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DIY: Oil change for 3.5L Sorento

157K views 30 replies 12 participants last post by  Lionhearted 
#1 · (Edited)
Edit: The pictures are now available in my member gallery if folks want to see some photos of the process. Location of the filter, cap o-ring, etc.

My Kia finally reached 3500 miles so I decided it was time to bounce the factory fill and replace it with a good quality synthetic oil. The car sits high enough that I was able to easily slink my 6ft 175lb self underneath without any ramps. Don't do this on a hot engine. Total time to completion was approximately 10 minutes.

Tools you'll need:

17mm wrench or socket/ratchet
27mm wrench or socket/ratchet
bucket
funnel

Supplies:

6qts of oil (I used Pennzoil Ultra Synthetic 5W-20)
oil filter cartridge (part # 26330 3CAA0 at your local dealer)
some paper towels
big flattened out cardboard box
pair of latex or nitrile gloves if you're worried about getting oil on your hands

1. Pop the hood :) and remove the oil fill cap. Cover the opening with something convenient. I used the box from the new oil filter.

2. Slide the cardboard under the engine bay on the ground. This serves two purposes. It will catch any spilled oil (save the planet and all that) and it allows you to easily slide around under there without getting dirty. Get your bucket and your 17mm ratchet and slide on under there.

3. You'll see the black crankcase. The 17mm drain plug is located at the back near the bottom. Feel around there if you don't want to scooch all the way under and you'll feel it. Get your wrench/ratchet on there and turn it counter-clockwise to remove it. It's going to be pretty tight. Make sure the bucket is below the opening because oil will gush out when the plug is removed.

4. Kick back and have a cup of coffee while the oil drains out. I usually give it 4-5 minutes to make sure that most of the old oil is out. 99% of it comes out in the first 30-45 secs if you're impatient.

5. Remove the old aluminum washer from the drain plug. Replace it with the new one that came with the new filter. For the lazy, this is optional. Re-using the old one usually doesn't result in a leak. Screw the oil plug back in and tighten (clockwise) finger tight. Don't just honk down on it with the wrench or you may crossthread it. Once you're satisfied it's properly threaded, tighten to approximately 25nm (about 20ft/lbs).

6. Rescue the used oil bucket from the ground below the engine bay. Leave the cardboard there in case you have any spills.

7. Use your 27mm socket or wrench to loosen (turn counter-clockwise) the cap on the oil filter housing. Where is the housing you ask? As you stare down at the engine from the front of the car, the oil fill hole is at approximately 7 o'clock. The filter cartridge top is at approximately 2 o'clock. Both are right on top of the engine and easy to spot. It will be on there pretty tight.

8. After removing the cap on the filter housing, you'll see the old oil filter. Pull it straight upward. It will resist a bit since there's a tiny o-ring on the little "nipple" on the bottom of it. Make SURE that little o-ring comes out with the filter. Have a couple of paper towels handy to catch any drips from the cap or the filter when removing them.

9. With your fingernail or soft piece of plastic, pull off the large rubber o-ring on the cap. Replace it with the new one that came with the new filter. Dab a few drops of oil on your finger tip and wipe it around the new o-ring so it doesn't bind up when you replace the cap later.

10. With your finger tip, dab a drop of oil on the tiny o-ring on the "nipple" of the new filter. That will prevent it from binding when you insert it. Orient the nipple to match the location of the hole at the bottom of the filter housing and push the filter down until you feel the o-ring "snap" into place.

11. Replace the cap on the filter housing and tighten it (clockwise) with your hand to make sure it's not cross-threaded. When you're satisfied it's on correctly, put your wrench/socket on it and tighten to 35nm (about 25 ft/lbs).

12. If you've got surgeon-steady hands, you can now pour your 6qts of oil in the fill hole. Mere mortals, use a funnel. :)

13. Replace the oil fill cap and look under the car to make sure you don't have any obvious leaks.

14. Start the engine and let it IDLE (don't race it) for about a minute. Then turn it off and wait a couple of minutes. Now check the oil. It should be slightly below the Full mark on the stick. The actual capacity is slightly more than 6qts so the truly anal can open up another quart and put a tiny bit more in there.

15. Using your funnel (or your surgeon-steady hands), pour the used oil from your bucket into the container(s) that once held your new motor oil. Most gas stations or auto parts stores will accept used oil for recycling. When I had oil heat at home, I would just pour it into my 300gal heating oil tank. Don't just pour it into a drain or on the ground.

16. Look around the oil filter housing and under the car to make sure you're not leaking. If not, you can recycle that cardboard (or save it for next time) and get to work on your other "honey do's" for the day.

That's it. Links to pictures will come as soon as the moderator "approves them" in my member gallery. Since I do mostly highway driving these days, I plan to follow a 7500 mile oil change interval from here on out. You'll also want to keep receipts for your filter and oil just in case something happens to your engine while under warranty. That way, you can "prove" you did the oil changes. Make a note of the date and mileage. I just tore the top off the new filter box and wrote that stuff on the back. I stapled the receipts to it and tossed it into the glove compartment.

Best,
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Thank you sir for that write up! I'll be changing mine in the next few months also with the Penzoil Ultra Syntetic. If you didn't know, you can go on the Penzoil site and register for their free 500k or 15 year warranty, and you can get up to $25 back! (I think on your next purchase of $xx amount you spend)
 
#5 · (Edited)
Any quality synthetic should be just dandy unless you really push things and try to run very long drain intervals. If you want to save a little cash, you can get Motorcraft semi-synthetic 5W-20 at Walmart for approximately $18 for 5qt jugs. That's a fine product too and I used it for years in my 3.5L Honda and 5.7L Dodge Hemi engines without incident...also with 7500 mile intervals. The folks on BITOG think pretty highly of it.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm

Best,
 
#9 ·
I guess if you want the "lowest bidder" oil in your car, that's a nice strategy. I plan to keep this vehicle for quite some time and I'd like to choose *exactly* the type and quality of oil that goes inside, thanks. :)

"All that work"??? It took 10 minutes. When it's time to rotate my tires, I'll do that too. That will likely take about 10 minutes as well since I've got a pair of floor jacks, a compressor, and an air impact gun. Compare that to the 1 hour round trip ride to/from the dealer, the wait while they get around to dealing with the car, and then the expense in both money and my lost time...no thanks.

Best,
 
#10 ·
wow.. sauron i wish i had your stuff too.. i would surely done my sorento by myself.. by the way are the dealerships gonna give you a hard time if you do the DIY stuff like some simple maintenance? like oil changes if there's an oil leak happening? would they void warranty? not so sure in usa but, here in my dealership at least it will have to be a certified oil changer shop.. or else..
i did change the oil in my sorento to synthetic at 24000km. but didnt tell them, im at 35k right now, they have done oil cjange once with synthetic at 30000km so far was ok..
 
#14 ·
I dunno about Canada, but there's no such thing as a "certified oil change shop" in the US. Generally speaking, a dealer cannot void your warranty for having a non-dealer (including yourself) perform your oil changes. Receipts for oil/filter are sufficient along with documentation of the date/mileage of the changes.

I would never trust a dealer to use quality oil. They generally buy the lowest bidder conventional bulk oil they can find. I'd rather spend a little more and make SURE I've got quality synthetic in my engine. I generally only return to the dealer if I've got a warranty issue or some non-warranty repair that I'm unable/unwilling to fix myself.

Best,
 
#19 · (Edited)
Sauron Thanks for the EXCELLENT Photo Showing Proper Placement of O-Ring

I converted over to being a DIYer when it came to my new KIA Sorento (2012 with 3.5 v6).
I watched a few online youtube videos to acquaint myself with what I was up against before I started.

Changing the oil on the Sorento was a breeze (compared to changing it on my prior vehicle Infiniti G35 Couple - which sat very low and close to the ground).

The only issue I had with the Sorento was this, WHERE DOES THE BIG O-RING GO?:confused:

Watching videos of similarly designed oil filters left me a bit unsure where the large O-Ring was to be put back when I replaced the filter.

UNFORTUNATELY THERE WERE NO INSTRUCTIONS with the OEM Genuine KIA / HYUNDIA Oil Filter kit (Ugh Ugh SHAME SHAME ON Hyundai/KIA)

At last I found your incredibly detailed photo, which provided me exactly what I needed - namely a nice photograph showing exactly where the large O-Ring should go!

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS! THANK YOU Sauron!:)
 
#29 ·
Yup, my time is important. I don't want to drive to the store buying oil and a filter and pay retail. Did I mention $9? For an oil change! Granted, it was a promotion they had when I purchased the vehicle and probably a ploy to up sell you other products. 1)I'm good at saying "no" and 2) I don't like crawling under my vehicle to change my own when I know I can have someone else do it cheaper...a lot cheaper! Did I mention $9
 
#30 ·
*shrug*

Buying the oil is easy since I do it when I'm already at the store for other things. Glad you're happy having someone else do it. I prefer to do it myself and ensure it gets done right with parts and materials that *I* want since I plan on owning the vehicle for a long time.

At $9, they're losing money on each change and I'm sure they're not doing it out of the goodness of their heart. Good luck with that. :)

TANSTAAFL....

Best,
 
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