Hyundai - Disappearing Oil

rkouchi

*No oil on the driveway
*No oil on the engine block
*No smoke coming from the tailpipe

2011 Hyundai Sonata
Burned 5 quarts of oil in 6000 miles. Does this sound right to you? No warning light of any kind.

jlindh

How many times did you check the oil in those 6000 miles??? Your warning should have come when you checked the oil level.

fushigi

Given that in modern cars the oil change interval is growing longer & longer, and given that most manufacturer's still state that some oil consumption, usually up to a quart every thousand miles, is considered normal, we as consumers are going to have to get back in the habit of checking our oil levels between changes.

I know I've been bad about it lately, but I'll make a point to check the oil level every couple of months (easy to do with a calendar reminder on my phone). I suggest you do the same, adjusting the time so that you're checking the oil level no less often than every 2,000 miles.

thecardoc3

In fact it really can be normal for an engine to use oil at this rate. If you look elsewhere in this very forum you'll find people who have GM vehicles that when the oil level drops, complain about the light that is coming on and alerting them! Their vehicle through engineering and planning solves this "problem", and they are bashing GM for it. This Hyundai doesn't have this ability, and here it cost you an engine and you are wishing it would have had a warning display.

As in that thread, I point out engines use oil, they have to in order to lubricate the piston rings, and the valve stems and guides. With ever longer drain intervals, the need for consumers to actively check and control the oil levels in their engines has never been as important as it is today. Plus, you must be sure to choose the correct oil, which for now with your Hyundai would be the correct viscosity, and API SN , ILSAC GF5.

Where are all the experts who love to bash auto mechanics when a consumer suffers a preventable failure like you did here? Oh, that's right they are too busy bashing us and trying to save you the occasional $20-$30.

sivicman

You know I've been ridiculed from time to time how I waste my money on oil changes. I am old school and I've always changed my oil every 3K miles despite what all the dealers and mfg's say about today's motor oil. I always use Mobil 1 (since 1987) and a good quality filter and I've NEVER had a engine failure. The way I look at it, it's my money to waste and it helps me sleep better at night. Even on lease cars that I ran regular dino oil, I still changed the oil every 3K miles. My friends think I'm nuts, but you'll never see me on the side of the road. Preventive maintenance is key to any vehicle.

fishman17

My wife has a 2007 Accent with 81,000 miles. I changed the oil every 3,700 miles since new and then about 4 years ago started using Mobil 5w20 as noted as OEM viscosity (5,000 mile intervals). I have done most of the changes myself. What the car has been doing is that when you go around a hard right hand turn, it starts to stall, lose power and blow blue smoke for a moment or two and then it is fine. Example of this would be an onramp. The Dealer said that they never heard of this before. The car has been using a quart of oil every 600 miles and more in the summer. I spoke to an independent garage and he said that he has seen valve guides go on these motors. Also the Dealer claims that Hyundai needs receipts from all the oil I bought for it. When I said that a receipt from Walmart that is 5 years old is blank! They had no comment. I documented the service work on pages in order so you can see when, where and what was done. They do everything they can not to honor the 10year/ 100,000 mile engine warranty. I have owned at least 20 cars and never have had oil consumption issue. I even sold high end European cars for 13 years. Has anyone heard of such a bizarre situation with these cars?

Mr_Shiftright

The valve guide theory sounds pretty good to me. As for the problem with receipts, keep in mind that the dealer doesn't control the warranty, the factory does, so you have to direct your appeals to them.

thecardoc3

There have been numerous reports of warranties denied when proper service wasn't verifiable, and while Hyundai has a lot of them other manufacturers have also been cracking down too. As far as the vehicle symptoms if you take the oil cap off while idling and then snap the throttle do you see a lot of blow-by gasses coming out? If so then the rings are sticking and that is a common failure due to the use of engine oils that failed to adequately protect against deposits in the ring-lands. Excessive blow-by could result in oil that is pooling inside the intake and that might be allowing some of it to be drawn into the cylinders when cornering hard and accelerating.

While valve guide wear is possible, there is usually some associated upper engine noise. Can you hear some valve train noise? Hard cornering shouldn't result in the engine ingesting some of the oil from that alone unless there is more oil trapped at the top of the engine than there really should be and that suggests that there may be clogged oil returns from sludge deposits.

Mr_Shiftright

That's what I was thinking. Too much oil trapped in the upper engine, which then leaks through the valve guides/seals when hard cornering.

fishman17

will probably have the Dealer take the valve cover off. I worked for the Dealer network for 13 years and made them millions in sales profit.....250k per year average for 13 years....yeah. They know how I take care of cars so a little push should move them and the Manufacturer. I have to laugh, I changed the oil every 3,500 when Hyundai was at 7,000. Now they are at 3,500....mmm they must know something and will not tell. I believe they are hiding something. You cannot take care of a vehicle that well and have this type of issue. A general defect screams at me. I saw even Mercedes with these issues frequently. Heck look at VW, but this just tells me that everyone will take short cuts to get it done and hope they don't get caught. $$$$$$$ is the game.

thecardoc3

fishman17 said:

I have to laugh, I changed the oil every 3,500 when Hyundai was at 7,000. Now they are at 3,500....mmm they must know something and will not tell. I believe they are hiding something.

Do more research on the issue. The problems that occurred have to do with the specifications of the oil products that were used, not the engine.

fishman17 said:

You cannot take care of a vehicle that well and have this type of issue. A general defect screams at me. I saw even Mercedes with these issues frequently.

Mercedes issues from their dealers making the technicians service the cars with products that failed to meet their specifications is well known and resulted in Mercedes losing a $150 million class action suit.

fishman17 said:

Heck look at VW, but this just tells me that everyone will take short cuts to get it done and hope they don't get caught. $$$$$$$ is the game.

It only takes one person to make your statement false, everyone does not take shortcuts. But as far as getting caught in the money game, if you would of had this serviced by a top shop and had all of the documentation you wouldn't be in this situation for at least the warranty denial. What's more is that had the vehicle been serviced with a more appropriate product it easily could have gone 7000 miles between services and not encountered this failure. The API SM and ILSAC GF4 failed to protect the engines correctly in certain circumstances. Meanwhile products that had approvals exceeding that standard (ACEA A1/B1-A5/B5) would have done just fine.

stefan123

Please replace your PCV valve. I had the same exact disappearing oil issue at 100,000 miles...over a quart in 1,000 miles and solved it by replacing the PCV valve for under $20. The old valve did not appear to be plugged. However, the ball and spring inside appeared to be very loose. My theory is that the spring in the valve wore out causing it to stay open or open under very little engine pressure. The easily opened valve caused a constant outflow of oil vapors to be sent out to the combustion chamber to be burned off and expelled out the exhaust. I'd like to know what others think. The PCV valve controls engine pressure and opens when excessive pressure could cause damage to seals and gaskets. I'm critical of the oil & lube establishment for not suggesting replacement of the PCV valve the first time the vehicle came in low on oil. A customer with a Sonata that suddenly starts to consume oil at 100,000 miles should be advised of the PCV valve change suggestion.

2015

well for all you people who have been brainwashed into believing it is normal for an engine to consume a litre of oil every 1000 kilometers is just simply not so and all the other excuses used by Hyundai are simply not true I thought we were trying to save the planet not kill it it is a joke that people actually believe this crap my 2015 burns oil at an alarming rate if I do 2000 kilometers in a week that is 2 litres in a week normal I beg to differ being a mechanic for the last 40 years Hyundai needs to step up and refund our money or put new non oil burning engines in these vehicles cause believe me there is more than my sonata consuming the oil out ther

2015

stefan123 said:

Please replace your PCV valve. I had the same exact disappearing oil issue at 100,000 miles...over a quart in 1,000 miles and solved it by replacing the PCV valve for under $20. The old valve did not appear to be plugged. However, the ball and spring inside appeared to be very loose. My theory is that the spring in the valve wore out causing it to stay open or open under very little engine pressure. The easily opened valve caused a constant outflow of oil vapors to be sent out to the combustion chamber to be burned off and expelled out the exhaust. I'd like to know what others think. The PCV valve controls engine pressure and opens when excessive pressure could cause damage to seals and gaskets. I'm critical of the oil & lube establishment for not suggesting replacement of the PCV valve the first time the vehicle came in low on oil. A customer with a Sonata that suddenly starts to consume oil at 100,000 miles should be advised of the PCV valve change suggestion.

2015

well if true you are one of the few lucky ones

2015

thecardoc3 said:

In fact it really can be normal for an engine to use oil at this rate. If you look elsewhere in this very forum you'll find people who have GM vehicles that when the oil level drops, complain about the light that is coming on and alerting them! Their vehicle through engineering and planning solves this "problem", and they are bashing GM for it. This Hyundai doesn't have this ability, and here it cost you an engine and you are wishing it would have had a warning display.

As in that thread, I point out engines use oil, they have to in order to lubricate the piston rings, and the valve stems and guides. With ever longer drain intervals, the need for consumers to actively check and control the oil levels in their engines has never been as important as it is today. Plus, you must be sure to choose the correct oil, which for now with your Hyundai would be the correct viscosity, and API SN , ILSAC GF5.

Where are all the experts who love to bash auto mechanics when a consumer suffers a preventable failure like you did here? Oh, that's right they are too busy bashing us and trying to save you the occasional $20-$30.

2015

you my friend are full of it and I do not mean oil

2015

thecardoc3 said:

In fact it really can be normal for an engine to use oil at this rate. If you look elsewhere in this very forum you'll find people who have GM vehicles that when the oil level drops, complain about the light that is coming on and alerting them! Their vehicle through engineering and planning solves this "problem", and they are bashing GM for it. This Hyundai doesn't have this ability, and here it cost you an engine and you are wishing it would have had a warning display.

As in that thread, I point out engines use oil, they have to in order to lubricate the piston rings, and the valve stems and guides. With ever longer drain intervals, the need for consumers to actively check and control the oil levels in their engines has never been as important as it is today. Plus, you must be sure to choose the correct oil, which for now with your Hyundai would be the correct viscosity, and API SN , ILSAC GF5.

Where are all the experts who love to bash auto mechanics when a consumer suffers a preventable failure like you did here? Oh, that's right they are too busy bashing us and trying to save you the occasional $20-$30.

thecardoc3 said:

fishman17 said:

I have to laugh, I changed the oil every 3,500 when Hyundai was at 7,000. Now they are at 3,500....mmm they must know something and will not tell. I believe they are hiding something.

Do more research on the issue. The problems that occurred have to do with the specifications of the oil products that were used, not the engine.

fishman17 said:

You cannot take care of a vehicle that well and have this type of issue. A general defect screams at me. I saw even Mercedes with these issues frequently.

Mercedes issues from their dealers making the technicians service the cars with products that failed to meet their specifications is well known and resulted in Mercedes losing a $150 million class action suit.

fishman17 said:

Heck look at VW, but this just tells me that everyone will take short cuts to get it done and hope they don't get caught. $$$$$$$ is the game.

It only takes one person to make your statement false, everyone does not take shortcuts. But as far as getting caught in the money game, if you would of had this serviced by a top shop and had all of the documentation you wouldn't be in this situation for at least the warranty denial. What's more is that had the vehicle been serviced with a more appropriate product it easily could have gone 7000 miles between services and not encountered this failure. The API SM and ILSAC GF4 failed to protect the engines correctly in certain circumstances. Meanwhile products that had approvals exceeding that standard (ACEA A1/B1-A5/B5) would have done just fine.

2015

hey car doc you got shares in Hyundai because you talk nonsense I have been a mechanic for 40 years and have never heard of anything so ridiculous in all my years in the trade you must be one of the many sheep

thecardoc3

@2015 So you claim to be a mechanic and never heard any of this. That says everything that needs to be said.

ChewieBearStare

I am having the exact same problem in my 2011 Sonata. There are no outward signs of an oil problem, but we are burning way too much oil. The first time we noticed an issue, we took the car to our local dealer (we moved here from out of state and have been unable to find a trusted independent mechanic; Midas tried to screw us out of $1,700, so we'd rather take it to the dealer than one of the chain shops). They said the PCV valve was bad, so we had them replace the valve and do an oil change. When we picked up the car, the service advisor told us to check the oil weekly and bring the car back at 3,000 miles for them to document our oil consumption. Well, we've only gone 1,200 miles since that oil change, and when my husband checked the oil yesterday, he said it's starting to get low again. What could this be since we already had the PCV valve changed?

papaman

One thing most people don't realize about the extended life of synthetic oil. Synthetic does not break down like conventional oil, but it's the contaminants that get into the oil that are the issue. Because of the high combustion temps., the contaminants sludge up the rings. Another issue is the tension on rings in some newer vehicles. They want less drag and less tension on the cylinder walls to help increase fuel mileage.There are quite a few manufactures that have these issues. GM. Audi Jeep and more have had issues with oil usage. Gm actually would reprogram the service intervals to more frequent oil changes to hopefully help this issue.I find that quite a few car makers recommend between 10,00 to 15,000 miles for oil changes.That is just not good. I use synthetic oil but I change it every 4000 miles and all my cars have over 100,000 miles on them and no consumption issues.. Also most car makers do not think 1 qt. to a thousand miles is not excessive oil consumption.

tjkbeefy

stefan123 said:

Please replace your PCV valve. I had the same exact disappearing oil issue at 100,000 miles...over a quart in 1,000 miles and solved it by replacing the PCV valve for under $20. The old valve did not appear to be plugged. However, the ball and spring inside appeared to be very loose. My theory is that the spring in the valve wore out causing it to stay open or open under very little engine pressure. The easily opened valve caused a constant outflow of oil vapors to be sent out to the combustion chamber to be burned off and expelled out the exhaust. I'd like to know what others think. The PCV valve controls engine pressure and opens when excessive pressure could cause damage to seals and gaskets. I'm critical of the oil & lube establishment for not suggesting replacement of the PCV valve the first time the vehicle came in low on oil. A customer with a Sonata that suddenly starts to consume oil at 100,000 miles should be advised of the PCV valve change suggestion.

I had the same thing that just started at about 160,000 miles on my 14 Sonata 2.0 T. Thought it was the valve cover gasket, but kept up after replacing that. I was thinking about the pcv valve and after reading this I replaced it (NAPA was only one who had it in stock). PROBLEM SOLVED it appears! It's been four days, but oil level has not dropped after replacing it.
I run my car all day doing delivery (leave it running to save the starter) and it was going through 1 to 2 quarts a week. Jiffy lube can attest to that (they are good for free oil between changes. They said "its just GDI egines".
I CAN'T BELIEVE THE DEALER NEVER RECOMMENDED REPLACING THIS AT LIKE 100K. I have taken it to the dealer often for oil changes since new especially if they have a deal, but mostly for multipoint inspection and recall check. (they replaced my failed fuel line as a good will job after Hyundai denied the recall coverage since they had done the "fix" by wrapping the line with tape. It soon failed after that.)

Fosgate87

had this same issue in my older Camry! no leaks, 2 mechanics including the dealer looked at it, no solution. I used a top synthetic and it did not stop it, but significantly slowed it down! I was burning a quart every 3 weeks and it slowed down to a quart every 2-3 months.
Here is the oil if you wish to try it, cannot hurt:
you didn't mention your engine size so if you have a 2.4L visit here:
https://searchforparts.com/oil-change/hyundai-2011-sonata-2.4l-c
if your vehicle is a 2.0 L, then try this
https://searchforparts.com/oil-change/hyundai-2011-sonata-2.0l-b

hope this helps! This is a last resort if no leaks and no issues were found.

Zeezee

I have used the same mechanic for over 20 years and never had a burning oil problem on any of a number of cars (Toyota Echo, Ford Focus, Ford Taurus). My 2015 Elantra burns oil at the rate of 1 liter per 1000 kms. The dealer is monitoring it every 1000 kms. I have checked it 4 times and require 2 more checks before they will check with Hyundai. Why it is not already apparent there is a problem I don't know. I have tried replacing the PCV valve with no improvement.

Jerry63

I have a Hyundai Volester and burned 5 quarts of oil in 5000 miles... No smoking, so its not burning it eliminating rings and valves, nothing in the driveway, eliminating bad oil pan seal, not mixing with antifreeze, eliminating head gasket or warped head....where is the oil going??? How do I correct this??

My son has Tucsan and having the same issue...

dcountry

rkouchi said:

*No oil on the driveway
*No oil on the engine block
*No smoke coming from the tailpipe

2011 Hyundai Sonata
Burned 5 quarts of oil in 6000 miles. Does this sound right to you? No warning light of any kind.

I have been having the same exact problem with my 2015 Sonata. Currently I have used all the oil from my last oil change 1000 miles ago except for 1/2 quart when I checked it. My car was running sluggish and no indicator light on whatsoever. I am taking it to the dealership to have it looked at. I'm sure nothing will be done.

dcountry

dcountry said:

rkouchi said:

*No oil on the driveway
*No oil on the engine block
*No smoke coming from the tailpipe

2011 Hyundai Sonata
Burned 5 quarts of oil in 6000 miles. Does this sound right to you? No warning light of any kind.

I have been having the same exact problem with my 2015 Sonata. Currently I have used all the oil from my last oil change 1000 miles ago except for 1/2 quart when I checked it. My car was running sluggish and no indicator light on whatsoever. I am taking it to the dealership to have it looked at. I'm sure nothing will be done.

It's also burning the oil not leaking the oil

thecardoc3

A quart of oil in a thousand miles isn't likely to produce much smoke. Most don't want to hear this but if you have read through the threads, you would have seen that an engine can use oil and not suffer any ill effects, provided the oil level is checked on a regular basis and the oil added when needed. Now granted it's not preferable to many vehicle owners to have this extra task in caring for their vehicle but that doesn't make it a deal breaker. If the manufacturer wants to extend the warranty on a vehicle and do something about the consumption that's a win for the owner but it's also spending thousands of dollars to save a few quarts of oil per year.