The 2.9-liter diesel engine Hyundai J3 or 2.9 CRDi was produced from 1998 to 2016 and installed both on commercial vehicles and on the Carnival minivan and Terracan SUV. There were two versions of this engine: with direct fuel injection and Common Rail system.
In 1999, after five years of development, Kia introduced the 2.9-liter J-series diesel engine. This is a classic engine for its time with a Bosch VE distribution pump, a cast-iron block, an aluminum 16-valve cylinder head with hydraulic lifters and a timing belt. The IHI KHF5-1A turbine was responsible for supercharging here, this is a type of IHI RHF5 turbocharger. The first modification developed 126 hp and 338 Nm of torque and supported EURO 2.
In 2001, the engine was equipped with a Common Rail Delphi DFP1 system with an injection pressure of 1500 bar and it began to comply with EURO 3 environmental standards. This engine existed in two different versions:
- 144 hp / 310 Nm with IHI KHF5-1A turbine and balancer block for Carnival minivan,
- 150 hp / 333 Nm with IHI KHF5-2B turbine, without balancers for the Terracan SUV.
In 2004, the Terracan diesel engine received a Common Rail Delphi DFP3 system with a pressure of 1600 bar and its power increased to 163 hp / 345 Nm, but it remained with support only for EURO 3 environmental standards. But the second generation Carnival minivan received a more modern modification of the unit: thanks to the BorgWarner BV50 variable geometry turbine, it already developed 185 hp / 343 Nm and, with exactly the same CR Delphi DFP3 fuel system, easily fit into the EURO 4 environmental standards.
Specifications
| Production years | 1998-2016 |
| Displacement, cc | 2902 |
| Fuel system | direct injection (Bosch VE version) Common Rail (CR Delphi version) |
| Power output, hp | 126 (Bosch VE version) 144 – 185 (CR Delphi version) |
| Torque output, Nm | 338 (Bosch VE version) 310 – 345 (CR Delphi version) |
| Cylinder block | cast iron R4 |
| Block head | aluminum 16v |
| Cylinder bore, mm | 97.1 |
| Piston stroke, mm | 98 |
| Compression ratio | 19.0 (Bosch VE version) 19.3 (CR Delphi version) |
| Hydraulic lifters | yes |
| Timing drive | belt |
| Turbocharging | yes |
| Recommended engine oil | 5W-30, 5W-40 |
| Engine oil capacity, liter | 6.5 |
| Fuel type | diesel |
| Euro standards | EURO 2 (Bosch VE version) EURO 3/4 (CR Delphi version) |
| Fuel consumption, L/100 km (for Hyundai Terracan 2003) — city — highway — combined |
10.5 7.5 8.6 |
| Engine lifespan, km | ~400 000 |
| Weight, kg | 243.9 |
The engine was installed on:
- Hyundai Terracan 1 (HP) in 2001 – 2007;
- Kia Carnival 1 (GQ) in 1999 – 2005; Carnival 2 (VQ) in 2005 – 2009.
Disadvantages of the Hyundai J3 engine
- The main problem of the diesel engine is the capricious Common Rail Delphi fuel equipment. There are many cases described on the network when the injection pump began to drive chips, clogging the entire system. Therefore, a popular service is the conversion of this engine to the old Bosch VE4 pump.
- A lot of trouble for the owner of cars with such a diesel engine is caused by electrical failures. Usually the cause is a short circuit in the wiring or an output from the engine ECU.
- The oil pump of this engine significantly loses its performance with mileage, and the drop in lubrication pressure reduces the life of both the turbocharger and hydraulic compensators. And it’s good that it almost never comes to cranking the crankshaft liners here.
- Another weak point of the unit is: the mass air flow sensor, the EGR valve and all quick-release connections due to which air leaks constantly occur. Also, the Kia Carnival often rots the pipes of the rear stove and it loses all the antifreeze.
