QuestionQUESTION: we are having an issue with our 2001 Santa Fe shifting wierd at times (almosts feels like a clutch gone bad)...sometimes stalls. We fixed the transmission a year ago because of a sensor and that was $450. Now a transmission place looked at it and they want $1000 to fix it....yikes...after the dealer daid they could not find anything wrong and another place finding nothing...it is intermittent...not constant... any ideas? thanks
ANSWER: I don't have a very good idea of exactly what your transmission is doing. So far, I can do little more than quote you the list of things that can cause transmission problems. If you can help me understand exactly what your transmission is doing, I may be able to provide some useful information.
Here's what I'd like to know:
1. How does the transmission act like a clutch gone bad?
2. What is weird about the shifts? Does it rev up in the middle of the shift? Does it shift harshly? Is the shift drawn out excessively?
3. Does the weird shift occur only between a certain two gears?
4. Why do you think the stalling is related to the transmission?
5. Does your check engine lamp illuminate when teh abnormalities occur?
6. What did the transmission place say was the necessary repair?
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks for your help - here are the answers and sorry for being vague.
1. at times can keep accelerating and vehicle does not speed up (similar to a clutch slipping)
2. reving up during shift? yes...shift harshly? yes..excessively? yes
3. no, can be any gear
4. no stalling...sorry, bad info
5. yes, all the time, no one seems to know the code
6. sounded like they want to rebuild it..sorry for vagueness.
also, when driving on highway sometimes it will jerk into gear (like snapping) - very harsh.
AnswerIt doesn't sound good. Most likely, you'll need a transmission overhaul or replacement. $1000 is a good price for an overhaul of this transmission, but I wonder if that was only for labor or if you'll be getting a quality job.
Your first step needs to be finding out what the diagnostic trouble codes in the transmission and engine computers are. If your check engine lamp is on, codes are present. Your dealer should have checked this as part of the diagnostic process when you had the vehicle there to be inspected. AutoZone and AAMCO have advertised they'll check diagnostic trouble codes for free. If your follow up with the code numbers, I can probably give you a better idea of exactly what's going on. I'm interested in the code numbers themselves, not someone else's interpretation of what they mean. If AutoZone and AAMCO cannot read the codes for you, then you should contact the dealer and ask them what codes were present during their diagnosis. If they cannot tell you, I'd recommend politely requesting them to at least check the diagnostic trouble codes in an effort to determine what's happening with your transmission.
