Hyundai Sonata 06 3.3L v6 oil help

Bendery It Like Beckham

I just changed the oil, and the oil filter. Well, the oil filter i bought is the one everyone (the maker and the interbutt) says to buy. Ch9999. Alright, cool, got it, installed it, can't get the cap of the filter to close all the way. It screws to the gasget, but that's all... still close to an 8th of an inch left open. I've driven it about 5 miles and so far no spray or leakage from the filter. Should i grab a wrench and try and close it to the point it was in when i first changed the filter? The new filter is a little bit larger then the old one as it has plastic parts on the top and bottom to help seal the filter better, the one i changed was just the fabric.

ApexMirage

I'd just bring it in somewhere to have it looked at. Most places wont charge you afaik just for looking at something.

Bendery It Like Beckham

ApexMirage wrote: »

I'd just bring it in somewhere to have it looked at. Most places wont charge you afaik just for looking at something.

yes they will.

Pheezer

You shouldn't wrench a filter on, you'll just strip it and after it heats up and cools down a few hundred times between now and you next oil change you'll never get it off. Hand tighten it as far as you possibly can, and then wait and see. Check your oil every other day for the next week or so, if the level doesn't change, I'd say you're safe to stop worrying.

ApexMirage

Guess i'm glad i'm in canada then >_> I went in to have them check my transmission fluid level because i dont have a dipstick to check it myself, the guy took the 15 min to get my car on the thingy, raise it up, check it and give me an explanation... he then proceeded to ask his boss if he should charge me, and the boss said no.

I still stay stop by and ask them if they'd charge to take a look. Worst case explain it to them like you explained it to us, and if they charge you for that then they should go to hell.

Fats

My first thought was a leftover o-ring that didn't come out with the old filter, but then I found this. It wouldn't surprise me if Fram was turning out filters with shitty tolerances.

RUNN1NGMAN

I always used OEM filters in my car. When you said the one you bought was "little bit larger then the old one as it has plastic parts on the top and bottom to help seal the filter better" that raised my eyebrows a little.

Contrary to some advice give above, it's perfectly fine to use a socket wrench to tighten the oil filter cap. The advice on hand-tightening only applies to canister style filters. Just make sure you don't over-torque it. The threads on oil filter housings and caps are pretty robust, as long as you're not cross-threading them you shouldn't have to worry about stripping them. And since the cap doesn't get replaced, there's going to be residue and dirt that's going to make getting a hand-tight seal pretty much impossible.

YourFatAuntSusan

It's pretty recommended on Hyundai forums to go with an OEM Hyundai oil filter as they're generally better quality than your big box store filter. Plus it's made to fit your car exactly.

ps: Nice car, Sonata's are sexy.