2002 Santa Fe: Transmission delay shift and "clunk" (especailly in cold weather)

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Dave - 18 Jan 2007 22:11 GMT

All:

I have a 2002 Santa Fe, 110K miles. Powertain warranty ending at 120K.

About three months ago, I had to have the heads rebuilt on the Santa
Fe. At that time, I also had the remainder of "major" service
performed, including a tranny flush.

>From that day forward, I have had increasing problems with the tranny

delaying to shift into 1st and 2nd for the first minute or so after
starting the car, regardless of how long it idle it. Sometimes it was
less pronounced, but the recent cold weather has made it very obvious
with very big (and scary clunks).

A second problem I am having is that within the first 5 minutes or
starting the car of stopping, the car will stall out at a traffic
light. This was the more obvious problem initially, but I could not
get the dealer to "recreate" it, and I had to ignore it for some time.

Again, these problems (along with a radio that went from somewhat
mediocre AM reception to less than zero when the engine is running ---
some grounding or misplaced sheilding problem during the rebuild ???)
have me less than pleased with my dealer.

I'm trying to get this to them to sit overnight in the cold so they can
test it first thing in the morning, but my luck, the cold snap is
ending, and the problem is likely to be less obvious.

Any suggestions or comments welcome.

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hyundaitech - 19 Jan 2007 22:51 GMT

Since you had the transmission service done at the same time as the
warranty head work, I'm presuming that the work was done at the dealer and
the proper fluid (SPIII) was used. If not, you'll need to start by
flushing the transmission and installing the proper fluid.

Your transmission issue is most likely a wear issue with the transmission
itself. Leaving the vehicle overnight for the dealer to test drive when
cold is exactly the correct approach.

Stalling out at stops tends to be an indicator that the vehicle's idle
control system isn't working properly. Again, you're using the correct
approach for the dealer to duplicate.

Your AM reception issue may be a bit stickier. These vehicles had lousy
reception from the factory. You could have a problem with the radio, the
antenna in the left rear glass, or anywhere in the cable in between. It
will probably require significant time and expense to find the cause.

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Dave - 24 Jan 2007 22:30 GMT

Thanks HyudaiTech!

Of course, the cold weather pretty much passed, and the problem isn't
as obvious, but I'm going to take it to them tommorow.

I am well aware of the ATF fluid requirements. Frankly, I am
concerned that when they flushed it, they may have used the wrong
fluid, since they are one of these mega-delears and service all types
of vehicles. (Speculation, but this dealer has hosed me once -- I won't
let them touch my Sonata.)

I've read reports that if the tranny is replaced under warranty,
hyundai has them tested to check if "unauthorized" fluid was used. Is
this true?

If so, I can see me getting screwed because of THEIR error.

> Since you had the transmission service done at the same time as the
> warranty head work, I'm presuming that the work was done at the dealer and
> the proper fluid (SPIII) was used. If not, you'll need to start by
> flushing the transmission and installing the proper fluid.

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hyundaitech - 22 Jan 2007 21:22 GMT

Dropping the vehicle off overnight for the dealer to check when cold is
exactly the correct approach. If I were to guess, I'd suspect that you
have a transmission wear issue and will need a transmission replacement.
Flushing the transmission may have exacerbated an already present
problem.

When diagnosing the stalling, I'd hope the dealer checked for any trouble
codes. Many things that cause a vehicle to stall will store a trouble
code. Beyond that, it's difficult to get a good idea what system may not
be working properly without having testing equipment hooked to the vehicle
when the problem is occurring.

The Santa Fe's with antennas in the left rear window never had good AM
reception. Additionally, this type issue may be difficult to diagnose.
It could be in the antenna, the cable, or the radio.

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