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Oil Leak Question On Warranty

25K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  sbr711 
#1 ·
I noticed a few drops of oil under my car today so I opened the hood and looked down the right side and noticed that on top of what could be either the alternator or perhaps a pump (power steering maybe) that there was a small buildup of oil mixed with water (we have snow melting here). I looked at the oil on the end of my finger and it is very clean with a slight reddish shade to it so I am not ruling out hydraulic fluid. I bought my 2008 Sonata new in March 2008 so I am wondering where the warranty would stand regarding oil/hydraulic leaks. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? If the dealer wants an arm and a leg to fix it and it is not covered I would prefer to bring it to a local garage.
 
#3 ·
I hear you on the leaks. One of the best things about getting the tensioners warrantied was the fact that they replaced my three year old gaskets and seals with new ones. There were some leaks starting to show, and I keep my engine spotless, so I knew they were there. For me they were free. I like that.
 
#5 ·
QUOTE (Sonata_Guy @ Jan 18 2010, 12:18 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=291317
I noticed a few drops of oil under my car today so I opened the hood and looked down the right side and noticed that on top of what could be either the alternator or perhaps a pump (power steering maybe) that there was a small buildup of oil mixed with water (we have snow melting here). I looked at the oil on the end of my finger and it is very clean with a slight reddish shade to it so I am not ruling out hydraulic fluid. I bought my 2008 Sonata new in March 2008 so I am wondering where the warranty would stand regarding oil/hydraulic leaks. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? If the dealer wants an arm and a leg to fix it and it is not covered I would prefer to bring it to a local garage.

Make sure your oil filter housing is tightened well... just not hand tightened..that happened to me a while back...I hand tighten it now then give it a quick turn with an oil filter wrench.
 
#7 ·
I went to the Hyundai dealer today and as soon as they popped the hood the advisor said that my oil filter was leaking not my engine gaskets. He said that they see this all the time and it has to do with such things as aftermarket filters that dont seat quite right and O rings which are not right. He advised me to go back to whoever changed my oil and have them make it right. Tomorrow I am going back to the Goodyear service center and see what they will do for me. I am a long time customer there and they will see that in their database. The dealer said that some of the people come to the dealership service center with Hyundai OEM filters in hand and have them use those in the oil change. I assume people do this since the dealership may charge too much for the OEM filter. I am also assuming that the dealership only does this to pacify regular customers who may otherwise go elsewhere for more expensive work. I did a quick search for an OEM filter and I see one for $19.95. I will post my experience once I get back.
 
#8 ·
If you're finding oil on top of your alternator, then you have almost the same leak I once had. I took mine in for an oil change and asked the service manager to take a look at the valve cover gasket. Sure enough, my suspicion was correct as the valve cover gasket on the front bank of cylinders was leaking onto the alternator. They replaced the gaskets within 45 minutes and it has not leaked a drop since, this was around 10-12,000 miles ago.

The warranty also covered the repair. Press the issue and keep an eye on your oil level.
 
#9 ·
Actually the leak is soaking the top of the transmission housing I was told today. If you look down the right side of the engine compartment you will see the top of that housing. The housing has a small well stamped into the die cast and this is where oil will build up if you have a leak in that area plus your housing will get covered. The upper engine appears to be dry. It is hard to see down the sides of the V6.

I went to Goodyear today since they had done my last oil change. They said if I wanted the engine degreased I would have to bring it back during the week but they did the oil change. They said that they did not see any leakage around or on the oil filter. The service mgr mentioned the filter was the cartridge type as if that would make a difference but as far as I know the cartridge type can leak past the filter housing if it is not on tight or I am told if the o rings are not correct. They said that they thought the oil sensor switch may be leaking but I would have to bring it back for the degreasing in order for them to find out. They said they would hold my service paperwork until I came back in next week. So I was able to walk out without paying for the oil change. When I went to the dealer the service advisor did not put the car on a lift but simply looked down the right side of the engine and said "who does your oil changes?" then he referred me to go to them. So now this is sort of leaning in favor of Goodyear since they actually put the car on a lift and looked at the filter. You never know who is telling you the truth in these matters however I will say that I had brought my old car in for a coolant change and Goodyear told me I didn't need it since the coolant was the long life type and was good for 10 years and beyond. They could have taken the car in and did the work and I would have been none the wiser! If there is an oil switch down in that area I wonder why the dealer didn’t mention that as possibility! I will post more next week!
 
#10 ·
OK I think I may be at the end of this little oil leak episode. After Goodyear did the oil change and said that the oil filter was dry all over but they changed it anyway It now appears the oil which was coating the top of the transmission housing is completely gone. This tells me that whatever Goodyear did corrected the problem. According to Goodyear they changed the oil and filter so I think this may be a case where they did in fact see something (filter loose, pan bolt crush gasket not right) and they did not want to admit it otherwise how did this problem all of sudden clear up. Unless something else comes of this I will end the blog on this now from my perspective.
 
#11 ·
I do my own oil changes, and didn't get the filter housing tight enough once. Same thing as you had, the oil went down the filter housing and started to pool on the top of the transmission. I tightened the oil filter cap properly, and the oil all evaporated in less than two weeks. Now I am always careful to tighten it correctly.
 
#12 ·
Well once again I noticed that there was oil pooled on top of what could be the transmisson or whatever is down on the right side of the engine. I took it to the dealer and they changed the oil and filter and said that whoever did my oil change may have reused the O ring. The dealer said that many places re-use the o ring and I believe they said it may not come with some aftermarket cartridges but rather as a seperately ordered part. I am not sure on that myself. Since this is the second time this happened I may not go back to goodyear for my oil changes. The filters on the Sonata seem to be a pain probably due to fact that they are cartridge filters (I assume)!
 
#13 ·
QUOTE (Sonata_Guy @ Feb 2 2011, 01:56 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=397548
Well once again I noticed that there was oil pooled on top of what could be the transmisson or whatever is down on the right side of the engine. I took it to the dealer and they changed the oil and filter and said that whoever did my oil change may have reused the O ring. The dealer said that many places re-use the o ring and I believe they said it may not come with some aftermarket cartridges but rather as a seperately ordered part. I am not sure on that myself. Since this is the second time this happened I may not go back to goodyear for my oil changes. The filters on the Sonata seem to be a pain probably due to fact that they are cartridge filters (I assume)!
Yes when you order a Hyundai Oil filter you get a kit that comes with it. These Goodyear or Firestone places re use many parts

and send you on your way. I would avoid any of these 'convenience' shops now or in the future. My Dealer charges $19.95 :trophy:
 

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#14 ·
Changing the filter on the 3.3/3.8 is nothing special.. Hyundai filter comes with new o-ring.

Trick is to make sure the cap is screwed all the way down so the o-ring is under compression inside the canister and cap.

When the that filter system came along, it was not unusaul to have them come come back because FLUNKIE did not pay attention to detail.. they spun cap down by hand,, and when it got snug, they walked a way.. problem is, snug was the o-ring on the entrance bevel to the canister, and with 80-100PSI behind it, the oil would push the ring out of place and blow oil out all over top of trans..

"Customer states: has trans oil leak" -- oil was on that side of car.. and see a brand new oil change sticker on window...

Have seen aftermarket o-rings that too small OD and oil pressure push push oil out..

Search around for somebody that will make a deal on a case lot filters, buy 1, be good to good to go for a good while.
Look at Hyundai and Kia dealer.
 
#16 ·
Why do people post tiny pics ?

Click mine for larger view..
 

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#18 ·
QUOTE (thrombosis @ Feb 2 2011, 11:47 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=397820
My picture was terrible. You have the best pictures in town.
Us techs sometimes need good pics to document our warranty claim,, Hyundai has habit of questioning validity of our claims, or need for extra labor, or us techs just need to cover our buttocks, so good clean pics are of value anymore.

DPSM comes out to review claim, looks at pic printed full size on sheet of 8.5x11.5 paper, we have done supported our end of claim, now pay us for our labor to repair the car. :thumbsup:

Here is an example-- rust axle shaft splines worn away, part of recall, took pics to support the claim.
 

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