4 Common Hyundai 1.6 Engine Problems

Hyundai and Kia’s 1.6L engine is certainly not known for its power or performance, but the Gamma delivers good reliability and fuel economy. Ultimately, the 1.6 Gamma is a highly reliable engine and doesn’t suffer from any problems that are serious in nature.

It does however have a number of common problems including valve cover and turbocharger oil leaks, carbon build up, purge valve failure, and bad catalytic converters. We’re going to discuss each of these problems in this guide and provide our opinion overall Hyundai 1.6L reliability.

Hyundai 1.6 Engine Problems

• Oil leaks
• Carbon build up
• Purge control solenoid failure
• Failed catalytic converters

If you would rather consume this content via a video, check out our Hyundai (Kia) 1.6 Gamme Engine Common Problems video below:

1. Valve Cover & Turbocharger Oil Leaks

While oil leaks is a very general term, there are a few components in the 1.6 GDI engines that are known to leak. Outside of these few specific areas we’ll touch on below, oil leaks are still a common problem throughout these engines, and any engines really. As the 1.6 Gamma engine ages things like gaskets, seals, o-rings, and so forth commonly leak. Once you surpass the 100,000 mile mark oil leaks become a lot more common. However, the leaks we’ll discuss below are the ones that are more prone to arising before the engine reaches high mileage.

First off, the valve cover gasket is a common leak area. Valve covers bolt to the top of the head and protect the valvetrain. Additionally, they provide oiling necessary for the valvetrain to function properly. The valve cover is sealed onto the head with a gasket that is rubber. Due to heat, engine vibrations, and natural wear and tear, this valve cover gasket is prone to deteriorating and leaking.

Secondly, the 1.6 T-GDI engine is known to experience leaky turbos where oil seeps from the turbocharger. Turbos have internal seals that are prone to wear down over time and leak. However, on this engine the leak more commonly comes from the turbo oil feed line rather than the turbo itself. The oil feed line, as it suggests, supplies oil to the turbo. This line is usually the cause of the leak which means only the line needs to be replaced and not the whole turbo itself.

Oil Leak Symptoms

• Noticeable oil leaks
• Oil leaking down the block (valve cover gasket)
• Oil leaking from the turbo (feed line or turbo itself)
• Engine runs low on oil frequently
• Smell of burning oil in the cabin and after driving

2. Carbon Build-up Problems

All you 1.6 MPI owners are lucky on this one. Carbon build-up only affects the TDI direct injected 1.6 Gamma engines. However, this isn’t just a problem of the Gamma engines, it also affects the 2.4 Theta and the 2.0T Theta.

All engines experience some form of “blow-by”. This blow-by ends up getting recirculated into the intake system via the PCV valve. Because the blow-by is dirty-oily air, carbon deposits naturally buildup in the intake valves.

Carbon buildup occurs over time so it isn’t always easy to notice since the performance declines it causes happen slowly. By the time you hit 100,000 miles you probably have a good amount of carbon built up in the intake valves. We recommend cleaning the intake valves every 100,000 miles via walnut blasting which we’ll cover below.

Carbon Build-up Symptoms

• Cylinder misfires
• Poor idling
• Hesitation under acceleration
• Power loss and overall sluggish engine feel

1.6 TDI Walnut Blasting

The proven way to clean out the carbon in the valves is through walnut blasting. Walnut blasting involves using small walnut media shells and a shop vac. The shells are blasted through the intake ports with the shop vac and blow away any carbon that is stuck inside the ports.

The materials to do this job are inexpensive but the labor can be expensive. The intake manifold needs to be removed for the ports and valves to be accessed. You will probably get quoted somewhere around $400-$600 for walnut blasting.

A lot of people go forever without cleaning out carbon buildup. If you care about engine performance then we recommend doing it every 100,000 miles. If you don’t really care then we suggest just getting it done once you begin to experience the misfires and rough idling.

3. Purge Control Solenoid Problems

The purge control valve, or solenoid, is part of the Gamma engines EVAP system. The EVAP system (evaporative emissions control) prevents fuel vapors from escaping the gas tank and getting into the atmosphere. When an engine is turned on, the purge valve is open which allows fuel vapors to be passed into the engine where they are burned.

On the 1.6 Gamma the purge valve is electrically controlled. All Hyundia and Kia cars are prone to broken purge valves for whatever reason. When the valve fails it can either fail open or fail closed. If it fails closed it prevents the vapors from being able to escape the gas tank. When it fails open it continually funnels the vapors to the engine, even when turned off.

If the valve gets stuck open it can dump a lot of vapors into the engine while its turned off which can make it difficult to start and cause rough idling for a few seconds after starting.

Symptoms

• Difficulty starting the car
• Rough idling for a few seconds after starting
• P0441 engine code

4. Bad Catalytic Converters

While this isn’t an extremely common problem, 1.6 Hyundai and Kia’s are known to occasionally blow their catalytic converters. This also appears to be more common problem on the Kia Soul.

Exhaust gases exiting the combustion chamber are extremely hot. Misfires and ignition related issues can cause unburn fuel to enter the exhaust system. When this happens the fuel collides with the hot metal in the cat and combusts, melting the rare metals inside of the cat. This creates hotter exhaust gas temps which further melts these metals and ultimately clogs the exhaust system.

If the catalytic converter gets clogged it will create a ton of backpressure leading to various performance issues. The other alternative is that the metals completely burn down and hollow out the cat which will cause you to fail an emissions test.

Symptoms

• Misfires
• Rough idling
• Check engine light for O2 sensors
• Failed emissions test
• Higher than normal exhaust gas temps

Hyundai 1.6L Gamma Reliability

Overall, the 1.6L Hyundai and Kia engines have above average reliability. Unlike the issues with the Theta engines the Gamma’s don’t have any weaknesses that can lead to catastrophic engine failure. Oil leaks are normal as engines age, carbon buildup affects every single direct injected engine, purge valves are super cheap to fix, and cat failure isn’t that common.

There really aren’t very many issues that the 1.6 Gamma faces that can lead to expensive repairs. The majority of the issues these engines suffer are relatively minor and don’t have any serious performance or drivability implications. With that being said, maintenance is a huge factor in reliability. Hyundai recommends 9,000 mile oil change intervals. Just change your oil every 5,000 miles and the likelihood you experience any issues will drastically decrease.

You should be able to reach the 200,000 mile mark with the Hyundai 1.6 without significant maintenance needs. However, keep in mind as you reach these higher mileages there are a number of general maintenance items that will appear like spark plugs, water pumps, coil packs, injectors, belts, hoses, etc.