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Repair kit for bearing failure available

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4.7K views 24 replies 12 participants last post by  KiwiME  
#1 ·
#7 ·
Plus, how many garages are skilled enough to actually take on such a repair? It’s a huge job. The entire power unit (engine) has to be removed. Stripping and correctly assembling the gear box and motor requires a degree of engineering skill and competence. The labour costs will also hugely outweigh the parts cost. Then how long will it last? The original fundamental design fault still exists. How much damage will inadequately trained technicians cause? Etc etc.

Bearings can be bought separately from bearing supplier shops anyway (Probably cheaper too). Peter
 
#10 ·
... for the knowledge of exactly which bits to change...
Luckily not a secret as all repairs to date have been limited to changing out the (6) bearings, or often just the (4) ball bearings. This pricey kit appears to include (2) motor bearings as well. The spacers are needed in order to use standard bearing sizes, all of which could be bought locally.
So as long as the root cause is not fixed, the problem will not go away.
I suspect the problem will not return provided you leave out the rattling factory magnet and install a magnetic plug. The root cause (IMO) is that design mistake in combination with the copious particles generated off the gears during the break-in period. There's been no evidence so far to suggest that misalignment is a contributing factor.

Although dealers are known to pull out the entire drive unit, it does seem from YouTube channel CarRepairVideos that the gear reducer can be removed by itself. You have to place the AC compressor to one side and support the motor during the process.
 
#11 ·
I suspect the problem will not return provided you leave out the rattling factory magnet and install a magnetic plug. The root cause (IMO) is that design mistake in combination with the copious particles generated off the gears during the break-in period. There's been no evidence so far to suggest that misalignment is a contributing factor.
Could be. The Kia Service Manager has told me though that the first step, replacing motor mount brackets, is done to correct the misalignment between motor and reductor. In fact, after they replaced them in my car, the sound was gone for a while. It is slowly coming back, especially at higher speeds, obviously because the bearings are toast.
 
#13 ·
olá eu estou com um problema similar aqui em Portugal com o meu Kia e-Niro 2021,113000 kms ,tenho o carro no representante/oficina para ser reparado há um mês e eles estão a levantar problemas para me reparar o carro. tenho as revisões todas em dia e sempre no concessionário Kia mas não está facil.
Começou a fazer um zunido em andamentos mais elevados, tipo 100/ 120 Kmh mas por fim já faz assim que começa a rolar. O defeito destes modelos, Kia e-Niro, Kia-e Soul, Hiunday Kauai EV, Hiunday Kona EV e Hunday Yoniq EV, entre 2018 e 2022, são conhecidos e reconhecidos com defeito de fabrico pelas marcas e ainda assim levantam dificuldades a efectuar a reparação/ correcção do referido defeito.
KIA e Hunday nunca mais, apesar de eu adorar o Niro.
 
#15 ·
@Xinix

Certainly. Here is a translation of the post from @Manuel@68:

"Hello, I'm having a similar problem here in Portugal with my 2021 Kia e-Niro at 113,000 km. The car has been at the dealership for a month for repair, and they are creating issues with getting it fixed. All my services are up to date and were always done at the Kia dealership, but it isn't easy. It started with a whirring noise at higher speeds, like 100-120 km/h, but now it makes the noise as soon as the car starts rolling. This defect in the Kia e-Niro, Kia e-Soul, Hyundai Kauai EV, Hyundai Kona EV, and Hyundai Ioniq EV from 2018-2022 is a known manufacturing defect acknowledged by the brands, yet they still make the repair difficult. KIA and Hyundai, never again, even though I love my Niro."

It seems the frustration with dealership service translates perfectly across all languages.
 
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#16 ·
Hello, I have a similar problem here in Portugal with my Kia e-Niro 2021, 113000 km, I have had the car at the dealer/workshop to be repaired for a month and they are raising problems to repair the car for me. I have all the revisions up to date and always at the Kia dealership but it is not easy.
It started making a humming noise at higher speeds, like 100/120 km/h, but eventually it stops as soon as it starts rolling. The defect in these models, Kia e-Niro, Kia-e Soul, Hyundai Kauai EV, Hyundai Kona EV and Hyundai Yoniq EV, between 2018 and 2022, are known and acknowledged as having a manufacturing defect by the brands and still raise difficulties in carrying out the repair/correction of said defect.
KIA and Hunday never again, although I love the Niro
 
#17 · (Edited)
I have to say, I'm a bit annoyed by the misinformation in pretty much all the previous posts. I'd recommend watching some of the YT videos doing this very job and then maybe revisit your posts. Yes replacing the bearings in the motor is a drop out job, but the gearbox can be replaced in the car - and of course change the oil every 50K or so and you won't have to do any of it.

also, I see a total of only 400 euro incl shipping ?
 
#18 ·
There have been quite a number of reports in some cases of these transmission faults occurring long before 50k miles has been reached! So your advice to simply prevent the issue by changing the oil at 50k intervals is also largely misinformation. Peter.
 
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#21 ·
Completely agree. There have been reports of some going noisy in just 10k yet others lasting 100k plus miles and still going very good. Why so much variability between examples? Plus it’s also known that in every case when checked, the oil goes jet black in very short time. Maybe just in just a few k miles. Yet with my trusty old Prius I changed the gear oil at around 65k miles as a precaution. It was still a lovely clear red colour. Almost no colour change from the new oil. Note that the Prius oil has a much harder life as there is the power split device working very hard, yet they last seemingly forever.

Some reports from folk had the Hyundai oil analysed and discovered high Alluminium contamination present. Again why so? I don’t think anyone (outside Hyundai) actually knows the proven failure cause for certain. There are all sorts of theories, but all seem unproven to me. Hyundai will know for certain, so why don’t they come clean and tell us. Peter
 
#23 · (Edited)
That’s the difference between the Korean and Japanese cultures IMHO. Toyota would come completely clean and honest and would do a proper repair fix at any cost. It’s in the Japanese DNA…. total pride in their products, and full support for their valued customers.

I do share that feeling that I may have jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. Now I switched my Eniro for Genesis. The threat of GRU noise has deffo gone but now I worry about the known potential ICCU sudden failure issue. At least with the GRU noise, you get plenty of failure warning!
Peter.
 
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#25 ·
I do still wonder what the actually cause is, as there's plenty on here without issue( yet) with exactly the same motor/ reduction gear, O.e magnet same oil ( not changed) so basically identical vehicles. Only variable is driving styles?
Some reports from folk had the Hyundai oil analysed and discovered high Aluminium contamination present. Again why so? I don’t think anyone (outside Hyundai) actually knows the proven failure cause for certain. There are all sorts of theories, but all seem unproven to me. Hyundai will know for certain, so why don’t they come clean and tell us.
The one connection to driving style that I suspect is relevant is that break-in wear particles are produced off gears at a higher rate if the car is hammered when new. It's been clear that the internal magnet is not doing a good job at sequestering those as it should. That's been evident simply by looking at it with a tiny video camera poked through the drain opening, which 2 of us Kona owners have done.

Those particles are circulating through precision ball-bearings over and over, and the damage caused will reduce their lifetimes ... that not being evident to the owner for many 10's of thousands of miles later when they start hearing a noise. The statistical nature of bearing lifetimes is why we see such variations of when a noise is heard. A bearing with clean oil operating within its load specifications would last some million+ miles. But when damaged the life is perhaps only 1/10 of that. The failure distribution within that 100,000 miles is down to the extent of the initial (<1,000 mile) damage and how that slowly develops into a noise as the raceway surfaces deteriorate, even with clean oil.

For anyone with a replaced or repaired gearbox, it would pay to take it easy for the first 3,000 miles, and of course add a magnetic plug and change the oil at 300 and 900 miles to clear the particles out. If the gearbox was repaired you'd be smart to remove the factory magnet and use it on your fridge door instead.

So far one Ioniq 5 owner and one with a gen-2 Kona (same as the gen-2 Niro) have carried out oil changes (as a matter of curiosity at 100,000 miles and 10,000 km respectively) and both have found black oil. All newer Hyundai-Kia EV gear reducers have integrated oil-cooled motors (as do many other current EVs) but retain one related item in common with the 64kW Soul, 28/38 Ioniq, and gen-1 Kona/eNiro, and that is a loosely-retained internal magnet. But those newer EVs don't suffer the same bearing failures.

Likely reasons for that are (a) they have a particle filter screen to protect the oil pump (for cooling the motor) which usefully sequesters particles, and (b) they have a much higher oil capacity that dilutes any contamination.

IMO, the most likely source of the blackness is simply that the loose magnet rubs aluminium off the housing under the influence of oil turbulence while driving. It only takes a tiny amount to show up. The Ioniq 5 owner had an analysis done and aluminium was through the roof. But I don't see that as a threat to the gearbox life, just evidence that something is abnormally wearing an aluminium surface.

I've fortunately never seen any black oil in my 2016 Suzuki GV manual gearbox, transfer or diffs despite hearing about some cases, but I do pay attention to maintenance and don't abuse it. All those gear units have magnets rigidly retained in their drain plugs and despite those having the weakest magnetic strength ever known to man, do successfully retain particles. This is from the gearbox after 43,000 km. Next photo is a Kona magnet at 20,000 km, as bald as the day it was born.

I personally don't believe Hyundai-Kia understand the issue here, as it's rather obscure. If they did they would have corrected it years ago.

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