Hyundai/Kia Transmission Fluid

[JK43123]

My 09 Hyundai Santa Fe takes SP IV fluid. But the dealers here say they only have Type 4. And on Ebay I see Type 4 (M) for sale. Anybody know what the difference is? And is the filler hole on top under the engine bay?

 

[csandste]

Not a question you asked, but if you're out of warranty, or maybe if you're not, MaxLife is great.

 

[Jetsfan421]

I'd go with the idemitsu brand sp IV knock off or maxlife. I had good results from idemitsu hk for sp III applications.

 

[rob1715]

My 2019 Sorento still takes SP IV and the dealership only has SP 4M which is backward compatible. 4M doesn't have anything new, just a little more here and there of what it already has. I did a drain/refill about 6k miles ago and is working well. Maxlife is known to work, but I'd stick with OEM. Ask if you could bring in a couple empty jugs for them to fill. 5 qrts should do it and you're only saving about $10 over Maxlife.

 

[JTK]

I ran Maxlife ATF in my 2008 Santa Fe. I owned it from ~30k to 75k miles.

 

[Egg_Head]

I believe your 2009 Santa Fe came from the factory with SP III. Maxlife will be a fine upgrade.

 

[Propflux01]

You can get aisin SP-lV M, which is what you should be using now, at rock auto pretty cheap. it is a synthetic fluid. You’ll need about 4 quarts. There is a fill plug at the top of the Tranny. It’s a real pain to fill it this way. The best way is to remove the “sight” plug on the front side of the pan. Get you a quart bottle hand pump, fill it through there. After you get the third quart in, start the engine and let it warm up. Pump the last quart in until it starts running out the hole. Put the cap on, and drive easy knowing you used the right fluid, and it is serviced according to the service manual. I’ve done several like this and this method cuts your time by an hour easy, rather than trying to fill from the top. And it’s way more accurate.

 

[JK43123]

The best way is to remove the “sight” plug on the front side of the pan. Get you a quart bottle hand pump, fill it through there. After you get the third quart in, start the engine and let it warm up. Pump the last quart in until it starts running out the hole. Put the cap on, and drive easy knowing you used the right fluid, and it is serviced according to the service manual. I’ve done several like this and this method cuts your time by an hour easy, rather than trying to fill from the top. And it’s way more accurate.

I have a quart bottle pump, I used to change manual trans this way, thanks.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

You can use Maxlife with no problem