Hyundai Repair: 2001 Hyundai Elantra, hyundai elantra, auto part stores

Question
I have a 2001 Hyundai Elantra.  Recently I have been having trouble with the transmission.  Occasionally (usually after being driven more than 50 miles) the car will have trouble shifting.  It will rev up to around 3000-4000 rpm before "clunking" and shifting into second and then the same thing happens going from second to third.  It will not shift from third to any other gear.  If I start and stop the car's ignition it may start to work normally again or sometimes I can shift it myself, but not always.  The check engine light comes on when this happens as well.  Is there a sensor or something that causes this or do I need to go take out a loan and have the tranny fixed?  The car has 142,000 miles on it.

Answer
Hello James,
Do not take out a loan ,yet! This may be a simple fix. First, we need to know the trouble code stored in the Transmission control module. Most auto part stores check that free. It is usually one of the speed sensors that causes that type of problems but we need to be sure.Second, you need to check the condition of the tranny fluid. Is it really dark?Does it smell burnt? Can you see any metal shaving? Get that trouble code, check your fluid and let me know.