Sticky high beams on a Sonata

Well, I had a new one this morning with my 06 Sonata. For context, it
was a tad cool last night with a night-time low of -19.9F and it was
still -17 when I started the car. Nights like that are where the Mobil
1 5W20 really earns its keep.

Anyway, this cold did two things:

1. Confirmed again how feeble the Sonata heater/defroster is. After 30
minutes of driving with the temp on high and the fan on 3 (4 is just too
noisy), the windshield was still frosted both inside and outside for its
upper 1/3. But I have mentioned this here before over the years.

2. When I first clicked on the high beams, there was a couple second
pause before they came on. The stalk moved just fine, but the lights
didn't come on right away. I had to dim them and when I went back to
high the second time, they never came on. However, they were working
find again on the way home tonight when the temps were about 10 above.
I am guessing a sticky relay, but am not sure. Anyone else have this
happen?

And the clutch barely came back off the floor when shifting. Very
sluggish! Still can't beat my old Chevy truck in the cold. Clutch
works fine at -20 and it has a heater that would warm a small mobile
home! Note to Hyundai: Hire GM to design your HVAC systems. I have
never had a GM car (not even a Chevette I owned) that didn't have a
powerful heater and defroster.

Matt

 

Don't experience any of those problems with my 2011.

 

I am sure progress has been made in 5 years. How cold was it where you
live?

 

1) People in the frozen north often put cardboard in front of
the radiator. Its SOP. Need warm water for heat.
2) The grease in the switch probably turned hard.
3) Clutch, I don't know. Probably more hard grease.

 

?

My 07 and '10 have great heaters. Love that remote starter on days like
this too. After 10 minutes I got in and was quite comfy at -10 outside.
Couldt he V-6 use a different heater coil? Seems doubtful, but possible.

Did not use the high beams, but I'll try in in the morning. It will still
be below zero.


I put new wiper blades on today too. The originals are 13 months and not
doing a good job with the road spray. Topped off the fluid with the yellow
Prestone stuff. Works much better than the blue when really cold.

 

I suspect it unlikely also, but my I-4 has been a marginal
heater/defroster/air conditioner from day one. The dealer could find
nothing wrong, but it is far inferior to my other vehicles.

For example, at 0 I can drive my 1994 Chevy Pickup with the heat on high
and the fan OFF and still be reasonably comfortable. If I turn the fan
on the lowest of its 4 speeds, it will quickly be so warm I have to
starting lowering the temp control.

I can drive the Sonata all the way to work with the heat on high and the
fan on speed 3 of 4 and still not be as warm as in the truck. And it
isn't like I have a short commute. I drive 21 miles which takes 30
minutes give or take depending on traffic.

Did you get a chance to try the high beams? I have not had a problem
since, but then it has been above zero every day since that -20 morning.

Matt

 

My 2006 V6 version is the same. I also run full synthetic in it.
There is barely any heat and never any defrost action until the car
has been driven for 10 minutes at a decent rate of speed.

I have come to the conclusion that the V6 is just so dense with metal
and relatively low on the friction side that there's just not a lot of
heat being made, and what is made is dissipated by the radiator.

Even in the summer months, it seems to me the engine does not get
overly hot.

 

?

I have the climate control set on 72. Inside of five miles, the fan is on a
lower setting and the interior is at temperature. It only stays on high for
a few minutes when it initially starts to warm up. As for the defroster,
it is OK, but a small portion of the upper corner on the passenger side
seems like it could use a bit more heat and the wiper blade can use a bit
more pressure as it leaves a band not wiped well. Had this same thing on my
last Sonata and brand new wiper blades. Somehow, that band starts about two
inches below the tip of the blade and is about 3" wide.

At 10 below it took longer, but still warmed up to temperature.

When I remembered it was already above zero and I had driven a few miles.
It is going down to zero again this week so I'll try to remember to try
again.

 

Very little of the heat generated by an IC engine is from friction. By
far the main heat source is the combustion of the gasoline. So, having
a low friction engine would make a negligible difference on heat output.

I run synthetic in all of my vehicles and the Sonata is the only one
with an inferior heater.

Matt

 

Something HAS to be up with your and Matt's cars. I am on my second V-6
Sonata (a 2006 and now a 2010 model) and I have never had a single heat
problem. In fact, although we only got down to 0 here in NJ when Matt
was -20, I was toasty warm even with the window cracked. I don't warm
my car up and drive about 2 miles to the highway on-ramp. The needle is
already moving up before I get on the highway. And I have the fan on a
MAX of "3" until on the highway when I drop to "1" and keep it there.

Eric

 

In regard to the headlamps, If I had to guess, I'd suspect the
switch. Perhaps the grease got a little thick. I haven't seen any
high beam relay issues, and it's unlikely that a relay would just
spring into action without changing the electrical input.

On the clutch, you may need a new master cylinder. Once in the late
nineties and again about 5 or so years ago, there were series of
problems where the fluid would leak past the cup washer in the clutch
master cylinder in cold weather.