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BLOWN HEAD GASKET

14K views 43 replies 12 participants last post by  FlNiro 
They didn't. They just said it blew again. My brother is a mechanic. He said there had to be underlying issues with the wngine to lead to a head gasket blowing
I'm having a major problem with your 2 posts. While I understand your choice to go with new vs repair old engine, I would be surprised if you could get a new complete engine installed for $5000. Did you just get a new short block with the old cylinder head? A new head gasket and labour should not cost $4500. If you did not get a complete new engine, block and cylinder head then I could see an underlying issue causing the head gasket to blow again. These engines are not known for head gasket issues or major engine issues in general.
 
I believe it was a short block engine. I also have the Niro hybrid. It was a labour intensive job because they had to remove the engine from the car to flip it upright to get to the heads. I am not a mechanic so I don't know if they screwed me or not
Yes, my concern continues. A blown head gasket requires new gaskets which could easily cost $300 plus lots of labour. It would be foolish to replace the head gasket without checking the cylinder head carefully and it would be standard procedure to put at least a reconditioned head on with the head gasket. Replacing the cylinder head does not require removal of the engine but would certainly be lots of labour. Replacing a short block would be extensive labour and removing the engine might be beneficial. It would not be standard practice to replace the engine block because of a blown head gasket but certainly appropriate to replace the cylinder head because of a head gasket issue. I would tend to think you got screwed. I hope you have some kind of warranty for the work that was completed initially because $5000 should have provided at least another 150,000 miles.
You put a lot of miles on your vehicle :)
 
I drive for Uber and Lyft plus I worked doing payroll delivery. The warranty for the new engine was only 12 months or 12 thousand miles. I already hit 40k in 8 months. Bit I agree, I figured I was good for at least another 189k miles. Seriously considering sueing Kia and the dealer
Was it an actual Kia dealer? If so, I would consider sue as well but it may be very tough to prove an incorrect diagnosis.
I don't think you have any recourse with Kia - the manufacturer - but certainly the repair shop should do something for you and if it is an actual Kia dealer, I would at least threaten with a lawsuit.
 
I just looked under www.kiaparts.com and it said remanufactured sub engine for a 2017 Kia Niro LX is $1626.25 Not sure was is all included but it would leave me to believe it should be the whole engine but without the assesories.
This is great info for others on this forum but I don't think Bigmike is going to find it helpful at this point in time as he is out $5000 and now has....
In hindsight, he would have been better served finding another used car with low miles and hopefully many years of service.
I'm not sure it will go anywhere, but I think his mention of litigation is an option as the original repair facility made an error in diagnosis and subsequent repair - in my licensed opinion.
 
My 2020 Niro had to be towed to the dealership with only 30k miles. I'm told it's a blown head gasket. Still under warranty, of course, but REALLY inconvenient. They won't give you a free loaner until they diagnose the problem and Kia agrees that it's a problem under warranty. My car has been at the dealer for a week now. I hope it's a simple manufacturer defect and that it didn't do too much damage to the rest of the engine. I really love the car and, of course, the gas mileage!
By any chance did the "over temp" show on the dash?
 
Yes, but not at first. The first problem was the heater wasn't working properly. Then the engine started stuttering. Check engine light eventually come on after the first few times it stuttered. Found there was NO engine coolant so filled it up, drove around the block and it was below min. again. Repeated that a few times as it wasn't holding coolant and eventually the over temp light came on. Wasn't holding coolant while running but was when it wasn't being driven (i.e. no leaks on the driveway). Couldn't drive it after that. That over temp light would go on when you started the engine cold. Had it towed to dealer last week.
Yup, the coolant loss and overheating is what caused the head gasket issue. I hope the cylinder head is OK but again, that would be covered by warranty. The heater issue would be directly related.
The overheating was caused by the heat exchanger in the catalytic converter and that is where your coolant was going.
If the dealer does not replace that expensive catalytic converter with heat exchanger integrated in it, your issue will not be solved.
Several people on this forum have bypassed the heat exchanger with excellent results - quick and very inexpensive repair.
 
But shouldn't there be some warning light or check engine light that goes off when it gets below min? And, yes, I will DEFINITELY keep an eye on it from now on! I get my oil changed regularly and if it were low then, it would've shown up. So the problem happened in the month or so since then.
No there is no warning light on the Niro for low coolant level.
I am planning to sell my 2020 to my daughter when I get my 2023.
I am seriously considering bypassing the heat exchanger before she gets the car because she will not watch the coolant level or notice warning signs that something is wrong.
 
What are the warning signs? And, even if I notice the coolant level going down, doesn't that mean there is still a problem that needs to be fixed? Or is the idea to fix that problem before it blows the gasket?
Yes, if you notice the coolant level dropping or completely gone and no visible external leak than the likely culprit is the heat exchanger in the catalytic converter. The exhaust system burns up the coolant and you might have noticed a puff of white smoke from the tail pipe. Most people do not see the puff of smoke.
Like I said, if the dealer does not replace the converter, the problem is likely not fixed.
 
Thanks for your help with this. Three weeks later, the repair work was done and covered under warranty. They had to replace the EGR cooler. My husband is concerned that there may be other engine damage from this whole incident. Is this likely and how would I know if there is other engine damage?
If the coolant stays in the reservoir and the engine seems to run fine, then assume everything is OK.
I don't know what an EGR cooler is. Doubt that is what was replaced but as long as it is repaired, who cares.
 
Well, Techy, you were spot on. The check engine light went on 80 miles after I picked it up "fixed" from the dealer. Brought it back down and, hey, guess what? It needs a new catalytic converter. Sigh (The EGR cooler is the heat exchanger, BTW).
There was nothing wrong with the EGR cooler and I'm not sure what it's purpose is.
As long as they are covering all this stuff under warranty, let them at it!
 
I just had my 2017 with 168k miles towed to the dealer for loose of coolant - no overheat happened but the dealer said if it is a blown head gasket that they do not replace them because they can't warranty the work. Was quoted an engine replacement at $10k....
It is likely not a blown head gasket but rather the heat exchanger in the catalytic converter. That is likely not covered under warranty either but at least it only costs around $2,000
There is no reason whey they cannot replace a head gasket or even another repair shop can do that and for way less than $10,000
Take it to a general repair shop that you trust and get them to bypass the heat exchanger as mentioned in this thread.
 
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