My 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe timing belt broke

Hyundai Hyundai Advice Hyundai Santa Fe Hyundai Santa Fe Advice Hyundai Santa Fe 2005
...

It looks like the timing belt broke in my 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe. I was driving slowly when it stopped, and now it won't turn over. Will the engine be wrecked now e.g. bent valves?

It really doesn’t matter how fast you’re driving when a timing chain or timing belt breaks. If the engine is an interference design, then this failure has possibly turned the rest of the engine to junk. That’s because the valves and pistons have tried to occupy the same space at the same time, and widespread internal damage is the usually outcome.

From what I can gather, the V6 engine in your car is indeed an interference design, so the damage is possibly terminal. You could remove the cylinder head(s) to check, but if the engine has locked up, there’s a fair chance you’ll need to either rebuild the engine or replace it with a different one. You may also find that the cost of these repairs will be greater than the market value of the vehicle itself. At that point, you need to decide whether to repair it or start again with a new vehicle.

Disclaimer: You acknowledge and agree that all answers are provided as a general guide only and should not be relied upon as bespoke advice. Carsguide is not liable for the accuracy of any information provided in the answers.

Comments

Have a new question for the CarsGuide team?
More than 9,000 questions asked and answered.
Complete guide to Hyundai Santa Fe 2005
Complete guide to Hyundai Santa Fe 2005 CarsGuide Logo
Reviews, price, specs and more