Last year we got my wife an Hyundai Santa Fe SUV. Nice but underpowered IMHO. Anyway, I've always done the routine maint on our vehicles and the Hyundai was no different. I'd already performed two oil/filter changes and it was due again. I got my boxend and filter wrench and wriggled underneath. Pulled the drain plug and got about 2-1/2 qts out of it, another 3/4 qt from the filter. Strange, only 3-1/4 qts drained out. Not that unusual though.
I poured in five qts new oil and she was ready. The wife put on 10000 miles and it was time again. I got underneath, pulled the plug and nothing. No oil drained out. I pulled the dipstick and it read above the full mark, but not way above, a half qt maybe.
I sat and mulled over why nothing was draining. I got the owner's manual and started searching. Well, I found it. 10000 miles ago I had drained all the gear oil from her transfer case and put five qts of oil in on top of a full crankcase. She drove it like that, with no gear lubrication for 10000 miles and evidently no harm.
I ran down and bought the 90w oil and refilled her gear box. I then drained 10 qts of motor oil from the engine, replaced her filter, and replaced the oil.
I had TEN qts of 20w-50 Castrol GT in the engine.(V6) Castrol GT is not a synth but is a very good oil. The OCI per Hyundai is 25000 miles with a synth oil and 15000 with regular oil. I implemented the 10000 mile interval. I'm used to the old days and a 3000 OCI.
The Santa Fe has full time all wheel drive, a four speed automatic and overdrive. The trans uses ATF. The transfer gear box sends power from the trans to all four wheels and uses 90w gear oil, approx 2-1/2 qts.
I bought a magnetic drain plug for the gear box and have checked it twice and no telltale iron residuals. Hyundai makes a tough little SUV.
The car ran like a new car. No noise, no smell, nothing. A friend said I was lucky I didn't blow some oil seals with that much oil, but he is under the false impression that more oil equals more oil pressure. Not so. There were no leaks or smoking at all.
When I said 3-1/2 qts, not that unusual I meant that some cars do use oil and getting only 3-1/2 from where I put in five is something I have experienced, although not from a new car.
I poured in five qts new oil and she was ready. The wife put on 10000 miles and it was time again. I got underneath, pulled the plug and nothing. No oil drained out. I pulled the dipstick and it read above the full mark, but not way above, a half qt maybe.
I sat and mulled over why nothing was draining. I got the owner's manual and started searching. Well, I found it. 10000 miles ago I had drained all the gear oil from her transfer case and put five qts of oil in on top of a full crankcase. She drove it like that, with no gear lubrication for 10000 miles and evidently no harm.
I ran down and bought the 90w oil and refilled her gear box. I then drained 10 qts of motor oil from the engine, replaced her filter, and replaced the oil.
I had TEN qts of 20w-50 Castrol GT in the engine.(V6) Castrol GT is not a synth but is a very good oil. The OCI per Hyundai is 25000 miles with a synth oil and 15000 with regular oil. I implemented the 10000 mile interval. I'm used to the old days and a 3000 OCI.
The Santa Fe has full time all wheel drive, a four speed automatic and overdrive. The trans uses ATF. The transfer gear box sends power from the trans to all four wheels and uses 90w gear oil, approx 2-1/2 qts.
I bought a magnetic drain plug for the gear box and have checked it twice and no telltale iron residuals. Hyundai makes a tough little SUV.
The car ran like a new car. No noise, no smell, nothing. A friend said I was lucky I didn't blow some oil seals with that much oil, but he is under the false impression that more oil equals more oil pressure. Not so. There were no leaks or smoking at all.
When I said 3-1/2 qts, not that unusual I meant that some cars do use oil and getting only 3-1/2 from where I put in five is something I have experienced, although not from a new car.