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Hyundai Elantra Transmission Fluid?

94K views 42 replies 19 participants last post by  danielelee 
#1 ·
Does a '07 Hyundai Elantra automatic transmission use a special fluid?
 
#13 ·
Filter too. HD's have the internal filter.

I suggest a fluid/filter change at 15,000 miles to get the majority of the debris out from assembly/break in, then flushes thereafter at 30K intervals. I also suggest a filter change every 60K to keep the filter clean.

I have disassembled transmissions that have been flushed regularly and have found debris left from the flush at the filter aream mostly above it in the valve body. Removing the filter regularly gets what is left in the trans out. I also have seen some flushes clog up the filter if it is not replaced on a regular basis.
 
#15 ·
I said a drain/fill with a filter at 15K. at 30K, a flush then at 60K a filter change (if it has one that can be changed). The XD's do not have a filter that you can change. The GK is the same way as the XD's. The NF Sonata and the Azera also does not have a filter you can change.
 
#18 ·
What I did w/o a flush machine was undo the feed line after the trans cooler, put a longer hose on that with the one end in a bucket and as the engine is running, and the fluid runs out, I'm refilling it via the dipstick tube. What HMA does recommend is running the engine for about a minute without pouring new fluid in to drain the system. However, this is something I'm not comfortable with. I'd rather pour new in as the old runs out.

BTW Derek, while we are on the subject, remember the dyno runs I did last year? The numbers were 102/103 and in March, 103/109 (hp/tq). This was before I changed the trans fluid/filter. When I changed it, we found a lot of debris in the trans and I had asked you a question via PM about it. Come to find out, the hydraulic system was partially plugged and the filter change apparently solved that problem. A week ago, I redynoed my car and the numbers I got were much higher and the torque curve is much smoother than before. My new numbers are 127/132 (hp/tq). Apparently just changing the fluid and filter made a big difference.
 
#17 ·
i'm hoping we have a flush machine at school. mines at 95k and i know i've never done anything with the AT fluid and who knows what the other guy did. i can't wait until i can be the first owner on my next hyundai 50 million years from now.
 
#20 ·
Manufacturers can be wrong too. After a rebuild or new trans is put in, there is more break in material that needs to be removed from the trans. They all have this; my Accent, XD, HD, and all transmissions that I have replaced with new/rebuilt units. A flush machine cannot remove ALL of this excess debris. It only gets some out. Also, the flush machine is dependent on the flow of fluid through the hydraulic circuit and through the filter. Excess debris can actually clog up the filter while you are flushing it. By doing a drain/filter change/fill will remove the majority of the debris (especially if the trans is hot) and the next change will have less debris to contend with.

This is why I prefer to change the filter after 15,000 miles to remove the break in materials and do more frequent filter changes. The flushes are OK, but with the fabric filter, that can trap the debris even more and that has to be considered in your service routine.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Which I have a problem with. Proper diagnostic and troubleshooting includes inspection of said parts, and on transmissions, particularly the automatic, visual inspection of the valve body/filter (if it has a accessable filter) to determine if the debris is there and where it is at. On my car, the debris was not on the bottom portion of the filter, but in between the filter and valve body. Dropping the filter is the only way to clean that debris out, which clogged the cooler lines and partially blocked the hydraulic circuit. Just by dropping the filter allowed all of that crap to drop out of the valve body. The magnets on the filter had to be physically removed and cleaned by hand to remove all of the metalized debris that they collected.

If Hyundai does not allow proper troubleshooting and diagnosis, then they have a serious problem when they will see more failures than necessary without proper maintanance (in this case, more frequent filter changes) and close inspection of the internal valve body and serviceable filter. Oftentimes, the repair is a simple one rather than a major deal. In my HD case, a lack of fluid flow meant there was a blockage in the trans, which caused the trans to shift differently and lack cooling capability. Flushing it might not have gotten that out, even if the dealer tech, and/or HMA thought there was a problem with the fluid. Also, SP-III fluid will stay red IF the temperature stays between 160-195 degrees. Any hotter than that, then the fluid will not only brown up, but burn as well. FWD transmissions are known to need more cooling capacity than RWD trans because of their size, but also because of the extra diff parts that are in there; which can increase the heat. If HMA did do the work on my car, they either would have replaced the trans or done nothing; which is typical of them.

Transmission shops also drop the pan in nearly every case where they have a regular service. Most prefer to drop the pan to look at the valve body and see what has collected at the bottom of the pan and to clean that out rather than flushing the system every time. Some transmission shops never flush the system due to the clogging that can happen by flushing the trans. While flushing it is OK, it does not necessarily "clean out" the system as fully as it could.

On my old T-Bird and on my mom's 71 New Yorker, there was a drain plug on the torque converter as well as the one on the pan (if it was there). There, you can actually drain everything without flushing it.
 
#29 ·
We've seen them from less than a mile (full trans flush with DEX) to 1000 or so miles before total failure. I'm sure there are examples where they lasted longer, but mst JiffyLube messes were under 1000 miles.

To be so cheap that you'll risk something like your transmission to save $30 is ludicrous. Same with timing belts (waiting until 100+K on a 60k interval) and other maintenance items. Suck it up, buy the right crap and do it on time.
 
#32 · (Edited)
You're a fool if you think it's a good idea, but then again you've proven that in other threads as well.

please tell me that was sarcasm
Nope. . . IIRC he's an Amsoil rep, meaning he pushes their products regardless of whether or not they are actually good for the vehicle. I know there a couple amsoil cars with toasted transmissions.
 
#36 ·
JiffyLube uses penzoil muti-purpose ATF and they have purchased many transmissions from my dealer.

The problem isn't with the plastic parts inside the transmissions. Wrong ATF effects the clutches and causes them to wear.
 
#37 · (Edited)
Yep. I have replaced MANY Hyundai AT's which were serviced by Jiffy Lube. Wrong fluids breaks down the clutch material faster. Hyundai uses rubber and glass for their clutch material.

I got a HD in the shop yesterday which was recently serviced at a dealer and they flushed the trans w/o changing the filter. I found the filter plugged up. Ever see this at your bay Jasen? My HD also had the same problem. Found a blockage up in the valve body after removing the filter.
 
#40 ·
i have an 01 elantra with about 132k on it. i got it at about 90k and i dont know if the trans has been done before i got it. i have never done it. i have owned it for 5 years. i wanted to do a drain and fill on the trans. i was going to use ROYAL PURPLE MAX ATF. royal purple says that it is sp3 compatable. royal purple max ATF also meets the hyundai SP3 spec. it is a lot more expensive then the dealer product but it is another option for additional protection http://royalpurpleindustrial.com/products/max-atf/ any thoughts or concerns about this?
 
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