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Hyundai Elantra Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • jrtny04jrtny04 Member Posts: 17
    can anyone advise how i may improve the fuel efficiency on a 2002 hyundai elantra. it has just under 120k miles and i am getting around 20 mpg.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Can you give more details about how you drive the car? 20 mpg in Manhattan traffic could be pretty good.

    Some general things: keep tires inflated to at least the numbers on the door sticker; keep speeds to posted limits; accelerate moderately; anticipate stops (coast to stops when safe and practical); use a light foot on the gas (the more your foot does not touch the accelerator, the better); keep the engine in tune (e.g. at 120k it's due for new plugs); check for fouled sensors; use the lightest weight oil that meets Hyundai requirements and climate conditions; use the A/C as little as possible; use non-ethanol gas if you can find it; keep the car washed and waxed (OK, no practical benefit there but you will feel better about driving the car!).
  • jrtny04jrtny04 Member Posts: 17
    it is usually driven on hiways @ nedian speed on 75 mph, it seems the poor fuel efficiency emerged after i changed the oil. i just started using synthetic oil.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    That is weird--your fuel economy should have improved if anything. What was it before the oil change? You should be getting closer to 30 mpg at 75 mph. Although if you routinely go faster than that (you did say median), that will burn up the gas pretty fast. I've found best fuel economy for the Elantra is around 55-60 mph.
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    Something definitely wrong there. My '02 with a 5spd would consistently knock out better than 30MPG on the highway, and I always ran around 75mph. I am thinking wires, plugs, and possibly O2 sensor or catalytic converter failure.

    Not trying to be a smart [non-permissible content removed] here, but did you check the air filter? :confuse:
  • wsgjeffkwsgjeffk Member Posts: 1
    We have a check engine light code P0341 after replacing a timing belt. We rechecked our work and everything looks ok, engine runs ok. Cleared the code and it comes back on after driving a mile. 2004 Elantra 4CYL DOHC.
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    P0341 is "Camshaft Position Sensor Circuit Range/Performance". Considering you just changed the timing belt, I wonder if maybe it is off a tooth?
  • andopiandopi Member Posts: 6
    the upper and lower shrouds (covers) over the steering colum near the dash didn't match up properly on the ignition switch side (I hadn't noticed this at all, but the local dealer's tech pointed it out when I had it in for the belt replacement).

    Reading through older posts I just came across this "problem" and am so happy to find a reference to what I thought was just me being too petty with my new Elantra GLS. I noticed the steering column covers being slightly apart on the ignition key side (more than on the other side to make a visible difference). It definitely looks like they aren't properly aligned. I was just at the dealer to have the fixed back seat put back in and thought of mentioning the gap but didn't because, as I said, I wasn't sure whether it was worth mentioning. I just figured it won't cause any mechanical or operating problems. Maybe I should reconsider and ask them to take a look...
  • w9cww9cw Member Posts: 888
    Re. upper/lower steering column covers . . . I am the OP on this, and the gap was hardly noticeable. In fact, I hadn't noticed it at all, but then again, I never sat in the passenger's seat - always the driver's seat. Nevertheless, the tech pointed it out, and ordered the new parts. Now, the covers match perfectly with no gap. It really wasn't worth mentioning (IMO), but since they wanted to replace it under warranty, it was fine by me.

    Other than this supposed glitch, and the aforementioned power steering drive belt replacement, my 2006 Elantra has been trouble free since purchase in December 2005. Fuel mileage is over 32MPG on the highway, and around 25MPG in the city - both with the AC on.
  • tsgeiseltsgeisel Member Posts: 352
    So, the gas milage computer at my last fillup told me I was averaging about 32mpg. The manual calculations I did of dividing miles driven (measured by trip computer) by the amount of gas I put in, came out at 26.6mpg or so.

    I'm willing to believe that the real mpg I'm computing is fair - my typical highway cruising speed is between 75-80 mph. But the gas computer being that far off is annoying.

    Anyone else experience this?
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    No, not when I'm consistent in filling the tank. Discrepancy of .1-.2 mpg or so.
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    Be careful. I have had occasions where an air bubble or some such prevented me from filling the tank fully. Then, when I do get it full, the gas mileage looks terrible. Of course, if you get it full and encounter the "bubble" on the next fill up, your mileage looks awesome!

    I have to say though that the mileage computer in my '05 GT has never shown higher than 27.9.
  • spmrebelspmrebel Member Posts: 130
    Tsgeisel,

    I have the exact same issue as you do between the gas mileage computer and manual calculation of mpg. The mpg computer is way off and is pratically useless. I reset on every fill up. Anyway, my last mpg computer showed 30.9 mpg. When I filled my tank up on Saturday I put in 11.067 gallons and had travelled 270.9 miles on the tank - manual calculation was 24.48 mpg (rounded). Thats a freakin 6.42 mpg difference! Anyway, only once has the manual and mpg computer been close (around .5 mpg difference of each other). Thats was roughly a year ago. On average it is between 3 to 4 mpg difference between the mpg computer and manual calculation.

    I have an 05 Auto GT with all options. It has 26222 miles so it is well broken in.

    Happy motoring
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    Shawn,

    You and I have the same car with the same miles, and I swear I have never seen my trip computer show more than about 1 to 1.5 mpg difference to a manual calculation. Sounds like some of these units need math lessons! :D

    Jim
  • a1911guya1911guy Member Posts: 2
    Thanks to all of you for good suggestions.

    After a great deal of haggling and run around with the dealer, they finally admitted that it could be the transmission. In return I agreed to a new clutch, if while in the tran, clutch was worn below standard. They rebuilt tran under warranty, and -- you guessed it -- also replaced the clutch telling me it was "seriously worn." A slightly pricey compromise ($650), but it works perfectly now.
    :)
  • starriverstarriver Member Posts: 26
    My 02 Elnatra Manual GLS has similar problem: When I press the gas pedal hard in 2nd gear, the car has slight jerking-- I feel like clutch grinding. In addition to that, I feel the clutch egaging point is pretty high, almost as high as fully released.
    Different from your situation, my car's problem occurs more likely when the car is cold.
    I thought it is because of the clutch wearing, but from discussion, trany could be a problem.
    Do you have any suggestion? Thanks
  • bradguybradguy Member Posts: 3
    About a year ago, I put a small hitch on the back of my 2001 Hyundai Elantra. I used it to move across country with the smallest trailer Uhaul owns. I have since bought another folding little trailer to pull behind my Elantra. Everything has been fine for over a year.

    The other night coming back from the Home Depot, I noticed my trailer lights weren't working. I got home to inspect and found that both the front and rear taillights on the side where my trailer lights tie into were out. I pulled the bulb to find that it was fine. I used a test light to tell there was no power coming into the tail light. There has to be a fuse or fusable link for each side of my tail lights. I bought a mechanic book with a schematic wiring diagram in it, and it shows both a left and right side tail light fuse, but my fuse box is not set up as shown in the diagram. Can anyone tell me where to find the problem?
  • xusmeexusmee Member Posts: 2
    Hi guys,

    I have a 2000 elanta sedan version. My gas mileage dropped drastically in the past 3-4 months to 18-19mpg in city. I took it t the dealer, he replaced the O2 sensor and did some more changes worth $550, but it didn't improve any mileage. I was wondering if anybody here knows wht might be the next alternative to try. Is it OK to use gas which contains ethanol? I am asking this because my dealer mentioned ethanol is not recommended for hyundai cars?
    Plsss throw some light on this issue.

    Thanks.
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,290
    I have a 200 wagon and I am getting about 22-23 city. Has anything changed in your daily driving? Has traffic gotten heavier, are you using the A/C a lot (or at all)? What was your mileage before? When was the last time you had a tune up or changed the spark plugs or wires?

    As for ethanol anything up to 10% should be ok for your engine, you will notice a 2+/- MPG drop using an ethanol blend. Do not use E85 or any blend with more than 10% ethanol, it will ruin your engine.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • crsher2002crsher2002 Member Posts: 21
    My GT is due for a timing belt change - 64k miles. The dealer quoted me around $450 and it does not include a new water pump, which I've always changed in the past when changing the timing belt. Seems the rate is a little high for just a belt/labor job.

    Any input?
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,290
    Thats about the price that my dealer quoted me for my timing belt (it was $400 something). However my regular mechanic did it for much less (about $300).

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    Were you looking at the fuse box under the hood? If so, you were looking in the wrong place. There is a second fuse box in the passenger compartment. You know that little bin between the steering wheel and the driver's door? If you pull it all the way out (open it, then lift it up), it reveals the passenger compartment fuse box. On the back side of the bin is a fuse map to give you some clue what fuse controls what circuit.
  • 1racefan1racefan Member Posts: 932
    When I had the timing belt replaced back at 60K on my '02, my mechanic (dealer) told me that the water pump was powered by a seperate drive belt - not the timing belt. He advised that I just sit tight on the water pump, and replace it at 120K when the second timing belt replacement is done. Kind of one of those deals to where if the water pump failes, the timing belt won't have to be removed to access it.

    In terms of price, I think my timing belt was replaced for well under $400 at the dealership (although I had some other stuff done at the same time).
  • cjgtcjgt Member Posts: 28
    $400 is too high just for the timing belt. I took my 01 Elantra to a local shop and they replaced the timing and another belt (I forgot which one)for around $320. I hate going to the dealer. Their too much of a rip off and alot of times they don't do the work correctly. :mad: I know there are some good dealers but I haven't had too many good expererances
  • tsgeiseltsgeisel Member Posts: 352
    The water pump is often replaced not for failure reasons but for "while we're here" reasons. The water pump is essentially in the same place as the timing belt, and the amount of effort to get to it is so much, a lot of places think they're doing you a favor by offering to change that out at the same time.

    Not just limited to Elantras or even Hyundais.
  • spmrebelspmrebel Member Posts: 130
    Jim,

    Looks like you got better mpg programming in yours! :P Anyway, I just filled her up 2 this last week. Once on Friday morning and once on Sunday morning. Anyway, here is what the mpg computer calculated vs. manual

    Friday, July 14th, went 368.1 miles and filled up with 14.012 gallons which equals 26.27 mpg. Computer indicated 31.7 mpg. Off by over 5 mpg! :cry:

    Sunday, July 16th, went 210.5 miles and filled up with 6.846 gallons of gas which equals 30.75 mpg. Computer indicated 32.9 mpg. Not too bad here :)

    Happy motoring

    Shawn
  • 1racefan1racefan Member Posts: 932
    "The water pump is often replaced not for failure reasons but for "while we're here" reasons. The water pump is essentially in the same place as the timing belt"

    According to the technician at my Hyundai dealer, this typically is true for many cars, but not for the Elantra. Again, the waterpump is powered by a seperate drive belt - nothing to do with the timing belt in the case of the Elantra (per my technician). He says if the water pump fails, they don't have to go as far in as the timing belt to replace it.
  • tsgeiseltsgeisel Member Posts: 352
    Ah. Ok.

    I sit corrected.

    (Actually, I sit slouched, but you know what I mean.)
  • gary045gary045 Member Posts: 81
    Glad to hear you got your transmission problem fixed 911guy.
    And not just wasting your time and money on a new clutch.
    Yeah, I'm sure they didn't want to just do a free tranny rebuild.
    It still pays to know a little someting.
  • gary045gary045 Member Posts: 81
    starriver, a clutch doesn't grind, it slips due to being worn out or has eng oil on it.
    It sounds like yours could be worn, as your clutch engagement point is near fully released.
    You might try doing a burnout in 1st then hit 2nd gear with the gas peddle buried in the carpet.
    If your RPM goes to 5000 yet you are not moving very much, your clutch is slipping.

    Gears grind. If only one gear grinds, it is a worn syncronizer and the tranny needs a rebuild.
  • starriverstarriver Member Posts: 26
    Thanks, yes, probably the clutch needs to be replaced.
    I am gonna visit dealer tomorrow.
  • starriverstarriver Member Posts: 26
    Visited dealer today, but they said the car is normal.
    I tried floor the gas pedal in 2nd gear, it seems the clutch does not slip.
    Dealer also checked the code and they claimed everything is ok.
    One mechanics in dealership said, bad quality gas may be the reason, but I was using SHELL regular all the time, and the problem occurred recently.
    Do you guys have any idea about this problem?
    The car jerks when I press the gas pedal hard in 2nd gear. The acceleration is not smooth. I can feel it in 3rd gear too, but much difficult to notice. This happens more likely when the car is cold.
    Any comments are welcome and appreciated.
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,290
    One mechanics in dealership said, bad quality gas may be the reason, but I was using SHELL regular all the time, and the problem occurred recently.

    The dirty little secret in the oil business is that the odds are when you go to shell to buy gas you're getting non shell gas. You see the pipelines are common and what shell puts in one end most likely will not be what they take out on the other end. Shell will put in a gallon of gas on one end and on the other end take out whatever is at that end at the time, which may be BP gas or Exxon gas or whatever. Its pretty much all the same though.

    If it was bad gas it just might be bad additives added at the terminal, a bad tank or transport truck with contaminants in it. Many things can happen to make one batch bad.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • gary045gary045 Member Posts: 81
    I was fixin to tell you not to tell the dealer you might need a new clutch. Let him figure it out with what you told us. What happened to the grinding you mentioned?

    If your car just jerks or is not smooth you could have condensation, or water in your tank.
    That happens if you don't drive much and you keep your tank below half full all the time.

    If you drive alot and keep the tank pretty full and it happens all the time it is probably not water in the tank.
    Then you have to look at a spark plug or fuel management, like an injector.
  • starriverstarriver Member Posts: 26
    Maybe I should try another gas station from now, I used one gas station mostly from begginning of the year, and it seems that the problem started at that time too. :)
  • starriverstarriver Member Posts: 26
    I am driving a lot, almost 2k per month.
    I am thinking of replacing the spark plug wire, since the plug was replaced 1 year ago but not the wire. The car is 60k miles now.
  • oldescortloveroldescortlover Member Posts: 2
    Three weeks after I picked up my 2006 Elantra GTS (5-door, automatic, no ABS), I brought it in for servicing. When I make a lefthand turn (usually from a stopped position), the steering wheel does not return to normal position. The car wants to go right and I have to hold the steering wheel firmly or I'd go flying. The steering wheel is a little off-center, tilted right. I also stopped for a red light once and the steering wheel moved a quarter-turn to the right all by itself. When I gave it some gas to go, the wheel returned to straight position by itself. (The sales rep said, "Oh, mine does that, too.")

    The service rep could not recreate the problem, though I did it in front of her. They did an all-wheel alignment, and it made no difference.

    I have noticed lots of comments about steering problems, and am wondering if anyone was able to resolve this one. I am still in the breaking-in period and have not gone over 55, so I don't know if I'm going to get any vibration at high speed. The car's steering and alignment seem fine except for this lefthand turn. I am getting a very nice 35 MPG in mixed traffic and am starting to really like the car except for this.

    Also, the manual says that the key is supposed to come with an identifying tag (number). In case you get locked out, the dealer can make you a key. My tag is missing and the sales rep told me that they don't come with a tag. Am I supposed to get a tag?
  • jkobbjkobb Member Posts: 51
    I can`t reply to the steering part of your question, but as to the keys my 05 has the key number tag on it .
  • jan6758jan6758 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2001 Hyundai Elantra that has 99,000 miles. I haven't had any major problems with the car. When I started the car this morning the car was shuddering. When I accelerated the car the check engine light started flashing and when I reached about 40 to 45 mph the check engine light stayed lit and the shuddering wasn't noticeable. I heard that if the check engine light flashes and the car shudders that there is a major problem with the car. Can someone tell me what the problem may be?
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,290
    Well first thing I would do is get it do a mechanic as soon as possible (dealer would be best as its still under warranty for the drivetrain) and have them do a diagnostic on it.

    How is the acceleration? and is it making a lot more noise? I had similar problems with my 2000 and it happened to be the exhaust manifold. Can't say thats your problem though. Get it checked out and soon if its flashing.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • jan6758jan6758 Member Posts: 2
    Acceleration is not good and it does make more noise than usual. I believe I had the exhaust manifold replaced last year under a recall. I won't be driving it until I can get it to a mechanic.
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    Could be as simple as a bad plug or plug wire. A good mechanic should be able to deal with this easily as it is a "hard" failure.
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    BUT!!!!

    If the CEL was flashing, you're supposed to SHUT THE CAR OFF IMMEDIATELY and have it towed!
  • mike91326mike91326 Member Posts: 251
    Over the last week I have been having a problem with the A/C in my 2001 Elantra. While I’m driving the A/C will cut out. The fan keeps blowing and the A/C light is on but all I get is hot air. After about 5 or 10 minutes the compressor kicks back in and the car is nice and cool again. This has happened three times in the last week and it doesn’t matter if I’m at full speed on the freeway or in bumper to bumper traffic. Have any of you come across this kind of problem?

    With the heat and humidly we have been having in Los Angeles (it was a balmy 116 at my house in the valley last Saturday), now is not a good time to have an A/C problem.
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    Low freon? Some systems use a pressure switch to detect this condition. Also, with the heat you are having, the same pressure switch may be detecting high head pressure and is shutting down the compressor to prevent damage.
  • mike91326mike91326 Member Posts: 251
    When the A/C is on I can hang beef in the car so I don't think it's freon. Also, it happend this morning on the way to work and the outside temp was in the low 80's.
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    When it happens, open the hood and see if the compressor is running. Not just the pulley, but the center hub. Not being a smart [non-permissible content removed] here, but some folks don't understand how the clutch on a compressor works and think anytime the belt is moving the ac is on.

    Jim
  • mike91326mike91326 Member Posts: 251
    I can tell the difference when the compressor kicks in. When it stops working there is no difference when I push the A/C button. I can feel it when the compressor kicks back on.
  • averigejoeaverigejoe Member Posts: 559
    Is anyone experiencing low bulb burnouts possibly related to bad alternators in 2004 model year Elantras?

    There were some posts some time back about this. Here is one of them:
    #951 of 2432 RE: Lowbeam failure by 5port Mar 25, 2004 (7:30 am)
    Reply | E-mail Msg
    There are two TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins) issued by Hyundai about this problem. They apply to the 2001 to 2003 models. The inside story from a Hyundai repair tech is that some Elantras and Tibs were made with faulty alternators. When the Alternator is under high load it causes voltage spikes. These spikes are causing the lowbeams to fail. The fix is to replace the alternator with a updated unit. If you take the TSB printout to the dealer and show it you will likely get action. Go to www.nhtsa.com and order a printout of the TSB:

    Search Results
    Report Date : March 25, 2004 at 09:17 AM
    TYPE : VEHICLE
    YEAR : 2001
    MAKE : HYUNDAI
    MODEL : ELANTRA
  • averigejoeaverigejoe Member Posts: 559
    I went to that link and found this one: http://www.dfwhyundais.com/diy/DIY-WebTechGuide.html

    There it shows a step 8 under registration: 8. Or, if you prefer, just use the username and password from the forum.

    What does that mean?
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