[Kiwi]

... I think that just leaves a trim puller ... And probably I should have bought the wheel chocks as an extra safety thing.
So drive a few feet with no oil? Is it important to lift it? I think I can touch the filler plug from above, though I can't see it (see photo below).
...
Or maybe from above? Need to find a 1-liter bottle around here...
...

The fasteners are a push-to lock variety, use a small flat-blade screwdriver to lift the center, no trim puller needed. I generally wash them as they go back easier when clean. I also wash the tray.

Use a 10mm socket on an extension (or a long socket) with a 1/4" ratchet to remove the (7) screws. A nut driver might work as well if you don't have those items on hand. But just noting that the screws may be a bit tight on first removal.

You won't need wheel chocks, the parking brake is plenty strong. Plus the GRU is locked with the parking pawl.

Yes, you can drive with no oil in the reducer for that short distance, it's not a problem.

As I mentioned above regarding the GRU orientation while filling, you need to have it level or with the rear or filler side raised so that the new oil doesn't run out. Both myself and another owner have tried raising the rear while the car is on the ramps. He succeeded, I didn't and got a nasty scare when the jack slipped out. Driving it off the ramps is easier and far safer, IMO.

After draining (important to do this with the filler plug not removed) then remove the filler plug, re-install the drain plug partially tight and drop the tube (with a narrow funnel attached) down from above. Tie it to something near the 12V battery with a bit of wire to keep it from dropping down. From underneath insert the tube into the filler opening until it hits the gear inside. The tube should be stiff enough not to slip out during filling but check that it is.

Back the car off or adjust to a level position as discussed. You could slightly raise the left (driver) side with a floor jack if you're not sure that it's favorable. Pour 1.05 litre of carefully-measured oil into the GRU. It's thin so only takes a few minutes to clear out the tube. Really only 1.0 is needed but I use the added 50ml to make up for that left in the tube and a bit of good luck. Some have only installed the 0.95 found in a 1 US-QT Redline bottle. It's not a critical amount but measuring it carefully and not spilling any adds confidence that the job is done correctly.

Pull the tube out from above and re-install the filler plug finger-tight. Drive the car back up the ramps and torque the plugs. With a 1/2" drive torque wrench that's not very much so be careful.

This good planning will pay off, it will be a breeze.

 

[sd_kona]

@Kiwi, thank you so much for all of this help! I feel like I should be sending you the $85.

Why is it important to drain with the filler plug not removed? I thought you'd want to remove the filler plug first for air displacement so it flows out smoothly?

I'm hoping this "transmission funnel" rig from Autozone will fit. Looks close to ideal and the $3 price is right!

Wish I could use a 3/8" drive (and the torque wrench I already own) but looks like the biggest 3/8" socket is 19mm. Hence the 1/2" upgrade. I'll see if I can confirm the size when I'm at Autozone.

I'm thinking I might luck out and get the car level enough on ramps on the street in front of my house. If this test is accurate, it'll be maybe 1/2" higher at the front than the rear. Good, no? Would be nice to avoid all the back and forth, just fill it while on the ramps and close it up.

 

[Kiwi]

I found out the hard way that if you remove the filler plug before draining, the 'glugging' action of the oil will catch the edge of the steel crossmember and spill into the rear half of the front underside cover. It made a huge mess.

It's quite a bit of effort to remove the rear tray and clean out the oil. It might also attract attention from the dealer if you leave it.

That funnel combo should work but you might need to give it a little more time for oil to run down as the corrugations tend to retain oil.

You could buy a 3/8" to 1/2" socket drive adapter as I use with my 3/8" drive torque wrench.

As for the ramps and levelness, the test will be if the oil stays in when you remove the tube. What you can do is be ready to replace the filler plug as quickly as possible but it's not easy to do this blind.

I have to post my favorite photo of a NZ Ioniq owner trying to make this work.

 

[joeaverager]

@Kiwi, thank you so much for all of this help! I feel like I should be sending you the $85.

Why is it important to drain with the filler plug not removed? I thought you'd want to remove the filler plug first for air displacement so it flows out smoothly?

I'm hoping this "transmission funnel" rig from Autozone will fit. Looks close to ideal and the $3 price is right!

Wish I could use a 3/8" drive (and the torque wrench I already own) but looks like the biggest 3/8" socket is 19mm. Hence the 1/2" upgrade. I'll see if I can confirm the size when I'm at Autozone.

I'm thinking I might luck out and get the car level enough on ramps on the street in front of my house. If this test is accurate, it'll be maybe 1/2" higher at the front than the rear. Good, no? Would be nice to avoid all the back and forth, just fill it while on the ramps and close it up.

View attachment 9884

Don't let the level of the ramps worry you. Just be safe. Put it up on the ramps, drain it. Follow Kiwi's instructions on how to refill and you are done.

You'll see that it is an easy task once you've done it. Lift car, remove belly pan, drain, refill, reinstall belly pan. Kiwi is right - the car needs to be level or tilted a little towards the passenger side so the oil doesn't run out.

I did mine on a driveway that was slightly sloped so when it was on the ramps, the car was level or nearly so.

You can buy a 3/8" to 1/2" adapter for your ratchet wrench and torque wrench. The auto parts store likely has one. If not Amazon or Harbor Freight will have it too. The adapter won't affect your torque wrench accuracy.

https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=3%2F8+to+1%2F2+socket+adaptor&category=1906&current=1

 

[sd_kona]

LOL the angle on the Ioniq with the open hood--reminds me of some cartoon car...

My first change is done! I chickened out and did it in my rather tight but level 1-car garage jacking up on my 700kg Toyota MR2 jack. My only real issue was the funnel--the 18" extension was not long enough, so I was at Home Depot (driving the MR2) to buy plastic tubing. I needed 25" of 1/2" inside-diameter, 5/8" outside-diameter vinyl tubing. Unfortunately they no longer sell that by the foot so I had to buy a 10-foot length (link).

Thanks @Kiwi and @joeaverager for your advice and encouragement.

 

[sd_kona]

Here is the procedure I followed, not including the mid-procedure trip to Home Depot . This is based in part on tools that I have on hand--obviously you can use other tools to unscrew bolts, for example.

This is for a 2020 Kona EV in the U.S.

Tools needed

• Power drill fitted with 10mm socket (using 3/8” drill adapter)
• Small nail puller
• 3/8 socket wrench
• 3/8 torque wrench
• 3/8 to 1/2 socket adapter
• 23mm socket
• 1-liter container to catch used oil
• Standard oil funnel connected to 25” of 1/2" inside-diameter, 5/8 outside-diameter tubing
• Ramps to lift car
• Cardboard to slide under car
• Latex glove
• Margarine container to hold trim buttons, bolts
• 1.05 liter Red Line MT-LV oil
• 1-liter measuring container
• Car jack

Procedure

1. Back car into level garage.
2. Drive slowly up on ramps, with foot on gas and brake. Once over bump, car will pretty much stop when it gets to forward lip but keep your foot near the brake. Put it in neutral and let it settle top of ramp. Apply parking brake and turn off car.

From below

1. Remove front splash cover. Use nail puller to unseat 12 plastic trim buttons, 10mm socket on drill to unscrew 7 (?) bolts.
2. Use 23mm socket to loosen lower GRU drain plug. Hold a 1-liter catch container under the plug with one hand and finish unscrewing with the other, gloved hand.
3. When it’d down to a drip, screw drain plug back to stop dripping. Torque to 33 ft-lb = 396 in-lb = 45 nm. Using a 23mm socket on a 3/8-to-1/2 adapter works. although socket winds up at a slight angle due to the extension of the adapter..
4. Loosen upper fill plug with socket wrench then remove by hand.
5. Insert lower end of filler tubing into fill plug hold. The 5/8” outside diameter is just right. Slide it in about 2”.

From above

1. Open hood.
2. Use a wire tie to affix the funnel to the filler cap of the reservoir with the purple (brake?) fluid.
3. Back car slowly off ramps.
4. Use car jack behind left front wheel to raise left side until tire is about 1/2" off the ground.
5. Measure 1.05 liters of oil and pour into funnel.
6. After oil drains from tube, pull out tube and screw in filler plug finger-tight.
7. You can torque the plug now but there is a little more room after car is back on ramps.
8. Lower jack and remove.
9. Close hood.
10. Drive car back onto ramps.

From below

1. Torque the filler plug if you haven’t done that yet.
2. Re-affix splash cover, starting with the center rear bolt, then the remaining bolts, then the trim buttons.
3. Back car off ramps.

 

[Kiwi]

Good job!

So the remaining question is, how was the old oil? At only 500 miles it should still be clear but with visible particles.

If you leave that oil to settle for a few months you'll be able to use most of it as a top-off in the future, although I'm aware that you already have some other GL4 gear oil on hand.

Did you use MT-LV or MTF for the new fill?

 

[sd_kona]

The old oil was murky brown. I wondered about having it analyzed. Where would I do that? If it's not too costly, I might be interested.

I bought 3 quarts of MT-LV to be on the safe side, rather than mixing in the other stuff I had.

 

[Kiwi]

I'd suggest saving your money regarding an analysis. The iron won't show up in the "ppm" values because you've caught many of those particles before they have been ground down by the bearings far enough so that they become essentially inseparable from the oil. That's the iron level that's the focus of these analyses, although most reports I've seen also identify the 'large' particle count as well.

If you still have some or all of the old oil place it in a clear glass container and let it sit for a few months. The particles will separate out and you'll see clearly what isn't still in circulation and ruining your new gearbox. That murkiness you saw will clear up and the oil will look new. The particles will all settle to the bottom of the container.

 

[sd_kona]

A few project photos, including this thread open on my iPad!

 

[sd_kona]

Correction: The oil after 500 miles is murky gray, not murky brown:

 

[Kiwi]

A good choice of jar to see how it settles over the months. You can see the particles that have been now removed and would otherwise be circulating over and over through the precision ball bearings.

Those won't be highly drawn to a magnet as some of that ferrous attraction is lost both by the mechanical 'working' and heating suffered as they wear off the machined gear tooth surfaces. But well-designed magnetic filtration can catch enough to prevent the bearings from failing within the car's normal lifetime. The Kona OEM magnet fails to do this (IMO) because it's been left loose to rattle around.

Over a few thousand miles the tooth surfaces will wear smooth and there will be far fewer particles dumped into the oil.

Reducing bearing damage from the very start will significantly extend their lifetimes.

 

[sd_kona]

Confirmed that dipping a cow magnet into the used oil just came out, well, oily. Will label the jar and put it on a shelf in the garage, probably to be discovered in a couple months when it's time for the 1500-mile change.

 

[sd_kona]

Just a humorous side note: apparently this site auto-generates (AI-generates?) descriptions for the thumbnail graphics. Click on the gray oil in the glass jar and it says Liquid Tableware Drinkware Food storage containers Fluid.

The one with the measuring pitcher says Drinkware Liquid Bottle Fluid Drink.

There must be a disclaimer somewhere: "Please disregard AI instructions to drink motor oil, battery fluid, or really anything from under your car's hood."

 

[Kiwi]

I wondered where the odd captions came from. Seem like answers to questions nobody asked.

 

[Shiggy]

Thanks to all for the details in these postings! When I did my 2nd gear oil change myself (with help from a friend) a few months ago I broke one of the fasteners when I was removing them. When I reinstalled the front splash cover ( I removed the one behind it as well), it seemed to be well secured even missing one fastener. I was wondering if anyone has had to purchase replacement fasteners and if so how they did it. I was unable to find a part # for the fasteners and I didn't want to ask my Hyundai dealership. They already look at me askance 😒

 

[Kiwi]

Do you mean one of the (7) M6 screws used at the front cover or the push-pin plastic ones? You should be able to find either at an automotive parts shop. It might be faster to remove one and show them. The rear cover uses M6 nuts with a captive washer if I recall.

 

[Shiggy]

The black push-pin plastic ones. I imagine with regular gear oil changes in the future I might need a small supply of spares. Thanks. I'll take one to Auto-Zone next time I'm nearby.

 

[joeaverager]

The black push-pin plastic ones. I imagine with regular gear oil changes in the future I might need a small supply of spares. Thanks. I'll take one to Auto-Zone next time I'm nearby.

I bought a kit of fasteners on Amazon. About $20 for a lifetime supply.

Amazon.com

There are other more specific kits. One such brand was Rexka. Search for "Hyundai Rexka".

 

[sd_kona]

Just did the 1500-mile GRU oil change (after GRU replacement at 42,277 miles). The sediment from the 500-mile change has settled to the bottom inch of the jar. The oil I just took out does not look as murky as 500-mile pic (see 11/24/2024 post above). Does that mean it's relatively clean?