The company produced the 2.5-liter Hyundai D4BA diesel engine from 1989 to 2003 and installed it both on commercial vehicles and on the Starex minibus and Galloper SUV. This power unit is essentially just a clone of the popular Mitsubishi 4D56 diesel engine.
In the late 80s, based on the Mitsubishi 4D56 prechamber diesel engine, Hyundai created its own engine. Structurally, there is a cast-iron block, an aluminum 8-valve cylinder head without hydraulic lifters, a Zexel fuel pump, a timing belt and a balancer shaft block also with a belt drive. The turbocharger was not provided, that is, it is a conventional atmospheric diesel unit.
This diesel engine was originally intended for commercial vehicles, but since the beginning of the 90s they began to put it on the Galloper SUV, and since 1997 also on H-1/Starex minibuses.
This family also includes diesels: D4BB, D4BF and D4BH.
The engine was installed on:
- Hyundai Galloper 1 (JI) in 1991 – 1997; Galloper 2 (JK) in 1997 – 2003;
- Hyundai Grace 1 (P1) in 1994 – 2003;
- Hyundai Starex 1 (A1) in 1997 – 2003.
Specifications
| Production years | 1989-2003 |
| Displacement, cc | 2477 |
| Fuel system | prechambers |
| Power output, hp | 75 – 80 |
| Torque output, Nm | 140 – 160 |
| Cylinder block | cast iron R4 |
| Block head | aluminum 8v |
| Cylinder bore, mm | 91.1 |
| Piston stroke, mm | 95 |
| Compression ratio | 21 |
| Hydraulic lifters | no |
| Timing drive | belt |
| Turbocharging | no |
| Recommended engine oil | 5W-40, 10W-40 |
| Engine oil capacity, liter | 6.5 |
| Fuel type | diesel |
| Euro standards | EURO 1/2 |
| Fuel consumption, L/100 km (for Hyundai Galloper 2000) — city — highway — combined |
14.4 9.8 11.9 |
| Engine lifespan, km | ~400 000 |
| Weight, kg | 199.6 |
Disadvantages of the Hyundai D4BA engine
- This unit is equipped with a simple distributor-type Zexel VE4 fuel pump, which is a clone of the very reliable Bosch VE injection pump, but at high mileage it is usually already very worn out and there are frequent problems when starting a warm engine. And over time, the nozzles begin to overflow and their nozzles need to be replaced.
- The regulations for changing the belt in the manuals are different from 60 to 90 thousand kilometers, but in fact it can burst already at 30,000 km, especially if it is not tightened. Another belt here rotates the block of balancers and, with a break, it falls under the timing belt, which most often also breaks. And it’s good that at the same time only rockers break off.
- Diesel engines of this family are very afraid of overheating and the gasket breaks through them regularly. Usually, changing the gasket is not enough; grinding of the mating surfaces is required. Cylinder head cracks are also common, they form between the valves and around the prechambers, so cylinder heads for such power units are in great short supply and are very expensive.
- On specialized forums, they constantly complain about oil leaks, it climbs out of all the gaskets and seals, there are still reviews about the crankshaft breaking during a long movement at low speeds. The vacuum pump is characterized by low reliability and often cuts off the crankshaft key. Also, do not forget to check the valve clearance every 20,000 km or they will simply burn out.
