Hi,
I am a new member on this forum and a proud owner of a 97 Hyundai Accent GL.
I bought the car in December 2004 with 140.000 km. The car runs great (the motor), but after I changed the transmission oil at the Canadian Tire...the transmission started to act strange. If the motor is cold and around 1/2 hours after I start driving...the shifts are a little bit brutal...at 3000 rot/min. If the weather is warm (positive temperature) the transmission acts normal...shifts around 2500 rot/min but not so smooth as I expected.
Could somebody give me any suggestions about this problem? And another question....I want to buy some side skirts for my Accent...I live in Toronto...but I couldn't find any shop with body parts or a shop for tuning my Hyundai....any suggestions?

Did you make sure that they filled the fluid with genuine Hyundai ATF fluid? Non-hyundai fluid can cause problems shifting. There are other posts on this subject (use the search tool), if you want to find them. You may need to change the fluid twice in order to get all the old fluid from the transmission.

NOTHING but Hyundai ATF SP III, should be put into these transmissions.
I have not yet been exposed to an alternative oil that offers the same viscosity and protection as that of the Hyundai ATF SP III!!

The staff from Canadian Tire put I suppose regular transmission oil and I added a transmission treatment. Where I could find this special Hyundai oil and what quantity is necessary for my Accent. Thanks for replies.

These transmissions are very picky about fluids


The additive may not have been a good idea. Even if CT used the wrong fluid they can always say its your fault for using the additive that may have changed the viscosity.

You can get the genuine Hyundai ATF from a Hyundai dealer. or call a Hyundai service department to ask if there are any other authorized sellers for the genuine product such as parts suppliers. (As Dr H says - do not accept a substitute - you may svae a dollar or two but could shorten the transmission life considerably)

Make sure whoever is supplying knows what year your car is because there are differnt fluid types for different years.


I strongly suggest you get this done ASAP.

Hyundai`s are best touched only by Hyundai dealerships!.

Nick.

I accepted all what you say and tomorrow morning I'll go to the Hyundai dealer to change the transmission oil with genuine Hyundai oil.
If the problem will be the same after the oil change...could be a problem with the sensors for gear shifting...
I don't know anything about automatic transmission and the repairing manual for Hyundai Accent don't talk too much about this type of transmission.

I have no answers about my second question: side skirts...do you know a shop in Toronto...

PS. Great forum and great members. Keep it that way
Thanks

How bout you get your auto fixed first, save your money just incase you need something repaired.

You don't want to add more weight to your car that may have to be pulled around by a shagged auto!

Actually I was today at the Hyundai dealer and I replaced my motor oil, transmission oil and all the belts excepted the timing belt.
The improvement is huge. Now my gears shifting are better and smooth. Anyway I see a difference when outside is cold (in the night). Over the day everything is perfect...but in the night the shift is a little bit harder.
I read the chart related to transmission in the Hyundai online manual and the 2700 r/min is a normal rotation for shifting from 2 to 3rd.
Thanks again.

Glad to hear things worked out - Total Motor Sports in Newmarket has body parts for Hyundai. I also came across an outfit called compact divisions (www.compactdivisions.com) that supplies Hyundai kits. Hyundai Club of Ontario has a site at http://www.geocities.com/cottonmouth_hco/

Since the tranny had the wrong oil, a simple change may not be enough. You will most likely have to repeat a drain & refill in a short while.
What oil did CT use ?? Did they noted it on the bill ?? If so, then go after them to pay for the tranny screw-up. Due to the fact that they used the wrong oil, you now have extra & unwanted expenses to rectify their mistake.
Being in the motor service trade, they should know this. Threaten them with the attempt to go to a lawyer.

This post has been edited by duke: Feb 17 2005, 04:36 PM

Hello again.
I didn't post the reply because I was at work...but now here I am.
I will answer at the question related to Canadian Tire. They put ordinary transmission oil...in my bill is mentioned only transmission oil.
After I changed my oil with a branded one...first day was better as I mentioned here...and maybe because the temperature was around -2 Celsius...but now at -17 Celsius I have the same problems. After a while...let say 45 minutes of driving the shift are improved...but until then the gears are shifted at 3000 r/min or more.
The first shift is ok...the second and third have problems! I forgot to mention that most of the time I keep the overdrive on. What I want to ask you before I will go to mechanic is that exist some sensors responsible with gear shifting and if could it’s be affected by cold weather.
When I was at the Hyundai dealer those guys told me they could not run some test to verify my transmission...and this is no true.
I'll wait your answer. Thanks!

Ok, here are some facts.
The ATF (auto trans fluid) additives are designed to interact with the friction materials in the tranny. Therefore, different manufactures have different additive requirements to interact with their specific friction materials compositions. This makes a “slip-clutch” slip & a “grip-clutch” grip as designed and needed.
The TCM (transmission control module) shifts according to engine load & road speed. For engine load, the TCM looks (via the CAN-link) into the ECM for values, and has its own sensor circuit for road speed, ATF-temp, select-lever position and more.
The ATF ability to interact with the friction material changes with the temperature, and the temp sensor informs this to the TCM. In addition, TC-lockup can only occur after 60°C.
You may need to flush the tranny again after a few more km’s.
The O/D should be OFF below +-70kmh, you will see a more positive shift pattern, the engine will be more responsive and responsive to accelerator movement, and the fuel economy will be better.
A HD-tech can interface with the HI-scan & the ATM-tester, to monitor the solenoid operations.
Which dealer did you go to ??

This post has been edited by duke: Feb 19 2005, 09:26 AM

I was at Par Hyundai, a dealer on Rexdale Boulevard in Etobicoke, Toronto.
Today is a sunny day and only -1 C so I will see how it works.
I perfectly understand your explanation and make it sense. If the additive reduces the friction in the transmission, temperature could grow slower that usual so the rpm will be greater.

Thanks Duke,
You are right...without OD the shift is better...now it’s clear for me. It's now obvious...when is cold outside...the problem appear...when is warmer …disappear. I will call my mechanic this week to talk about this problem.