2003 Hyundai Elantra '03 Elantra hesitating on cold start

Tiny
JOELA416
  • MEMBER
  • 2003 HYUNDAI ELANTRA
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 93,000 MILES
2003 Hyundai Elantra 2.0L w/ 93k miles. This car was recently handed down to us from my in-laws and has been working quite well except for this one thing: when the car sits for a long amount of time, usually 4+ hours, it hesitates when you start it up and press the gas.

I can rev it while in park, but then when I put it in gear, it might give one small burst of normal power, then it acts like you took your foot completely off the gas for several seconds before kicking in like normal. No changes are apparent despite pressing the gas down further, until it decides to kick in again. Again, it only does this after sitting for a while. I think it may not happen if I turn it on and let it sit for a little while, just when I try to go right away after turning it on.

It's not a serious issue for us at the moment, but I want to make sure it's not a sign of something more serious or costly. Any advice would be appreciated!
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 AT 10:00 AM

1 Reply

Tiny
SERVICE WRITER
  • MECHANIC
  • 9,123 POSTS
Is there a check engine light?
Are there codes in the computer?
That's the first step.

Since this is a problem that is happening only when cold, it may be a coolant temperature sensor giving false data to the pcm about the temperature.

Start with codes and post what you have.
If nothing wie will go into another direction.
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Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 AT 10:07 AM

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