QuestionQUESTION: Please help!!!
I have a 2003 Sonata and have been having a problem w/it starting and the engine light. Started in July when I turn key the engine cranks anywhere from 5sec-10sec probably even longer but I pump the gas to start it so it wont flood cuz I smell fuel sometimes after its cranked for a while. Been 2 Hyundai 4 times and have had an air idle control, fuel pump, 2 fuel injectors and all kinds of tests done on it but the engine STILL cranks and the engine light is back on again. They are basically dumbfounded and have no clue what is happening. Can you PLEASE HELP ME!!!! I am desperate now cuz it seems to be idling rough now also and it was not doing that before they did all this work. I cant believe the engine light would say I needed all those parts and my problem still exists so makes me wonder if I ever really needed them.
I am in bumper to bumper traffic everyday going in town and I do not want it to break down on me
PLEASE HELP ME CUZ HYUNDAI CANT SEEM TO
Thank you so much!!!
ANSWER: Hi, Ann-Marie. Many people are under the mistaken impression that a trouble code indicates a certain part needs to be replaced. In fact, in most cases, that's far from the case. Any time the check engine lamp comes on, it indicates that a fault code has been stored in the engine control module (ECM). In addition, the check engine lamp may have been requested by the transmission control module (TCM), in which case there will be a trouble code in that module as well.
These trouble codes tell us to some degree what the module in question saw that it didn't like. For example, since you refer to a rough idle, I'll pick a misfire code. Let's say cylinder number 2 is misfiring. In that case, when the ECM detects the misfire, it'll set code P0302, which simply means that there's a misfire and the ECM has been able to pinpoint it to that particular cylinder. But it doesn't tell us the cause of the misfire, which could be related to ignition (plugs, wires, coils, etc.), fuel (injector), or mechanical issue (manifold leak, low compression, etc.).
There are two problems that I see reasonably frequently that cause long crank times (on your model vehicle), and those are fuel pressure regulators bleeding off fuel pressure while the engine is off, and stuck open purge control valves, allowing excess fuel vapor to seep into the engine when the engine is off. As for the rough idle, there are a too many potential problems to enumerate here, but if the engine is running poorly at idle and not when revved up, I might suspect a leaking intake manifold gasket.
None of this, however, is meant to suggest that your next step should be to replace these items. The fact that your check engine lamp is on can be of great help. If you can tell me the code(s) stored in the ECM and TCM, that would help me concentrate on things that would cause the code in question as well as the symptoms you describe. In addition, if the dealer or servicing shop documented the trouble codes at each of your service visits, that will help me assess whether the work they've done has addressed some of the problems. Lastly, if you can, please let me know whether you have the four cylinder or V6 engine, as this will enable me to know what fuel management system you have as well as potentially narrow the probable issues.
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QUESTION: Hello and thank you for all & any help you can give me!! Ok, my car is a 4 cylinder w/143,000 miles. When I asked hyundai what it was when they put the coil in on 8/27 they said he "believes it was a p0701"? But right after I left there it came on again so went to a friend and had it read and it was P0301, the same code he got 2 weeks before when it was on. So I beleive this is the codes its been throwing. Every time I asked hyundai, they couldnt remember so never got the codes, they just said that the parts they were putting in were what the codes were saying? Now im not sure if thats the code your looking for cuz not sure if its called ecm code. They never said anything about a TCM one. Nor does my paperwork say anything.Im sorry I dont have any codes for you other than that.My paperwork says on my 2nd to last visit the following:
Completed diagnostic..checked timing, performed compression test and leak test for fuel leaks and fuel pressure. checked ECM module, ignition sysem al related relays and modules. Performed fuel sample, checked all wiring to all components. No TSP codes in system,needs further diag. verhicle not consistant enough to diagnose.(now not sure why they say that since it has never started properly any of the now 5 times they have had it, e3ven when I picked it up it would crank every time but the light would be out and then come back on later. What kills me is I didnt have the rough idling before all this, my issue was just the hard start and engine light and other than that it ran great. Hyundai seems to have made it worse. I smell fuel sometimes from me having to pump gas to get it started, like its flooding, but not all the time, depends on how long the crank and me pumping the pedal. Well hope this info help you so you can help me cuz right now I really need it!If you need anymore information, let me know and I will do my best to answer your questions
Thanks Again
ANSWER: I think you've given me the information for which I was looking.
The technician that worked on your car should have documented the code that was stored. The fact that your friend retrieved a P0301 and the person you spoke to at the dealer said P0701 leads me to believe that perhaps the code was written sloppily or that it was copied wrong into their computer system.
So for now, we'll presume that it's a P0301 since they replaced an ignition coil, a component that if it failed, would cause the trouble code P0301 (misfire on cylinder #1).
I'm going to stop here and be critical of the statement "Every time I asked hyundai, they couldnt remember so never got the codes, they just said that the parts they were putting in were what the codes were saying." The code P0301 doesn't refer to any particular part as being defective. As in my P0302 example from the previous answer, all P0301 does is indicate that the engine doesn't provide the proper amount of power from cylinder #1.
If we look at what the dealer did over the two visits for which you've provided information, some things look plausible and some things don't. I find it hard to believe that you needed a fuel pump, two injectors, an ignition coil, and an actuator even if the problem had been repaired. On the other hand, the statement:
"Completed diagnostic..checked timing, performed compression test and leak test for fuel leaks and fuel pressure. checked ECM module, ignition sysem al related relays and modules. Performed fuel sample, checked all wiring to all components. No TSP codes in system,needs further diag. verhicle not consistant enough to diagnose."
does seem to indicate that they were appropriately checking for issues but that the car was running normally when they checked it. The fact that you have a rough idle now may mean that they'll be able to determine the problem for certain. Use what you've spent so far as leverage. Call and speak to the service manager, explain that you're dissatisfied and why, and explain what is occurring and that you'd like them to look at the car again at no charge to you, now that it is running rough all the time. If given to a qualified technician, they should be able to figure out why the engine is running rough.
Now that I know you have a misfire code, my suspicion is that you have a compression issue in cylinder number one only when cold. I've seen this most frequently after an engine has been severely overheated, causing the cylinder head to warp. What tends to happen is that due to the warpage, one or more of the valves do not seat properly when the engine is cold, and it causes little power to be delivered from the cylinders where the valves do not seat. In addition, this tends to cause a condition where the accelerator must be depressed to start the engine when cold. (Keep in mind that because you have fuel injection, pumping the pedal does not pump gas into the engine, it simply opens and closes a plate which changes the amount of air allowed into the engine. The engine control module varies the amount of fuel delivered by the injectors based on how much you're applying the accelerator, but if the engine is not cranking or running, no fuel will be delivered.)
All of this is speculation, of course. I still think you should have the car looked at again. Hopefully I'm wrong, because if I'm correct, the repairs will be quite expensive.
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QUESTION: Hi, thanks so much for your help and input,worse case scenerio if it is that about how much will it cost?????? Ya scaring me...LOL!!!! It actually seems to be idling better now or not like it was before at least. Hate to take back to Hyundai, just seems like im getting jerked around and cant have them tying up the car for a week, since they all ready had it 3 weeks and cant figure it out.
So guess will have to weigh my options on that one
AnswerIf the head is indeed warped, I'd expect a repair price in the $1000 to $2000 price range.
It'd be my recommendation that if it's running okay and you have no new diagnostic trouble codes-- your local chain parts store may be willing to read them for free for you-- to keep driving until it's running poorly again (as long as it's you're not overheating it and the check engine lamp isn't flashing). Then, when it's running poorly again, take it back to the dealer and ask them to look at it while it's running poorly. This will aid them in finding the issue.
