Does anybody have any experience with the Kappa 1.2 engine? Great mpg so I have read , reasonable bhp, also gearboxes fitted to cars with this engine seem strong and bullet proof unlike some bad European models I've owned.
Although there are good amounts of positive information concerning this engine, I have read that there are timing chain issues like stretched or broken chains reported, "is this true or is it through a lack of maintenance and servicing etc?
I was looking into purchasing a Petrol 1.3 Toyota Yaris Mk2 which I know are super reliable cars but had my eye on a Hyundai i10 with the 1.2 kappa engine need a bit more advice because I tend to keep my cars for a long time and want reliability.
The car I owned before my current Toyota yaris d4d mk1 was a mk1 Mazda 2 diesel car excellent reliability also.
Big thank you to everyone who replied to my recent posts they were very helpful indeed. Stay healthy.
Very best regards,
Andy United Kingdom
@dan should know..
If a timing chain (not belt) is stretching & snapping while only on gear at the crank/cam on a pushrod engine I wouldn't bother with anything like that.
Now if it's a more complicated ohc system the chain can have tensioners j guides which need replacement every so often to avoid failure.
Yeah it’s a DOHC, aluminum head, with hydraulic tappets, and VVT (on the 85hp modes).
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Unlike so many of these tiny engines, these are pretty well built and technology advanced, but still not overly complex.
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I wouldn’t bother with tensioners, timing chain cost on these are cheap - usually about $100 for the kit (if there’s damage to the VVT system - it’s an additional $200 but that’s quite uncommon), so it’s pretty much almost only labor costs.
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How cheap? The entire car costs less than an engine on some Camrys. $6k ex-show room (in parts of the world that don’t tax cars like crazy)
Hyundai conventional naturally aspirated Kappa engines are alright.
Yes, timing chains are a bit on the weak side but they tend to last upwards of 150k miles - but that’s when it begins to also burn oil…
I wouldn’t say that the 4 speed auto on the old i10 is great - but it’s reasonable if you drive it like it was designed to be driven.
IMO the i10 is small and miserable (although it is better than the AyGo), and you’re better of with an i20 (equivalent to the Yaris) - but as far as durability it’s alright.
I've done more research on the Hyundai i10 (2nd generation)
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ON THE GEARBOX:
The 4 speed automatic has a mixed reputation, Most issues are to do with the gearboxes electronics (But it isn't surprising, A lot of Hyundai gearboxes of that era has these kinds of issues).
BUT, I'm seeing many people who say that if you drive it fast and accelerate like mad that it may cause internal damage and can require a rebuild even during the warranty period.
Basically this is the perfect gearbox for a calm and slow driver.
Just remember to replace the ATF every 20k miles, It should be cheap.
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Quite honestly? if you maintain it well, drive moderately, buy a good unit, and don't mind it being the definition of "Econo-box" - awesome car.
I've had no experience with those engines myself but I'm not a fan of Korean cars in general
I just looked them up, seems to be the exact same system as the triton engines use for timing chains (guide/tensioner) lack of upkeep could be the reason but I suspect it's more the korean q.c. issue.