2.0 CRDi D4EA Engine (Kia-Hyundai) Problems And Reliability

The D4EA engine is a 2-litre in-line diesel power plant. First, the engine was developed for the Hyundai Tucson, and then it got under the hood of models such as Santa Fe, Elantra, etc. A feature of this engine is an extremely clean exhaust combined with an installed turbocharger. The power of the 4-cylinder unit ranges from 112 to 150 l / s.

The D4EA engine was assembled by the Hyundai auto concern together with the Italians VM Motori in the period 2000-2010. The internal combustion engine has a belt drive, its design has hydraulic lifters. The block is made of cast iron, and the cylinder head is made of aluminum.

ICE Benefits

CRDI direct injection delivers clean exhaust and good fuel economy. Regardless of the type of turbine, it can be individually adjusted to a car with a specific body. The resource of the engine far exceeds the declared one, amounting to about 250,000 km.

It is worth noting that a strong steel crankshaft and a cast camshaft are held on 5. A separate vortex chamber is designed for fuel combustion. By bringing the turbine and supercharger into a common assembly, the efficiency of the D4EA engine is increased.

Tuning Perspectives

Running at a minimum of 112 hp, the model can be chipped to get a boost to 140 hp. At the same time, the torque reaches 300 Nm. For such tuning, you need to buy Galletto1260 for the firmware version of the EDC15C2 or EDC15C7 electronic control unit, then purchase the ADAKT firmware itself and, finally, fill the PU into the on-board computer.

Mechanical tuning of a turbodiesel cannot be done.

The engine was installed on Hyundai cars:

  • Santa Fe (2000-2009);
  • Tucson (2004-2009);
  • Elantra (2000-2006);
  • Sonata (2004-2010);
  • Traiet (2000-2008).

On Kia cars:

  • Sportage JE (2004-2010);
  • Carens UN (2006-2013);
  • Magentis MG (2005-2010);
  • Cerato LD (2003-2010).

D4EA engine Specifications

ManufacturerGM DAT
Engine volume, cm³1991
Power, hp112-151*
Torque, Nm245-350
Compression ratio17,7
Cylinder blockcast iron
cylinder headaluminum
Cylinder diameter, mm83
Piston stroke, mm92
Vibration dampingbalancing shaft module
Valves per cylinder4 (SOHC)
hydraulic lifters+
Timing drivebelt
TurbochargingWGT 28231-27000 и VGT 28231 – 27900
Valve timing regulatorNo
Fuel supply systemCRDI (Common Rail Bosch)
Fueldiesel fuel
The order of operation of the cylinders1-3-4-2
Environmental regulationsEuro 3/4**
Service life, thousand km250
Weight, kg195.6-201.4***

Power depends on the type of installed turbine, on the latest versions, an EGR valve and a particulate filter were installed, weight determines the type of turbocharger installed.

The power unit was equipped with two types of turbines – WGT 28231-27000 (power was 112 hp) and VGT 28231 – 27900 (power 151 hp).

  • The cylinder block is made of ductile iron. The cylinders are bored inside the block.
  • Aluminum alloy cylinder head. It has 16 valves and one camshaft (SOHC).
  • Crankshaft steel, forged. It sits on five pillars.
  • Pistons are aluminum, with cooling of the internal cavity by oil.
  • High pressure fuel pump drive gear, from the camshaft.
  • Timing belt drive. The belt is designed for 90 thousand kilometers of the car.

Bosch common rail fuel system. From 2000 to 2005, the fuel injection pressure was 1350 bar, and since 2005 it has been 1600 bar. Accordingly, the power in the first case was 112 hp, in the second 151 hp. An additional factor in raising power was different types of turbines.

Hydraulic compensators greatly facilitate the adjustment of the thermal clearance of the valves. But they were installed only on engines with a single camshaft (SOHC). The thermal clearance of valves on cylinder heads with two camshafts (DOHC) is regulated by the selection of shims.

Lubrication system. The D4EA engine is filled with 5.9 liters of oil. The factory uses Shell Helix Ultra 5W30. During operation, a good alternative was selected for him – Hyundai / Kia Premium DPF Diesel 5W-30 05200-00620.

The manufacturer recommends changing the oil in the engine lubrication system after 15 thousand km of the car’s run. The instruction manual for a specific car model indicates which brand of oil to use and it is not advisable to replace it with another.

The balancing shaft module is located in the crankcase. Absorbs inertial forces of the second order, significantly reduces the vibration of the motor.

The EGR valve and particulate filter significantly increase the environmental standards of the exhaust. They were installed on the latest versions of the engine.

D4EA engine Reliability, weaknesses, maintainability

Any technical characteristic will not give a complete picture of the engine until the three main factors that characterize the operational capabilities of the power unit are considered.

D4EA engine Reliability

In matters of engine reliability, the opinions of motorists are not unambiguous. For someone, he nurses 400 thousand km without the slightest hint of the possibility of an early repair, someone already after 150 thousand km begins to make major repairs.

Most motorists say with confidence that if all the recommendations recommended by the manufacturer for the maintenance and operation of the motor are followed, it can far exceed the declared resource.

Special requirements are placed on the quality of technical fluids, especially oil and diesel fuel. This also automatically adds repeated replacements of fuel system elements, frequent (and not free) rides to service stations, unnecessary car diagnostics, etc.

D4EA is also very sensitive to oil quality. Refueling with non-recommended varieties leads to irreversible consequences. In this case, a major overhaul of the engine is inevitable.

Thus, all problems in the motor begin to arise only if it is used incorrectly and the manufacturer’s recommendations are not followed. The engine itself is reliable and durable.

D4EA engine Weak spots

Any motor has its weak points. D4EA also has them. One of the most dangerous phenomena is the tendency to maslozhora . It occurs due to clogging of the crankcase ventilation system. The basic version (112 hp) of the engine did not have an oil separator. As a result, excess oil accumulated on the valve cover, some of it penetrated into the combustion chambers. There was an ordinary waste of oil.

A clogged ventilation system breather contributed to the creation of excess gas pressure in the crankcase. This situation ends up squeezing oil through various seals, such as crankshaft oil seals .

There is a burning of sealing washers under the nozzles . If a malfunction is not detected in time, the cylinder head is destroyed. First of all, landing nests suffer. Nozzles can present another nuisance – if they are worn out, the stable operation of the engine is disturbed, and its start worsens. The cause of wear in most cases is not high-quality diesel fuel.

After long runs on some motors, jamming of the water pump rotor is noted . The danger lies in the breaking of the timing belt with all the ensuing consequences.

The timing belt has a short service life (90 thousand km). In the event of its breakage, the valves are bent, and this is already a serious repair of the power unit.

It is not uncommon for such a malfunction as jamming the USR valve in the open position . It must be borne in mind that many motorists put a plug on the valve. Such an operation does not bring harm to the engine, although it somewhat reduces environmental standards.

There are weaknesses in the D4EA, but they arise when the rules for operating the motor are violated. Timely maintenance and diagnostics of the engine condition eliminates the causes of malfunctions in the power unit.

D4EA engine Maintainability

ICE D4EA has good maintainability. The key to this is primarily its cast-iron cylinder block. It is possible to bore the cylinders to the required repair dimensions. The design of the motor itself is also not very difficult.

There are no problems with spare parts for replacing failed ones. They are available in any assortment in specialized and online stores. You can choose to purchase original components and parts or their analogues. In extreme cases, any used spare part is easy to find on numerous disassemblies.

It should be noted that the repair of the engine is quite expensive. The most expensive node is the turbine. Not cheap will be the replacement of the entire fuel system. Despite this, it is recommended to use only original spare parts for repairs. Analogues, as a rule, are made in China. Their quality in most cases is always in doubt. Assemblies and parts purchased at disassembly also do not always meet expectations – no one can accurately determine the remaining resource of a used spare part.

Often there are situations when the replacement of one element of the engine causes the mandatory replacement of others. For example, in the event of a break, or a planned replacement of the timing belt, its tensioner roller must also be changed. If this operation is ignored, a prerequisite for jamming the roller will be created, which in turn will again cause the belt to break.

There are plenty of such nuances in the engine. Therefore, only those who know the engine structure well, have experience in performing such work and the necessary special tools can do repairs on their own. The most ideal solution is to entrust the restoration of the unit to specialists of a specialized car service.

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