Francis’s question:
My 2004 Kia Rio has been to five different shops. It won’t run over two thousand rpms. When I reach that speed, the engine just bogs down. I’ve had crank sensors, cam sensors, ignition coils, and many other parts changed by mechanics. But nothing has helped. I’m at a loss, and I found you through Google. I’m hoping you’ve seen this before and can lend me a hand.”
Answer:
Well, I’ve certainly seen a few things in the forty years I’ve been fixing vehicles. And I did work on a Kia last year with the same type of problem. In my case, when I hooked my scan tool up to the Kia, I couldn’t get any data out of the vehicle’s computer. That generally means the vehicle either has a wiring problem to the computer, or a bad computer itself. In my case, the main computer (or PCM) had gone bad. Perhaps your Kia has the same exact problem. And yes, PCMs are VERY hard to analyze, in my case I just lucked out and was unable to communicate with the PCM. This leaned me toward feeling the PCM itself was bad, and replacing it fixed the vehicle. Good Luck,
Edward Horton’s question:
“My 2000 Kia won’t go over forty miles an hour. It has very poor acceleration, but it idles totally normal, smooth as can be. I’ve changed out the fuel pump and filter, but it made no difference at all. HELP! “
Answer:
Well, you took a good guess, but it’s probably another common problem. Now assuming the fuel pump you bought is good (just hook up a fuel pressure gauge and test it–pumps can be bad right out of the box, especially aftermarket pumps), then odds are you’ve got a bad catalytic converter (or bad converters as that Kia has two cats on it.) As I’ve shown in one of my videos, engines have to breathe in and breathe OUT to function correctly. If the cat gets clogged up, then your engine can’t exhale and will only be able to drive up to a certain speed, and no further. Have the cats checked and replaced if they’re building up too much backpressure.
Miguel’s question:
“Hello… I drive a 2001 Kia Optima and when I am driving at speeds 45-50 I hear a humming sound. In the interior of the car I hear small vibrations. I have asked questions around and they tell me that it could be my wheel bearings that are going out. Help please I need my car to take me to school and work.”
Answer:
Generally, wheel bearings will wear out one at a time and start making that humming sound the faster you go. So here’s and old trick: Find somewhere safe to drive fifty mph with no one around. Then gently turn the car to the left, and then to the right. If the noise quiets down a lot when turning left, then the right wheel bearing is worn. And vice versa, if you get quiet turning right, then the left wheel bearing is worn. So then you’d know what side it’s on. You’ve got to figure out front versus rear wheel bearing, so get someone else to drive the car and stick your head out the window to hear if the noise is coming from the front or the rear tire (though usually you can just tell by listening closely as the wheels are pretty far apart.)
Perry’s Question: My 2003 Spectra rattles when I go over bumps. It rides OK, but the noise is driving me nuts. Have you seen this before?
Kia Spectra
Answer: Yes, the front sway bar bushings go out all the time in those Kias. They always have them in stock at the dealer, just buy a set of the bushings, they’re actually pretty easy to put in yourself if you want to give it a try. They just unbolt, slip off, and then the new ones slip on.
Dwayne’s Question: Hey, I’m back again. This time it’s my wife’s car. It’s a 2000 Kia Sephia, and it won’t pass the inspection test due to trouble code PO552. It’s the code for inefficient catalytic converter. BUT, this Kia has two converters on it. How do I know which one is bad (they aren’t cheap.)
car kia sephia 2000
Answer: Yes, the first one is built into the exhaust manifold, and it is known as the “warm up cat.” The second cat is under the middle of the car. I’ve seen a few guys mistakingly think there was only one, the one under the middle of the car, and when they replaced it the code didn’t go away. It’s normally the front one that goes bad and sets that code in a Sephia.
