The mysterious 8 speed

[Apache599]

Ever since I had my 2012 3.8 base I was curious as to the design of the transmission. Spent quite some time on google and found scant info about it except what was on wiki. I did talk to my local mechanic and he knew little about them as well except that it’s sealed and takes a special Hyundai fluid. Someone did mention that Hyundai based it off of a Aisin design. I could see Hyundai going that route since Toyota uses those transmissions in their rwd vehicles. I also read it uses borg Warner parts. The dealership knew nothing either and it’s a remove and slap a new one in if something is wrong besides from the solenoid tsb. From what I read the transmission is huge compared to newer 8 speeds. As far as reliability goes I only have read issues on the 2012 but it’s been solid since from what I can tell as long as the fluid has been changed every 60k to 70k miles. With the availability of the zf 8 speed and how mass produced they are, why did Hyundai decide to go in-house? The zf8 is widely acclaimed for reliability and the ability to handle massive power. What is different in the 3.8 versions compared to the 5.0? What revisions have been made since 2012 till now? How much power can it handle? If this has been covered on here then I apologize but I did do a search and came up with nothing. I like to know this stuff about my vehicles. Did see a few gv80s having some transmission issues tho.

 

[glennk]

Simple. It boils down to money. They get to keep all of the profit when they sell a car. Hyundai is also one of the top steel producers in the world. That same steel is sourced in manufacturing Hyundai, KIA and Genesis cars.

 

[glennk]

Yes, you definitely should change your transmission fluid every 60,000 miles. The transmission filter is built into the transmission pan. I intend to replace the pan at 120,000 miles.

 

[Apache599]

Yes, you definitely should change your transmission fluid every 60,000 miles. The transmission filter is built into the transmission pan. I intend to replace the pan at 120,000 miles.

How much did a drain and fill cost you approx? I feel this is for sure a dealership job.

 

[JJHunter]

How much did a drain and fill cost you approx? I feel this is for sure a dealership job.

It's actually really simple if you can get the car up on jacks to get under it. The trans pan is like $150. You'll need 8 or 9 Qts of fluid. There's a drain, fill, and level check plug.

Drain, drop the pan, replace pan, remove fill plug on left side of trans, remove level check plug, fill trans until it comes out of the level check hole. Plug check hole and start car and let it get to operating temp, switch from P to N, to D a few times. With it running, pop the level plug back out and see if any fluid comes out, if not, add more until it does in a steady stream. Replace plugs.

 

[glennk]

How much did a drain and fill cost you approx? I feel this is for sure a dealership job.

$340 - minus a discount coupon I have.

MAKE SURE, NO FLUSH. Drain and fill ONLY. Flushing can move metal flakes and dirt back into the transmission inner workings. This can cause slippage and rough shifting.

 

[Apache599]

$340 - minus a discount coupon I have.

MAKE SURE, NO FLUSH. Drain and fill ONLY. Flushing can move metal flakes and dirt back into the transmission inner workings. This can cause slippage and rough shifting.

Thanks, it was about as I expected. I’ll have to google some coupons if available.