2012 FD 2.0 Questions

rvictor000 · **July 26, 2017, 10:32:33**

Hi.

I have a 2012 i30 2.0 manual petrol (FD Trim) that I bought at the end of last year. A friend recently drove my car and he was very disappointed because apparently the car has very little power for a 2 litre. That got me thinking that there might be some small, hard to find problem with the car. Unfortunately, I don't know of anyone with the same car nearby to be able to compare.

Here are my questions/issues:
-My economy averages about 12 l/100km when driving in the city. Is this normal? On the freeway I get about 8.5 l/100km, which I am fine with.
-In high traffic at very low speed, the car is very jumpy on light acceleration.
-The car has little power on hills. A slight comparison was done when I couldn't keep up with my father's Toyota Corolla 1.6 petrol while he was towing a loaded trailer.
-The car has a top speed of 180 km/h, which seems quite low for a 2 litre. (Not that the speed is needed

)

The car has done 73000 kms and was recently serviced. Some of the problems might be normal for this car, but any suggestions would be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance

Dazzler · **Reply #1: July 26, 2017, 10:41:48**

rvictor000,

Doesn't seem right to me. My wife had a 2010 i30 CW (wagon) 2.0 Petrol 6 speed manual for 4 years. When we traded it on her current 2014, 1.6 GDi manual Tourer she complained for ages about missing her zippy CW.

The manual 2.0 Petrol FD model is quite a good performer generally. Both around town and on the highway.

Hopefully some of our tech heads can suggest things to check.

The Gonz · **Reply #2: July 26, 2017, 10:43:51**

Your economy and power descriptions seem very wrong to me. I think you need a serious tune-up / analysis, not just a service.

Surferdude · **Reply #3: July 26, 2017, 10:46:37**

My 2009 FD 2 litre manual 5 speed recorded 8.1 litres/ 100 klms over 98,000 klms for a mix of urban and highway driving. Never got worse than about 9 on a tank.
The power seems wrong as you describe it.
Mine was fine and more than a match for my wife's 1.8litre Corolla.

Dazzler · **Reply #4: July 26, 2017, 10:48:52**

Quote from: The Gonz on July 26, 2017, 10:43:51

Your economy and power descriptions seem very wrong to me. I think you need a serious tune-up / analysis, not just a service.

Yes, come to think of it for a manual, those fuel usage numbers are high. Although I believe your fuel may be even worse quality than ours!

Mid 7's on a trip and high 8's around town for a manual 2.0 petrol would be more normal.

Edit: Trumped by Trevor (Surferdude)

rvictor000 · **Reply #5: July 26, 2017, 11:16:55**

Thanks for all the replies. This is already much better information than what the dealer can offer me. The lower fuel quality is possible. I always use 95 octane unleaded fuel (which is my only option here

).

Last week I considered replacing the spark plugs and fuel filter, but the plugs looked fine on inspection and the Hyundai representative suggested they inspect the car first before I change the fuel filter. Is it possible to check the fuel filter on this car to see if it is dirty without having to break it open?

Phil №❶ · **Reply #6: July 26, 2017, 12:08:03**

Check the brakes and wheels for heat build up after a decent drive.

rvictor000 · **Reply #7: July 26, 2017, 13:42:14**

I have checked the brake caliper sliding pins and they all can move freely, but I will check them again when I have time.

Does anybody know what the spark plug gap should be? I can't seem to find it in the manual and there is no sticker anywhere on the car that specify this.

adrek · **Reply #8: July 26, 2017, 19:19:54**

Quote from: rvictor000 on July 26, 2017, 13:42:14

Does anybody know what the spark plug gap should be? I can't seem to find it in the manual and there is no sticker anywhere on the car that specify this.

According to service info gap should be 1.0-1.1 mm (0.039-0.043 in)

Did you check if there are any error codes?

Tightening torque for plugs is only 20-30 Nm (2.0-3.0 kgf.m, 15-21 Ib-ft).

rvictor000 · **Reply #9: July 27, 2017, 07:10:32**

Thanks. No error codes, but I replaced the spark plugs with NGK plugs that is pre-gapped to 1.1mm (confirmed with feeler gauge). The car feels better, but it could just be the ass-dyno

. Still need to check the economy over a few days.

The old plugs had a gap of approximately 0.7mm... Don't know if this is a mistake from the previous owner or from a dealer service...

So now I will check the fuel filter to see if it was actually replaced on the 60k service

The Gonz · **Reply #10: July 27, 2017, 14:25:37**

Nicely done, mate. Good luck with the next step.

adrek · **Reply #11: July 27, 2017, 15:03:46**

I think that fuel filter is mandatory at 80k service but I may be wrong and it may depend on region

CraigB · **Reply #12: July 27, 2017, 15:22:37**

Quote from: adrek on July 27, 2017, 15:03:46

I think that fuel filter is mandatory at 80k service but I may be wrong and it may depend on region

On petrol vehicles every 48 months or 60k, which ever comes first.

adrek · **Reply #13: July 27, 2017, 15:37:32**

Here petrol fuel filter is usually replaced only if client requests it, so as I wrote - it depends on region

But you are correct about 48 months/60k.

rvictor000 · **Reply #14: July 27, 2017, 19:08:00**

Okay so I wanted to check the fuel filter and it looks like the tank have never even been opened. Instead of making all the effort in removing the whole pump assembly to check, I will do that and replace the filter tomorrow. Hopefully this will sort out some of the issues.

I will report back after the whole process is done

According to the local Hyundai cervice center, the fuel filter is replaced on the 60k service. The previous owner had the car serviced at a different centre according to their logs, so everybody is unsure about whether the filter has been replaced.

tw2005 · **Reply #15: July 28, 2017, 09:48:06**

Probably worth checking the Air filter too.

rvictor000 · **Reply #16: July 28, 2017, 11:09:48**

Quote from: tw2005 on July 28, 2017, 09:48:06

Probably worth checking the Air filter too.

Agreed. Luckily that is much easier to check.

rvictor000 · **Reply #17: July 31, 2017, 07:20:16**

So I have replaced the fuel filter and the car feels much better in normal city driving conditions.

This is the old filter. Should have been replaced long ago.

The Gonz · **Reply #18: July 31, 2017, 07:54:44**

Good move there!

Was it hard to do? I was all set to try last year but chickened out when I was short on time and tools.

CraigB · **Reply #19: July 31, 2017, 08:06:14**

Just a little bit blocked

I'm surprised fuel was able to get through it at all, job well done

rvictor000 · **Reply #20: July 31, 2017, 08:15:57**

Quote from: CraigB on July 31, 2017, 08:06:14

I'm surprised fuel was able to get through it at all

Exactly what I thought when I saw the old filter.

Quote from: The Gonz on July 31, 2017, 07:54:44

Was it hard to do?

It is not that difficult. For me it was quite a messy job as I forgot to release the pressure in the fuel line before disconnecting it from the pump assembly. So I had to clean my seats a few times afterwards

. I did it in less than an hour I think, but it helps to have an extra set of hands nearby. Just remember the o-ring that seals where the pump and the filter connects. You have to remove it from the old filter and install it on the new one

Dazzler · **Reply #21: July 31, 2017, 08:56:15**

@The Gonz The Diesel filter is quite different...

The Gonz · **Reply #22: July 31, 2017, 13:10:46**

Oops, I'd better read up on that.

rvictor000 · **Reply #23: August 01, 2017, 07:13:01**

After a bit of driving, I can say that my economy looks much better. Average is about 9 l/100km with some traffic. It might be that I changed driving style after looking for better economy, but I will be able to check it after filling up again. I just can't think how it is possible for the dirty fuel filter to reduce economy