My engine light has been flickering the last two days.

I have a 2006 santa fe. 34000 miles. Oil change every 3000. No issues until the other day. Only use shell.

The car at times runs a little rough, slight vibration but not constant. In the morning a strong sucking sound can be heard before it warms up. Temp guage shows the temp between quater and half- it has always been just over the quater mark. So there has been slight increase in temp of the engine. I am also due for an oil change.

I had the code read at autozone. Said it shows lean gas. ( alas I did not get the actual code!) He said it Could be fuel injector or o2 sensor-down side I think he said. It was on the exhaust pipes around the cat.

So...I added a fuel injector cleaner, upped the gas level from shell 87 to 92- has made a slight difference. But the light still flickers now and then.

So could some one show me a picture of where the o2 sensors are on the exhaust. I can not find a repair manual and I have looked and have not been able to locate it.

Also what would be the best option is not using the stock o2 part? Bosh? I do not want to splice anything either.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

And a little off topic...for oil changes what filters other then stock do any of you use? The manual says any oil can be used =the dealer said only 5-20. What has been your experience?

Thanks in advance

R

 

Some guys swear by Autozone, but I find they use their code readers to sell unneeded parts any chance they get. In my opinion, any code they pull that involves an O2 sensor is an automatic sale for a replacement sensor, regardless of the issue. Enough of that.

You didn't say which engine you have, but in 2006 I think the SF came with only the 2.7L Delta V6 or the 3.5 liter Sigma V6 (derived from the Delta). The actual code that was found is important because both of these engines have 4 O2 sensors on them. For each bank of cylinders, there a sensor mounted upstream of the CAT and one mounted downstream from the CAT. The code will identify which bank and which sensor within the bank is acting abnormal. Given mileage and year of the vehicle, this repair should be covered by warrenty at a dealership.

On my 08 Sonata, with the Lambda V6 engine that use a cartridge style filter, I have used Wix made filters (either Wix or NAPA brands) a couple of times. There is no bypass valve on a cartridge filter, which has been an issue on some Hyundai engines that use the spin-on canister style filter. The Wix cartridge filters have always come with the proper o-rings and seem to fit fine. On my daughter's 09 Sonata with the I4 Theta engine, which does use the canister filter, I stuck with the Hyundai OEM filter. The engines in your Santa Fe also use the canister type. Others will comment they have had good luck with other brands.

Follow the guidelines in the owners manual. Tighter manufacturing tolerances have permited car makers to use lighter weight oils which improves the MPGs. I have been using 5W-20 in both Sonatas since day 1 and neither uses a stitch of oil. I have a neighbor with a 07 Santa Fe running 5W-30 because he pulls a light trailer occassionally (like 2 days a year) and says 5W-20 is simply too light to be any good. Both uses are within the Hyundai guidelines.

 

Oh yes, I forgot to answer this part of your posting. Go to:

http://www.hmaservice.com

All the technical info you need. Registration is free. The site requires the IE6+ browser and there are a few Adobe helper apps (especially the SVG image viewer) you have to load.

 

Hi Ken,

Thanks for the feedback. The engine is a 2.7. Guess that would have helped.

Good points about the selling of products, did not really think about that. So noted.

I took the car for a really long drive today and the light has out. So I am thinking that it could also be that, because I have a very short commute-less than 2 miles to work to work it can also be simply carbon build up. So 2 hours on the highway might have cleared it up. I'll have to watch it over the next few days.

I am the second owner of the car so parts will be covered but no labor. When I check it out the part costs as much as they want to charge me to put the sensor in. So I am trying to find the cheapest work around and still keep the warranty. I am thinking it might be just as easy to buy the part and find a garage who charges less in labour. With receipts I can fight the issue if there is a problem down the line.

Thanks for the input about oil. Thankfully I have no issues with burning oil at this point either. And yes it does take the spin canister.

My car does have a tow hitch and we were planning to travel with a small trailer so I am now thinking it would be best to go with the 5-30. I am thinking I will buy the filter from the dealer and use Valvoline and to pinch a few more dollars and do it at home.

I heard of one guy who made sure to take pics-with digital time stamp of his work so that again if there were any issues he could prove that it was done. So I think I will be doing that as well. Maybe I am over doing it.. but I guess better safe than sorry.

And again thank you for the link to the service website. I will be making good use of that!

Best to you and happy holidays.

Rob

 

Rob - I suggest you review the Hyundai warrenty coverage as described at their web site:

http://www.hyundaiusa.com/warranty.aspx

Your Santa Fe should covered by the 5 year/60,000 mile new car coverage. I was never been told by Hyundai when I had my only claim that this coverage was parts only. If the light comes back on, I would contact a local Hyundai service manager.

Something that can make the engine lean and throw an O2 sensor error code is a vacuum hose or intake manifold leak. I would check all the hoses under the hood for leaks. You can spray carb cleaner in small bursts on the manifold gasket with the engine running. If leaking, the engine will suck in the cleaner and run rough for a few seconds. These items are easy to check and fix. You may also consider cleaning the deposits on the throttle body butterfly valve and perhaps the mass airflow sensor mounted in the air intake tube. The MAF will require a special cleaner, but those are readily available.

Don't forget to replace the aluminum crush washer on the pan drain plug.

I have an old manila envelop that I stuff receipts into. Seems to work.

Same to you...

 

Ken,

Thanks! Really good points.

I had an old Bronco come to think of it which had a vacuum leak and showed similar symptoms.

While I am not a mechanic, checking these things out are totally do able.

I will also check out some other dealerships in the area and see what they have to say on the warranty issue as well.

I really appreciate the time you have taken to help me out.

Rob

 

Whenever I do any work on my 2005 Santa Fe I use OEM parts. You can buy them at the dealer or you can usually find them other places like
ebay or amazon.com for much less.

As for the oil filter, I use Hyundai. Before going to an aftermarket one or to help choose the best aftermarket one google "Engine Oil Filter Study". I believe the guy's name is Russ Knize.

Personally I think changing your oil every 3,000 miles is a waste of money and oil. If you use a good quality oil and filter and change it regularly according to the manufacturers recommendations you should be all set. The only true way to find out how your oil is doing is to have an oil analysis done. I use Blackstone Labs. Basically you take a sample of your engine oil next time you change it and send it to them in the kit they provide you with. They'll anaylyze your oil and tell you whether or not you should change it more often or you can go longer between oil changes. They'll also tell you things about your engine and anything else that should/shouldn't be in the oil. Good luck.

John