"Misfire" 2004 Santa Fe 3.5

Hello All,

OK, so, $4,000.00 later - one dealership tells me I need a new
differential for approximately $3,000.00 more. Another dealership
tells me that my AWD is trying to engage, hence the feeling of a
misfire. A local mechanic is at wits end because his equipment can’t
really say what’s going on.

Has anyone else had this problem? Apparently, the wheel tread is
different on one of my tires (missed by the dealership) and this
"could cause" what feels like a misfire because the AWD is
"trying" to engage.

Should I try another dealership? The dealership where I purchased my
2004 Santa Fe is recommending that I don’t fix it and purchase a new
one instead. (still with a huge balance owing due to the fact I’ve
only had it 4 years)

I LOVE my car - before this, no issues - May 5th, my crank shaft pully
and belts had to be replaced. Tune up, CAT, new brakes, new timing
belt, injector flush, reset codes - hasn’t helped. I’d rather keep
her than trade her in.

Any help would be appreciated - I’m running out of money and patience
:roll: Thanks in advance.

Cathie

 

First off - your vehicle is still under warranty (maybe). How many miles
are on it? Did you purchase it new? If you are within the warranty period
(apparent contradiction admited), then why are you paying these fees? Or...
why are they quoting these fees?

Ummmm... and the fix for this would be... match your tires - not replacing
your differential.

Of course - they want to sell you a new vehicle, fix yours and sell it used.

You really need to provide more information. Start with the details on your
warranty - did you buy it new? How many miles are on it? Then proceed to
an explanation of what got you to this point in the first place. Nobody can
tell you what to do based on nothing more than a report of what a couple of
dealers said. What specifically was your original problem?

 

Hello Mike,

Thank you so much for your answers. Yes, I purchased the car new.
The warranty was 5 years, 100,000 km - the CAT (part) was covered
under the 7 year, 130,000 part - that’s why my mechanic recommended I
take it to the dealer. Apparently the extended warranty I purchased
was just this "best warranty" plan. I have 126,000+ kms on the car.


The problem appeared the day after I had the crank case pully (and
required belts) repaired. As I excellerated, it felt as if the car
was "slipping".

The check engine light came on later that day and I took it back to
the garage. The code identified the CAT, took it to one dealership
and had it replaced, including the sensor. The "skip" or the
"misfire" remained. I took it back, they replaced the timing belt,
did an oil change and checked everything out. Again, as I drove away
(after hours) the problem was still there.

Back to the local garage for additional diagnostics. They took the
car to the other dealership who identified the problem as the rear
hanging bearing - that was replaced. Problem still there. The garage
took it back to the dealership and that’s when they said the rear
differential needed to be replaced. They disconnected the AWD
component and the problem appears gone.

BECAUSE I had service done on the car by a local mechanic, the
dealership was unable to "confirm" (even with my receipts) that I
had performed maintenance according to my service requirements.
Again, they would not recommend fixing the car (apparently it would be
over $3,000.00) they suggested I purchase a new one and offered me
some finance options.

The last conversation with them was recommending I get a second
opinion - there have already been three.

Again, thanks Mike - your comments are appreciated.

Cathi

 

Where do you live Cathie, that your new car warranty is only 5yrs/100,000Km?
That's our used car warranty in the States.

Check your owner's manual. Here in the states, you are not required to use
a dealer to maintain your car and your receipts should have sufficed as
proof (or confirmation) of your maintenance. Make sure you are not getting
jerked around by the dealer. If your owner's manual reads like ours in the
states, then this dealer is indeed jerking you around and you should not
even consider buying a car from them. Dishonest is dishonest.

 

Since the problem goes away when the differential clutch is unplugged, w
have indeed verified it has something to do with the 4wd system.

In the 3.5, the 4wd is electronically controlled by a separate 4w
computer.

First, I'd match the tire sizes carefully and see if the problem remains.
I doubt it, but it is possible it's nothing more than the tires.

If matching tire sizes doesn't work, then it's very important to determin
why the 4wd is engaging. It's pretty much a certainty that it isn't in th
differential since unplugging the clutch makes the problem go away. If i
were a mechanical problem in the differential, it'd still be there eve
when unplugged. So, the system's data needs to be monitored with a sca
tool, and the wiring for the clutch needs to be checked for shorts