Hyundai Elantra 5-door

nortsr1 · July 2005

You should have asked that question "before" not "after"!

compensate · July 2005

Since I asked the auto guy, I figured I got the correct info. I'm not certain but I believe I referenced my manual, too. I'll have to check my manual again later.

I have heard of some manual tranny's that use automatic transmission fluid (with a more frequent service interval for fluid change), but have never heard of a manual that used engine oil.

lngtonge18 · July 2005

I'm only assuming it takes engine oil due to the more frequent change interval. I'm pretty sure my dad used straight 30w engine oil on his Honda products that required the same 30k maintenance. I could have sworn my former 00 Accent manual tranny asked for the same fluid. Anyway, just look at the manual and let me know what it says. It would be interesting if it requires such frequent changes when using such heavy gear oil.

On a sidenote, if you think 30k is ridiculous, then you would be real annoyed with my 2005 Yamaha Vino 125 scooter. I had to change the tranny fluid after only 600 miles! And this is thick 80w-90 gear oil. After the first 600 miles, I have to change it every 4k I believe. Oh well, it's worth it for the fun in the sun and the 80mpg

doohickie · July 2005

Yeah, my Aspire 5M uses AT fluid instead of oil.

compensate · July 2005

I checked the owner's manual. The specified fluid for the manual tranny is:

75W-90 Gear Oil

And I'm still going to change it every 50K, especially since I used fully synthetic, Hyundai be damned!!

Warranty is almost done anyways . . .

nihao4587 · July 2005

Hi,

My dealer did a 30K service for my 02 GT two months ago and everything has been normal. But I just notice that the coolant level is slightly below the "low" mark when vehicle is parked for several hours. Is this a problem or should I add some more to bring it up? I don't see anything leaking since I always park my car in the same places. If I need more coolant, do I need anything specific for my Elantra GT?

By the way, just a few updates for my GT.

Bought new in Oct 02 and it has been quite normal. It only refused to start for a few times during cold weathers but I could start the engine in 2nd or 3rd try. Little problems I have now are:

1. Clock stops working (has been quite some time now) but not completely. I don't care that much so I didn't ask dealer for repair.

2. There are some weird sounds coming from steering wheel column during the first few minutes driving. It sounds like the wheel rubbing something. It disappears quickly.

3. A couple of rattles could be heard when driving on broken roads. Actually, there was almost none before I did my 30K routine service. During the service, my dealer insisted on replacing the blackout tape on my driver's door, which had been replaced before, since it started to peel out once again. I didn't care much but eventually let them do it since they said it wouldn't take long, and you know, they earned money from doing it. After a few weeks later, I started to hear rattles in my driver's door and I am pretty sure they didn't do a perfect job when putting my door back. I will talk with my dealer about it during the next visit.

Other that those, everything has been good. I am still on the original tires and battery.

All in all, my GT serves me well and the problems listed above are OK with me considering it is a 3-year car. I will recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable car for commute and A-to-B use.

lngtonge18 · July 2005

You'll be fine. Manual trannies almost never have problems before 100k anyway and I'm sure the synthetic fluid is better for it then regular oil. The automatic is the one you need to be real careful about following the fluid change intervals.

lngtonge18 · July 2005

I would go ahead and fill it up to between the low and high line. Regular Prestone green coolant is fine for your car. The dealer just probably didn't fill it up enough when they flushed the system at 30k.

nihao4587 · July 2005

Thanks for your reply. Although I am still using the original battery, how do I know when I should be getting a new one? What is the life span for this kind of battery? I heard Sears is good for car batteries, is it true? And what brand do you recommend?

I have done a little research for the all-season tires and Yokohama seems to be quite good with longer thread life and excellent price, do you have any experiences with them? I know Kumho is cheaper and gets good review too, but do they have long thread life? Any advice is welcome. Thanks.

lngtonge18 · July 2005

You can generally tell when a battery is starting to go bad by the sound of the starter in warmer weather. It will begin to turn slower and sound more strained. But sometimes the battery will just conk out without warning. Hyundai batteries aren't the best and tend to last 3-4 years. The one on my 2000 Accent lasted right about 3 years and 30k if I remember correctly, but it was driven more in the city with more starting. Sears Diehard batteries are good but also tend to be expensive. Most people tend to wait until the battery is dead one morning before deciding to change it.

I don't have much to say about the tires because I tend to go more for high performance tires rather then long life touring tires. Both are good name brand tires though. Much better value then Michelin and Goodyear.

backy · July 2005

The battery on my nearly five-year-old Elantra is original and has been through five Minnesota winters, still works great. But I garage (unheated) the car at night. If it lasts through next winter, I'm going to replace it in the fall of '06 as it will be six years old then and I'll be turning the car over to my son then (and the car will be sitting outside a lot).

I recommend changing the battery before it conks out. Here is why. When the battery conked out on my Grand Caravan, it made the electronics act stramge. The symptoms were not what I expected from a dead battery. The van was still under extended warranty, and that covered towing it but only to the nearest dealer. Because of the weird symptoms from the dead battery, I told them to go ahead and run a check on the car. Bad mistake. The total charge was something like $180, including a way-overpriced battery. Better to pick up a battery on sale at Sears or similar I think, when you are in control and can find a good price and are not desparate to fix it no matter what.

jimbeaumi · July 2005

This is interesting, because my car just turned four yesterday, and I have been wondering when the battery might decide to go. Thanks for the reminder to go and have it done anyway, just to be on the safe side. Unfortunately, Consumer Reports didn't offer a very good cross-section of vehicles when categorizing by battery type (I guess I'd have a Honda Accord-type battery -- Group 24). In that case, they rate the Advance Autocraft Silver 24-5 slightly higher than the also-good DieHard Weather Handler 30024.

jkobb · July 2005

Just a reminder guys and gals heat is one of the worse enemys of batterys. A battery will last longer in cool climates than it will in hot climates.

compensate · July 2005

For what it's worth, I've still got the original battery in my 01 GT after 4 years and 95K miles. I don't expect it to last a whole lot longer, but who knows?

The BEST all-season tires I have ever owned (on my 3rd set now on my GT) were the Bridegstone Turanza LS-T (yes, they are T series, but unless you like drive over 115 mph a lot, it doesn't matter). They had outstanding rain performance, even close to the end of their treadlife. Mine lasted about 70K miles, which was MUCH better than the original Michelins. I replaced recently with Falkens, to save money, as I had to replace tires on two cars at the same time and did not have the funds for more Turanzas!

jimbeaumi · July 2005

I have a very serious question: how does one "like drive over 115 mph"?

jlflemmons · July 2005

verrrryyyy carefully.

jmdchien · July 2005

I'll be getting my 05 GT in the next few days. Do you have any suggestions about how to take care of the vehicle? It looks like your 01 has served you well. You must have done everthing right. Thanks.

compensate · July 2005

I've driven mine 120 once, just for fun, on a wide-open stretch of Interstate highway (with very little traffic). I would not recommend others do this, of course. It was the thrill-seeker in me coming out . . .

compensate · July 2005

Proper break-in care and regular maintenance are the keys.

Read your manual about proper break-in driving. This is VERY important! Things such as not keeping the same speed on the highways (don't use your cruise control during break-in), not running the car past 3,500 RPMs (no reving the engine), braking intermittently and carefully, etc.

Here's my maintenance schedule (which may not match Hyudai's official schedule, so check your manual):

Oil and filter (semi-synthetic oil & Wix or Bosch filter) every 5,000 miles

PCV valve every 15,000 miles

Air filter every 20,000 miles

Coolant drain & refill every 40,000 miles

new spark plugs every 25,000 miles (check them for proper gap and carbon build-up in between changes, every 12,500 miles)

Manual transmission gear oil (full synthetic) every 50,000 miles (manual says to do this more often)

[If I had an automatic, I'd change the fluid every 25,000 miles]

Tires rotated every 7,500-10,000 miles

Brake in advance whenever possible, using intermittent pedal pressure (don't press brake pedal continuously unless in emergency situation).

I think that's about it (I may have left something off).

Read every detail of that warranty carefully!!! Paint is covered for only a short time period, as are some "external" engine parts (some are not covered under the 100K powertrain warranty). Hyundai dealers/reps, in some regions of the country, don't always like to perform warranty work - find a good dealer and hope your area is not covered by a crappy Regional Rep. Unfortunately, my area (middle-west Tennessee and North Alabama) has such a rep . . .

Good luck and have fun! The Elantra is well worth the money!

compensate · July 2005

I was inquiring about costs for timing belt replacement at a local dealer and asked about water pump replacement (which is typical on many front-drive cars). The Service Rep said that he woudl not recommend it on the later-model Elantras as they has a "simple pump." He added that for some other Hyundai models and Hondas and Toyotas that he would recommend that the water pump be replaced during timing belt replacement.

When I conferred with a HIGHLY-reputable independent shop, the manager thought that sounded odd and said he would recommend that I have the water pump replaced as the bearings on the current water pump might have a hard time adjusting to a new (tighter) timing belt and could fail.

Anyone ever heard of this "simple pump" stuff before? I am wondering if it is a ploy for further labor charges if my pump fails after paying hundreds in labor for the timing belt replacement.

Anyone?

lngtonge18 · July 2005

Hmm..take a look at your engine bay and see if you can locate an external water pump. Look for any water hoses connecting to where one of the pulleys are. It would be close to the center of the engine unlike the alternator, AC, and power steering pump. He may be confusing the Elantra with the Accent. The Accent's 1.5 engine has an external water pump that is driven by the accessory drive belts, not the timing belt. So in that car's case, your dealer's remark would make sense. If the Elantra does use this design, I would be very pleased. It's so rare to find a nice simple water pump repair.

compensate · July 2005

It is rare on FWD cars to find a simple-to-repair water pump. All of mine have always been under the timing belt.

I miss my old rear drive 1980 Buick, as it's water pump was veyr easy to replace, although the car had horrible reliability!

jlflemmons · July 2005

According to the Hyundai Tech site, this engine has a common waterpump driven by an external serpentine belt. Has nothing to do with the timing belt.

compensate · July 2005

Awesome! Thanks MUCH for the info!!

jmdchien · July 2005

Thank you for the valueable information. I've got my Elantra automatic GT on Thursday. First driving impression was wonderful. Took the vehicle for a 600 miles round trip from Houston to Dallas and back. My worry about not enough power was gone. I like the handling of this little black beauty. With the tips you provided here. I should have a pretty lenghty and nice experience with it. Thanks again. :shades:

jlflemmons · July 2005

one last tip: Watch out for speeding tickets. Once broken in these little jewels are very happy running 80-85 on the highway. I have almost 10K on my '05 GT and it absolutely purrs at 80+.

I know, I know, the speed limit is 70. But my favorite motto: "Speed doesn't kill. It's that sudden stop that gets you."

compensate · July 2005

No doubt! My '01 5-speed purrs at 80-85, too . . . with 96,000 miles on it! Wife drove it a couple of days once and said she looked at the speedo one time and was going 85 - thought she was going about 70-75! LOL!

jlflemmons · July 2005

When I had my '00 GMC 3/4 ton with the 6.0L, my wife couldn't figure out why the engine kept cutting out on the interstate between Dallas and Austin. My then 11 year old son (who is very mechanically astute) pointed out she was hitting the electronic speed govenor. At 88 miles per hour.

aznmonty · July 2005

Coming upon 60k miles on my auto '03 GT. I do not have the manual handy, so I would appreciate some assistance in what needs to be done.

My engine is stuttering upon startup each morning now. So, I think it may either be spark plugs or battery. I have not changed either.

With hot and humid chicago, a/c smells nasty upon startup.

I think I need alot done:

Oil Change
Coolant Change
I think timing belt needs to be changed?
Tranny fluid flush?
Fuel Filter change?

Let me know what i should be doing at 60k (or what should have been done by now).

Do you suggest an alignment when you do not notice anything while driving? the tire shop suggested it after i got new eagle GT goodyears.

backy · July 2005

I don't have my manual handy either but the 60k service is the "biggie" for the Elantra and most cars--all those things you mentioned plus new plugs, all filters, and I *think* all belts and hoses (that may be an inspect & change if needed thing).

On the alignment--if it ain't broke...

jlflemmons · July 2005

I had a service writer try to strong arm me on an alignment on my Elantra. I asked him three simple questions: Are the tires wearing evenly? Is the car pulling to one side or the other? Is there any visible sign of damage? If not, leave it alone.

It is unfortunate how much money is spent on uneeded services. Such as the GM dealership that advertised that not servicing the automatic transmission every 15K miles "might" void the drive train warranty. I equate such tactics as theft.

doohickie · July 2005

My engine is stuttering upon startup each morning now. So, I think it may either be spark plugs or battery. I have not changed either.

I would change the plugs and wires. I didn't do that to my Aspire until 90k, but it was behaving just as you describe. Afterward, it was like brand new! I doubt a bad battery would give those symptoms; in my experience the car just quits when the battery dies.

dovid2 · July 2005

I wouldn't get a tuneup until I started getting symptoms such as you described. A
tuneup, like alignment, is corrective, not preventative. One thing to look for with those symptoms is plug wires, they do go bad now and then.

jlflemmons · July 2005

Wife's GMC Safari started running a little rough at 75K miles. I thought it had platinum plugs. What it had were conventional plugs that were burned down to the nubs. But the suckers were still firing and giving decent gas mileage!

compensate · July 2005

Don't worry about the AC smell. I get it, too, in hot & humid middle Tennessee - been that way since the car was new 4 years ago.

If you have not replaced the gear oil or coolant by 60K miles, do it ASAP. The manual calls for 30K changes for gear oil in the manual tranny. I recommend Mobile One fully synthetic gear oil. It's a relatively easy do-it-yourselfer if you want to save some cash.

Forget the fuel filter unless you still experience problems after your spark plug change.

Your spark plug wires should be OK for now, but I'd recommend replacement at about 90K miles for the wires. Spark plugs should be changed (or at least checked) every 20K miles at minimum.

If you haven't replaced your air filter yet, do that ASAP, pronto!! Every 20-25K depending upon your environment for the air filter!

I just replaced my timing belt at 96K miles - wait until at least 90K before paying the big bucks for the labor on that job (California Elantra manual gives 100K miles on the timing belt due to stricter consumer protection laws). I only paid $190 + tax for the labor and found a Continental Contitech timing belt online for about $50 (Original Equipment brand). Always find a VERY reputable garage and avoid the dealer to save big bucks. Finding an honest, reputable garage is often difficult, however. . .

Good luck!

aznmonty · August 2005

thanks for the suggestions folks. just had the service done yesterday. brakes are new too (its about time).

feeling quite zippy on the freeways as i have regained lost power (probably due to the spark plugs). Gas mileage is increasing as well i assume.

bad incident though...i ran over a huge honkin' rock (those landscaping rocks) as i was manuevering and believe the catylytic convertor may be damaged. not sure if its the converter, but its part of the exhaust manifold. it was slightly smokin' and looked like fibers were loose (looks like a frayed wire). when i tried to backup from that rock, i was stuck. so i brought out the jack to jack up the front. it worked, but i have some damage done to the jack because it moved in the wrong direction. the jack then got stuck between the ground and the radiator (luckily didnot punture the radiator). bent my intake vent next to the fog lights a bit. its mainly cosmetic i believe.

it was all surreal...I could not believe it happened to me. just paid a butt-load to get maintenanced and then i have this happen. i've lost confidence in my driving. gosh, i am glad that it was at low speeds that i ran over it.

car feels fine thus far. does the damage to the catylitic converter warrant another look at without any symptons?

storkdude · August 2005

The funky AC smell on startup can sometimes be due to the evaporator drain being clogged. Maybe you had the car rust-proofed because you live in Chicago. The rustproofing on the bottom of the car can seal the small drain tube. It happened to one of my cars when I lived in Cleveland. It stays moist and fungus grows. You can actually get a pulmonary infection from it.

My 2002 GT has 21K miles and runs like a top. I just commute with it. It still looks pretty new. I'm hoping I can get 5 more years out of it before I buy my Midlife-crisis mobile. Had seriously considered adding a blower or turbo until I read some guy's Blog on how much work it was. I'll just try to be happy with my 135hp.

storkdude · August 2005

I think that the reason water pumps were replaced with timing belts was that they were often run off the timing belt. If the bearings of the pump froze the timing belt would fail, stopping the valves while the pistons were still going up and down. This frequently lead to bent valves and possibly holed pistons in engines with shallow combustion chambers. It was a pretty simple matter to replace the pump when the timing belt was off. Now that a pump failure doesn't have such immediate catasthophic implications it shouldn't be as critical. This ALSO happened to me on my '84 Accord at about 140K miles in the middle of Wisconsin at night in the Winter. It would have been a lot less trouble to replace the belt and pump in the garage on a Saturday morning at 90K miles.

rilo2002 · August 2005

Recently my 02 GT (automatic) started to develop a rough idle in Drive. It gets worse when the A/C is on but goes away if I change gear into Neutral. Anyone else notice this happening? I hope it's not the transmission, although it'd be covered under the warranty.

aznmonty · August 2005

did you change your spark plugs? I am not a mechanical genius, but hesitation or rough idle could be a miss-firing of your engine. might be fuel that you use...i would use something like a tank of premium amoco ultimate to clean out possible deposits that might have accumulated.

I do not see why it would be transmission problem because you are idling and not moving any gears.

I this very problem on my 91 Colt Vista. I never changed the spark plugs on that car. It stuttered with the AC on. I think it was a weak engine to begin with, plus i tossed it before i ever changed the plugs.

So don't go and change your spark plugs right away, but i just know that my car is smoother on startup now. Before changing, it had hesitation unpon start up.

esch · August 2005

Hey, new to this forum.
I have 120,000 on my '02 GT, been through a few problems, but still love the car.
I have a crack in the converter/manifold, and called the dealer for info.
They say the recall affects 99-01 Elantras. I am wondering how many people have this issue, since the engines were probably made in early 02. What are the chances they will recall 02? I am obviously out of the warranty (long drive to work everyday).
Anyone have any ideas??

doohickie · August 2005

It could also be a bad motor mount. If the "rough idle" means you feel more vibration, one of the symptoms of a bad motor mount is that you feel more engine vibrations in the cabin.

5port · August 2005

It appears to me that your dealer is mistaken. The coverage is 1999 - 2002. Ask your dealer to look-up this TSB # 05-01-001-1. As you can see at the very bottom the coverage stops at the end of January 2002. If your car was made in January your in if not your out. The date of manufacture for your car is on the driver's door plaque.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - ---------------------
Technical Service
Bulletin
Subject
Group
Number
Date
Model
CIRCULATE TO: [ ] GENERAL MANAGER
[X] SERVICE MANAGER [X] SERVICE ADVISOR [X] WARRANTY MGR [ ] SALES MANAGER
[X] PARTS MANAGER [X] TECHNICIAN
CAMPAIGN
05-01-001-1
MARCH, 2005
1999-2002 ELANTRA,
1999-2003 TIBURON
EXHAUST MANIFOLD ASSEMBLY INSPECTION AND
REPLACEMENT CAMPAIGN - V04
This TSB supersedes TSB# 05-01-001 to include additional part information and
part return shipping instructions.
IMPORTANT: DEALERS MUST PERFORM THIS CAMPAIGN WHENEVER AN
AFFECTED VEHICLE IS IN THE SHOP FOR ANY MAINTENANCE
OR REPAIR AND PRIOR TO RETAIL DELIVERY.
IMPORTANT: WHEN A VEHICLE ARRIVES AT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT,
ACCESS HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICAS WARRANTY VEHICLE
INFORMATION SCREEN VIA DCS INTERACTIVE OR DCS ON-LINE
TO IDENTIFY OPEN CAMPAIGNS.
DESCRIPTION:
Exhaust manifolds on some 1999-2002 Elantra and 1999-2003 Tiburon vehicles with
2.0L L4 engines may crack and require replacement.
Inspect the exhaust manifold for cracking and, if necessary, replace the exhaust
manifold with a new part using the following service procedure.
NOTE: This photograph shows an example of an exhaust manifold crack. This is
for illustration of a possible crack location. Cracks may be smaller than
shown in this photograph.
Page 2 of 8
VEHICLES AFFECTED:
 Models: Elantra and Tiburon vehicles with 2.0L engines
 Affected Production Date Range:
 1999-2002 Elantras: Produced through January 31,2002
 1999-2003 Tiburons: Produced through January 31,2002

hperkins · August 2005

Good afternoon. I was wondering if you were able to find a store that sold the Advance Autocraft Silver 24-5 battery? I live in Texas and have not had any luck finding a store here in the DFW area that carries that particaular battery. I guess Advance Auto might be located up north?? Thanks in advance.

doohickie · September 2005

There are Advance Autos in Texas; click on this link. Looks like you'll need to drive to Tyler, Abilene or Waco though.

compensate · September 2005

Anyone know how many oxygen sensors are on the 2001 Elantra GT?

I am considering adding a Hyrdocarbon Oxygenator system to my car to improve my engine's efficiency (should increse fuel efficiency at least 5-8 mpg). I'm almost at 100,000 miles now.

Thanks!

backy · September 2005

Two that I know of: front and rear. I know because the Hyundai service tech mentioned front and rear O2 sensors when one of them went out a couple of years ago.

iowaelantra · September 2005

Just found the Canadian website for Hyundai. They are introducing the 2006 Elantra. Appears that ABS and moonroof will now be standard, at least in Canada. I did a build your car thing and the price for the new Elantra with the options that I specified came to a little over $21,400 Canadian, somewhat over $17K in US dollars.This would be the Elantra GT hatchback with auto tranny. The options I chose added $553 Canadian dollars which were side visors, sunroof deflector, winter wiper blades, block heater, and carpeted floor mats. In Canada, if you choose any color other than black or white there is a $125 charge (Canadian dollars.).

dovid2 · September 2005

I thought the 06 Elantra was going to get a total redesign? This looks exactly the same as the 04-05. Six years is a long time for a single basic design.

backy · September 2005

The '07, due next fall, is the redesign. There is a discussion here on that new model. For awhile, there were many erroneous reports that the new design was coming out for '06. But Hyundai seems to be lengthening its product cycles--the Accent was replaced after six years, and the Sonata after 6-1/2 years.

Hyundai Elantra 5-door

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