This isn't something I'm going to attack myself, I'm more curious about difficulty and price.My 01 elantra stickshift is having trans issues. When downshifting into 1st or 2nd gear I get serious grinding. It doesn't happen when accelerating from a stop and/or shifting 1->2, or in any other gears. People tell me my syncros are going, and while I understand the concept of synchronizing the gear speed as they mesh, the actual mechanics of it (or actually fixing it) are well beyond me.It's going to go to a shop, but my question then is, how hard is this? I have a bad feeling that the trans will have to be removed and some serious internal work will be required, but I'm also a natural pessimist. Any thoughts as to the difficulty?I probably ought to get this done soon. Learning to float gears and estimating proper rpms isn't coming to me quickly enough.ThanksBen

Unfortunately, your friends are correct. The 2 > 1 shift will almost always grind if you're not at a dead stop, but if the 3 > 2 shift is grinding, the synchronizers are probably worn.Replacing the synchronizers requires a transmission rebuild, which will likely cost $1000-$1500, most of which is labor.If you're downshifting and engine braking, stop doing it. As you're learning, brake pads are a lot cheaper than transmission rebuilds, so it makes sense to use the brakes to stop the car, rather than wearing out the transmission by engine braking.That's up to you, as it's more of an inconvenience than a major problem. It's not likely to cause a more serious failure, though it would probably be a good idea to change the transmission oil in order to remove as much of the wear particles as possible. I strongly suggest using a good synthetic transmission oil like Redline MT-90. Regardless, you MUST use a GL-4 oil ONLY, as Hyundai transmissions require it! DO NOT let anyone put GL-5 or...

01 elantra trans synchros?

Mar 14, 2007 22 Replies

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Edgar MacArthur 19 years ago

I enjoyed this thread. I haven't shifted a manual transmission, or double clutched, in many years, if you don't count the paddle on the Shiftronic on my 07 SF, which I have played with a couple of times just to see what it did. (Does that count as shifting without using the clutch?) We used to have manual steering, manual brakes, carburetors, vacuum operated windshield wipers, etc., but no more. Thank God.

Ed MacArthur

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Mike Marlow 19 years ago

Good lord Ed - you had to go and bring up those cursed vacuum operated wipers didn't you? There was nothing worse than those things.

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Brian Nystrom 19 years ago

Frankly, I wish the Elantra had manual rack and pinion steering, as the over-boosted power steering has very little feel to it. It sucks, IMO.

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