EV Oil change? Hyundai Kona Electric

[@elcano9]

This is the second oil change on this Kona. The plugs shown in the video are not the OEM ones. I installed these on the very first oil change at 6k miles. These are made by Votex, part number DP007. The crush washers are needed if you plan on doing extra oil changes as shown in the video. As many have asked, is this strictly necessary? Well, Hyundai doesn’t call for it, yet, but they are aware of the extreme wear and many of these break at some point. If you plan on keeping your Kona, this might be a good idea if you want to avoid any big repairs in the future. The first oil change was analyzed at StoneLabs as well, and it showed VERY high amounts of Iron and Aluminum. I’ll make a part 2 when I get the results of this test.

[@leroyemil344]

We are waiting the results of the test.

[@paulaxford6754]

I have four UOA reports from first-time Kona oil changes and all have high iron and aluminium levels. We are also awaiting one for a 6,000 km interval while using double Votex plugs, will post when I have it. EDIT: that showed very low iron and continuing very high aluminium. So, the Votex plug works well but the source of aluminum is still a concern.

[@RCHobbyist463]

I have a 2019 Kona EV. What kind of oil would you recommend for the gear reduction unit

[@nangeela123]

Hello from Canada. Just changed my diff fluid following your steps using the Votex drain plugs. Everything went very very smooth. Thankfully, my fluid was just very dirty and no suspended metal that I could see. Mileage is 64K miles. Thank you for sharing this process. From a DYI standpoint, things I learned, make sure your drain pan is placed out further, the oil may miss it. Also, when removing the upper drain bolt be prepared for fluid to come out, so have your pan and rags ready :) I can confirm I was able to fit little over 1QT of oil.

[@andrehog]

This video will save me around 600 euros. I never imagined it was this easy. Thank you so much for the well explained DIY video!

[@RiverWatchRods]

Good video. Got the new plugs with magnets and oil and oil filler . One trouble i had was filling it to capacity since the car was on an uphill slant due to the ramps. I could get a little less than a quart in before it starting coming out. So I lowered the car and took off the front drivers side wheel, reached in and was able to fill it to capacity this way. I then drove it up on the ramps again and retightend the filler plug.

[@robviously-rob0ts]

I really must thank you for this video, you've been so very helpful! Will use and share it for years to come, I'm sure.

[@paulaxford6754]

I just did my third oil change at 21,000 km and I'm happy to report that the oil is now staying clean. I just filtered it through an N95 face mask and put it back in!

[@elcano9]

Good! Mine is clearing up as well.

[@paulaxford6754]

@@elcano9 I'll add that today an owner in Boston photographed the internal OEM magnet and checked it by poking a paperclip inside. Turns out it appears to be non-magnetic. So, to date we have about 20 oil change reports in total on the InsideEVs forum. Every single one with an aftermarket plug magnet is returning clean oil, all those without are returning dirty oil. Case closed I think!

[@ibrokh4857]

It is not about oil clean. The oil loose it properties

[@paulaxford6754]

@@ibrokh4857 not in 4,000 km it doesn't. I have 13 used oil lab analyses from Kona owners. None mention a loss of oil lubrication properties but ALL mention the excessive metals contamination.

[@0hypnotoad0]

Some Kona EVs have a defective reduction gear, there have been manufacturing tolerance problems on the Niro EV and Kona EV that has resulted in some motors and reduction gears being replaced. If yours makes a faint high frequency "ticking" noise audible at lower speeds, your reduction gear may be defective and that would explain the metal particles

[@elcano9]

Hi! No, it doesn’t make any sound at all. We have pulled the oil from 3 Konas, and each of them have the same looking oil with no noise. I received the oil analisis on this one, and the metal concentration is still high but less than the first change.

[@paulaxford6754]

The "wheel of fortune" noise seems to occur outside of the gear cavity at the splines and by all accounts may be a different problem. All Kona/Niro/Soul/Ioniq(classic) produce a lot more debris than they should and periodic oil changes can only be helpful in avoiding long term issues.

[@alexandreesquenet3736]

Mine had the reduce box replaced, it was making the tick tick noise (see my video). Now I'm at 135 000 km and no problem since the replacement.

[@koetjeboe91ph]

just a tip when you want to change the oil always start by removing the fill plug. if you cant remove it stop and fix that problem first. if you drain the oil and then try to remove the fill plug but you cant you are kind of fucked. luckly he fixed his fault by finding out it will slush like crazy when you dont remove the fill plug first.

[@elcano9]

Thanks! I did it on purpose just to show what happens in a funny way lol. I've been a gearhead all my life and done countless manual tranny drains. These are not the factory plugs btw, I already removed the OEMs last oil change and fitted these magnetic plugs.

[@azenzic6297]

What did the oil report come back as? Can you add the information to the video description?

[@bossman6174]

I have a Kona EV too and want to change my own winter tires but don't know where the lift points are to place the jack. I am afraid to do damage lifting the car . The manual does not give me info on where to place the jack. Do you have any idea. When you rotate your tires , where do you place the jack?

[@andywendyowen]

Thanks so much for this. Wow, that reduction gear oil was pretty nasty. We have a 2022 Kia Niro EV and are getting ready to take it in for the third maintenance service (22500 miles). We got charged almost $300 for the first one at 7500 miles for "EV visual inspection" and therefore are considering taking it to a non-dealer mechanic. Do you think a non-dealer mechanic working on ICE's their whole life could handle all the EV maintenance without being trained on one? Like if we gave the list on the back of the manual (there are 14 line items: Tire pressure/tread/rotation; Climate control air filter--which looks straightforward enough to do ourselves; 12V battery condition; Steering gear rack, linkage, and boots; AC refrigerant/compressor; Brake fluid, lines, hoses, connections; Disc brakes and pads; Brake pedal; Drive shafts and boots; Suspension ball bolts; Reduction gear oil; Coolant system and coolant).Are there areas that are dramatically different or not on ICE's (I think the reduction gear is one of them, but others), to be aware of and a mechanic should have been trained on before working on the car?

[@elcano9]

Any mechanic who knows how to change the gear oil on a manual transmission will be able to perform this maintenance with no problems. As far as the other list of items, these are nothing unusual from what you would do on an ICE vehicle, and are mostly inspection requiring little to no intervention. Now, working on the HV systems on an EV does require proper training and certification. The 12v battery system does not form part of the HV system up until the DC to DC converter. The Kona on this video now has 23k miles with 97% of battery state of health, no issues whatsoever. I only do tire rotations every 6k miles, and this oil change we did.

[@andywendyowen]

@@elcano9 Thank you for the thorough answer and sharing your insights, very much appreciated!

[@andywendyowen]

Oh one more thing, if I may ask, so if the gear oil is looking nasty (maybe not as dark as yours), it should be changed? Or is the concern more about the tiny metals/shavings that might be in it and the damage that might cause (and I gather that there might be some issues with magnetism of the supposed magnet)?

[@SahanRavinder]

Great video. Didn’t know Hyundai EVs required reduction gear oil changes. Did you post results from the oil sample you sent out?

[@ourv9603]

What you found on your magnet is normal wear. What you are looking for is metal CHUNKS and/or silver swirls in the old oil in your drainpan. Sending a sample to Blackstone was a good move. This service should be done every 30,000mi. !

[@bartosmar]

Please how many litres of oil must be put in? I cannot find this information anywhere. Thank you!

[@drehahaha]

Thanks for the video! So, it looks like this issue still persists on 2022 as well?

[@alastairhampton]

Teslas now incorporate spin-on filters on their drive units to try and keep the fluid clean.

[@SkaBob]

I bought about 50 of those little magnets, takes about 15 seconds to drill a 1/4 holt about 1/2 deep in most drain plugs and they drop right in and won't easily come back out. I use them in many transmission, transfer case and oil drain plugs that didn't come with a magnet in them.

[@umutsr.7436]

Hı, has the 2021 Kona Ev same rutin?? Hyundai Service doesnt change the reduction oil in Türkiye.

[@bogdan2736]

Any updates?

[@giubboni374]

Write the text to be translated here... It is possible to know the result of the oil analysis, thank you

[@alainkadlec5574]

The car was not horizontal. Is the oil level right?

[@KN-oh2ks]

What year is your car? It seems the 2022 model is using different drain plug, right?

[@robertflores863]

I was told that the gear drive has to be changed, i took it to the dealer because it was msking a clicking noice whenever i took my off the gas , they also said that the left and right shaft have to be changed, how hsrd isbto replace the gear drive? Do the two shaft have also be changed? Is the dealer trying to rip me off? I took it to another dealer snd they say that it could be a bracket and if that is no the problem it would have to be the reduction gear...

[@knutposchel2165]

COOL! But who is changing oil on their own KONA? Most people like me drive it to the Hyundai-service all 15.000km or at least every 2. year! Yes, its expensiv but perhaps you void your garanti if you don't do it at your car dealer. My 2019 KONA has 70.000km on the counter and I got a new mainbattery this week (because on the first KONA batteri 20 of 80.000 cars catch fire while charging therefore Hyundai exchanged them THIS MUST BE A REALLY EXPENSIVE RECALL FOR THEM).

[@elcano9]

I am! I’ve always been a DIY person for everything. This will not void any warranties. You are performing a maintenance. Hyundai recognizes this issue, but still hasn’t given out an official TSB on it, I guess they are just waiting it out whenever they keep going or eventually break, which I know they do. I’m planing on keeping this one, so I’ll do my best to prevent it from going in for any major repair.

[@paulaxford6754]

Yes, in the bigger picture most owners will leave all servicing up to their dealer and all those will be driving around with dirty oil. Perhaps a few will fail or become noisy as a result. But there clearly is an unacknowledged deficiency with these Kona/Niro/Soul/Ioniq gearboxes and periodic oil changes can only reduce the risk of failure after the warranty expires. Used-oil analysis indicates twice the iron and aluminium contaminants as the similarly-designed Nissan Leaf at a fraction of the distance driven. As long as the correct oil type is used Hyundai are unlikely to invalidate your warranty. My Kona has been out of warranty for 6 months and I will be staying on top of this unofficial maintenance. As an unexpected result, with clean oil the car drives quieter as well.

[@Lalibs]

@@elcano9 Given your experience and background working with cars, I'm glad to hear you're keeping it. I purchased mine outright and plan to keep it for a long time. I'll be following you for any other bits of advice!

[@Joe-di5jy]

I have a 2019 Niro EV. at 39k miles, just had my 3rd drive motor installed. At this rate, will likely need my 4th at about 50k miles. Never buy another Kia/Hyundai.

[@Aphorism89]

Hey. I bought two cheap ramps from Thansen... crap, neither this nor our Skoca can go up on them without destroying the front bumpers... Poor design. I saw the ramps you are using in Biltema.. They cost a lot but they seem to be the only that can get a car actually going up. Any issue with them? :)

[@elcano9]

Nope! They work great! 100% recommended.

[@Conysuperhd145]

Can't wait for your next projects! Replace kona ev 39.2kwh with 64kwh battery into it! 😂

[@FrankieLimes]

I just don’t get it! In industry electric motors have been around for over 100 years, with reduction gears attached for for 10’s of years in industry . Many are sealed for life running for 1000’s of hours. The gears are made with high precision, some with hardened teeth. Are you saying automotive gears are made to a sub standard compared to there industrial counter parts?

[@elcano9]

This is a Hyundai only issue, seems they messed up somewhere in the design. I will post a follow up video soon, the last oil analysis has leveled out considerably.

[@Trikkie87]

Imo saying there is an issue with design based on a simple oil analysis isnt really a satisfying answer. We need actual statistics of these gears actually breaking. I have driven my Kona for 180k km and so far the gearbox (and everything else) is holding up perfectly fine. Still have 4 years warranty left aswell...

[@michaellippmann4474]

@@Trikkie87 yeah the issue likely is not a design issue but more of a manufacturing process issue where excess machining swarf is contaminating some of the gearboxes. I have seen this in the industry I worked in for 40 years replacing and rebuilding electro mechanical drive systems...many of them into the 1000's of horsepower. In any case it never hurts to replace gear box oils no matter what. The suspended aluminum in the oils looks alarming but in actual fact is not as damaging as imagined. Steel contamination however will have a wearing affect on gear teeth and bearings... Have a good day. Mike 🇨🇦

[@michaellippmann4474]

@emilygrey9576 Hi...it would never hurt to change that gear oil but I do not think it is as concerning as it sounds. For the most part these drive trains are pretty reliable and trouble free! Cheers Mike🇨🇦

[@ellynbraun517]

Great video! I'm about to do ours at 6k miles. Did you find that one litre was enough? It's pricey stuff!

[@elcano9]

I bought 2 just in case!

[@dot7107]

15€/l, not that expensive.

[@ericcaumari3957]

Great video thanks , i believe they put too much torque in this motor .

[@Rockjob]

Are those stock plugs? I've read online that they dont have magnets in them and they should. I see your kona is a 2022 model, they might have added them.

[@elcano9]

No, as seen on the video these are made by Votex and are a direct aftermarket fit. The OEM plugs are non-magnetic.

[@Rockjob]

@@elcano9 I understand now. The ones you pulled off in the beginning of the video had me confused. I assumed this was the first time you drained the fluid and those were stock bolts.

[@Rockjob]

@@elcano9 And to confirm, these are the DP007 bolts made by Votex?

[@elcano9]

Correct, the part # for everything used is shown in the video.

[@Rockjob]

@@elcano9 You're right. Sorry man. I skipped past that bit. Putting the part numbers in the description is good for people like me who don't watch the whole video.

[@doohan50000]

I 'm Korean. An improved product has been released in Korea In the event of a problem, please get a replacement for the improved product. I own Niro EV My sister owns Kona EV If you have any questions, I'll let you know

[@philipsanfiorenzo2166]

I'm get my Kona next week what type of oil are you using to replace the original fluid? How often are you changing that fluid?

[@elcano9]

The oil type and part numbers are all shown in the video, this is the second oil change on this Kona. The OEM oil looked as bad as this one at 6,000 miles. I’ll include these in the description for the TL;DR lol.

[@La6AMDHome]

If you want to make extra sure or if you can't find the same oil as he is using where you live, you can reference your owners manual. There should be a specifications section with lubricants and capacities. It has the type of oil along with a few recommendations in there. For my niro EV this is on page 9-6 of the owner's manual. The redline he uses is not on my vehicle's recommended list, but it meets the listed specification.

[@dot7107]

Api gl5 and 75w-90 sae

[@RyanRKJ]

Does the OEM drain plug use crush washers?

[@nangeela123]

yes

[@Herlongian]

Yes. The reason they are saying you will need more crush washers is because you will be changing the oil 4 times a year and you will need them. You’ll see the old crushed ones when you remove the OEM plugs. I’m going with the Votex drain plugs.

[@2.3_44XD--]

Does anyone know if in the Kona 2022 you can turn off the vess with a simple button like in the Ioniq or 2020 Kia eNiro?

[@elcano9]

Not on the USA version. Elsewhere, yes.

[@2.3_44XD--]

@@elcano9 thanks....i think neither in Europe in modern versions :( That sound can be annoying after months.

[@digitalxtremehg]

This is full EV? Because Niro EV doesn't not have any oil .

[@elcano9]

This is full electric. The Kia Niro EV and Kona Electric share the exact same powertrain. They both have oil for the reduction gear.

[@digitalxtremehg]

Well It could be that I'm only at 5600 miles after a year lol, But thanks to this it's the first I'm hearing of it so good to know .

[@roybm3124]

Ticking timebombs, that oil looks very bad. It’s waiting for the bearings to fail.

[@elcano9l52]

I’m over 80k miles now on this Kona. The next oil change came out clean. Even though the oil looked like that, the lab results showed it wasn’t really that bad. Have had zero issues, going strong.

[@roybm3124]

@@elcano9l52 Good to hear, if there aren’t visible metal parts in the oil it’s fine. It will get dark anyway.

[@Reddylion]

Nice ev.....

[@MobilAvenue_]

Didn’t even know electric cars needed oil

[@champjohn365]

Me either, I didn’t know that electric cars need oil change, if so I don’t want electric cars anymore.

[@elcano9]

Every electric motor with a reduction gear needs oil for the gears. This is an issue with the Kona, but in reality there is no need to change this oil until around 150,000 miles. Most EVs don’t even mention it, so it should last the lifetime of the vehicle.

[@champjohn365]

@@elcano9 understood

[@honumoorea873]

Waste of time and material, thIs oil do not need to be changed.

[@leostg1937]

Вот видео ремонта редуктора kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zp6Tn4CYopZ2eck