06 Sonata oil change experience

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Matt Whiting - 12 Feb 2006 19:42 GMT

Well, I just changed my oil for the first time at 2500 miles. I used
Castrol 5W-20 dino oil and will switch to Mobil 1 at 5,000 miles. I
want to ensure a good break-in first although 2500 probably was enough.

The oil change wasn't too bad. It was a little tricky getting the beast
up on the ramps with standard shift and that light switch that Hyundai
calls a throttle. The worst part was the snow squall that blew in when
I was about halfway finished! Oh the joys of northern PA in February.

The drain plug was really torqued in from the factory and made a snap
when it let go, but I was glad to see a steel oil pan (at least it looks
and sounds like steel) as I hate drain plugs that are threaded directly
into aluminum. Draining the oil was relatively easy and there was easy
access.

The oil filter is a different story. Whoever decided to put all of
these stupid covers over the top and bottom of the engine should be hung
by their finger nails. I couldn't loosen the filter by hand and I don't
have an end cap style filter wrench, just the "strap" style. I couldn't
get my arm into the available space from the top. I barely could fit it
up through the hole in the splash shield. However, I finally got the
filter loose. Putting the new one on was fairly painless although it is
hard to get your hands up through the hole to tighten it. I've always
been able to apply plenty of torque by hand, but I always have had
better access than the Sonata provides. I'm pretty sure I got the
requisite 4/5ths turn and it doesn't leak so hopefully it is tight
enough. I'll have to invest in an end cap style wrench for future use.

Other than the filter, not too bad of a job. The oil filler cap was
also way overtightened and was hard to get loose since it is recessed
into the engine cover like the dipstick is. I may remove that cover and
save it for when I sell the car. I don't think it serves any real
function beyond window dressing and makes checking the oil level a PITA.

Matt

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Rev. Tom Wenndt - 13 Feb 2006 00:53 GMT

Unfortunately, this has become all-too-common.

It almost seems like designing an oil filter into the engine is an
after-thought on cars like these, with little planning given to factors like
easy accessibility.

The engines and cars where that detail has been paid attention to are pretty
obvious. They are also few and far between.

Sometimes, you can find one bolt on one splash cover that you can take off
and make the job a lot easier. After you've done a couple oil changes and
are comfortable, you can see.

Tom Wenndt

> Well, I just changed my oil for the first time at 2500 miles. I used
> Castrol 5W-20 dino oil and will switch to Mobil 1 at 5,000 miles. I want
[quoted text clipped - 30 lines]
>
> Matt

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Matt Whiting - 13 Feb 2006 02:12 GMT

> Unfortunately, this has become all-too-common.
>
> It almost seems like designing an oil filter into the engine is an
> after-thought on cars like these, with little planning given to factors like
> easy accessibility.

Yes, this is true on many vehicles. I've found my two Chrysler minivans
to be pretty maintenance friendly. The only exception was the air
filter on my 96 minivan. It was a bear to even find the first time, but
fortunately the air intake was located such that very little dirt got
ingested. I only replaced it once and that was around the 100K mile
mark. Even then, it wasn't all that dirty. Fortunately, Chrysler
redesigned the intake system on my 03 minivan and it is now very
accessible. The oil filter is also a piece of cake to get at.

Now, the oil filter on my 94 K1500 is something else. It is hard to
reach from the bottom and drains right on top of the front driveshaft
u-joint. At least that u-joint will never rust... :-)

> The engines and cars where that detail has been paid attention to are pretty
> obvious. They are also few and far between.
>
> Sometimes, you can find one bolt on one splash cover that you can take off
> and make the job a lot easier. After you've done a couple oil changes and
> are comfortable, you can see.

I didn't study it as I was in the wind and snow, but it appeared to be
held on by several screws and it didn't look like removing it was a 5
minute job. And the access hole for the filter suggests that Hyundai
didn't plan for it to be removed for oil changes.

Matt

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nothermark - 17 Feb 2006 12:04 GMT

Next time you are under it think in terms of it being on a lift. The
leverage angles are different than when we lay on the ground. On my
Accent it was also easy to drop the bottom plastic cover. A couple of
bolts don't mean much when you have the right airtool sitting there.

BTW, the covers under the engine are probably for airflow. I remember
reading an article from one of Smoky Yunick's crew once. Nobody
could figure out why his cars were faster than the competition. Turns
out in the shop they spent more time on their side or roof than on the
tires. The even built specialty cradles so they could work on airflow
under the chassis. Figured it bought them 5-10 mph in the racing
circuit. With today's cars convert to mpg on the sticker.

>> Unfortunately, this has become all-too-common.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 28 lines]
>
>Matt

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