QuestionWhat am I trying to describe? Well, I have an automatic tranny, for one......I guess I am saying that it drops back to 2000 rpms after it has shifted........rpms do go higher as the engine accelerates(i think this is normal?)just seems as I have to rev up the rps just to accelerate up the hill-sometimes to 4000 or so-is that normal?
-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
thank you for your excellent detailed response. I can say:
1. Recent change in performance; probably a month or so
2. no check engine lights on
3. This happens whenever I am going UP a hill from a near dead stop or full stop
4. Depressing the accelerator only has a minimal effect
5. It doesn't seem to accelerate well until it drops to about 2000 rpm
6. Thanks a great deal...
-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
why does my 2002 elantra with 64000 miles pick up slowly on first grade of a hill? efi cleaner doesn't help much...plugs? what? i am soooooo uninformed
Answer -
Hi, Peter. Before we get into the maintenance, let's try to establish more concretely what's going on. I presume you mean you're driving along and when you get to the bottom of the hill, you have difficulty keeping your speed. Here's what I'd like to know:
1. Is this condition a change from how the car performed prior?
2. Is your "check engine" lamp on?
3. Is there a particular speed or range of speeds when this problem occurs?
4. Can you depress the accelerator further? If so, does this make the car accelerate, lose power, or have no change in power delivery?
5. Does then engine seem to run smoothly?
6. If you've got an automatic, can you tell whether it's shifting normally? You should have four forward gears. Does it downshift if you depress the accelerator far enough? Do you mean that it doesn't accelerate well until it downshifts?
7. If you've got a manual, do the engine rpm's increase greatly while the vehicle speed increases slowly at the same time you have a lack of power? Does this happen in one particular gear?
Here's why I want to know this stuff. So far, all I know for certain is that you've got a performance issue. The range of causes could be anywhere from fuel to ignition to transmission and on and on. The above questions are intended to assist me in determining the system causing your issue. If we can't make it that far, you'll probably need to take the car to a repair facility for a technician to drive it and feel the problem occur. As high tech as auto repair seems, technicians learn quite a bit just from their observations when driving the car.
As for the spark plugs, possibly a cause. Ignition misfires tend to happen most at low rpm throttle application. But, if this is happening, there should be a vibration and a noticeable power loss. You'll probably even be able to hear a "sputtering" sound.
If you're planning on replacing the plugs anyway, it's worth a try. By the maintenance chart they should have been done at 60k. Be sure to purchase quality plugs such as NGK or Denso. I've also seen several Elantras with arcing plug wires as well. Hyundai redesigned them at one point to reduce failure, but I cannot recall when this occurred in the production cycle. To tell the difference, pull out one of the plug wires and look at the plastic insulator that goes down into the spark plug tube. If it's dull plastic, it's the older type and I'd recommend replacing them when you replace your spark plugs. The newer type have shiny black plastic insulators. I've never seen one of the newer type arc through the plastic, so you're probably safe to reuse those.
Answer -
Here's what I'd like to concentrate on for now:
"5. It doesn't seem to accelerate well until it drops to about 2000 rpm."
I find it odd that your accelerating and you say the rpms *drop* to 2000 rpm. Normally, when you accelerate in a particular gear, the rpms continue to increase. Try to describe what the rpms do as you accelerate (i.e. do they go high and then come back down as you pick up speed, or do they gradually increase, or any other description you might have). Please also tell me whether you have an automatic or manual transmission.
At this point, it doesn't sound like a fuel delivery issue, but fuel management, trans/clutch, or ignition are still possibilities (although fuel management and igntion are less likely since you have no check engine lamp).
AnswerThat pretty much kills my earlier thought. Due to the rpm drop description, I was thinking you might have a slipping clutch. Oh, well.
Depending on the grade and how quickly you'd like to go up the grade, going up to 4000 rpm is quite normal. But based on the fact that you say the car didn't always perform like it does now, methinks there's something abnormal going on.
The fact that you say that you get better power after the upshift and rpm drop to around 2000 makes it doubtful that the problem is ignition related. It's possible your transmission is slipping in first gear, but that's also not very common.
At this point I'd recommend taking it in to a repair facility and having it checked. I don't think we're going to get any further without me actually experiencing the problem. You should probably be prepared to pay up to one hour's labor for someone to look at it. Be sure to choose a facility which is familiar with how your vehicle performs and which is competent at performing driveability diagnosis. This leaves out most of the chain places, but does include many independent shops. If you cannot establish by word of mouth or do not know of a place that fits the above description, then your best choice is probably to take it to your local dealer.
