I recently bought a secondhand Hyundai (2007 Accent) and noticed during the test drive that it had problems climbing steep inclines (of which there are many in my neck of the woods); the car would slow to about 40 kph and then not go any faster, with the engine revving regardless of how much gas I gave it. The previous owner said he fixed the problem (twice), and reassured me that it had something to do with the caliper. For the first month, I used it only on short trips and it was fine. However, I'm now into month two, and today it became a HUGE problem. I was climbing a long, slow hill and it started slowing down again. It has done this enough times that I'm now getting a feel for it; it feels as if it's really straining. And then when it gets halfway up the hill, going 40 kph, it basically keeps revving high and will not go any faster, no matter how much I press on the gas. So I let it strain and chug along, ignoring the traffic backing up behind me. After we made it down the hill, I noticed that the car wouldn't idle at the stop. When it came to a stop, it came to a full stop, with a CLUNK, and a backwards motion from the whole car, as if it was settling onto its haunches. Even with my foot off the brake, no motion. When I eased on the gas, nothing. Eased on the gas a bit more, and the whole car lurched forward and squealed loudly. I saw smoke coming from the rear of the car (on another occasion, there was smoke coming from the right front). Again, there was traffic backed up behind me, so I stomped on the gas and the whole car lurched forward alarmingly. I managed to get it off the highway, but I'm not happy about driving it again. Any suggestions? I would just like to go into the garage with some intelligent request, besides "help!".

 

Sounds like the brakes are not completely releasing. Could be pinched brake line if former owner drove over something, master cyl problem air in the lines that expands when warmed and starts applying brakes. So as you can see, it can be one or more things and requires a thorough check by someone that knows what they are doing.
A good visual inspection will be a good start. May wind up with replacing calipers and other parts.

 

Thank you for your input! It was seen by two mechanics already, who keep reassuring me it's fine. Obviously it's not, but I can't seem to get anyone to understand the problem, because the mechanics are not willing to drive it for any distance or time.

 

Hi,
I realize this is requesting some effort on your part, but need to know what has been done so far.
When you state "Has been seen by 2 mechanics" in detail, just what does that mean?
Sometimes a problem can be so obvious it can be spotted with a good visual inspection.

Here are some of the things you might do to help
!. When you notice the vehicle is beginning to slow down without any brake application, shut it down and go out and carefully feel each wheel for the temp being higher on one or two wheels than the others.
Your description of the smoke coming from the rear wheels could help. Just be careful you don't burn your hand when attempting to confirm which wheels may be getting HOT. It will get very expensive if you continue driving the vehicle with that problem.
Something like bad wheel bearings could be allowing the parts to make contact and expanding to the point the drag is so bad the vehicle can't move until it has cooled down.
It should also be known that the previous owner didn't know what he was doing and "fixed it twice". If he fixed it , it would not be reoccurring again.
You can rest assured some damage has been done by the high heat generated and possibly complete brake system work will need to be performed.
A good tech will be able to find and correct the problem, but you may have to leave the vehicle for the complete repairs to be done. Always get a complete estimate before approving a large estimate. $400.00 is not considered a large estimate these days , especially if the previous owner messed up some things.
Brake systems are not that complicated , but the person doing the checking needs to have some smarts to do a good evaluation.
Let us know how you make out with this, thanks.

 

I just wanted to thank you for helping me pinpoint the problem. You were right - the wheels were hot. I took a chance and drove it to a nearby shop, showed him your reply, and he did a quick visual for $100. He said it looks like someone contaminated the brake fluid a while back, and it has been jamming up the entire system, to the point that the "seal" (he showed me a new one and the one under the cap of mine, it had changed color from the heat, was distended and had a tear in it) was swelling up and stopping the fluid from reaching the brakes. He also showed me the damage done to the metal on the brake pads, where it had discolored. He is guessing that whoever made the mistake didn't want to admit it? But that it is a progressive problem, and now the entire system has to be replaced. He hasn't given me an exact quote (I'm in BC, Canada) but he's guessing around $1,500, which is what I paid for the car.

FYI, it was the previous owner who took it twice to his shop, so I was not involved. Would checking the brake fluid be part of a routine check? The guy at the shop here said it's hard to tell when the fluid is contaminated - but he's been doing this for so long, that's his best guess. I have no leverage with the previous owner (legally) as I have taken ownership of the vehicle. So I guess my last question is - is it worth fixing? I will have paid $3,000 for an old Hyundai, which is neither here nor there, but if this is just the beginning of the end.... what would you do?

 

I don't believe you would get much for the vehicle with it's present problem. If the vehicle is acceptable to you otherwise, try to work something out with your shop. You might also consider another estimate. At least now you know what is going on.
Most good shops will have no problem with you trying to get the best price. Unfortunately, the entire system is involved and it involves a lot of work and replacing ALL hydraulic parts. There can be no shortcuts here. The entire system has to be flushed and hydraulic parts replaced or the problem will render all new parts problematic . It is a tough decision , but not much choice as I see it..

 

Had similar problem. My master cylinder jammed up and all the brakes locked up.
Had to replace master cylinder along with all brake pads and shoes along with the calipers and wheel cylinders.
Total cost was a little more than $1500 US dollars.
A year later I got rid of the 2001 Elantra due to excessive rust underneath. And an evap code that I could not fix.
Just too much to continue to fix the rust bucket.

So you would have to weigh the condition of the vehicle against how long you think it will last before another fix is needed.

 

For that kind of money, definitely would consider another diagnosis and estimate.