96 Accent - transmission problem? help or advice?

Can anyone offer help/suggestion? I recently (less than 1 wk ago)helped my daughter buy a 96 Hyundai Accent with 63K miles. It is automatic and in the couple times she has driven it since we bought it we are already having "problems"...when driving I would explain the problem like if you are driving a manual transmission and while shifting gears to accelerate/decelerate it is hesitant or doesn't respond like it should - well, her car (again automatic) is doing that...and Monday she was trying to go somewhere after school and it just stopped as she was pulling out the driveway??? Can anyone tell me what might be wrong? We bought this at a "wholesale" place "as is" and bought an independent 90 day/3K miles warranty that only covers 50% labor/materials with $limits on that coverage! What could be wrong? where do I start? Can't afford a lot of $ here...

Welcome to the forum.
Until our resident Hyundai techs lowsonoma and mazdatech check this thread I would suggest to look at the Hyundai Webtech (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=340357)site and see if there is any tsb that might describe your problem. You may have an older TCM (transmission control module), or the damper clutch is disengage, etc.

A couple I see which you might want to look over.

TSB 96-40-002-2 (http://www.hmaservice.com/webtech/iindex.asp?id=8146#_8146) Shift Quality Improvement for 96 Accents

TSB 96-40-008 (http://www.hmaservice.com/webtech/iindex.asp?id=8151#_8151)Improved Shift Engagement Logic TCM

TSB 96-40-017 (http://www.hmaservice.com/webtech/iindex.asp?id=8161#_8161)Auto Transaxle damper clutch operation

There are others, but those are the first ones that caught my eye.
Hopefully the Accent owners as well as the techs in here can pinpoint the problem for you.

TS out

Forgive my ignorance, but what is a TSB and will I even understand what I'm reading?

I'm just a mom upset we may have bought a bad car with our limited funds and don't know what the problem is but don't have much $ avail....also because we bought at wholesaler the "independent warranty" isn't great - like a manufacturer warranty might be and just don't know where to start...

I did fish around the Hyundai postings and saw a lot about using Hyundai transmission (or was it oil?) fluid...? Obviously don't know vehicle maintenance history either so...

Thanks for any guidance.

No problem. Its a bit premature of me to think everyone would know what I'm talking about. Sorry about that. As for the documents themselves, its true, you may and may not understand what they say in the technical sense, but its just to show you that there are bulletins that note problems have come up and have been fixed. Your vehicle might not have had the fix done by the previous owner.

By the way, a TSB is a Technical Service Bulletin that is basically a technical documentation that the technician uses. They are issued to guide the tech in problems that might come up during the lifespan of the vehicle. It is not an indication that all the tsbs you see on the site will happen to the model in question. They are just bulletins issued by Hyundai to help troubleshoot, diagnose and fix any problem decribed by the owner.

I will still wait to hear from the other members here if they have had similar problems and as well as the techs who can help a bit more.

As for the warranty from a third party, I can only suggest to read the agreement very carefully and see where you can take it in for servicing. Regardless, wheether its a third party or the actual dealership any vehicle that is sold (especially one that is just a few days of selling) should not have problems so quickly. I would take it back to the seller and ask them to fix the problem.


TS out

I'm having some problems with a 96 accent as well. The transmission got a new set of planetary gears and all the soft parts, that was $550. A friend then tried to put it in, didn't have the torque converter lined up and tore up the pump. The pump was replaced, everything was cleaned up and put back together, another $250.

The car then would have a long pause between shifting from 1st gear to second. They cleaned everything out and said there were issues with the valves and the pressure regulator. They got the valves all freed up, got fluid pressure to where it should be, but now the car has no acceleration. They said it essentially takes off in second gear without ever going into first. He said the next step is to replace the solenoids and possibly the torque converter, but he hasn't ruled out it is a computer problem. I don't want to pay $175 for a new torque converter and $100 for the solenoid kit if I don't need to.

Anyone have thoughts?

John

As an update I just tried to drive the car. It starts out in 2nd and never shifts. Even when putting it down into L, which would be first, it still never gets out of second. I tried to drive it back from their shop being careful to only go about 35. I stopped to check fluid every few miles. When I got to the one gas station I noticed it was leaking from the engine side of the transmission. It had previously been leaking from the pan and the O ring on the other side last time I got it back from them.

I have access to a scan tool for this vehicle to pull the transmission codes, but don't know where to go from there. Should I get the codes myself and then go to a mechanic with them or pay someone $100 just to run the diagnostics on it? Any general thoughts on what is going on? Other than me getting screwed out of $750 because I already know that much. :mad:

John

At the Hyundai Webtech site you can look up the codes and see what they refer too.

TS out

So I have a 96 Hyundai Accent with 90000 miles that I bought two years ago. At that point it had 63000. I got a 90000 service check at a garage, including a transmission flush, and then my car started stalling out. I took it to another garage a girlfriend recommended and the mechanic there said my tranny was slipping due to a "foreign substance" in the tranny. So essentially, this first garage ruined my tranny.

I know they will be responsible for fixing my problem (ie a new transmission) but from a practical standpoint: should i get a new tranny in my car? I'm not paying, but just curious...

hey TS sorry I have not been around for a while. I have been busy trying to find a new job. Back to the posts.....first thing I would like all of you to do is check your trans dipstick and tell me what color the fluid is.(also if you had a trans flush performed on your car and it didn't cost $200 or more then they probaly used the incorrect fluid) I check for repostes in a few days..

hmmm strange how I missed this post.

Hey mazdatech, welcome back, don't be a stranger. Did you get a new job?

TS out