to anyone who has changed their own oil , how easy was it to remove the oil filter cap ??????

get a large strap wrench, the special tool from the dealer (it will have to be ordered most likely), or the special tool from Mac Tools, and it will come right off.

I haven't changed oil yet but i looked at it because it appears to be the only defect I've found in the Azera. Changing the element instead of the cartridge is likely to encourage contamination of oil. There's reasons why the industry went to cartridge filters from filter elements: too many have wiped the case with trashy rags and worse; used solvents which will do seriously bad things to bearings and rings, not to mention gaskets. The design looks like the factory trying to add to shop income instead of customer friendship.
You may find an oil filter wrench, strap or fitted,at the local autoparts place that will work to take the cap off BUT DO NOT USE IT TO REINSTALL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. A little warp may cause the case to leak.
and then be careful. THERE ARE NEW GASKETS INVOLVED, ONE LARGE AT TOP AND ONE SMALL AT BOTTOM. The old ones may not be re-used. Be sure to loosen the cap and wait 5 minutes or so while the oil drains from the canister. Have a catch device handy when you pull the element out - it will be soaked royally.
The shop manual is not real clear but expect to need a little more than 5.2 quarts of oil. I will add 5 quarts and run the engine for a few minutes; stop, and add whatever the oil stick says I need to find out how much I need. Note there are differences in quanity even between the 'same' egine of one car to another of same make & model. I use 5-20W or 5-30W Mobil 1. For those who think that's a waste, those of us with dynos and have tested hundreds of cars, synthetic oil always shows a power gain of 3 to 4%. That also helps MPG. The rule is: the less you use your engine or the harder you use it the more you need good synthetic oil. cheers
FOLLOWUP
I have changed oil now. The cap screwed off by hand and tightened by hand. no leakage, pretty much same as with usual filer cartridges. If you wait 10 minutes after loosening the cap to just lay the cap on the 'bucket' there is little mess and what is easily caught. refill to within 3/16 of full mark on the oil stick took 5.5 quarts. Better a little under than any over full mark. Over increases the 'pumping' losses as the engine works to'pump air back and forth under the pistons. A little under - but not much - decreases those losses.(now you now why hipo engines have 'windage trays' to keep oil splashing up under the cylinders.

This post has been edited by mahout: Jan 25 2007, 11:55 AM

I’ve been changing the oil on my vehicles since, well let’s just say decades. I’m accustomed to the V8s with the filter close to the oil pan. Seems like a silly question, at least to me, but where is the oil filter located? I’ve never had to search for one before. Someone please tell me they didn’t put it on top of the motor. :unsure:

Its on top of the motor :D Remove the plastic engine cover (6 10mm bolts) and you'll see a big black cap to the right in the middle of the engine bay, the filter is under this. Like its been mentioned, its not the typical spin-on filter its a filter element, like a smaller version of a water filter you might have in your house.

I hope its a less messy to change top setup than the Rotary turbo engine in my rx7. It has a top mount cartridge. Leaks everywhere on changes.

After crawling around looking for it Sunday, I found what you describe on top on the trans side, but figured I must be mistaken. Under the engine cover no less. Looks like the oil filter was an after thought. That should be real easy . . . . . . TO MAKE A MESS. I already know about the canister style. I'm having flashbacks of my 57 Bel Air, except for the location. I do appreciate the info.

theres no way to make a mess- spin the cap off and lift it out, hold a rag underneath it and your home free. Its real easy.

Mercedes used the same basic idea on their 5 cyl diesels. At least on those engines, if you crack the filter cap, and then drain the oil, all the oil will drain from the cartridge, too. Give it a few minutes and it will lift out w/o a mess.
Does Hyundai have 2 sections like Mercedes did? They had a section for full flow filtering, and a seperate section for bypass filtering to get the tiny stuff. Now this was for a diesel, and there is a lot of soot ( carbon) present in diesel oil.

the Hyundai filter is just 1 section. One more tip, after you unscrew the cap, the whole thing usually comes out all together, keep it PERFECTLY veridical and you won't spill, if you tip it, theres some oil that collects up top that will spill.

Dont wanna hijack the thread but FYI all Mercs now employ this system.

Thanks for the info guys. The filter unscrewed by hand with a rubber grip. I'll remember to exercise more patients/time next time to allow the oil to run down. I made a small mess of it.

i'll tell you what, after crawling under three different cars (that i've owned) for the past two decades to change an oil filter this seems like an answered prayer. i still have to crawl under my truck (okay not really cause i usually take it to the hobby shop on base and it goes on a lift) so having the filter right on top of the engine where it's easily accessible is...well like i said above. a lot cooler to the touch than your typical screw-off filter and, so far a **** lot less messy. daddy likee! :clap:

Oil Filter TSB 05-20-002, be advised [from hmaservice]:

Someone may have already posted this but couldn't find it in either the DIY or Sonata forums. Here it is [in case the PDF doesn't attach properly]:

DESCRIPTION:
Some vehicles may experience an engine knock noise with the use of an aftermarket oil
filter. Aftermarket oil filters may use different materials, construction and specifications
than genuine Hyundai oil filters, which may lead to pressure variations within the engine,
thus contributing to an engine knocking noise.

VEHICLES AFFECTED:
All Models

REPAIR PROCEDURE:
Perform an oil change on the vehicle and replace the aftermarket oil filter with a genuine Hyundai oil filter.

WARRANTY INFORMATION:
Normal warranty procedures apply.
This is not a warranty repair.

That TSB only applies to the spin-on style filters, not to the Azera, Entourage or V6 Sonata.

MikeNH, can you please provide add'l info ? The TSB states all years, all models [attached]. Perhaps, you're thinking of TSB 04-20-001 [also attached]..??..

Please advise, thanks.

All,

Has anyone had any experience with filters manufactured from "PULL" ?

I change the oil & fileter in my 97 Mazda (Ford) pick-up becuase it is simple and I seldom drive it outside my small town.
I haven't changed oil & filter in any car under warranty in 15 years. Since 2000, haven't changed oil in any cars. For the couple of dollars you might save each time, it becomes a real mess and you have to dispose of the used oil and filter.
Also taking it to the dealer is an opportunity for them to check on things and do any adjustments that have come out.
I never let the speedy oil change people do it. They are not very careful and have been known to put in too little or too much oil, as well as not getting all of it out.

I know what the TSB says, but the reality is that the aftermarket filters that cause noises are ones that have a poorly made (or missing) anti-drainback valve, so the filter ends up empty after sitting, causing noise at startup due to temporary oil starvation. The new engines have a valve that gets switched to the new filter element, eliminating this issue.