3.8 Oil Level on New Genesis Shows High

[Mark_888]

I checked the oil level on my 3.8 V6 today and it appeared to be about 3/4 of a quart high (based on the distance between "F" and "L" level on the dipstick). My engine has about 700 miles on it, and I checked the oil level after the car sat idle overnight.

Does the oil from the top filter drain back into the crankcase affecting the oil level? The manual says wait about 5 minutes after the engine has stopped to check the oil level, but is there is a problem in waiting longer than 5 minutes?

Maybe others with the the V6 that have not had an oil change yet could check their oil level and comment on this.

 

[rpenland]

Waiting for more than 5 minutes (or much longer for that matter) should not be a problem. As info, when I got my 3.8 it was 1/2 quart LOW.

 

[Gimli]

Make sure you're on level ground when you check the oil level.

 

[EdVoylesHyundai]

As Gimli said, make sure the car is on level ground. Also, make sure that you remove the dipstick, wipe it clean and then insert and remove to check the level. On many cars, when the oil is draining back into the pan, it will contact the dipstick and make it read high unless you wipe it first. Also, the level should be indicated by the point below which the entire stick is saturated with oil. If there is a bit of oil running up one side of the dipstick, that just means the dipstick is rubbing on something when inserted or removed that has oil on it.

Letting the car sit overnight should not change the reading significantly, but try running the motor and then waiting 5 minutes to see if your results are the same.

Does that help?

 

[Mark_888]

The car is on a level surface when it shows high. I have been looking at dipsticks for over 40 years on various cars I have owned, and I have changed my own oil many times, but I will check it out again.

One thing I noticed is that their seems to be a discrepancy in the amount of oil required for drain and fill on the 3.8 V6 in various Hyundai documentation. Since I have not had an oil change yet, I have no idea which is correct.

From http://www.hmaservice.com (under SHOP tab, Engine Mechanical/Lubrication/Engine Oil)
Engine Oil quantity
Total : 6.0 L (6.34 US qt, 5.27 lmp qt)
Oil pan : 5.5 L (5.81 US qt, 4.83 lmp qt)
Drain and refill including oil filter : 5.2 L (4.49 US qt, 4.57 lmp qt)

From Owners Manual (pg 8-4):
Engine oil (drain and refill) 3.8L - 5.49 US qt. (5.2 l)

 

[EdVoylesHyundai]

The car is on a level surface when it shows high. I have been looking at dipsticks for over 40 years on various cars I have owned, and I have changed my own oil many times, but I will check it out again.

One thing I noticed is that their seems to be a discrepancy in the amount of oil required for drain and fill on the 3.8 V6 in various Hyundai documentation. Since I have not had an oil change yet, I have no idea which is correct.

From http://www.hmaservice.com (under SHOP tab, Engine Mechanical/Lubrication/Engine Oil)
Engine Oil quantity
Total : 6.0 L (6.34 US qt, 5.27 lmp qt)
Oil pan : 5.5 L (5.81 US qt, 4.83 lmp qt)
Drain and refill including oil filter : 5.2 L (4.49 US qt, 4.57 lmp qt)

From Owners Manual (pg 8-4):
Engine oil (drain and refill) 3.8L - 5.49 US qt. (5.2 l)

Mark, the drain/fill is listed at 5.2L from both sources. I think HMAService has a typo. It should read 5.49 US qt also.

 

[Texman]

Mark, I have the same problem. My dealer changed the oil and two days later I checked and it was about 3/4" over full. I took it back to the dealer and they drained and refilled it. We checked it before leaving and it was on the money. The next day before starting I checked and it was again 3/4" over full. I will be going back Monday.

 

[Mark_888]

Mark, the drain/fill is listed at 5.2L from both sources. I think HMAService has a typo. It should read 5.49 US qt also.

Thanks for spotting that.

 

[Mark_888]

Mark, I have the same problem. My dealer changed the oil and two days later I checked and it was about 3/4" over full. I took it back to the dealer and they drained and refilled it. We checked it before leaving and it was on the money. The next day before starting I checked and it was again 3/4" over full. I will be going back Monday.

I wonder if some extra oil gets drained from the filter after leaving it over-night?

 

[Texman]

I'm thinking that the tech doesn't let the oil drain long enough and some is still in before refilling.

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[Mark_888]

I checked the dipstick again, this time 5 minutes after shutting off the engine. It was right a the F level. Then checked it again the next day (without driving it since previous day) and it showed about 3/8 qt over the F level. So I am assuming that the oil is draining from the oil filter if you leave the car long enough without driving it.

 

[EdVoylesHyundai]

Thanks for doing the legwork, Mark. Sounds like oil is draining down to the pan overnight. The oil filter is at the highest point on the engine, so it makes sense that it might drain to the pan over time.

Now we know why the manual states to check oil 5 mins after shutting off.

 

[brihvac]

This is a very bad design because it starves the engine for oil when you first start it up. Thats why Im getting that dry tap on cold start ups. This can't be good on the engine

 

[Nabber]

This is a very bad design because it starves the engine for oil when you first start it up. Thats why Im getting that dry tap on cold start ups. This can't be good on the engine

Learned of these from the boating world... The best oil additive is Pressure!

 

[Mark_888]

I have resolved one problem--that of getting an accurate and consistent reading on the V6 dipstick. Make sure the oil filler cap is unscrewed before taking a dipstick reading. Apparently when the oil filler cap is screwed on, their is enough suction to draw oil up the dipstick when you try and pull it out, making it almost impossible to read properly.

The oil level still shows about 1/2 quart high after sitting for awhile (when adding 5.5 quarts during an oil change), but I am assuming this is because the top mounted oil filter drains back into the crankcase. My car showed 1/2 quart high when I purchased it with 20 miles on the OD (as others have reported) and the dipstick is slightly discolored at the 1/2 quart high reading, suggesting that it came from factory with that same level.

 

[mrgenesis2009]

I tried unscrewing the filler cap. It did seem to come out a little cleaner and more consisting. How do you know it is 1/2 quart high? Is the distance between the two indicators one quart? Also I seem to be a little high as well right after turning the engine off. Either my oil is immediately draining out of the oil filter or I actually am too high. I used one whole "mobil 1" 5 quart jug and a half quart. I did this twice because I was too worried about being too full the first time. That was an expensive flush.

I tried talking to Hyundai mechanics at my local dealer and I got two different answers which leads me to think that they really don't know for sure.

One said that I should only put in 5 quarts.

Any input would be appreciated.

Ben

 

[Mark_888]

I tried unscrewing the filler cap. It did seem to come out a little cleaner and more consisting. How do you know it is 1/2 quart high? Is the distance between the two indicators one quart? Also I seem to be a little high as well right after turning the engine off. Either my oil is immediately draining out of the oil filter or I actually am too high. I used one whole "mobil 1" 5 quart jug and a half quart. I did this twice because I was too worried about being too full the first time. That was an expensive flush.

I tried talking to Hyundai mechanics at my local dealer and I got two different answers which leads me to think that they really don't know for sure.

One said that I should only put in 5 quarts.

Any input would be appreciated.

Ben

What I mean is that it reads about 1/2 quart high based on the distance between the F and L marks on the dipstick. Maybe it is closer to 3/4 quart high. I have come to the conclusion that it is supposed to read high for the following reasons:

1. The factory fill (I assume since I bought the car with 20 miles on OD) read the same when I checked the oil soon after purchase.

2. The dipstick (soon after purchase) was (and still is) slightly discolored at the mark about 1/2 quart (or 3/4 quart) high, as if the factory fill amount discolored it a little from sitting in their for several months before I purchased the car (my car was made in October 2008 and purchased in early January 2009).

3. All of the above "high" readings were when I (and others) drain the oil and put in the amount specified (5.5 quarts) in the owners manual back into the crankcase.

4. The oil drains out of the top mounted filter when the engine is off (I know that because I have changed the filter twice already).

All of the above being said, I have no way of being 100% sure that 5.5 quarts is the right amount of oil to use on drain and fill, or whether the above conclusions are correct. It would be nice if someone at HMA would clear this up.

I also asked a service writer at my dealer, who took me into the shop and asked a tech, but even though the tech told me to use the amount specified in the owners manual, I don't think the tech ever changed the oil on a V6 Genesis Sedan (at least at the time I asked about 6 months ago), and he did not seem all that sharp anyway.

 

[mrgenesis2009]

Thanks Mark 888! I appreciate you taking the time to respond and I suspect other Genesis owners can benefit from this the more we talk about it. I too hope that someone from Hyundai will shed more light on the details on this matter to help calm worried owners.

The genesis is a great car and I hope to enjoy it for a long time. I tend to keep my cars for along time so I want to make sure this one starts out right in terms of maintenance. I've been doing my own oil changes and repairs since I was a teenager so this is not new to me. Something as simple as an oil change should never be this unclear.

In my mind I should be able to put in a 5 quart jug of oil. Then I should be able to check the oil level and begin to add as necessary to reach the "F" mark. Then I should be able to start the engine and let the oil circulate in the engine to fill the oil filter. After that I can check again and add as necessary again to reach the Full mark. Then and only then can I know that the oil is exactly where it should be regardless of the amount specified.

The best I can do is just add 5.5 US quarts and hope for the best at this point and if anything goes wrong all I can do is blame Hyundai and say I followed their instructions.

I document everything I do on a spreadsheet. Date, mileage, oil quantity used, oil specification and brand, filter brand and model number. I only have 2500 miles on my car and I have already changed the oil twice.

Next time I do my oil change, I'll just add 4.5 quarts lower the car and see what it reads then while the filler cap is unscrewed. I'll report back my findings then.

Ben

 

[CUMan]

I think Mark 888 is correct in the comments he made about the oil level on the dipstick. I too have noticed the discoloration above the full level on my car's dipstick and assumed that this was a result of the oil level being above the full mark for long periods of time.

Most cars use the spin-on filters which have anti-drainback gaskets as a standard feature. The cartridge type filters such as those on the Genesis apparently do not have this. It would seem that Hyundai does not place much value on the need to prevent oil from draining out of the filter. I would think that the empty filter results in a short delay before the engine reaches proper oil pressure on start-up; however, I have no idea how important this is as regards engine longevity.

 

[Mark_888]

I think Mark 888 is correct in the comments he made about the oil level on the dipstick. I too have noticed the discoloration above the full level on my car's dipstick and assumed that this was a result of the oil level being above the full mark for long periods of time.

Most cars use the spin-on filters which have anti-drainback gaskets as a standard feature. The cartridge type filters such as those on the Genesis apparently do not have this. It would seem that Hyundai does not place much value on the need to prevent oil from draining out of the filter. I would think that the empty filter results in a short delay before the engine reaches proper oil pressure on start-up; however, I have no idea how important this is as regards engine longevity.

The cartridge system that is used on the Genesis (V6 and V8) is made by a well-known vendor and used in several other high-end cars. What makes the Genesis V6 different (at least different from the Genesis V8) is that filter is on top of the engine and facing in such a way that the oil drains back into the engine when the engine is off. I don't really know if it is a problem during startup or not. But since I am using synthetic oil, I think I am mitigating the danger to some degree.