2011 Hyundai Genesis won't start after spark plugs were changed?
Hey Scotty...I had an oil change and got my spark plugs changed at 94,025 miles. My mechanic said the car cranked up fine after he finished up. Then the next morning the car would not start...just made a click sound. I tried jumping it off, but no luck. My mechanic came back by and tried to turn the engine with a long wrench in front and it would turn counter-clockwise and then back to the spot clockwise. It would not turn fully around. He indicates a piston or valve could have mis-fired and may be stuck. The quote to fix it is over $4,000. Is there anything through the process of the maintenance work that could have created the problem or is it completely coincidental? I am at a loss of what to do and cannot afford to have him rebuild it. I am able to locate a used one at Pull-A-Part in Nashville (we live in Nashville) and they will pull the engine from the salvaged car for $150 and the engine is $300 with a 30 day warranty. I am not sure what the labor for removing the old engine in my car and replacing it with the one from Pull-A-Part, but I have asked my mobile mechanic for a quote on that labor. Any thoughts, suggestions, etc. that you can offer, will be greatly appreciated! My cell is [personal information redacted]. Thank you and I watch your videos to do my own work and maintain my 3 vehicles as much as I can. Best, Judy
My mechanic came back by and tried to turn the engine with a long wrench in front and it would turn counter-clockwise and then back to the spot clockwise.
did he remove the spark plugs when he did this? if not, then of course the compression will bring it back.
He indicates a piston or valve could have mis-fired and may be stuck.
but it ran fine when you shut it off? sounds highly unlikely.
Then the next morning the car would not start...just made a click sound
That sounds like an electrical problem to me. Maybe dead starter. Try giving it a whack.
Good point about the spark plugs, though any halfway decent mechanic should know that! We do always have to keep the possibility of gross incompetence in mind.
Hey MountainManJoe...thank you so much for your insights!
When you asked this question:
"did he remove the spark plugs when he did this? if not, then of course the compression will bring it back"
Do you mean my mechanic would need to remove the spark plugs for the engine to completely turn?
Also, how would we check for an electrical problem?
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate any and all help!
Thank you!
About only thing I can think of that would do that much damage during that kind of routine servicing would be if the engine were accidentally started and run without oil in it. (That happened to a friend of mine many years ago.)
Although suspicious it could be coincidental. It would require a forensic teardown of the engine to determine what actually happened.
Labor for a mechanic to R&R that engine could potentially run into a couple of thousand dollars depending on how many hours are involved and their hourly rate. Unless the mechanic is guaranteeing the entire job including the engine you'd lose that money if the junkyard engine is bad. You'd have to pay the mechanic again to remove it. (From your description it sounds like the 30-day guarantee is from the junkyard, not the mechanic.)
Thank you for your response! Very wise advice!
Do you mean my mechanic would need to remove the spark plugs for the engine to completely turn?
when you turn the crankshaft, you move the pistons, and it's going to try and compress the air in the cylinder (just link when it's running). So you need to be at least as strong as the the starter motor when you do this, just to turn it over (around 2hp). Unless you remove the spark plugs, because then your combustion chamber is open and you're not compressing anything.
Also, how would we check for an electrical problem?
get out your jumper cables, and put 12V straight onto the starter motor.
If the starter motor is worn out and binding you might need to hit it with a mallet to free it up.
Do you mean my mechanic would need to remove the spark plugs for the engine to completely turn?
It would be a lot more difficult with the plugs in place due to engine compression, probably impossible unless you had a really long breaker bar for leverage. Like I said, the mechanic should know this but it's best not to assume any level of competency or honesty unless you know for sure who you're dealing with.
Definitely you'll want to get a second opinion before condemning the engine. (That should be done for any expensive repair.) Any mechanic who knows basic electrical troubleshooting should be able to check out the starter problem.
Please do not post personal contact information. No one from here will contact you via phone or email, it only attracts spammers and scammers. If anyone does contact you that way claiming to be Scotty, or from this site, due to the brief exposure of your information it would be fraudulent. (It is not a good thing to do on any public site. Personal contact information has been removed.)
Sorry about that Chuck. My bad. Should I edit the post and remove the personal information?
That's already been done.
Chuck...Much appreciated!