Kia Forte Forum banner

Feedback on 2.4L

18K views 31 replies 17 participants last post by  yllrshark 
#1 ·
I am wondering about feedback on the 2.4L Forte motor.... is this motor currently in any other cars, and if so, has it been reliable? Any complaints?
 
#8 ·
Yea, this motor is used in the Kia Optima. As far as I know, there haven't been any issues with this motor. A good friend of mine has worked for Kia for almost 3 years, and he told me that those 2.4s are solid without any issues.

That is what I like to hear, the last thing I want is to spend a whole bunch of hard earned money and then have nothing but problems with the car - I hate dealing with car dealerships and especially the garage repair shops.
 
#14 ·
I heard some negative things about the Kia 100,000 mile warranty relative to owner
responsibility for some items--notably the timing belt. The confusion came from the
requirement that the timing belt be changed at 60K if there was wear. If this was not done and the belt failed at 80k, the warranty was void. The rational was that this was not part of the normal wear and tear on the engine! Now KIA engines are what I learned are intrusive which means that if the timing device fails--all hell breaks loose. Toyota has a non-intrusive engine where if the timing device breaks--it just breaks and nothing else is damaged--this would seem to be the better design. However, all is well
as the new Kia forte has an all aluminum engine without a timing belt. It has a chain
and needs no attention for 100k so the whole subject is moot. It took about half an hour and three technicians at the local Kia dealer to ferret out this information. They were not being secretive--they did not seem to know. I am concerned as I do not think this sort of information is particularly exotic or arcane. On the other hand it is the first year for the car. The engine is from Hundai and is derived from something called the "THETA" family. The same basic engine is licensed to Mitsubishi and Chrysler and apparently there are no real issues unresolved. I feel better.
 
#15 · (Edited)
I heard some negative things about the Kia 100,000 mile warranty relative to owner
responsibility for some items--notably the timing belt. The confusion came from the
requirement that the timing belt be changed at 60K if there was wear. If this was not done and the belt failed at 80k, the warranty was void. The rational was that this was not part of the normal wear and tear on the engine! Now KIA engines are what I learned are intrusive which means that if the timing device fails--all hell breaks loose. Toyota has a non-intrusive engine where if the timing device breaks--it just breaks and nothing else is damaged--this would seem to be the better design. However, all is well
as the new Kia forte has an all aluminum engine without a timing belt. It has a chain
and needs no attention for 100k so the whole subject is moot. It took about half an hour and three technicians at the local Kia dealer to ferret out this information. They were not being secretive--they did not seem to know. I am concerned as I do not think this sort of information is particularly exotic or arcane. On the other hand it is the first year for the car. The engine is from Hundai and is derived from something called the "THETA" family. The same basic engine is licensed to Mitsubishi and Chrysler and apparently there are no real issues unresolved. I feel better.
"Intrusive" vs. "non-intrusive" means "valve interferece fit vs. non-interference valve fit" in relation to the valve position at the top of the piston stroke. If the timing belt (or chain for that matter) gives up the ghost and breaks on an interference fit engine, the intake and exhaust valves will not be timed to all be closed at the top of the piston stroke, in which case one or more pistons will strike an open valve resulting in mass destruction of the valves, possibly bent or broken camshafts and crankshaft and tops of the pistons and connecting rods. Not good. On a non-interference engine, the valves are recessed into the head so that if the belt or chain breaks, even if a valve is open at the top of the piston stroke, there is enough clearance in the recess that the piston won't strike the valve even if the valve is open. That is why it is so critical on engines with timing belts AND interference fits to have them maintained, changed and checked OFTEN because if they DO break, you will basically have to buy a new engine or have said engine completely rebuilt. So why not build ALL engines with a non-interference fit valvetrain? The reason that manufacturers use belts instead of longer lasting chains is for two reasons---they are much quieter than chains; the second reason is to save space. In order to have a non-interference fit valvetrain, the head has to have a higher profile to allow for the extra valve clearance--so less engine displacement (smaller engine, less horsepower) under the hood is the result. The great thing about the Hyundai/KIA Theta engine is that Hyundai engineers somehow figured out a design to make a multivalve VVT (variable valve timed) engine almost as quiet using a chain drive. It is (and was) one of the major deciding factors in my decision to buy Hyundai/KIA products with this engine--my Forte 2.4L for example. I traded an 08' Optima that uses this same engine for the Forte. I had zero issues with the Optima and is a surprisingly quiet chain valvetrain timed engine. No worries about having to spend $600-1000 USD every 60,000 miles to replace a timing belt is a no brainer. Perhaps someday the Japanese makers will learn to reverse engineer this valvetrain design from Hyundai-----
 
#17 ·
No, that's GREAT! With a belt you must replace it 40-60K miles depending on manufacturer. That's a lot of dough to do! Chains last longer and there is less possibility of slipping -- at least until 100K miles.
I'll take a chain drive system over a belt anyday...been there done that...LoL!
 
#19 ·
The engine in the Forte is the same as in the Lancer, Mitsubishi calls it the 4B11 (2.0L) and 4B12 (2.4L). They have a great record in cars such as the Dodge Avenger and Dodge Caliber. They make good power for their size and are responsive to performance parts and good maintenance. If you keep up on oil changes and belt replacements this engine will go a long time.
 
#20 ·
The engine in the Forte is the same as in the Lancer, Mitsubishi calls it the 4B11 (2.0L) and 4B12 (2.4L). They have a great record in cars such as the Dodge Avenger and Dodge Caliber. They make good power for their size and are responsive to performance parts and good maintenance. If you keep up on oil changes and belt replacements this engine will go a long time.
I thought this was discussed before and that the Hyundai engine is not the same as the Mitsu engine -- It is an engine that Hyundai recently came up with? I'm sure this will be discussed once more...I don't feel like searching for the info again.
 
#22 ·
Here's the wikipedia data on it. Notice that it does mention Chrysler in 2005 but no where does it mention Mitsubishi.

Hyundai Theta engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Excerpt from the site:
the Theta engine factory in Asan, South Korea is not a part of the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance. Construction of the Korean factory began in August 2003 and it came on line in April 2004. It is owned and operated by Hyundai Motor Company.

I guess we'll start this discussion again...let's keep it clean and stick to the facts, please.
 
#23 ·
First off, just because Wikipedia says so does not mean it's true. Learned that from 4 years of College professors reminding me about it.

Now maybe I should correct myself, Thetta II engine is the basis for ALL the GEMA world engine. The main difference being a Mass Airflow Sensor is on the GEMA engine and not on the Thetta. The block and accessories are a 90% match. Belts are interchangeable as are some internals and even some intake pieces. Chrysler uses CVVT while Mitsubishi uses MIVEC, those are different and involve the vale lift timing.

I have seen a 4B11 equipped Lancer next to a Thetta II 2.0L Forte, similarites are striking. You can tell it is the same family of engines, think of them as cousins. The same engine that is in the Lancer is in the Dodge Caliber and Dodge Avenger, some performance parts are listed for all 3 cars.

And I don't know why everyone thinks I will get personal, I moderate on another forum and spend a lot of time keeping the peace, I would never cross that line.
 
#29 ·
Not even talking about the Evo or SRT-4, they have a different engine code than the base models from those cars.

Good news is that the Genesis uses the same open deck as the Forte, I am sure someone will want to see if the internals fit for turbo application.
 
#31 ·
To add to the previous discussion points of timing belt maintenance vs. chain and no maintenance, you might want to check your owner's manual. Mine specifically says that a valve lash inspection and adjustment is due at 96,000 kms. These do not use a hydraulic lash adjuster, but a solid lifter, so adjustments mean replacements. And replacements mean the camshafts come out; and that is a LOT more work (ie labour by the hour) on a timing chain engine, than a fairly simple belt replacement.

Just food for thought. We're not 'home free' on a major service at the 48 month mark.
 
#32 ·
Great point , however solid lifters don't break . They and the cam lobes can wear prematurely however if oil changes with the correct viscosity aren't done on schedule . If you are willing to drive a high mileage car with a little lifter noise i don't see it as anywhere near the issue of a broken timing belt .
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top