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Sedans Hyundai Elantra Hyundai Elantra Maintenance and Repair
3260 messages, Last post on Nov 23, 2009 at 8:34 AM
You are in the Hyundai Elantra Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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I have a 2003 Elantra with a manual tranny. The original clutch lasted about 85K miles. The second clutch lasted 4 days. The third clutch lasted a month. If I had read this the first thing I would think is that the mechanic doesn't know what he is doing. You will have to trust me on this, but that is not the case. If it runs he is licensed and certified to repair it, he has his own business, and has been recruited to teach Mechanics classes at a major university. When he replaced the first clutch, the first thing he told me was, "That is a bad design". When the second clutch went out he warranteed his work and the parts guy warranteed the clutch, but they both told me they did not believe that the replacement part was at fault. So I began an internet search and what I am finding is not pretty. I have found countless stories like mine, a law firm that is contemplating a class action, etc. Don't believe me, just Google Hyundai clutch problems and start reading. Nobody seems to have a solution though. A couple websites recommend removing the fluid flow restrictor in the slave cylinder that is there presumably for people that don't know how to drive manuals to shift smoother. However it allows clutch slippage every time you shift by restricting the flow of fluid out of the slave cylinder. However, I do not believe that this in itself is the problem. I should say that in all cases when the clutch failed it was it the wear pad that just disintegrated. So I am wondering if anyone reading this may have any additional insight into what is going on with Hyundai clutches? |
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Replying to: bad_clutch (Nov 30, 2008 3:47 pm)
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Replying to: stephen987 (Nov 30, 2008 7:41 pm) Just this weekend I did a brake job on a car where three different wheel cylinders were used in the same model year. So, it could be that the parts you are getting are not correct for your specific Elantra. If the first one went 85K, there is not a design problem. |
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Replying to: bad_clutch (Nov 30, 2008 3:47 pm) 2. Did he replace the clutch plate and the flywheel? Did he inspect the flywheel for damage? I have trouble believing that a bad design allowed for a clutch to go 85k miles and then suddenly only a month or a couple of days. Something changed on your car that is causing you not to get another 85k. There are two possibilities as I see it. 1. After 85k, something wore out causing your clutch to wear out. It's something the mechanic hasn't recognized as causing the problem and still needs replaced or fixed. It's causing your clutch to burn out prematurely. 2. After 85k your clutch wore out (seems premature to me, but I'm not an expert) and your mechanic did a bad install or had a bad part. Since you trust your mechanic, then I would guess it's option #1. Which means I would take it to the dealer. There could be something that is specific to Hyundais and the mechanic just doesn't know about it. BTW, I have a 2002 Elantra and replaced the clutch and flywheel at 130k or so. I had the dealer do the work. It was costly, but I haven't had any issues since. |
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Replying to: bad_clutch (Nov 30, 2008 3:47 pm) I'll throw my hat into the ring here and say that the failure of the clutch is just not knowing the proper way to install it OR sourcing defective parts. |
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Replying to: bad_clutch (Nov 30, 2008 3:47 pm)  they were almost verbatum as to what the service manager told me. That or there is a lot of kool aid being passed around. There seems to be some mis-information as well. One reply asked why wan't it covered under warranty. Hyundai only warranties their clutches for 12K miles. Yes on a 100K mile warranty only 12k on the clutch. And as I said before one only needs to Google and you can find countless hours of reading with the same story repeated over and over. The first clutch lasted a little while, then the second, third and so on went out relativley quickly with many of these being dealer serviced. Are all Hyundai clutches bad; no or there would be many more class actions, but where there appears to be as much smoke as I am finding something is going on. I even located an independent review of the 2004 Elantra where it said that at 2K miles they were already experiencing clutch issues and that the clutch was "most likely under designed".
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Replying to: bad_clutch (Dec 01, 2008 5:38 pm) Actually, bad_clutch, the reason that I said what I did is that (a) I'm trained as a mechanical engineer, (b) I have a lot of experience working in auto restoration with British and German cars, both of which have certain characteristics that only a specialist would be familiar with, and (c) I've also had otherwise very qualified mechanics thoroughly screw up two Mercedes and a BMW because they weren't familiar with the torque specs for certain critical fasteners. The last time it happened, it cost me $600 to undo the damage. Another point: if the clutch is so poorly designed, why did the first one last 85k? Depending on driving conditions, that sounds about right to me, especially if there's a significant amount of stop-and-go driving in hilly surroundings. The original clutch on my '99 Civic is starting to go after 139k, which I figure is excellent, but it's had mostly highway miles. My '97 Civic's clutch was showing significant wear before 60k, mostly in town. You'll find that almost any vehicle warranty will exclude "wear items," whose longevity is extremely dependent on the conditions of operation and the skill of the operator. Brake pads are one example of such wear items--clutches are another. Hyundai isn't unique here. Manufacturers differ as to what's considered a wear item. So the real question is, assuming that the replacement parts were made by the same people, why didn't they last? Here again, there are some possible issues--were the parts the correct ones? Were they third-party aftermarket, or factory parts? And is there something about their installation that is different from that on other vehicles--something your mechanic may have missed? Now, did you actually want help, or were you just baiting those of us who took the time to try to answer your question? |
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Replying to: bad_clutch (Dec 01, 2008 5:38 pm) Some car companies won't warranty a clutch PERIOD. It's quite common to see "clutch" specifically excluded. Check out the Chrysler "Lifetime" warranty and see what it says about clutches. Don't know for sure, but so far I'm not inclined to condemn Hyundai. With more or different evidence I might change my mind. Why not give Hyundai a shot at putting in a clutch. If it holds up, you have your answer, and if it doesn't, you can harass Hyundai to warranty their repair work. Yeah, it costs more but at this point why keep doing the same thing that isn't working for you? Visiting Host |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Dec 01, 2008 6:20 pm) An excellent suggestion. I had a bad experience with a Honda carburetor being "rebuilt" by an independent mechanic who wasn't familiar with Honda's very odd design (a three-barrel Keihin carb that combined the worst features of a conventional carb and the worst features of an SU type) back in the early '80s. If I had gone to a dealership, I would have had more leverage when the problem recurred.
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Replying to: stephen987 (Dec 01, 2008 6:37 pm) Or, stephen, the problem may have never recurred.
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