also installed on Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge; on these cars they are called Chrysler world. The engine is a modernized Magentis G4KA (Theta) engine, in which the intake receiver has been changed, the ShPG has changed, the CVVT variable valve timing system has been modified, phase shifters are now on both shafts, the exhaust manifold has been changed, attachments have been changed, different firmware, in general, the engine has changed significantly and became more powerful - 163 hp, in Russia the engine was throttled to 150 hp to optimize tax payments of owners. The engine, with the recommended 95 gasoline, can handle 92 gasoline, although there are no hydraulic compensators, so once every 90 thousand km, if there is characteristic noise, the valve clearances need to be adjusted.
Now about the faults and shortcomings.
1. Diesel oil before warming up is a common thing for the G4KD 4B11, we’ll chalk it up to engine features.
2. Air conditioning compressor bearing whistling, change it and there are no problems.
3. Chirping, this sound is present on all G4KD 4B11 and makes owners nervous, calm down, this is the work of the injectors.
4. Vibrations at 1000-1200 rpm, change the spark plugs, drive on.
Among other things, there are various hissing sounds produced by the fuel pump. The motor itself is not the quietest, be prepared for sounds, but overall it’s not bad, it’s torquey and performs its function quite well. It is also worth monitoring the condition of the catalyst and you need to have time to replace or cut it out in time, otherwise its dust will get into the cylinders and scuffs will form there. Typically its service life is about 100-150 thousand km.
An engine was created on the basis of this motor , with a working volume of 2.4 l. In addition, based on the 4B11, a turbo version 4B11T was created for the sports Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart.
Engine tuning Hyundai Sonata/Kia Sportage/Mitsubishi Lancer G4KD / 4B11
Chip tuning G4KD / 4B11
All owners have long known that the engine was originally 165 horsepower and all over the world it develops exactly this power, but in Russia the power is artificially reduced to 150 hp. without interfering with the hardware, so we go to the tuners and get the firmware for 165 hp. and restore justice))
In addition, all owners know the fact that there are turbo versions of this engine and people are itching to install supercharging for themselves, but the T-GDI engine is seriously different from the simple G4KD, the presence of direct fuel injection, ShPG, which in design is reminiscent of the piston from Lancer Evolution X and a number of other changes. You can build a G4KD 4B11 on a TD04 turbine, but the cost of modifications to the engine, suspension, brakes, etc. will be very high.
The heads of the two largest automobile concerns Skoda and Volkswagen announced that updated Rapid, Karoq and Jetta models, which have been significantly modernized from a technical point of view, are appearing at Russian dealers of the brand.
According to the developers, the updated cars can compete with the models that are currently bestsellers on the Russian market.
The Karoq crossover is developed on the MQB platform. The standard equipment of the car includes: alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, and a multifunctional central armrest.
Under the hood is a 1.4-liter power unit with a capacity of 150 horsepower. It is paired with an automatic transmission. The basic version is equipped with front-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive is available to buyers in the top-end configuration.
The updated Rapid received significant changes to the exterior and interior. Manufacturers are confident that the updated model will be able to become one of the most popular on the Russian market. The car is equipped with a 1.6-liter unit with a capacity of 90 and 110 horsepower, respectively. They are paired with a manual or automatic transmission and a front-wheel drive system.
The main changes to the exterior and interior include: a modernized rear bumper, modified head optics, increased ground clearance, door sills, an advanced multimedia system with a large digital screen, new interior trim material and luggage compartment lighting.
The German Jetta sedan has also received updates and is ready to compete in the Russian market. Production of the updated version of the car has been established in the Mexican city of Puebla. The modern exterior and interior design is reminiscent of Korean competitors that were introduced earlier.
Kia Sportage 2.0 petrol engine The second and third generations of the popular crossover in Russia have power units that are completely different in design. The second generation of the Korean car has the G4GC model with a cast iron block and a timing belt (Beta II) with a power of 141 hp. On the third generation of the Kia Sportage, a more sophisticated G4KD engine of the Theta II series appeared with an aluminum block and a timing chain drive with a power of 150 hp. (although in other markets it easily produces 165 hp) Today we’ll talk about both engines of the Kia Sportage.
Engine design Sportage 2.0
Two-liter G4GC engine, this is a gasoline naturally aspirated in-line, 4-cylinder, 16-valve, DOHC, water-cooled and timing belt driven. The location in the engine compartment is longitudinal. The engine has a variable valve timing system on the intake shaft. The power unit has hydraulic compensators, so there is no need to adjust the valve clearance. The engine has a cast iron cylinder block.
Two-liter G4KD engine, this is a gasoline naturally aspirated in-line, 4-cylinder, 16-valve, DOHC, water-cooled and timing chain drive. The location in the engine compartment is longitudinal. The engine has a CVVT variable valve timing system on both camshafts. Unfortunately, the engine does not have hydraulic compensators, so valve adjustment is required approximately once every 90-100 thousand kilometers. Aluminum cylinder block.
Sportage 2.0 G4GC cylinder head
- The cylinder head design of the second generation Sportage two-liter engine.
1 - Ignition coils with explosive wiring
2 - Cylinder head cover
3 - Camshaft position sensor (CMP)
4 - Front cover
5 - Camshaft bearing cover
6 - Camshafts
7 - Valve pusher
8 - Cylinder head bolt
9 - Cylinder head casting
10 - Sealing gasket
11 - Retainers of the split valve lock
12 - Upper valve spring plate
13 - Outer valve spring
14 - Internal valve spring
15 - Lower valve spring plate
16 - Valve
17 - Oil cap
18 - Valve guide
Timing drive for Sportage 2.0 engine
- Timing belt drive
1 - Crankshaft pulley
2 - Thermostat
3 - Upper timing cover
4 - Lower timing cover
5 - Guide washer
6 - Tensioner roller with spring
7 - Intermediate roller
8 - Timing belt
9 - Camshaft drive gears
10 - Crankshaft gear
Replacing the Kia Sportage 2.0 belt must be carried out strictly according to the regulations. A broken belt will lead to bent valves and costly repairs. In the picture above, the phase change actuator (phase shifter) is not drawn on the intake camshaft pulley, but the second generation Kia Sportage has it, although the first one really didn’t have it.
For a more modern engine with an aluminum block, the timing drive looks like this. See the photo below.
If you look closely at the picture, you will notice that the motor has two circuits. The second small one goes into the sump and rotates the oil pump sprocket.
Kia 2.0 G4GC engine characteristics
- Working volume – 1975 cm3
- Number of cylinders – 4
- Number of valves – 16
- Cylinder diameter – 85 mm
- Piston stroke – 83.5 mm
- Timing drive - belt
- Power hp (kW) – 141 (105) at 6000 rpm. per minute
- Torque – 184 Nm at 4500 rpm. per minute
- Maximum speed – 176 km/h
- Fuel type – gasoline AI-92
- Fuel consumption in the city – 10.4 liters
- Fuel consumption in the combined cycle – 8.2 liters
- Fuel consumption on the highway – 6.6 liters
Engine characteristics Sportage 2.0 G4KD
- Working volume – 1998 cm3
- Number of cylinders – 4
- Number of valves – 16
- Cylinder diameter – 86 mm
- Piston stroke – 86 mm
- Timing drive - chain
- Power hp (kW) – 150 (110) at 6200 rpm. per minute
- Torque – 197 Nm at 4600 rpm. per minute
- Maximum speed – 184 km/h
- Acceleration to the first hundred – 10.4 seconds
- Fuel type – gasoline AI-95
- Fuel consumption in the city – 9.8 liters
- Fuel consumption in the combined cycle – 7.5 liters
- Fuel consumption on the highway – 6.1 liters
The two-liter Kia/Hyundai G4KD engine, which is now installed on the Sportage, can be found on quite a large number of models from Kia, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Chrysler, Jeep and even Dodge. Globalization can't be helped.
Debuted on the Russian market in March 2016, it is offered with three power plants and in six modifications. The most popular are the versions with a 150-horsepower 2.0-liter gasoline “four,” which the updated car received from. This engine can be combined with a 6-speed manual transmission or a 6-speed automatic transmission, as well as with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The other petrol unit available for the Kia Sportage is a 1.6-liter turbocharged T-GDI with 177 hp. The Gamma series engine, introduced in 2011, is equipped with a direct injection system, phase shifters on the exhaust valves, and a variable-length intake manifold. The 177-horsepower engine is paired with a 7-speed preselective DCT “robot”; drive is provided to all four wheels.
The 2.0 diesel engine of the R series dates back to 2009. The new generation of Kia Sportage received it in a modernized form - the unit acquired a lightweight cylinder block, a redesigned turbine, a different oil pump, and a new cooling system. As a result, the maximum output was 185 hp, and the peak torque was set at 400 Nm. Power from the engine to the all-wheel drive system is transmitted via a 6-speed automatic transmission.
Fuel consumption of the Kia Sportage 4 with a 2.0 petrol engine varies in the range of 7.9-8.3 liters per 100 km. The modification with a 1.6 turbo engine and a “robot” is a little more economical - average consumption does not exceed 7.5 liters. The diesel Sportage consumes about 6.3 liters of diesel fuel over a 100-kilometer distance.
Full technical specifications of the Kia Sportage - summary table:
| Parameter | Kia Sportage 2.0 150 hp | Kia Sportage 1.6 T-GDI 177 hp | Kia Sportage 2.0 CRDi 185 hp | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | ||||||
| Engine code | G4KD (Theta II) | G4FJ (Gamma T-GDI) | R-series | |||
| engine's type | petrol | diesel | ||||
| Injection type | distributed | direct | ||||
| Supercharging | No | Yes | ||||
| Number of cylinders | 4 | |||||
| Cylinder arrangement | in-line | |||||
| Number of valves per cylinder | 4 | |||||
| Volume, cubic cm. | 1999 | 1591 | 1995 | |||
| Piston diameter/stroke, mm | 86.0 x 86.0 | 77 x 85.4 | 84.0 x 90.0 | |||
| Power, hp (at rpm) | 150 (6200) | 177 (5500) | 185 (4000) | |||
| Torque, N*m (at rpm) | 192 (4000) | 265 (1500-4500) | 400 (1750-2750) | |||
| Transmission | ||||||
| Drive unit | front | full | full | |||
| Transmission | 6 manual transmission | 6 automatic transmission | 6 manual transmission | 6 automatic transmission | 7DCT | 6 automatic transmission |
| Suspension | ||||||
| Front suspension type | independent, McPherson | |||||
| Rear suspension type | independent, multi-link | |||||
| Brake system | ||||||
| Front brakes | ventilated disc | |||||
| Rear brakes | disk | |||||
| Steering | ||||||
| Amplifier type | electric | |||||
| Number of steering revolutions (between extreme points) | 2.7 | |||||
| Tires and wheels | ||||||
| Tire size | 215/70 R16 / 225/60 R17 / 245/45 R19 | |||||
| Disk size | 6.5Jx16 / 7Jx17 / 7.5Jx19 | |||||
| Fuel | ||||||
| Fuel type | AI-95 | diesel | ||||
| Environmental class | Euro 5 | |||||
| Tank volume, l | 62 | |||||
| Fuel consumption | ||||||
| Urban cycle, l/100 km | 10.7 | 10.9 | 10.9 | 11.2 | 9.2 | 7.9 |
| Extra-urban cycle, l/100 km | 6.3 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 6.5 | 5.3 |
| Combined cycle, l/100 km | 7.9 | 7.9 | 8.2 | 8.3 | 7.5 | 6.3 |
| dimensions | ||||||
| Number of seats | 5 | |||||
| Number of doors | 5 | |||||
| Length, mm | 4480 | |||||
| Width, mm | 1855 | |||||
| Height (with/without rails), mm | 1645/1655 | |||||
| Wheelbase, mm | 2670 | |||||
| Front wheel track (16″/17″/19″), mm | 1625/1613/1609 | |||||
| Rear wheel track (16″/17″/19″), mm | 1636/1625/1620 | |||||
| Front overhang, mm | 910 | |||||
| Rear overhang, mm | 900 | |||||
| Trunk volume (min/max), l | 466/1455 | |||||
| Ground clearance (clearance), mm | 182 | |||||
| Weight | ||||||
| Curb (min/max), kg | 1410/1576 | 1426/1593 | 1474/1640 | 1496/1663 | 1534/1704 | 1615/1784 |
| Full, kg | 2050 | 2060 | 2110 | 2130 | 2190 | 2250 |
| Dynamic characteristics | ||||||
| Maximum speed, km/h | 186 | 181 | 184 | 180 | 201 | |
| Acceleration time to 100 km/h, s | 10.5 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.6 | 9.1 | 9.5 |
Relatively recently, alarm bells began to appear on Russian club forums and on social networks regarding the reliability of the 2.0-liter KIA/Hyundai G4KD engine, associated with the appearance of knocking in the cylinder-piston group (CPG). At the same time, in Belarus we have not heard of problems with these engines. What are these features of Russian exploitation, as some say, or is it still a technological miscalculation? To find out, abw.by journalists collected several cars and sent them for CPG endoscopy.
Let's start with the fact that the "clone" engines G4KD (Theta II) and 4B11 are built on the architecture of the Global Engine Alliance - an alliance created by Chrysler, Mitsubishi and Hyundai corporations, but on the initiative of Hyundai. Each company made some adjustments to fit its brand, but the architecture remained consistent. The main part of the development was carried out by Hyundai.
The engine is entirely aluminum, contains four valves per cylinder, two camshafts in the cylinder head (DOHC), as well as a variable valve timing system with electronic control MIVEC (intake and exhaust). Accordingly, on Korean cars the letter designation is G4KD, on Japanese cars it is 4B11. The engine was installed on KIA Cerato, KIA Optima, KIA Sportage, Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai ix35, Hyundai Sonata, Mitsubishi Lancer, Mitsubishi Outlander, Mitsubishi ASX and numerous American-made Chrysler and Dodge models.
Based on this unit, the G4KE (Theta II)/4B12 engine with a displacement of 2.4 liters was created. In addition, based on the 4B11, a turbo version 4B11T was created for the sports Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart.
“I was recently approached by the owner of an out-of-warranty KIA Sportage,” says a car mechanic from Minsk. “The car arrived from Russia a year ago, has all the service documents - it was serviced by a dealer. Here the owner has not driven even 8,000 kilometers. After 120 thousand of normal use, the engine began to knock. First, the owner went to the Hyundai dealer. There they listened to the car, they said that the piston was knocking, they say, it was scuffing, remove the engine, replace the piston - we are aware of the problem... We didn’t believe it, we went for an endoscopy. It turns out that the guys from Hyundai were right What I saw is normal for old engines with mileage of 400-600 thousand, working for years in mud, with a holey sock instead of an air filter, but not on a four-year-old KIA with a gentle mileage of 120 thousand. The cylinder walls are scuffed, such long ones , abundant and ugly. Still shallow, since the knocking started recently, about 500 kilometers ago. Compression measurements showed 13-12-13-13. That is, the engine is still “alive,” but in the second cylinder the pressure is already dropping. Another 10 thousand kilometers, and it will consume oil for waste and “breathe” into the oil filler neck. In 50 thousand it will build up and “die”. If it doesn't jam first."
Having removed the pan and found metal powder in it, the engine was dismantled and disassembled. It turned out that scoring was present in all cylinders on the front and rear walls. In this case, the most damage is in the second, third and fourth “pots”.
Needless to say, the pistons also suffered. After rummaging around on the Internet, we found out that this case was not isolated at all.
There are already 640 (!) pages of discussions on this issue on the Russian KIA club forum, on drive2.ru there are many cases of problems with the G4KD CPG described, and on YouTube there are suspiciously many videos about scuffing and knocking of the Korean engine. The symptoms are as follows: in the period of 50,000-150,000 km, the engine begins to knock when cold. The knocking noise gets worse as the engine runs and stops disappearing as it warms up. An autopsy reveals the presence of burrs on the piston “skirts” and cylinder walls. Moreover, it does not matter where the car was serviced: at a dealer, at third-party service stations or in garages.
Interestingly, in the USA there was even a recall campaign that affected half a million (!) cars with engines of the Theta II series, which includes the motor we have designated. In addition, a campaign was carried out to extend the engine warranty. But there is a slightly different problem stated there, related to metal shavings blocking the oil channels, which led to oil starvation and engine stopping.
Nevertheless, a large number of Korean cars with these engines have been sold in Belarus, and it seems that little is heard about the problem on our forums, unlike Russian forums. Initially, abw.by learned about the issue from a story with a KIA Sportage engine from a Minsk auto repairman: the mileage seemed to be low, but the engine already required repairs due to scuffing.
To find out whether these problems are far-fetched, abw.by contacted the KIA Sportage fan club.
In total, four cars with knocking engines were found in Minsk (in two cases the knocking was already “hot”), of which three cars ultimately took part in our “showdown”. We also invited the owners of two cars with mileage of 70,000 and 140,000 km, who did not complain about knocking.
There were problems with the endoscope. "Videomaster PRO" sent from Russia does not see the cylinder walls. It turns out that there are no endoscope specialists in Minsk. There is only an individual entrepreneur, an experienced auto mechanic who deals with engine endoscopy. By the way, it was his car that was diagnosed a month ago, the internal contents of the engine of which are shown at the beginning of the article.
The master has a special medical endoscope. The probe can be rotated in any direction and bent with special “twists”. The cylinder walls are very clearly visible. But the problem is that the device does not take photos. There are two more Chinese electronic endoscopes in service, but problems arose with them during operation. In general, we look into the cylinders with a medical optical endoscope.
The first car inspected in 2011 has already traveled 87,000 km. Purchased new from a Belarusian dealer, after which it was operated by one owner. After the warranty expired, knocking noises appeared when cold. Over time, they were present even after the engine warmed up, although noticeably quieter. At the same time, before the engine warmed up, slight vibrations began to be felt.
The owner visited the service station of an official KIA dealer the day before the experiment. The “officials” didn’t have an endoscope, but the mechanics determined by ear that there were holes in the cylinders. They say this is a known problem, you need to open the engine and change the cylinder block at a cost of about $4000.
The owner claims that he drives calmly and presses the gas carefully for the first kilometers. The car is serviced at the dealer in a timely manner. Moreover, he even reduced the maintenance interval from 15,000 to 10,000-12,000 km. The oil that our dealer recommends is poured into the crankcase - Motul 8100 5w30.
We remove the coils and take out the spark plugs. And we see that the spark plug insulators are broken. Interestingly, this picture was observed in all examined Sportages that used NGK spark plugs.
Moreover, it even breaks through spark plugs that were replaced less than 10,000 km ago. The schedule for replacing them is as much as 30,000 km. A lot of. But one car had whole Bosch ones, so most likely it was the spark plugs.
We look into the cylinders with an endoscope - we find strong scuffs in the second and third cylinders, which in total occupy almost 2/3 of the entire circumference on both sides. In the fourth there are fewer of them, but they are there. The first cylinder is clean. According to the auto repairman, he did not see any scratches in the upper part of the cylinders, which indicates that the scratches were left by the piston “skirt”.
Looking ahead: carbon deposits on the piston bottoms were found in all cars, some less, some more. The master qualifies the amount of deposits as “average”, but on these runs there shouldn’t be such a picture at all.
What's next? Over time, the problem progresses. The knocking will intensify and a strong oil burn will begin. After a while the engine will simply stop starting. Expensive engine repairs (replacement of the cylinder block or liner) can no longer be avoided. It is difficult to say exactly when this will happen.
The next car is 2011. was also purchased in Minsk. At the moment the mileage is 109,000 km, the warranty has expired. The owner is bothered by knocking noises when cold. The car was serviced on time, warmed up for a short time in cold weather, and the driving style was calm. Total and Zic 5w30 oils were used. The dealer stopped servicing the car after the third maintenance.
However, we listen - the knocking is perfectly audible even when it’s hot. Of all the cars here, we heard the loudest and most obvious knocking. But you can’t even hear it in the cabin after warming up.
As expected, scoring was found in all cylinders. Moreover, the most problems are in the second and third, where the scuffs are located over a large area around the circumference of the front and rear walls. There are fewer problems in the first and fourth cylinders, although the scuffs are concentrated in a relatively small area on the side of the exhaust manifold, but they are very deep. There is the most carbon deposits on the bottom of the engine pistons of this machine. In general, the most neglected option. But, according to the owner, there seems to be no oil burn yet.
The owner of the next car did not complain about knocking. The mileage is only 76,000 km, the year of manufacture is 2012, the owner bought it in Russia when the odometer showed 42,000 km. Service book with maintenance marks available. In Russia, Shell 5w30 oil was filled in every 11,000-12,000 km; in Belarus, Kroon-Oil 5w30 oil was changed at an unofficial service station every 7000-8000 km. There are work orders, original spare parts were used, so the owner hopes to maintain the warranty in Russia.
There are no scuffs in the first cylinder, but in the fourth there are severe scratches in a small area on the side of the exhaust manifold. In the second and third there are small scuffs on the exhaust side. The owner did not complain about the knocking, but the mechanic still heard small “shuffles” when it was cold. There is no oil consumption.
The next car came from Russia in 2015. At the time of purchase the mileage was 86,000 km, now it is 115,000. Knocks after starting the engine appeared when the owner read the forums. Yes, yes, perhaps many simply do not hear them.
The presence of problems in the cylinders was confirmed. On the walls of the second and third cylinders there are medium scuff marks on the exhaust manifold side. The first cylinder is clean, the fourth has a couple of scratches on the back wall. There is not much carbon deposits compared to other cars, but still clearly not at 115,000 km.
It was this car that journalists tried to film using Chinese USB endoscopes. The first saw only the piston, the second still recorded vertical scratches on the cylinder wall. True, we managed to rotate the camera at a small angle, so the wall is visible only at the very bottom. After five minutes of attempts, the probe overheated and the device turned off forever.
By the way, pay attention to the ends of the spark plug housing. It is at the second and third candles that carbon deposits are noticeable. So, if you have suspicions of scuffing in the G4KD, but do not have an endoscope, you can try to unscrew the spark plugs and look at the ends of the body. Black deposits will indicate that not everything is in order in the cylinder-piston group.
In general, the car is still driving, how much longer it will travel is unknown, but the problems have already begun.
Black Sportage 2012 ran the most - 140,000 km, purchased with a mileage of 40,000 km in Russia. Almost nothing is known about service there. The first oil that was drained surprised the owner: by the looks of it, either it had not been changed for a very long time, or it was counterfeit. The sticker indicates that Shell oil was used. After the purchase, the owner uses Zic 5w30. A black crust of deposits formed on the oil dipstick - the owner had to clean it off for a long time. The engine sounded very loud, but after servicing it began to work normally.
In Belarus, the car was serviced properly and on time, but the owner admits that he likes to press the gas pedal well. True, it does this only after the engine has completely warmed up; before that it drives carefully. Autostart is also installed, so the engine warms up at idle for some time before starting.
The owner did not report any extraneous sounds, it was a completely random car, but knocking noises are still audible when “cold”.
We looked at the oil level, estimated what it was 5000 km ago - there is still a small consumption, approximately 200-250 g per 5000 km.
There is only one scratch in the first cylinder. The second cylinder on the exhaust side has medium scuff marks, the same as the previous car. In the third cylinder, medium scratches are located on both sides, in the fourth - only on the rear wall, but quite deep. The scoring angle is 15-20°.
There are carbon deposits on the ends of three spark plugs, except for one - the first cylinder, on the wall of which there is only one scratch.
What's the result? We disassembled one engine with our own eyes. Five more engines were inspected - all of them were found to have scuff marks. In three out of five cases, the owners reported the presence of knocking noises - we took these cars for endoscopy specifically to find out the cause of the knocking noises. The other two were chosen completely randomly; the owners did not talk about knocking or any problems.
To be honest, it’s strange that all three cars with the stated presence of extraneous sounds will have any problems. After all, anything can knock or not knock at all. A car enthusiast may mistake the usual chirping of injectors, problems with the timing drive, or the operation of unadjusted valves for extraneous sounds, since the G4KD does not have hydraulic compensators; the valves need to be adjusted. But no, three cars are bad. In addition, they were found in cars whose owners did not hear any knocking... And another car with a knock never made it to the endoscopy. Overall, this is surprising.
It was not possible to identify any pattern. The crankcases of these engines are different: there are both 4-liter and 6-liter ones. Most of the vehicles on inspection were with a 6-liter filling capacity, but this is unlikely to affect anything. A variety of oils were used. Maintenance, as the owners assure, was carried out only according to regulations, and some of them shortened the oil change interval. Two cars were purchased in Belarus, four were imported during a favorable ruble exchange rate from Russia. Some cars were serviced at official dealers, there are service documents, others - at unofficial service stations. "Automatic", "mechanical"? Doesn't matter.
The only thing that has been revealed is that scuffing develops with different “intensities” in different cars. On one of them, at 115,000 km, the onset of problems was diagnosed, and the second, at 87,000 km, will soon require repairs. Also, judging by the reviews, the problem did not affect Mitsubishi owners who have a copy of the G4KD - 4B11 installed under the hood. At least nothing has been heard about it.
There is an opinion that the problem lies in poor quality maintenance of Russian cars, counterfeit oil, bad gasoline and aggressive driving, especially when cold. Of course, illiterate operation aggravates the problem, but if it were the main reason, then half of Belarusian and Russian cars would already be in line for major engine repairs.
You can guess about the reason endlessly, besides, we are not KIA or Hyundai engineers, we have no statistical data. But there is an assumption from experienced auto repairmen that the culprit is an error in calculating thermal expansion. It seems to us that the version looks very convincing.
“When designing any engine, the thermal expansion coefficients of the body are calculated and selected,” says auto mechanic Alexander. “In this case, most likely, we are talking about the incorrect selection of the thermal gap in the piston-cylinder pair or the incorrect choice of piston material and its shape. When the engine operates, especially in an increased speed range, the oil film breaks off from the cylinder walls with a transition to semi-dry friction. The consequence of such engine operation is scuffing or “sticking" on the cylinder walls. An increase in gaps in the cylinder cylinder assemblies due to semi-dry friction gives rise to piston misalignment and the occurrence of knocking in the engine caused by impacts of the piston "skirt" when moving against the cylinder wall. The situation is aggravated by the high degree of boost and temperature conditions of the engine, the visually insufficient area of the block's water channels or the insufficient efficiency of the water pump. This version is supported by the fact that the most damaged ones are always - the second and third cylinders, that is, the most heat-loaded ones at the distance from the water pump. Based on what has been said, most likely there is a constructive miscalculation.
Can improper operation of a vehicle cause such serious problems with the engine? No. Driving on a cold engine may aggravate the problem, but cannot be the main cause of the malfunction. In the global practice of engine building, there are a lot of engines with aluminum blocks, and such problems do not occur with the cylinder walls. For example, the Renault/Volvo B5254 internal combustion engine or the turbocharged six-cylinder version B6284T. The manufacturer provides a tolerance when calculating the CPG, as well as the absence of the need for special running-in of the engine after assembly.
Does the quality of fuel and fuel and lubricants affect the occurrence of scoring in the cylinders? No, it doesn't. The presence of at least one knock sensor in the G4KD injection system will not allow the engine to operate on a fuel mixture that causes destructive detonation due to poor quality fuel. The nature and type of wear cannot in any way be caused by detonation, since the “skirt” is damaged, and not the piston crown. There are no melts, burst rings or inter-ring bulkheads. The quality of fuels and lubricants and untimely replacement are expressed in the form of resinous/varnish deposits on engine parts and cause premature wear of the crankshaft liners, “sticking” of the rings and increased oil consumption. No such problems were identified until the car was put in for repairs."
Often, engine blocks are equipped with oil nozzles, which are designed to pour oil onto the pistons from below, thereby cooling them and also improving cylinder lubrication. There are no such injectors in the naturally aspirated version of this engine; they are only in the turbocharged version of the Japanese 4B11T, as well as in all diesel engines that are installed on the Sportage. Some motorists believe that their absence aggravates the situation with G4KD - the piston overheats, which leads to a decrease in clearance.
True, there are engines without oil nozzles, which do not have problems with scuffing. It’s hard to say whether it’s the injectors or not, but if desired, they can certainly be embedded into the block during a major overhaul. Also, perhaps, installing a water-oil heat exchanger from the “older” G4KE engine can help, since insufficient oil circulation “on cold” in winter also aggravates the situation. True, we did not carry out any calculations or examinations, so all these are just assumptions.
How to solve the problem if the engine knocks and starts consuming oil? Two options are available: either replacing the cylinder block, which is very expensive, or lining the block, which is also expensive, but at least it makes sense. The second option is the most common. Standard pistons and rings, liners (suitable from Toyota), a set of gaskets and other necessary parts for repair will cost, as we calculated, about $1000. With work and other little things, it comes out to a tidy sum: for example, for the repair of the Sportage from the very beginning of the article, the owner paid $1,750 - a lot. At the same time, no one knows how long the engine goes through after lining; there are a lot of nuances here, hardly as much as a factory engine. If the car is under warranty, you are saved: there is a chance that the unit will be replaced under warranty.
Replacing the unit with a contract one? Also an option, but they are not particularly on sale yet. And if they do appear, we recommend buying such a used unit only after endoscopy of the CPG.
It is not yet known whether this is a widespread problem; journalists do not have statistics from the automaker or technical expertise. So far, only isolated cases have been recorded in Belarus.
But in any case, you need to be guided by a number of recommendations. Change high-quality oil at least once every 10,000 km, pour only 95-grade gasoline into the tank. Forget about traffic light races forever - this engine, apparently, does not like heavy loads. It is important to drive carefully until the engine reaches operating temperature. At the same time, you shouldn’t drive “tight” either, but at the same time you need to literally stroke the gas pedal. You need to be especially careful in winter; it is recommended to warm up the engine before starting or install an autonomous heater.
And what will the representatives of the exclusive distributor of the KIA brand in the Republic of Belarus, the Avtopalas-M company, say about this?
“The service of our auto center received isolated requests regarding the specified problem with the G4KD engine. They were mainly related to non-compliance with the rules of vehicle operation: harsh operation, ignoring winter conditions, use of low-quality fuel and lubricants and fuel, etc. Almost all requests were from legal entities, of whom such an attitude towards the car prevails.
Warranty obligations are always fulfilled if the customer's claim is justified. In particular, we, as a rule, cannot prove that the car has been subjected to severe use, for example, high speeds on a cold engine, then the car component must be replaced under warranty. However, there were very few such cases for the specified engine. There can be no talk of mass participation.
We recommend that all car owners carefully read and follow the operating instructions, carefully follow the recommendations of the experts, and use only high-quality fuels and lubricants. This advice is universal for owners of any cars with any engines.
Are there any problems with the new generation of crossover? The said 2.0 engine was used in previous Sportage models. The new Sportage QLE model, which has been supplied to Belarus since May 2016, is equipped with a new engine."
Hyundai AutoGrad LLC also says that cases of scuffing in the engines of their Hyundai ix35 are isolated. Perhaps this is so.
We won’t say anything 100% yet, but the story with G4KD is strange. Yes, six cars is a drop in the bucket of sold cars with this engine (not just KIA Sportage), we really have a lot of them. In the Minsk club of Sportage lovers there are as many as 50 cars with mileages in the region of 100,000 km. And while none of them have undergone major repairs, most owners do not complain about knocking. Nobody is going to change cars in the club yet either.
But such noise on the Internet arises for a reason, and the results of our endoscopy of five motors and disassembly of one are, to put it mildly, surprising. In general, time will tell.
// Yuri GLADCHUK, ABW.BY
