[NY Yankee Pride]

I have a 2009 Limited V6 with 13K miles. The car loses about 1 Qt of oil between oil changes. Now I know by most car manufacturers stands that's not considered excessive but I guess I'm kind of surprised that a car this new is burning that much oil already. What does Hyundai consider excessive?

For those of you with the 3.3L how much oil do you have to add on average between oil changes?

Also as a side question I noticed Hyundai recommends 5W-20 oil, it's even printed right on the oil cap. Can I safely use a 5W-30 synthetic blend without potential warranty problems?

 

[alfu]

1qt seems like a bit much, thats what the rx8s burn. and ul be fine using 5w-30 oil, theyr just using the 5w-20 to boost mpgs (by a fraction in order to slap higher mpg stickers on the windows)

 

[sbr711]

QUOTE (NY Yankee Pride @ Aug 23 2010, 09:47 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=351487

The car loses about 1 Qt of oil between oil changes.
What is the oil change interval that you is following ??




Also as a side question I noticed Hyundai recommends 5W-20 oil, it's even printed right on the oil cap. Can I safely use a 5W-30 synthetic blend without potential warranty problems?

As long as oil meets current standards, all is well

 

[delhiboy3732]

I change my oil around 8k miles on the 2.4. No consumption whatsoever.

 

[NY Yankee Pride]

I forgot to mention that I change the oil every 3.500 miles. Usually I check it around 2,500 miles and it's been down about a quart the past two times.

 

[kn5owa]

My '06 V6's burn no noticeable oil whatsoever - one of the things I like about the cars.

I also have a V6 Ford Taurus - same story.

I use the recommended 5-20 oil now that it is readily available - used other weight oils in the past - also no probs.

 

[sonatarama]

With that mileage and drain interval you should not have any noticable oil consumption. You need to contact the dealer and work with them to investigate as it seems that you have a bad oil control ring.

 

[rallyman]

Are you sure you don't have a leak as opposed to actually burning the oil in the engine? Oil burning should be accompanied by some blue smoke out the tailpipes to some extent. In any event, it doesn't sound normal to me. My 06 3.3 V6 with 120,000 kms (~75,000 miles) on it does not require any oil top up between changes.

 

[vitacura]

My wife's 06 Sonata doesn't seem to burn any oil. Only once have I had the need to top it off in our years of ownership. I change the oil every 5k or 6 months.

 

[aqua33V6]

My 3.3L uses about 1/4 quart every 4,000 miles, and I regularly nail the accelerator for passing and merging. I use 10W30 synthetic since I'm in a warmer climate. The 5W20 and 5W30 oils are better for cold starts at below freezing temps. The owner's manual says we can use 5W20, 5W30, and 10W30. A full quart of oil consumption every 2,500/3,000 miles is high for this engine unless you're hitting the track or always driving the car like you wanna break it. You might cut the consumption down a little (probably not much) by using a 30 weight as opposed to a 20 weight oil.

Another thing: don't know if this applies to you, but many people do not check their oil properly. The engine needs to get up to full operating temp (10 to 15 minutes of driving from a cold start), then you need to park on a level surface, turn the engine off, and wait at least 3 minutes before pulling the dipstick. Not following this procedure can cause the dipstick reading to be as much as 1/2 quart lower than the actual oil level.

 

[kn5owa]

QUOTE (aqua33V6 @ Aug 24 2010, 02:26 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=351656

Another thing: don't know if this applies to you, but many people do not check their oil properly. The engine needs to get up to full operating temp (10 to 15 minutes of driving from a cold start), then you need to park on a level surface, turn the engine off, and wait at least 3 minutes before pulling the dipstick. Not following this procedure can cause the dipstick reading to be as much as 1/2 quart lower than the actual oil level.

I would check the oil only after the engine sits overnite and is cold (and I know what the manual says).

Because:

1. The oil is completely settled out of the engine.

2. you don't have to wipe the dipstick

3. the dipstick is far easier to read - this is all but impossible to do with a hot engine.

My understanding is that Ford first initiated the idea of doing the hot check outlined in the manual when they figured out that most people would not go out in the morning to check their oil before driving their cars. So, they figured a sloppy check in the afternoon was better than no check at all.

 

[aqua33V6]

QUOTE (kn5owa @ Aug 24 2010, 02:19 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=351667

I would check the oil only after the engine sits overnite and is cold (and I know what the manual says).

Because:

1. The oil is completely settled out of the engine.

2. you don't have to wipe the dipstick

3. the dipstick is far easier to read - this is all but impossible to do with a hot engine.

My understanding is that Ford first initiated the idea of doing the hot check outlined in the manual when they figured out that most people would not go out in the morning to check their oil before driving their cars. So, they figured a sloppy check in the afternoon was better than no check at all.

To elaborate even further, the absolute most accurate oil level reading can be obtained if you make sure to do the following:

1) turn on Ignition (do not start Engine)

2) insert classic "chittychitty bangbang" music CD into stereo system

3) turn up Volume and Bass to max (this vibration will knock the residual oil down into the sump for more a accurate reading)

4) while music is playing, step out of vehicle and do a quick Tap-Dance alongside the vehicle (optional, just for good luck)

5) pop hood, remove engine oil dipstick to check oil level

I think we've covered it now. Or just pop open the owner's manual and do what they say, or follow the cold-check method as explained in the above quote, and the results should still be at least 99.1049 percent accurate without having to do steps 1 through 5 above. It really all depends on how technical you wanna get.

 

[NY Yankee Pride]

QUOTE (rallyman @ Aug 24 2010, 11:10 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=351608

Are you sure you don't have a leak as opposed to actually burning the oil in the engine? Oil burning should be accompanied by some blue smoke out the tailpipes to some extent. In any event, it doesn't sound normal to me. My 06 3.3 V6 with 120,000 kms (~75,000 miles) on it does not require any oil top up between changes.

Well I'm not positive that it's not leaking oil but I haven't seen a drop in the driveway or garage and I haven't smelled anything if it's hitting something hot and not reaching the groud. I also haven't noticed any blue smoke. I think to see blue smoke the oil burning would have to be really bad, like a quart a day.

QUOTE (aqua33V6 @ Aug 24 2010, 02:26 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=351656

A full quart of oil consumption every 2,500/3,000 miles is high for this engine unless you're hitting the track or always driving the car like you wanna break it.

I definitely don't beat the car, I'm very, very easy on my cars.

QUOTE (kn5owa @ Aug 24 2010, 03:19 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=351667

I would check the oil only after the engine sits overnite and is cold (and I know what the manual says).

Because:
1. The oil is completely settled out of the engine.
2. you don't have to wipe the dipstick
3. the dipstick is far easier to read - this is all but impossible to do with a hot engine.

That's exactly what I do. I park it on level ground overnight and check it first thing in the morning. I have always done it that way. I did however also check it warm again later in the day and got the same reading as I did in the morning.

 

[aqua33V6]

QUOTE (NY Yankee Pride @ Aug 24 2010, 08:55 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=351755

I definitely don't beat the car, I'm very, very easy on my cars.

Try this: take the car out for a 15 to 20 mile drive. After driving 10 to 15 miles to get the engine fully warmed up, find a nice open stretch of road somewhere where you can run through the gears with the accelerator pinned to the floor, getting the engine up around 6,000 RPM a few times. Of course, make sure your engine oil level is topped off to the FULL mark first.

There's a very slight chance this could actually help with your consumption issue (ring seating, carbon deposits). Not very likely your car would have those issues in the first place, but it's worth a shot. Won't hurt anything to try at least, as long as your engine is properly filled with oil and fully warmed up first.

 

[delhiboy3732]

^ Wow.

 

[aqua33V6]

QUOTE (delhiboy3732 @ Aug 25 2010, 04:39 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=351819

^ Wow.

Yeah, sounds crazy but believe-it-or-not it can actually work in some cases. Engines can form carbon deposits on the piston tops from repeated short trips (cold start, drive a couple miles, turn off engine before it gets even close to warming up) and/or very leisurely driving where the engine never even reaches, say, 3,000 RPM. Get enough carbon build-up, and then you can get sticking piston rings resulting in oil consumption. Running the engine hard for a while, after it's fully warmed up, can break up the carbon deposits and free the piston rings. It's not very likely for a newer engine to have this issue, but it's not impossible either. I'm not just making this up. Ask your local veteran mechanic.

At a quart of oil consumed in 2,500/3,000 miles, Hyundai will call it normal. Your dealership might agree to open a case and monitor oil consumtion for you if you have them perform your next oil change, but unless your engine starts using more oil than it does now, they won't touch it. Might as well see if you can fix it the problem yourself, as *******-ish and ridiculous sounding as some methods might be.

 

[Blue07]

QUOTE (NY Yankee Pride @ Aug 23 2010, 09:47 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=351487

I have a 2009 Limited V6 with 13K miles. The car loses about 1 Qt of oil between oil changes. Now I know by most car manufacturers stands that's not considered excessive but I guess I'm kind of surprised that a car this new is burning that much oil already. What does Hyundai consider excessive?

For those of you with the 3.3L how much oil do you have to add on average between oil changes?

Also as a side question I noticed Hyundai recommends 5W-20 oil, it's even printed right on the oil cap. Can I safely use a 5W-30 synthetic blend without potential warranty problems?

1. If you're worried about carbon deposits, use Seafoam. That stuff is truly incredible. It's the best $10 you can spend on your engine.
2. You can use 5W30 oil no problem.
3. The problem with dealers and oil consumption is cost. So you burn one quart every 3,500 miles. Over the next 100,000 miles, you will burn 29 quarts of oil. At $5.00 per quart, that will cost $145. The problem is that it will cost the dealership at least ten times that much to rebuild the engine. Unless the car won't pass emissions, it's really hard to convince a dealership to eat that cost.
4. If the lost oil is from blow by, you may want to invest in an oil-catch can. It won't affect oil consumption but will keep your throttlebody, intake manifold and valves cleaner.

 

[mamamia]

QUOTE (aqua33V6 @ Aug 24 2010, 08:33 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=351770

..... with the accelerator pinned to the floor, getting the engine up around 6,000 RPM a few times.

While I don't know what causes the OP to have such a hight oil consumption, I'm extremely hesitant trying aqua's idea.... Years ago my wife got a new Volvo 850, which she drove for VERY short distances every day, since her work was like couple miles from home in our suburb. That car's engine developed serious problems within 6 months, and the tech told us the problem is carbon building up because of the engine not able to heat up enough to its operating temperature. He suggested she gets on the highway at least once a week, and keep the gear at 3rd so that the engine gets really hot, drive that way for about 15 minutes. That trick cured the problem.

 

[NY Yankee Pride]

QUOTE (aqua33V6 @ Aug 25 2010, 12:36 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=351897

At a quart of oil consumed in 2,500/3,000 miles, Hyundai will call it normal. Your dealership might agree to open a case and monitor oil consumtion for you if you have them perform your next oil change, but unless your engine starts using more oil than it does now, they won't touch it.

I figured they would call it normal although I don't agree with it. I just got an oil change today so I'm going to keep a log of how much oil it's losing. I'll check it every 500 miles to try to determine exactly how much it's losing every 500-1000 miles.


QUOTE (Blue07 @ Aug 25 2010, 04:44 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=351934

3. The problem with dealers and oil consumption is cost. So you burn one quart every 3,500 miles. Over the next 100,000 miles, you will burn 29 quarts of oil. At $5.00 per quart, that will cost $145. The problem is that it will cost the dealership at least ten times that much to rebuild the engine. Unless the car won't pass emissions, it's really hard to convince a dealership to eat that cost.

I agree with you but what happens if the problem gets worse over time? What if it's bad rings or valves? Do you guys think Hyundai would agree to perform a leak down test and/or oil consumption test? If not I can live with it but it does kind of aggravate me.

 

[Blue07]

QUOTE (NY Yankee Pride @ Aug 25 2010, 09:43 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=351988

I'm going to keep a log of how much oil it's losing. I'll check it every 500 miles to try to determine exactly how much it's losing every 500-1000 miles.

What happens if the problem gets worse over time? What if it's bad rings or valves? Do you guys think Hyundai would agree to perform a leak down test and/or oil consumption test?

I think you're very smart to keep a log. It will not only document the oil loss but also prove you are changing your oil as required. Your engine has a 100,000 mile warranty. Who knows, if you have a bad valve or ring it might get worse and justify future warranty work. Sadly, it only takes one bad cylinder to lose oil. On that note, a compression test would serve as a great starting point, a baseline so to speak. The problem is that the rear cylinders of the V6 are "labor intensive" to test. Without serious symptoms, a dealership may be unwilling to incur that cost. You can always ask.