Changing Transmission Fluid And Filter

[JohnB352]

First time attempting to change the transmission fluid and filter on a Hyundai. Went to the parts store to get the filter, thought it was pretty cool that it was a spin on filter, "this is going to be easy".... but I get home and look under the vehicle and no filter in site. I'm sure it's there somewhere.

Where is the filter located?

Normally I'd buy a Haynes repair manual, but I see they don't have them for '07's and later. And without one, and not being able to find the filter, I'm having 2nd thoughts about this.

The oil I bought is Castrol Import Multi-Vehicle. Is that going to be ok?
I'm not sure about the drain plug either. I see one on the driver's side, unfortunately it's slightly under the frame. I guess I could make some kind of funnel from a plastic milk jug to get in there, so I don't have oil all over the place.

I've changed the transmission fluid on other vehicles, but this one is a little different.

Anyone change the fluid/filter on a '07 Santa Fe? Is it not as big a deal as it is seeming to be?

Thanks.

[PoMansAWD]

You don't state which transmission you have; The 4spd F4A51 or the 5spd A5HF1. Either way, there is no serviceable filter. The very early F4A51 had a spin-on filter located up top right near the ATF dipstick, but it was decontended rather quickly. Even my 2008 F4A51 still has the boss for the spin-on cast into the case, but no filter. Either transmission is basically the same with regard to the simple drain/fill procedure. That Castrol Multi will work fine for you. I used Valvoline Maxlife in mine. There's a few drain/fill write-ups available. Here's one I did: http://www.hyundai-forums.com/index.php?sh...p;hl=drain+plug

Joel

[JohnB352]

QUOTE (PoMansAWD @ Jan 23 2010, 05:49 PM)

You don't state which transmission you have; The 4spd F4A51 or the 5spd A5HF1. Either way, there is no serviceable filter. The very early F4A51 had a spin-on filter located up top right near the ATF dipstick, but it was decontended rather quickly. Even my 2008 F4A51 still has the boss for the spin-on cast into the case, but no filter. Either transmission is basically the same with regard to the simple drain/fill procedure. That Castrol Multi will work fine for you. I used Valvoline Maxlife in mine. There's a few drain/fill write-ups available. Here's one I did: http://www.hyundai-forums.com/index.php?sh...p;hl=drain+plug

Joel

Joel,

Honestly, I don't know which transmission it is. This is my wife's vehicle, we bought it at a dealer when it was one year old, and it didn't have the owners manual with it. It's a SE limited, v6 3.3

Good info on how to do this. I'm glad I found this forum. Will have to thank Al Gore for inventing the internet!!

What is odd here is; I didn't know it did not have a filter, so I went to AutoZone and asked for one. After giving the vehicle info, she sold me a spin-on filter. I just looked on some other auto parts websites; Advanced AutoParts, PepBoys, etc. They ALL sell a filter for the year/make/model. And, some have the spin on, and some have an internal filter. I've been under the vehicle, there is no pan on this transmission. Would be tricky getting the internal filter in there!

I'm going to bring the filter back today. I only have 3 quarts of oil.... didn't know how many I would need. So it looks like, from your post, I need 2 more. Works out perfect, the same cost as the filter I'm returning.

Thanks for the info.

[PoMansAWD]

John, w/ the 3.3L, you have the AFH51 5spd auto. there is a conventional looking screen/filter buried under the valve body behind the side mounted pan, but it's not meant to be a normal service item. I guess it would be replaced during a full transmission rebuild. Being a 2007, I'd do 2 drain/refill cycles. The 2nd one about a week or more from the first. See what volume drains out, but I think you'll find it to be about 5qts per drain. That's what came out of my 4spd. That Castrol multi-import is great stuff, but if you paid more than ~$5/qt for it, I'd take it back and get Valvoline Maxlife ATF at Walmart for ~$4/qt.

Joel

[JohnB352]

QUOTE (PoMansAWD @ Jan 24 2010, 02:56 PM)

John, w/ the 3.3L, you have the AFH51 5spd auto. there is a conventional looking screen/filter buried under the valve body behind the side mounted pan, but it's not meant to be a normal service item. I guess it would be replaced during a full transmission rebuild. Being a 2007, I'd do 2 drain/refill cycles. The 2nd one about a week or more from the first. See what volume drains out, but I think you'll find it to be about 5qts per drain. That's what came out of my 4spd. That Castrol multi-import is great stuff, but if you paid more than ~$5/qt for it, I'd take it back and get Valvoline Maxlife ATF at Walmart for ~$4/qt.

Joel

So I changed the fluid this morning. When I returned the filter, the guy at AutoZone seemed surprised when I told him the transmission doesn't use an external filter.

Very odd that this thing doesn't have a filter to change, at least one that is easily accessible. I did see the side mounted pan. Looks like getting a wrench on some of those bolts would be a SOB, not to mention getting that pan out of there. Not something I would tackle.

I got the drain plug out without having to break off the tab. Used a box-end wrench with an offset that got it out of the way of the tab.

I got the Castrol at Walmart for $4.49. Same thing at the parts store is 5 bucks. That's a good idea about changing it again sometime soon. The stuff that came out of there was pretty nasty. And like your drain plug, the inside tip had some serious slug on it. The vehicle has 50,000 miles on it. Your tip on filling the transmission slowly is a good one. VERY slowly. I didn't time it, but I"m sure it took at least a minute per quart. I put in 5.

Thanks again.

[canderson]

QUOTE (JohnB352 @ Jan 24 2010, 01:25 PM)

Very odd that this thing doesn't have a filter to change, at least one that is easily accessible.

No surprise here. It's been a while since I owned a car with more than a screen down there.

[ThunderLizard]

Hey Joel~

Thanks for the write-up on the tranny fluid change. I understand why you do the double change - to get out what was left in the torque converter the first time. That being the case, have you thought any about the "tranny flush" that some repair centers do, where they disconnect the cooler line to the radiator and push new fluid through the unit? I've had good luck with this in the past on cars with no serviceable tranny filter. Seems like it would get all the dirty fluid out in one shot.

Your thoughts?

[PoMansAWD]

I agree Thunderlizard. A T-Tech type fluid exchanger will definitely give you a more complete exchange of ATF over drain/fills. Really, the only downfalls of it are; It costs more, you're at the mercy of the shop doing the work and it's time your vehicle is away from you. If the price is right, you're in the shop all ready for something else, it would be to your advantage to go that route. On the flip side, many refer to this procedure as a "wallet flush" because the mark-up can be astronomical over say, going to Walmart, buying 10qts of SP-III compatible ATF and doing it yourself.

Joel

[reemoe]

Only 5 quarts? I haven't changed mine yet in my '07 GLS 2.7L, but I plan to this spring. I'm fairly certain my owner's manual mentions the capacity as somewhere near 9 quarts (as 9 was the number I planned on buying).

Or are you saying that nearly 4 quarts remain in the system (in the torque converter, etc.) when doing a drain/refill?

[PoMansAWD]

QUOTE (reemoe @ Jan 28 2010, 08:20 AM)

Or are you saying that nearly 4 quarts remain in the system (in the torque converter, etc.) when doing a drain/refill?

Yes. Just like any other AT, 4-5qts will remain in the system. Mostly in the TC. Doing a single ~5qt drain/fill is essentially what shops did for automatic transmissions for ~40yrs when they did pan drops, filter changes, band adjustments (years ago) and then topped the system back up. The way things are built lighter and run hotter today, I'd do 2 dain/fills on the Santa Fe 4 or 5spd AT. The other option like said is pay for a fluid exchange done by an exchanger machine. My feeling is; When they come w/ easy provisions to drain/fill, I'll do it myself.

Joel