I changed my oil today in my 2.7L Santa Fe and my oil indicator came on immediately afterwards. I have not driven the car - the engine was on for just about 2 minutes following the oil change. I used a genuine Hyundai oil filter and Mobil 1. What could be wrong? I'm thinking I might have overfilled it as the dipstick is wet way above the indicator. What should I do?

 

The extra oil on the dip stick is what should have pumped into the filter when you started the engine. You have two minutes run time on dry bearings. You were wise to shut it down, but now the motor is on borrowed time everytime it is started. I would not run the engine any more, but have the vehicle towed to a dealership or mechanic. You may have a defective filter causing the problem, but I'd let a trained mechanic resolve the matter. They will know where to plumb in a gauge to read immediate flow and pressure off the pump and figure out if it is working right or not.

 

Ok. I did something incredibly stupid. Researching this all night I realized that I put in 5 quarts of Mobil 1 into the Tranny dipstick hole. What should I do now? I will obviously fill the motor oil chamber with oil, but I have engine oil in the tranny - a lot of it. Is this drivable half a mile to a local shop to do a tranny flush? Should I have it towed? Is my transmission ruined? Is my engine ruined?

 

You have two issues to deal with here: 1) a dry motor with no oil in it and 2) a tranny partially filled with the wrong fluid. If you had not started the engine for two minutes, I would suggest you simply drain the transmissions and fill it back up with SPIII. Since the engine has been run, the Mobil 1 is well mixed with the existing fluid and there is nothing short of a full flushing that will solve that dilemma.

I suggest you secure the engine situation first. Pour 5 quarts of motor oil into the filler port on top of the motor and start it up only long enough to confirm the engine has oil pressure, 15 to 20 seconds at most. Shut it off and perform the usual check for leaks around the filter and the drain plug. Use the dip stick on the motor to check the level and top it off if needed. I would have the car towed to a Hyundai dealership or an independent shop (so long as they know what fluid to use) and explain what has happened.

Running an engine dry is not the best for it, but it ran such a short time and you did not describe any other symptoms like smoke, that the motor was not turning over very easy or that some of the cylinders had started to misfire. If the motors turns over and starts normally AFTER you pour oil into it, I think it will be OK.

I doubt it, but I would not run it any more than necessary. I don't think the Mobil 1 will have any adverese effect on the mechanical workings inside the tranmission, but the material used in the seals is at risk. Motor oils have different detergent additives that likely are not compatable with the tranny seals. A flushing should solve this problem.

 

Thanks. I put 5 quarts of Mobil 1 into the engine, and started it. After a gushing sound for a couple of seconds, the engine is turning over normally and sounds normal.

Second, I drained approximately 5 qts of the mobil/tranny fluid mix from the tranny by opening the tranny drain valve.

Now the nearest Hyundai dealer is over 10 miles away. Rather than have it towed there, I'm going to have one of two independent shops in 1/2 mile of me look at it. I'll have to buy the tranny fluid myself and give it to them I suppose.

A couple of questions:
- How much fluid should I buy for a complete flush?
- What should I ask the independent shops to determine if they are capable of performing this job? Do they need some special equipment? I'm just not sure what to ask.
- Is the car safe to drive 1/2 mile to the shop? or is towing still recommended?

Thank you so much for your help and advice.

 

What year is your Santa Fe? The capacity of the transmission should be listed in the owner's manual.

Ask if they perform a true flush service for automatic transmissions or simply drain the pan and replace the fluid. Explain the situation. There are not too many shops that are not equiped for this type of service.

I am not sure what to say. If I had accidentally poured a quart of motor oil or off-type tranny fluid into the tranmission, I think I would risk driving it a short distance knowing that the dilution factor would be 8 or 10 to 1. With 5 quarts, it is likely that at least 1/3 of the fluid is motor oil. Ask youself this question...is a short tow for $100 a better investment than a total tranny rebuild for $2,000. I, personally, would pay for the tow.

 

If the transmission was full and operating OK, how did you get it to take 5 quarts without overflowing?

 

Apparently there is enough space in there to take an additional 5qts without overflowing. The level on the dipstick was high.

So I realized yesterday that a full transmission flush can only be done by a Hyundai dealership, as no other place has the SP III Fluid in drums hooked to the flush machine, and you need one of those machines to do a proper flush. Buying the fluid in bottles does not work as the fluid needs to be in a drum.

 

There are lots of void space in an automatic transmission, so I'm not surprised the tranny held the extra 5 quarts without overflowing. Anonymouse never ran the engine long enough to bring the tranny to full operating temperature. If he had, between fluid expansion and frothing up the extra fluid, I'm sure he would have had a good chocolate mess on his hands.

 

Well the Santy is now working again. The dealer bent me over for $387/- for the flush - more than twice the price of a regular transmission flush (said they needed to use 20qts of fluid). That, plus the $85 tow made that the most expensive oil change of my life. They sent me away with dire warnings that the transmission is likely to have problems anyway, and this voids the warranty.

Ken - thanks for your assistance.