[Pjharris8]

I found tons of metal shavings in my coolant tank and in my radiator. I put a little of the fluid in a cup and the bottom is lined with metal shavings. (I Hope there’s no metal in the oil) Anyone knows where this could come from? The car has been hesitating/possibly misfiring a lot lately with no CEL. (58,500 miles). Told dealer about the hesitation months ago during service and was told it’s nothing they can do unless there’s a CEL. I discovered the shavings yesterday while doing a Combustion leak test which tested positive for a leak. I don’t see any leaks on the outside.

 

[Turbonut]

Maybe a previous owner dumped stop leak in the cooling system.

 

[Pjharris8]

Maybe a previous owner dumped stop leak in the cooling system.

I’m the only owner. Bought the car brand new in 2016. If that’s what it’s from, the dealer never told me anything about it. Is this something they would do?

 

[Turbonut]

I would doubt that a dealer would add any sealant, especially with the car under warranty.

 

[Pjharris8]

I would doubt that a dealer would add any sealant, especially with the car under warranty.

Is it possible for it to come from a head gasket or pump? It’s weird because I don’t see any leaks on the outside. I can smell a sweet/ burned oil type smell, But still don’t see any signs of leaks on the outside.

 

[Pjharris8]

I would doubt that a dealer would add any sealant, especially with the car under warranty.

Just got some bad news. Engine is basically a goner. Had a mechanic at a nearby dealer examine the car and fluid. Basically either I have a messed up piston or cracked block. Due to the amount of shavings in the coolant. Think I might trade for a Stinger or something else at this point.

 

[MikeMo]

Just got some bad news. Engine is basically a goner. Had a mechanic at a nearby dealer examine the car and fluid. Basically either I have a messed up piston or cracked block. Due to the amount of shavings in the coolant. Think I might trade for a Stinger or something else at this point.

 

[MikeMo]

This is a common problem with the Optima which is why they increased the miles on the engine warranty. Take the car to your dealer with the receipts for your oil changes. It may take a little while but they should replace your engine free of charge. Google it to find out more details.

 

[Turbonut]

Don't need any receipts, but if the failure is due to something other than the debris issue, no lifetime engine warranty, but a 2016 with 50k miles is still covered under warranty unless they can prove overheating destroyed the engine.
Guess you'd better get ready and put your gloves on.

 

[Pjharris8]

Don't need any receipts, but if the failure is due to something other than the debris issue, no lifetime engine warranty, but a 2016 with 50k miles is still covered under warranty unless they can prove overheating destroyed the engine.
Guess you'd better get ready and put your gloves on.

Trust me, this is all on them. The only time it could have possibly over heated is when the knock sensor/update they “installed”, failed a few months ago, putting my engine in limp mode on the highway (their fault). Even then, my Temp light never came on. But I have every receipt, document, recall paper work, and ect if needs be. I heard one way they try to void people warranty, is by going over the oil change interval but I’ve always got mines changed at least 500 miles before the interval they’ve set.
The one thing I’m puzzled on is how long the metal shavings have been in my engine, this is something they should have noticed IF it happened before my last service(s). They do check this stuff right? Wouldn’t they visibly see this in the coolant and oil?
I even had a tech tell me they won’t change my plugs until 100k miles and wanted to charge me $400 to do so when I complained to them about the engine hesitation months ago. How is this possible? At that point I knew something wasn’t right.
Im still under the 60k warranty and engine is still running as of now. But still debating on trading this car since the warranty is ending in 1000 miles. Don’t want to take a chance of running it till the (“CEL comes on” as the dealer would say). Which could be after my warranty is up. I’m mind blown how the CEL hasn’t came on with Shavings, knocking and potential misfiring happening. ☹
Part of me kinda feels like either the dealer botched my car with recall service work they did months ago or there’s another potential recall/tsb that hasn’t been brought to attention yet. Idk if you remember but I had made a post a couple months ago about recall work on my engine. I just wish I had the knowledge to check things after that situation and possibly saving my engine at that point. My car has never been the same since that day.
I appreciate your help Turbonut, I’m sorry if my posts are long and sound emotional to you guys, just hate what’s happening to my car. I will keep you posted if anything changes. ??
I hope I’m not the only one that discovered shavings this early ☹.

 

[Turbonut]

No problem as car problems can be very emotional, especially if there is a problem and you receive no help.
The savings could even be "leftovers" during manufacturing, but shouldn't cause any engine drive-ability problems unless the shavings are in the oil, maybe have an oil analysis done. However, as the original owner, the powertrain warranty is 10yrs/100k miles and the engine is lifetime for the debris issue, so don't abandon the ship too quickly. If the car is driveable, just put everything back together and use the car as is unless soemthing drastic occurs that one can put a finger on.

 

[JasonS]

Car should be covered under warranty either way. As for shavings in the coolant, that's an odd one but if you have a cracked block perhaps that explains it. The engine is done for. Get it warrantied and enjoy a (hopefully) successful fix.

 

[Pjharris8]

Car should be covered under warranty either way. As for shavings in the coolant, that's an odd one but if you have a cracked block perhaps that explains it. The engine is done for. Get it warrantied and enjoy a (hopefully) successful fix.

Late Update. Looks like I’m going to have to go the Legal route or consider this a Lemon. I took the car to get diagnosed and was basically told the same thing over again for the 4th time. Can’t doing anything or find the problem without CEL (Even with it knocking clear as day). They even said the shavings in my coolant was just film “basically the way it supposed to look”. I was also told the recalls we have on our engines is not recalls but “product improvement”.
I have the orange dip stick and letter from when they first started the recall but the recall magically doesn’t exist now. In other words, they are not honoring their word. Like wtf, I’ve even had other mechanics listen and confirm it’s Rod knock. You can even hear it inside the car. It’s like nothing will be done unless the engine blows, which is not safe considering I travel a lot.
I hope I’m not the only one going through this, Any advice is appreciated.

 

[All-Or-Nothing]

Not good. I just bought a 2020 and I hope these engine problems have been solved by now.

 

[jdelcastillo]

my car has just come out of the shop for a recall related to metal shaving on kia optima that caused engine failure and the dealership manufactured the engine at no cost. however, now I am having o2 sensor problems.

 

[jdelcastillo]

Late Update. Looks like I’m going to have to go the Legal route or consider this a Lemon. I took the car to get diagnosed and was basically told the same thing over again for the 4th time. Can’t doing anything or find the problem without CEL (Even with it knocking clear as day). They even said the shavings in my coolant was just film “basically the way it supposed to look”. I was also told the recalls we have on our engines is not recalls but “product improvement”.
I have the orange dip stick and letter from when they first started the recall but the recall magically doesn’t exist now. In other words, they are not honoring their word. Like wtf, I’ve even had other mechanics listen and confirm it’s Rod knock. You can even hear it inside the car. It’s like nothing will be done unless the engine blows, which is not safe considering I travel a lot.
I hope I’m not the only one going through this, Any advice is appreciated.

yikes hate to hear that. I fortunately got mine covered under the recall but my optima was a 2012. have o2 sensor problems now. but in my opinion certainly appears to be related.