Can anyone help me?? After consulting the Hyundai 500 page owners manual and the 90 page owners supplement I still cannot locate the oil filter on my wife's 2011 3.5L V6 santa fe. The filter is a "cartridge" style as opposed to "spin-on" and I have found no diagram, picture or verbal description as to where I might find the oil filter. I've been changing oil for more than fifty years and this is the the first time I've been stumped. Is this how Hyundai gets you to bring your vehicle in for all services. Surely someone knows the secret location of the oil filter.

 

It's on the top of the engine under the plastic cover and on the driver side of the engine. Make sure you get the correct filter as there are 2 different sizes.

The canister top of the taller filter (Hyundai part #26320-3C100) looks like this:



The canister top of the shorter filter (Hyundai part #26320-3C250) looks like this:


Yours probably is the smaller filter. The taller one was used on the older cars.

UPDATE:
I almost forgot to mention, the plastic canister that holds the filter has 2 O-rings (B in the pic below) that need to be changed and lubed when replacing the filter (A in the pic below):


Hyundai OEM filters came with the 2 O-rings and a new aluminum crush washer for the drain plug. Be sure to replace the crush washer too.

 

Thanks, I was pretty sure I was looking at the cannister at the top left side of the engine it has a little notation that I guess indicates that it should be torqued to 35 nM - NAPA sold me what I believe to be the correct Valvolene filter, but it only came with 1 "o" ring - I may take it back and go to Hyundai - any idea on the price from Hyundai??

Thanks again, don't know why they can't include the simple stuff in their owners manuals.

 

FYI: this should help:
The Elusive Wapiti: WapitiVersity: How To Change the Oil on a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.3 l

I get my filters from Hyundai Parts Online Parts & Accessories Catalog and pay about $5.50/ea. That includes the filter, 2 O-rings and a oil pan plug crush washer.

 

NovaResource's description of the filter is correct for the 3.3 and 3.8 Lambda I engine, but the filter configuration was changed slightly for the 3.5 liter Lambda II in your wife's Santa Fe. The -3CAA0 filter is still a cartridge type of similar size to the -3C250, but the oil sump drain plug is not part of the center spindle. The sump drain plug is now a short peg (with the small o-ring already installed) on the bottom plate of the filter itself. The filter only comes with one separate large o-ring for the cap in the kit. You need to make sure the drain plug on the filter engages the drain in the bottom of the sump when you install it. I guess too many folks damaged engines by either not replacing the small o-ring on the spindle or forgetting to replace it after removing the old one.

 

Interesting. I was not aware of that. Thanks.