[Hornet]

This car is a wonderful product of Hyundai. I say that with considerable experience as a Heavy Truck Long Distance Operator and a Taxi Cab Proprietor for many years. I know a good vehicle when I drive one and my i30 is a "Good Vehicle" but I find one fault that needs to be rectified. The local dealer is assisting and says  they will contact Hyundai to find a solution, however I thought members of this forum may also have answers.
My problem is
1. Just before the first 7500 service I noticed the vehicle would shudder at or near 1500 rpm. This occurs after the first start for the day when the engine is cold .
2. The shudder is like a miss in combustion or the gear box cannot decide what gear to select and is jumping between gears.
3. After about 5km the shudder is gone and the vehicle performs as it should or if I engage the Air conditioner this stops the shuddering
4. The dealer could find no fault at the 7500km service. This was after a ECU diagnosis and road test when the engine was warm.
5. The vehicle has now done 15000 km and I asked the dealer to rectify the matter during the service. I left the car overnight and the dealer tested it cold to find my concern was justified.
6. The dealer said they would contact Hyundai and attempt to establish what the problem is. I should contact them in a week when they receive replies from Hyundai.
7. The dealer thinks it is a fault that can be rectified by ECU software updates.
8. I think the problem is progressively getting worse and I am reluctant to use the vehicle until fixed as when I leave my home I must drive at 50Kph for about 5km and this puts the RPM at 1500 where the shuddering occurs. Its like riding a wild horse for this 5km. I could increase RPM break the speed limit and avoid the shuddering. This could attract heavy fines.
I wonder if there is any evidence of this problem being common in the diesel i30 Auto
Thank you all for any comment.

[Talking Hoarse]

I think this is quite well described in other threads.  My own 1.6 CRDi does this sometimes - ie runs unevenly shortly after startup at about 1500rpm.
In my case it is resolved by occasionaly using a little diesel injector cleaner (eg RedEx) or by running on Shell V-Power etc fuel.  However to be fair - I dont think other drivers have corroborated my findings.  I have not raised the issue with my dealer as there is such an easy and to me acceptable "workaround".
For me -  air con makes no difference, but I recall another thread where the electronic egr valve is said to be by-passed if aircon is on, so this might be a culprit for some.  EGR valves seem to cause a load of headaches in cars albeit usually when they get older.
Ed

[Hornet]

Thank you Ed. and thanks for your mention about other threads. I have now read quite a few and it appears this is fault is not uncommon It has been suggested that I may have to change my driving style and use the manual change until the i30 warms up. I have driven many vehicles professionally over many years and have never heard such a stupid suggestion. I will try the Hyundai Injector cleaner provided during the 15000 km service and see how it goes. This appears to be a fault identified in Hyundai Forums and it has not yet been addressed by Hyundai. Rather poor I say.
The 5 year warranty convinced me to purchase this vehicle and it really is a great car. If I get a good run I intended to purchase another i30 prior to the warranty expiring but if there are problems like this I will think again.
I am off for a week so will see how it goes and post my comments when I return

[Phil №❶]

Never had that problem with our 2 diesel autos. Having to alter your driving style is unacceptable, we drive the cars, not the other way around. No ECU faults is a common excuse and really irritates me. If you had access to OBDII, you might observe fault codes as it is happening.

To determine if it's the transmission, have you selected a lower gear to see if the problem goes away.

Is it uphill under load, level or downhill.

When you say cold motor is it absolutely cold, warming up, or close to operating temperature. What would you estimate the ambient air temp to be when it happens.


You describe more like a "miss in combustion" which would suggest an engine problem to me.

It's Hy's problem, so please keep us informed of developments. 

[Shambles]

If you had access to OBDII, you might observe fault codes as it is happening.

That's the great thing about OBD - fault/trouble codes aren't transient, they are stored as "pending codes" which can be read off later. As "pending codes"' they do get cleared after (iirc) five engine restarts, unless they reoccur, in which case they'll light up the CEL.

I was told all that by a useful Hy Tech Mech on the HOCGB, and he should know - he has HiScan and GDS devices.

[Hornet]

Thanks  847563 and Shambles,
I do not know what a OBD11 is but I guess it is a diagnostic device for the i30. I have not yet tried a lower gear but that was suggested by Hyundai and then if it worked I should change my driving habits. Will give it a go and see what happens.
The fault occurs when level with 1500 rpm @ 50kph on the panel dials. The vehicle is not under any acceleration or deceleration, just maintaining 50kph. The Amb Temp would  would be between 18 and 22 deg C. when the i30 is warming up. It lasts for about 5k. The i30 is then at normal OT and performs perfectly all day thereafter.
My previous vehicle was a Toyo diesel. Did 530,000k and still going fine, nothing like this during 26 years of service. Computers cannot or should not be blamed for mechanical or design faults but it appears convenient for service providers to do so.

[Phil №❶]

Here is some info for you on OBD


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On-board_diagnostics


Here is the model I bought, not too expensive.
There are many models / prices / types available and from various sources.

http://www.topbuy.com.au/car-scanner-diagnostic-code-reader-obd2-obdii-elm327-v1-4.html?utm_source=TopBuy_Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=TBLC-XX1018627

Your symptoms don't occur in either of our cars, so IMO something's not right, Hy must get to the bottom of it. 

.. The fault occurs when level with 1500 rpm @ 50kph on the panel dials.

We do know that the 5 speed manual gearbox cars will not travel in 5th gear @ 1500 km/h and they rock around a bit like your description. When the fault clears do you still see 1500 RPM @ 50 km/h or does the box select a different gear?

[Talking Hoarse]

.. The fault occurs when level with 1500 rpm @ 50kph on the panel dials.

We do know that the 5 speed manual gearbox cars will not travel in 5th gear @ 1500 km/h and they rock around a bit like your description. When the fault clears do you still see 1500 RPM @ 50 km/h or does the box select a different gear?

In my own case the car is likely doing 20-30 mph so will probably be in 3rd gear, and no the gearbox doesnt shift down (or indeed up).  Easy solution if it perturbs me is to click into 2nd gear for a few moments, and make a mental note to add some injector cleaner at next fill. 
Whilst I know that no-one has corroborated my use of injector cleaner or Shell VPower fuel etc etc for this error (feature?), my car does often suffer this 1500rpm judder soon after startup.  However I recently filled with Shell VPower - which actually lasted me over 2 weeks due to the use of the car - and there were no such judders.  So in my case - although not a "permanent solution" - the workaround is perfectly acceptable to me and one of the least of my worries!
Ed

[Hornet]

847563 I am in total agreement Hyundai must come up with a fix or an acceptable explanation for this. As I am not the only one with the problem I believe it is imperative for them to ascertain the cause, and not just offer "work rounds"

PIP When it happens I cannot say what is the cause. It seems to be undecided which gear to select but it could also be the engine misfiring causing the lurching.

Talking Hoarse If Shell VPower were available in Oz I would try it. I must say that yesterday I introduced the Hyundai Injector Cleaner and the problem appears to be getting better. I intend to give the i30 a good run over the next 4 days and see what happens. I am leaning your way and think it may be a fuel (injector) problem. When I return I will post my findings.

Thank you all for your concern and assistance. While posting my problem on this forum, please do not interpret my actions as being anti Hyundai. They make a wonderful product with the i30. I am confident that with Members and  Hyundais assistance coupled with my desire to make a good product better, we will find out what is causing this. Hyundai will then be in a position to rectify the problem.

[Talking Hoarse]

Talking Hoarse If Shell VPower were available in Oz I would try it.

Surprised that there is no Australian equivalent - Shell VPower (& BP Optimax & maybe others) are fuels that are sold at a slightly higher price in UK and are said to help keep fuel system clean, ie think by including extra detergents.
http://www.shell.co.uk/home/content/gbr/products_services/on_the_road/fuels/v_power_pkg/about/
I know it costs a few pence more per litre here in UK but as a rare treat (ie if it keeps the car running smoothly) it seems worth it.  What I dont understand is why, if this fuel is such a good idea, all the fuel is not dosed this way. 
This has me really hoping for one of Komaterpiller's fantastic explanations...................!
Good luck.
Ed

[eye30]

are said to help keep fuel system clean, ie think by including extra detergents.

I recall a while ago a motoring organisation did a comparison between the fuels and they concluded that for "run of the mill, ordinary and normal motoring" (my words as as I can't recall the exact words used), that there wasn't any significant improvement in using the V Power.

But here is an interesting article and worth a read:

http://www.fuelsaving.info/fuels.htm

"Finally, "premium" fuels usually contain more effective detergent additives to keep the engine internals (injectors, valves, combustion chamber, etc) clean. In general I am sceptical of the need for anything other than a good quality "ordinary" fuel to perform this service, but if I did want additional cleaning I would more inclined to run my car on a "premium" fuel for a month or so than to spend the same money on an aftermarket cleaning product. (There are some claims on the Net of Optimax damaging engines, for example by washing deposits into places where they will do harm, but personally I am sceptical. Shell have suggested that this might be an "urban myth" related to the genuine problems with Formula Shell in the 1980's; I can't offer any evidence either way.)"

Personally, my view is this:

"....if your manual specifically recommends use of high octane fuel, and particularly if you have a small turbo engine in a large vehicle, "premium" petrol should be used whenever possible
if your manual recommends "ordinary" fuel but your engine has knock sensors, use of "premium" petrol on occasion may be worthwhile
otherwise, it is hard to justify unless you particularly feel your engine needs additional cleaning (though in the US, I would be very tempted to stick to "Top Tier" gasoline to be on the safe side)"

[Hornet]

Now home after travelling about 800 km and one bottle of Hyundai Injector Cleaner through the fuel system. Each morning after a cold start I have tried to get the i30 to buck and jump like it was doing but it will not do so. Talking Hoarse I can, at this early stage, confirm your solution works. It surprises me that in such short time or only 7500k the injectors falter. I use only BP fuel as it is more expensive and claimed to be better. I thought would be correct and BP would be a better performer than the cheap discount fuel suppliers. So with my limited knowledge I think it must be poor quality fuel or a faulty injector design . I bet the fuel companies will blame the injectors and the manufacturer will blame the fuel. I suppose only time will tell but it certainly is something Hyundai needs to address.
Anyhow my i30 is for the time performing as it should. Thanks all and particularly Talking Hoarse.  It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the fault to return, I will keep you posted.   

[Doggie 1]

Thanks for the update. 

Each morning after a cold start I have tried to get the i30 to buck and jump like it was doing but it will not do so. Talking Hoarse I can, at this early stage, confirm your solution works. It surprises me that in such short time or only 7500k the injectors falter.

Well I, and no doubt many others, always file away these little snippets of information. I have to admit that I was sceptical that an aftermarket cleaner would have any effect. Duly noted and please let us know what happens after more time.

I might add, I've not had any misfiring or roughness at all in four years and 55,000km!

[Phil №❶]

Coincidentally, I stumbled on this thread only a day or so ago. Interesting reading, I thought. 

https://i30ownersclub.com/forum/index.php?topic=7087.msg84489#msg84489

[Hornet]

My update for all.
I am now into the second tank of fuel 1600 k after injector clean. Changed from BP to Caltex Vortex and all is going fine so at this stage I am most happy.

[Doggie 1]

Good to hear.   

[Hornet]

My i30 CRDI still going fine. The Hyundai Service Manager said that when the next service is done he will fit another fuel filter and clean the system. I purchased another container of Hyundai Injector Cleaner just in case the shuddering happens again. A mechanic friend said it is not wise to constantly use injector cleaner in the i30 as it may cause damage.
Do the i30 experts here have any comment or should I call and see Hyundai about using any more cleaner if necessary.
Thanks 

[Phil №❶]

The injector cleaner should only be used according to the directions on the pack. It is a solvent, so will reduce lubrication of the injectors when in use. The injectors on CRD engines operate under extreme pressures and cost about $1000 each, so you don't want to stuff 'em up. 

[Hornet]

I thought that I should inform all that my i30 CRDI is now at 21000k and all is well, no shuddering or kangarooing. As I will be travelling from Bundaberg to Tasmania in February and expect to clock up about 7500k I booked the i30 in for a service before departing. It should have 22500 on the clock by then.
We are all pleased that the injector cleaner stopped the problem however the SM has stated he would like to closely inspect the fuel system and change the fuel filter even though it is not required.
I have no problem with this and now consider my problem fixed. One consequence is that I now use Caltex Vortex no more BP
Thanks for all the help I received and information in other topics about the use of Injector Cleaner for this problem.
I am happy now

[Doggie 1]

That's great to hear Hornet and thanks for letting us know.   

[Phil №❶]

Excellent result, take care on that big drive