New engine question for HyundaiTech

Now that the Sonata engines use Timing chains (with tensioners) and Variable
valve timing, is there any issue with the extended oil (regular, non-severe)
change interval? I am assuming that these are hydraulic actuated. Do you
think that this may be an concern as these engines get more miles on them?
It is covered by the 100,000/10Yr warranty (right?) but most of us expect
engines nowdays to last a lot longer that this.

--

 

I'd recommend not trying to eke out extra miles in your oil change
interval. The variable valve timing is oil pressure activated, so if you
get enough sludge buildup to block that passage, you're probably looking
at a new cylinder head or at least sending the head to the machine shop to
be hot tanked.

The engine is indeed covered by the 10 year/100,000 mile warranty.

 

So what DO you recommend?? I've been sticking to 5,000 miles between
changes myself because I run about 50-50 "normal" and "severe" duty usage.
Is that reasonable/recommended?

Eric

 

I'm one of those people that thinks 3,000 mile oil changes are a good idea.
So that's what I'd recommend.

But you'll probably need to take that with a grain of salt. There's a
large amount of disagreement among even professionals about oil change
intervals. So, at the very least, I'd recommend not going any farther
than you would on any other engine, and perhaps change the oil a little
sooner. Again, you'll need to weigh your own personal philosophy on this.

 

For example, the professionals at Hyundai and pretty much every other
car manufacturer recommend much longer change intervals, typically
varying from 5K - 10K miles for normal use. Modern oils are much better
than those available when the 3K oil change became the defacto standard.

 

The car manufacturers are interested in selling reliable cars. The guy that
changes my oil puts the reminder sticker on the windshield with that 3000
mile interval, now questions asked. Just a guess on my part, but his
motives are probably different. He just likes my company when I visit.

I change between 5000 and 7500 and have done so for various engines and
never had an oil related failure at up to 230,000 miles. About half of my
driving is highway and trips of 25 miles to work. If I lived in North
Dakota, drove 2 miles to work, I'd probably go closer to the 3000.

 

I always go with the 5k. It is very easy to tell when an oil change is
due....5,10,15 etc etc.

All I look at is the first couple of digits ot the odometer. If it is
divisible by 5 I do the oil change. Some may be a little less or a
little more than 5k actual miles. A lot of times if you try to do it
at at the exact interval you will end up forgetting about it all
together. that is much worse.

The machinery process of today, the filters themselves and the oil is
much better than the 70s and 80s. Anyone that reccomends that it be
changed more often, I question their motives.

All that being said, if you live in an extremely dusty environment,
you may need to do it more often, but I think that 5 k on the filter
and oil will work for 98% of the population.

 

Time is a better criteria for determining oil chang
intervals or a combination of time and milage. The reasoning goe
like this: if a car is driven short distances, especially if th
engine does not completely warm up, the oil gets much dirtier faste
than long trips of say 10 miles or more. So if the car is driven
lot of miles the change interval can be longer because the oil stay
cleaner. I learned this when I drove a car only 1.5 miles per tri
four times per day. 1,000 miles was too long and the oil came ou
with globs of stuff in it. I think if one reads the manua
carefully, this is what ir is trying to say

 

While the oil is just sitting there, not much happens. There are two basic
reasons oil needs to be changed:

1. Contaminants in the oil from the inherent blowby past the piston rings
in an internal combustion engine.

2. Collection of water in oil due to condensation.


#1 occurs only when the engine is running, but is worse when the engine is
cold.

#2 primarily occurs due to the normal heating and cooling of the engine.
The four 1.5 mile trips each day probably maximized the amount of
condensation per mile. Condensation can also occur to a small degree even
if the engine isn't started, if the normal temperature variation and
relative humidity are high enough.

 

I recall reading, some years ago, that it takes about 10 to 5 miles of
driving in cold weather for the oil to reach proper temperature and rid
itself of condensation. I don't know if that is still a good number or not.