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Rocket Surgery.

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
So my wife's 2011 Hyundai Sonata spun a bearing at 121k miles. Turns out this was a huge problem for Hyundai and they denied it forever until someone blew the whistle. Hyundai extended the warranty on engine to 120k. Well at 121 it spun a connecting rod bearing. I called Hyundai and they asked me to tow it to a dealership for inspection. Amazingly they offered to replace the engine at no cost to me and paid for a rental.

Fast forward to last week. I did an oil change in the car and put in the recommended 5Q of oil. Afterwards I checked the stick and it showed way overfilled. Like a solid inch above the full marker.

I called the dealership and confirmed that it was a 5Q capacity. Knowing damn well I put 5q in, and knowing damn well I drained it completely I was baffeled. To me it showed about a quart overfilled. I mean this ain't rocket surgery here.

So I wondered, do I trust the stick and drain some oil out taking the risk of it running lower than it should. Or do I trust the fact that it calls for 5q and know I put 5q in.

I went and looked in the old container and noted that I only drained 4q out of the car during the oil change.

No freaking way I left a quart of oil in the damn car when I drained it.

Only on way to find out. I pulled the plug and filter and let them drain for 15 minutes and recovered about 5.2q. Not strange because the first fill capacity is 5.8q and the oil change capacity is 5q.

20191204_171322.jpg


I poured in 4.2q

20191204_173013.jpg


And checked the stick. Sumbithch wtf. Shows full..

20191204_172908.jpg


So the dealership and the Hyundai site say it has a 5q oil change capacit, yet the stick shows that 4.2q is full, and 5.0q is way overfilled.

I even verified that I installed the correct filter. I measured the stick today and plan to email hyundai tomorrow to get the correct stick measurement. It's the right stick, but maybe, just maybe the plastic handle was moulded on the metal stick too far out. IDK. Shits driving me bonkers.
 

Tipmoose

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
2,678
85
Grove City
That is weird as hell. Im guessing its a problem with the stick. But I hope you get it figured out.

Reminds me of a story from when I worked at Budget Rent A Car in the early 90s. The service agents were responsible for cleaning the returned cars, washing them and checking fluid levels and topping off if needed. The luxury car at the time was the lincoln town car. They needed one at the airport and this newb who had no idea what he was doing put a GALLON of oil into the car when it was maybe a quart low. Nobody caught the issue until the customer was halfway to Orlando.

He returned the car the next day and said it ran fine but the engine made some strange sounds and that we might want to look into it. The oil level was about three inches over full. Never buy used rental cars. Never.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
Lol. I think I would’ve shrugged and said fugg it. But, since it’s bothering you, I hope you figure it out.

Well the risk of trusting the stick and running it low is pretty obvious. There's also a risk when running it too full of the crank slapping the oil and foaming it. The oil sending unit can't pump foamy oil very well which will result in a lack of oil similar to running it too low. If it was a little over or under i'd just say screw it, but a full quart is a little much.
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,735
274
North Carolina
I’m thinking somewhere along the line the wrong stick was installed. Someone’s last day there and they said FU..... In a subtle way 😂
Unfortunately, your OCD ass received it 😂
 

lung buster

Senior Member
2,666
106
hocking county
I have the same car that i drive to work daily. Wife bought it new in 2011. It has over 230,000 miles on it. 35 mgp has been great over the years. I can measure the dipstick if you want Joe so you can compare.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
I have the same car that i drive to work daily. Wife bought it new in 2011. It has over 230,000 miles on it. 35 mgp has been great over the years. I can measure the dipstick if you want Joe so you can compare.

Thanks. It's the right dipstick. I verified the part number and had someone on a Hyundai forum measure theirs. There's actually three different ones. Yellow is the original, they replace it with an orange one if the engine was inspected for the recall and passed, then a red one comes with the new motor if it's been replaced.
 
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Chass

Active Member
2,172
52
The Hills
Did it ever go a super long time on an oil change. It's all about volume, so if it's truly overfilled something is taking up that extra space like sludge or who knows what. Was it drained warm and on flat ground? I know they should account for this so it doesnt matter and you're probably well aware but there can still be a half to full quart in it after draining it. I stopped changing mine last year, cheaper to just drop it off during work and get a loaner and not have to bother. My truck would always show a little overfilled when I did mine though.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
Did it ever go a super long time on an oil change. It's all about volume, so if it's truly overfilled something is taking up that extra space like sludge or who knows what. Was it drained warm and on flat ground? I know they should account for this so it doesnt matter and you're probably well aware but there can still be a half to full quart in it after draining it. I stopped changing mine last year, cheaper to just drop it off during work and get a loaner and not have to bother. My truck would always show a little overfilled when I did mine though.

Brand spanking new engine. This is the first oil change since getting it back. I changed the oil at 4.5k, Hyundai calls for every 6k.

Slight rear incline with the drain plug on the rear side of the pan in the little well that sits lower than the bottom of the pan.



20191204_171200.jpg
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
Called the dealership this morning and spoke to the service writer. Confirmed 5Q capacity again. Went over everything with him. He tried to pawn me off to Hyundai motor corp customer support. No chief, your dealership put in the new engine, your dealership has the warranty. He then said I should only use an OEM Hyundai filter and not Fram to avoid problems like this. I told him to join a car forum and he can argue that opinion until the moon turns purple. There's no way the Hyundai filter holds a full quart more oil than the Fram filter. He offered to schedule an oil change but mentioned I would have to pay for it. I told him to schedule it but we're going to make a deal. We'll check the stick when I get there and agree that it shows full. Then they can drain the car. If they recover 5Q ill pay for the oil change. If they recover only 4Q then I don't pay for that one or the next 6. He didn't take the bet but scheduled an appointment for tomorrow to take a look.
 

Chass

Active Member
2,172
52
The Hills
Yeah any filter for that car should hold the same damn volume as the OEM. So unless ur filter is hitting the pavement you should be good