I have a few minor problems with my 2002 Sonata. Have owned it since about 45,000 miles and now it has about 110,000.

1) car does not handle well on wet roads and snow and ice. We have tried different tires and it does not seem to help. It has been like this since we purchased it.

2) engine light is on and after a while it goes out. Has been to repair for diagnosis and they say it is a fault similar to not having the gas cap on. No one has properly repaired it yet.

3) throttle is a bit sticky when first depressed

4) stereo turns on by itself

Any ideas?

 

1. Slow down

2. Are you sure the gas cap is on tight. It must click at least 3 times. Otherwise, there is an air leak in the vapor recovery system in the charcoal canister.

3. Oil

4. No idea

 

I appreciate the suggestions. Are you a technical expert?

I think the handling problem is more than just slowing down. Are there suspension or undercarriageparts that could cause this?
The gas cap is on tight. Maybe we should try a replacement cap?
Are you suggesting oiling something?

Not sure if you are serious about your reply or just felt the need to say something.

 

I was 100% serious.

1. If your car is fine in the dry but handles poor in the rain, snow and ice, there can only be 2 problems: the tires or the driver. Since you said you have tried several tires with no change, the problem must be the driver. Slow down. If the suspension was the problem, then it would not handle wellin the dry as well.

2. If the cap is tight then the cap itself should be bad or there is a leak in the charcoal system or the gas tank vent is bad. Have someone look into those areas.

3. Yes, oil the throttle cable and the linkage on the throttle body.

4. I have no idea why the stereo would turn on by itself. Is it a factory or aftermarket stereo? If it's an aftermarket, then maybe the installer did something wrong. A qualified audio/electronic tech needs to look into it.

 

This weekend my wife and I took the car on a 500 mile ride. She has been the one complaining about the handling problem as it is the vehicleshe uses for work. She is right, except that even on dry roads it handles wrong. When we returned home I jacked up the car and discovered on the left rear the shock assembly seems to have forward to back movement. I don't know the proper name, I will call it a rocker arm assembly and appears to be mounted in a bushing. The right rear does not have this movement.

Also, I purchased a can of Gumout throttle body cleaner and took apart the intake hose and cleaned the butterfly and it is operating freely now.

Do you have any knowledge about the suspension parts? I need to purchase a repair manual for this model of car and am looking for a good one.

 

You don't have to buy one; Hyundai puts it out there for free. I wrote up a guide about how to register and access the information; the guide is here: http://www.dfwhyundais.com/diy/DIY-WebTechGuide.html

 

1.) Tie rod ends may have some play in them by this time and need replacement. Also, itsdefinitley time for new struts (if you have not changed them already).

2.) standard evap code from gas cap. if cap not on tight enough, look into it further. Hyundai's are notorious for the Evap purge valve to fail (does not affect driveability of the car, but will hurt in the long run).

3.) Clean out the the throttle body. Over time, carbon deposits inside it and gets around the throttle plate, causing it to stick. Oiling cables will not help if you TB is gunked up. Service costs about $150 at the dealer and is completely worth it.

4.) Thats a first. Fuse? Wiring short? Factory radio?


Thats a damn good guide.
Thanks man!

 

Thank you Doohicke and Joshewuhh. I have already started using the online manual and have located and orderd new bushings for the left rear upper control arm. The strange thing is we purchased this car with about 40,000 miles and this condition has been present since then only it has been getting worse. I am sure with the information I have been viewing that I can solve the possible purge valve situation. It was a simple task to clean the throttle body with a little gumout throttle body cleaner. And finally, yes it is a factory stereo. Not too worried about that, but it is a strange condition.

 

Just to let everyone know about what can happen with the upper control arm in the rear suspension. I ordered new bushings for the left rear. Upon attempting to remove them I discovered that the threaded piece that is inside the strut support bracket had broken. This was allowing the bolt that holds the control arm bushing to the main strut and coil spring bracket to wiggle around freely.

This was a factory weld and was inside the strut bracket. Probably a normal weekend mechanic would need to purchase the new strut towerassembly. I was able to torch an opening and weld the piece in place and then weld the opening shut again.

I believe this condition had existed for a very long time. Probably from when the car was almost new.

It really was much more than just the "driver". My wife took offense to that, as that is what the repair facility had told her.