Santa Fe Transmission Fluid

Since I don't know the specs for all the different fluids, it's difficult for me to make a good judgment. If it says it meets SPIII, I figure there's something to that. We had some sort of multi-fluid at our dealership that was supposed to meet just about every spec except SPII, SPIII, and ATF+4, and we seemed to have no problems with it if used in the appropriate vehicles. I believe there were some problems when it was installed in ATF+4 vehicles. (Who'd have thought?)

Probably it'll be okay. If it were my car, I'd probably figure the savings wasn't enough to risk it, though.

-- Message posted using

My personal experience with our old 99 Elantra was that the fluid turned brown within a few thousand miles of use. Most shops that don't know any better will tell you that the fluid is bad even though it is perfectly normal on Hyundai's. Each manufacture's formula is different. On our Honda's even after 30k miles the fluid is usually the same color as the new fluid I put in it (red).

Hopefully you charged your service instead of paying cash. Go back to them and demand that they drain and fill the fluid with Hyundai OEM fluid. If you get any pushback call your credit card company and dispute the charge. Make sure you have information on hand and if you can get any word from Hyundai to back up your claim the better.

Worse case, take it to your dealer and explain to them what the other shop did. You'll probably need to do a drain and fill 3 times to ensure you get most of the fluid out since a drain and fill only drains a partial amount of fluid from the transmission.

Good Luck

Agree that within a few thousand miles, the fluid in these Hyundais and Kias does seem to turn brown.

I have not seen that with any other transmission fluid except for the Diamond ATF SPIII.

I also agree that it does not necessarily mean there is a problem, but is not the red coloring supposed to always keep it looking separate from engine oil?

I just did a drain and refill on my son's '02 Elantra after puttting 31,000 miles on the current fluid. The old fluid looked a LOT like engine oil coming out.

I think the real issue is that there's actually very little dye in the fluid, allowing particles from wearable components discolor the fluid quickly.

-- Message posted using

I had a problem with the OEM fluid burning. The Amsoil seems to have a higher operating temperature. ]I was having to change the OEM fluid twice a year. There is no transmission cooler on my 02 Accent, my commute is 150 miles round trip. The OEM fluid would get hot, turn brown, and smell burnt. The full synthetic Amsoil does not do any of these things.

I have a 2008 santa fe with 88,000 miles and the transmission fluid has never been changed. Fluid is brown, but not black or smell burnt. I've read that some say not to flush because deposits may break away sometime after flush and damage parts also the new fluid may wash all the friction off clutch packs and some of the particles that are helping keep the seals from leaking. If the fluid is changed, then the new fluid may start cleaning and dissolving the clutch material that is helping to keep some of the interior sealed. Should I do a partial fluid change only?

This fluid turns brown relatively early on. Unless it's particularly opaque, you probably don't need to do anything. The recommended maintenance interval is 105,000 miles.

opaque, you probably don't need to do anything. The recommended maintenance interval is 105,000 miles.

Thanks, Hyundaimech,

The reason I had some concern and wanted to be proactive is because I had a mazada 626 and it had 89,000 when I had the transmission flushed and three months later the transmission went out on it. The transmission was working fine. I just wanted to clean it out for the long haul. I know the maintenance interval, I am just trying to make it last a little longer. I also have a 2011 elantra with 35,500, would you recommend doing a pump inlet flush? Does Hyundai do a pump inlet flush?

Thanks again,

I wouldn't expect a flush to hurt the Santa Fe or the Elantra, but it'll be quite pricey on the Elantra, which uses SPIV-M fluid, intended to last for the lifetime of the car.

As to whether a pump inlet flush is done will depend on the dealer's equipment.

I have a 2004 3.5L Santa fe with about 125,000 miles on it and never had any transmission maintenance done on it. I also don't expect to be keeping the vehicle for too much longer.

However, what type of transmission maintenance is typically, or supposed to be, done at the 105,000 mile interval?

Thanks.

Similar to my experience with my Buick. The only time I ever did a tranny oil change and it cost big bucks. The rest of the car went to crap soon after anyway.

Fluid replacement.

Okay, thanks. That's what I was wondering -- if it just meant replacing the transmission fluid.

Okay, thanks. That's what I was wondering -- if it just meant replacing the transmission fluid.

Note that he DID NOT say Fluid Flush!

I wasn't sure what you meant about the difference between "fluid replacement" and "Fluid Flush".

But, I just did a Google search and it appears that a fluid replacement just means to drain the old transmission fluid and refill with new transmission fluid.

And, a "fluid flush" appears to mean, drain the old transmission fluid, flush out the system with a fluid that contains a solvent, and then refill the system with new transmission fluid.

Is that correct?

Is one approach better or worse than the other?

Thanks.

Personally, I would not do a flush unless the transmission has had a failure that put a lot of debris through the transmission. And even then, one would have expected a thorough cleaning as part of the repair procedure.

Dealers will try to sell the flush as it is a big money maker for them. I am sure it helps loosen up some varnish and gunk inside, but this is only advantageous if you are sure it all gets flushed out. Most engines and transmissions will run for years with a lot of gunk inside as long as it remains in place. Breaking it up is only a good thing if you are sure it all gets out. And with modern lubricants that are changed per the schedule, the build up of gunk is surprising small. I have removed the valve cover on engines with well over 100K miles and they had just a light brown varnish on most of the parts (I use Mobil 1 and change at ~5K intervals).

I regard it a little like asbestos in a building. At first, the rage was to remove it all. Then testing showed that removal stirred up the fibers and spread them around such that it was nearly impossible to clean them up. So, it became policy to leave the asbestos undisturbed if at all possible and removal became a huge effort as you had to seal off the area, use water, etc. I view the gunk in my engines and transmissions the same way. I leave well enough alone unless I need to open up the engine or transmission for repair and then I try to remove ALL of the gunk mechanically and chemically before re-assembly.

Just my $0.02.

Voyager gave a good explanation. Over time, oils can break down and lose some of their properties. Generally, it is a very long time, thus the 100,000 mile or more recommendation. All you have to do is drain and replace. You may not get 100%, but you get enough to refresh the properties of the oil.

Just anecdotal evidence, but I've heard of a lot of people having problems after a flush. Crap gets stirred up and if left behind, it will do damage down the road. The only way you can truly clean the transmission it to disassemble it, clean every part, then reassemble.

I'd never flush a tranny, not would I ever let a Jiffy Lube guy touch my car in any way.

Thanks Ed, Voyager, Partner, hyundaitech.

I see the difference now between just draining and replacing the transmission fluid versus doing a "flush". I definitely don't want the "flush".

I'll have to look at my vehicle and see how easy or hard it would be for me to just drain and replace the transmission fluid on my own. When doing a quick check online, I don't see any places that say they will just do a transmission fluid drain and replace.

My vehicle is a 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5L V6 AWD. I just checked and it has 124,000 miles on it and it never had the transmission fluid changed.

In most cases, a "flush" is simply hooking a device up to the cooler lines and exchanging fluid. You'll replace more of the fluid this way, so it's b etter in that sense, but it's not like power-flushing debris out of the tra nsmission. The only way any internal gunk is going to get removed is with the additional detergents in the new fluid or by taking the transmission ap art and phyisically removing it (and probably replacing clutches and seals for a complete overhaul while you're at it).

The cleaning agent, additive, or whatever else you want to call it is prett y much snake oil. In fact, Hyundai specifies in a TSB that no additives ar e to be installed, just factory-recommended fluid.

And just in case it wasn't clear, I purposely didn't say "flush."