Hyundai Elantra (2000-2023) firing order — what is it?

For all those looking for a compact sedan, it doesn’t get any better than the Hyundai Elantra, at least in terms of engine reliability. Hyundai is known for reliable four-cylinder petrol engines, and many variations were used throughout the Elantra years.

That’s why our team assembled a Hyundai Elantra (2000-2023) firing order guide to appeal to all the owners regardless of their engine type. We’ll discuss not only the firing sequence of every Elantra engine but also how the cylinders are laid out so you can find your way through them more easily.

Third-generation Hyundai Elantra (2000-2005) firing order

The third-gen Elantra model was equipped with a lot of different four-cylinder engines since these were mostly used for this model. So, we’ll cover all of these and their respective firing orders, although one firing sequence has been predominant for this model.

Hyundai Elantra 1.5L firing order

The 1.5-liter was an entry-level engine used for this generation of the Elantra and the firing order for this engine is 1-3-4-2. It’s a common firing sequence for all the Elantra four-cylinder engines, and this one has the cylinders ordered from 1 to 4 in a straight line looking at it from left to right.

Hyundai Elantra 1.6L firing order

Looking at it from the perspective of firing order, the Hyundai Elantra has a sequence 1-3-4-2. It’s once again that common thread among the four-cylinder engines by Hyndai and the engine’s cylinders are ordered from 1 to 4 in a straight line.

Hyundai Elantra 1.8L firing order

Moving up from the base options, we have the 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine which is more or less the same in terms of cylinder configuration as the 1.6L. The Hyundai Elantra 1.8L firing order is 1-3-4-2 and this engine is also based on the same platform as the 1.6-liter.

That also means it has the shared cylinder configuration with all the previous four-cylinder engines. So, the first cylinder is the left-most one while cylinders 2, 3, and 4 follow up to the right.

Hyundai Elantra 2.0L firing order

As the final option from the third-gen model, we’ve got the 2.0-liter four-cylinder. The Hyundai Elantra 2.0L firing order is 1-3-4-2, so it’s once again a matching firing sequence to that of 1.6L and 1.8L engines.

As you might have guessed by now, the engine’s cylinder configuration goes in a straight line from 1 to 4, and the first cylinder is the left-most one, while the fourth cylinder is on the right side.

Fourth-generation Hyundai Elantra (2006-2010) firing order

The fourth-gen Elantra didn’t live through much change when it came to engine options offered with it. So, once again drivers could choose between all sorts of four-cylinder options, including the 1.6L, 1.8L, and 2.0L engines.

Generally speaking, the fourth-gen Elantra firing order is 1-3-4-2 for all these options and these are the same as they were for the previous generation model.

Fifth-generation Hyundai Elantra (2010-2014) firing order

For the fifth-generation model, Hyundai also used the same variety of engine options. So, these ranged from the 1.6-liter for the base model, to 1.8-liter and 2.0-liter for higher trims. Altogether, the fifth-generation Hyundai Elantra firing order is 1-3-4-2 since all these were the same four-cylinder engines we’ve already discussed.

Sixth-generation Hyundai Elantra (2015-2019) firing order

The sixth-gen Elantra model was only equipped with one of two optional engines and these were the 1.6-liter and the 2.0-liter four-cylinders. Again, the firing order was 1-3-4-2 and that means the engine’s cylinders are laid out in a straight order from 1 to 4, looking at it from left to right.

Seventh-generation Hyundai Elantra (2020-present) firing order

Finally, we can say that the seventh-generation Hyundai Elantra firing order is 1-3-4-2 regardless of which option your car has. All the engines including the 1.5-liter, 1.6-liter turbo, and 2.0-liter turbo feature this same firing pattern, and as always, the cylinders are laid out from 1 to 4 looking at the engine from the left side to the right.

Our take

Overall, the Hyundai Elantra firing order is the same for all the engine options but that doesn’t affect the efficiency of using this method when checking the engine’s cylinders. In fact, it makes your job easier since all the engines also have the same cylinder configuration, so you can apply the firing order more easily.

With the help of our team of experts, we have our fingers crossed that you’ll be able to identify misfires and oil leaks more efficiently from now on.