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Engine knocking

3K views 23 replies 6 participants last post by  Quinn1 
#1 ·
Hey, there has been a knocking noise with my engine, and I'm here to get help to maybe figure out what's causing it.

The main behaviour of the knocking is as follows:
  • I don't hear it when turning on the car or idling, I only hear it as the RPM increases, and you only start to hear it at around 3k RPM.
  • the knocking gets faster as the RPM increases
  • if I'm driving, I hear it when just lightly pressing on the gas. but if I give it a bit more gas, you can't hear it anymore until getting into the high rpm in which then you can hear it again
  • if it's cold out and the car is cold, you can't hear the knocking as much until the car warms up for a little bit

I've already tried changing the oil for a thicker oil and changing the oil filter.

One thing that I did notice though was that when I changed the oil, when I first turned on my car after changing the oil you could hear the knock really loud just while it was turning on, then it went back to how it used to act.

Any help would be very helpful, thanks!!

also let me know if you guys want me to take a video of it
 
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#2 ·
Knock or tick? A tick could be a HLA (hydraulic lash adjuster) failing. Common on startup with some oil filters but goes away quickly. A failing HLA could also pump down and allow too much clearance between the cam and valve.
Knock is worse, only real fix is new bearings (rod and main crank) which is involved, costly, and time consuming.

What year?
How many miles?
Stock or modded, if so, what? We're talking engine mods, not LED's, radio, body panels....
How long have you owned it?
Did something happen (missed shift under high load, way overdue for oil change, ran low on oil....) just before the sound started?
 
#4 ·
too me it sounds like a knock,
its 2005 tiburon GS with 170,000 miles.
I haven't done any engine mods or anything crazy like that, and ive owned it for maybe like a week and a half (it was knocking when I bought it. also, this is my first car, I got it for pretty cheap)
i am not aware of any big things that happened that could have caused it, and the dude who i bought it from said he did regular oil changes (which I believe).

and no, I didn't use an OEM filter, just some AutoZone one. but it was knocking before I installed it.

i recorded some videos of the knock if this helps you guys at all.
IMG_1920
IMG_1919
 
#3 ·
Did you use oem oil filter? I used a cheap AutoZone one got knocking almost immediately changed to OEM and it went away.

The oil filter was also extremely hard to remove, engine seems to only like the OEM one I've read even the k&n one does the same thing.
 
#9 ·
Thick/heavy oil is better for rods and mains as well as leaky seals on higher mileage engines, not so much for HLA's. they need oil inside to work.
Try an oil filter with a check valve (do OEM) and note differences. If oil changes have been done regularly the HLA's should be OK.
Sound is important, tick is some things, knock is others.
 
#11 ·
Just dropping in to add my experience.

Our motors will tick loudly if it sits for a long time without being driven. Oil from the hydraulic lash adjusters will drain to the oil pan and deflate the lifters. They will not refill with oil until the motor is driven with a load on it for a short time up to operating temperature. Idling the care for 15-30 minutes will not build enough pressure to refill the hydraulic lash adjusters so just drive it carefully.

The reason we recommend the OEM filter is because the drainback valving inside is made specifically for the Hyundai motors. This prevents oil from draining back from the heads when the motor is not running for several days and keeps oil in the head for a safer restart. We share the same oil filter size and thread type as many other manufacturers so there are a lot of filters that fit. Doesn't mean they work correctly... So we simply recommend OEM. Purolator and Mobil1 are excellent brands but they were not meant for our motors specifically and the drainback valving may not work as intended. I could co into detail analyzing every oil filter but there's no point because the OEM costs the same as any generic filter from the local parts store.

From the factory the OEM recommended oil is 5W-30. I recommend only synthetic. Why blend conventional and synthetic? Either go full synthetic or don't. Synthetic has longer life cycles than conventional. Blending the two just shortens the life expectancy of the oil closer to conventional. The only case you should thicken up the oil is if 5W-30 turns watery thin during the summer. Then you could try a little 10w-30 or 10w40. Never 15w50 that is way too thick.

The sound in your video sounds more like a rod knock but it's hard to tell from outside of the engine bay. If you can isolate the sound to your valve covers then it's a HLA problem. If you can't isolate it there, then the motor may be hurt. The thicker oil may have caused some damage depending on how much of a load you've put on the motor while running such a thick oil.
 
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#12 ·
Alright, so you’re saying I should change my oil filter to OEM, and change my actual oil to something which isn’t as thick? I used thicker oil cause some friends told me that
Even though the manufacturer recommends 10-30, that’s more for when it’s new and just using regular oil. When engines get old it can be better to use thicker oil.

the knocking has still been the same before and after I changed out the oil so I don’t think that did any damage. At least I hope so

also a rod knock is pretty bad and hard to fix right?
 
#13 ·
Rod knock is engine rebuild time. It's when the bearing clearance are excessive and you're hearing metal on metal. I liken it to tiny people with hammers inside the engine banging things.
 
#14 ·
Yes try an OEM filter with 5W-30 oil. Doesn't have to be synthetic, but don't waste your time with a blend. Go either full synthetic or not. You don't need to go to the dealership for an oil filter. Most parts stores will carry it in stock. If not, you can purchase one from amazon for relatively cheap. You want one of the following part numbers from either Hyundai or Kia. No difference between the part numbers except maybe a small change in the design or manufacturing.

26300-35503
26300-35504
26300-35505

You could thicken up the oil of a motor that has solid bucket or roller lifters to fill in the looser tolerances of worn out bearings. But since we have hydraulic lifters AKA hydraulic lash adjusters, you cannot simply thicken up the oil to make up the difference. Those oil passages through the hydraulic lash adjusters are tuned for a specific oil weight. If you stray too far from the OEM recommended oil weight it could make things worse.

For reference the OEM recommended oil weight in north america from 02-06 was 5w-30. There are some that came with a recommendation of 5w-20 in 07-08 depending on the climate. You should start with 5w-30 and see where that lands you.
 
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#15 ·
Man 15w-50...I work at a semi company and that's what they use....in shag trucks with engines 3x bigger than ours lol.

Really the V6 tib engine is on the border of 5w-20/30. 5w 20 you can use in the summer.

I'd put the OEM filter in drain out that gunk and start over as stated before. Maybe take the opportunity to pour in a bit of sea foam before draining to get rid of hard deposits in the crankcase so they drain out as well.

That's the first step really.
 
#16 ·
Man 15w-50...I work at a semi company and that's what they use....in shag trucks with engines 3x bigger than ours lol.

Really the V6 tib engine is on the border of 5w-20/30. 5w 20 you can use in the summer.

I'd put the OEM filter in drain out that gunk and start over as stated before. Maybe take the opportunity to pour in a bit of sea foam before draining to get rid of hard deposits in the crankcase so they drain out as well.

That's the first step really.
Also just remembered that you have the 4 banger. Which makes that decision more questionable but you did have good intentions
 
#19 ·
It sounds like rod knock to me but not 100%.
when I bought my Elantra the lifters were all jammed up with old oil due to lack of oil changes from previous owner. Anyway they ticked really loud. I threw some “Nulon lifter free” in it and it quietened down the lifters.

I ended up replacing the lifters anyway but the the additive does work. U could try the additive and if ur still ticking or knocking u have other issues.
 
#20 ·
Sounds like rod knock to me, but it's hard to tell.

One thing to note is the CVVT actuator. When I had my 4cyl tib I had something wrong with the CVVT system that would make a horrible racket on oil changes / cold starts for a while that sounded an awful lot like rod knock. I think it sounded a little more hollow than your video though, so I wouldn't put much weight into that. That was also a very abused engine with tons of sludge in it, so the actuator very likely could have been starving for oil due to a clogged solenoid or oil passage.

One thing I've had luck with for getting the HLAs to quiet down is to hold the RPM at around 3K, I had an HLA that was ticking really bad & it slowly went away after holding at 3K for a few minutes. However, the behavior was completely different. My HLA was ticking loudly at idle & would get better at higher RPMs, your case seems to be the opposite. I've also never had an issue with the HLAs on my 4cyl tib but they've been a reoccurring problem with my 6cyl one, so that experience makes me doubt it's an HLA.

It sounds like a rod knock to me, the repetition sounds faster than I would think the cams are turning at that RPM & the noise sounds an awful lot like excessive connecting rod bearing clearance. While I agree that 5w-30 + OEM filter is the way to go, it sounds like this issue predates your oil change so I doubt that caused it.
 
#22 ·
I could to hold it at 3k rpm just to see if it helps at all, I mean it’s best to try everything.

although just curious though, are you sure my car has HLA’s? Cause I was talking to some friends and they said they thought I had shims not HLA’s, but weren’t 100% sure…
 
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