KIA SEPHIA AND STALLING

kavasagi

I have 1997 kia sephia. It has 29000 mile. it has
stalling problem. I am getting rotten egg smell.No
pick ups.Check engine light comes on so many times.
For stalling problem i went to the dealer he
recommended tune up. i spend $600 for 30000 mile
tune up. same problem after tune up. i am going
back and forth to the dealer for same problem and
he is not able to coorect it.
Anybody has same problem? Please help

pat455

You might want to look through this topic:

Rotten Egg smell exhaust (Topic #937)

You might find the discussion there helpful.

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

rednave

Our 1997 Kia Sephia also has a problem with stalling. The car has 52,000 miles on it, and is a standard transmission. Kavasagi, is your car automatic or standard transmission? Kia service department has been unable to find a problem. We do not have the rotten egg smell, however. Anyone else out there have this problem?

macauley

I own a 1997 Sephia Kia, purchase it NEW, It has 43,000 plus mileage. Check Engine light came on in the Month of August. To it to my neighborhood service station. They could not find the problem.
Took it to another service station couldn't determine the problem. Each station charge $70.00
bucks. Finally, gave up took it to the dealer.
He suggested full maintenance,estimated cost $225.00 have had problems with the brakes. found out the rotors are different sizes! Not sure if I have made a mistake yet or not. However, some of the stories sound like mine. Well pick up my car this evening. Also, I had to pay for car rental.

pat455

In case you didn't see it, I thought you might be interested in this topic:

Kia Sephia Brakes (Topic #450)

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

Cid

Hello to you, Macauley! I have the same year Sephia as yourself, LS model 97' and though I'm not experiencing any stalling (praise GOD) I've had more than my share of warping rotors.

After no longer being under warranty, FORD/KIA tells me it will cost some "out of this world" price for new rotors. This is supposedly what they had given me while I was under warranty - which occurred about every 3- 4 mos (3K miles).


Help is at hand ... have no fear. I decided, if I had to replace those rotors it would not be with KIA's defective parts and with the help of the site here on EDMUND's (under KIA brakes) I found another person who told me what they did to rectify the problem. I switched to WAGNER rotors and brake pads. Thus far, I've already passed the 3k mark without any problems. I'm trusting things will continue to go well, but if not, at least I can say KIA did not milk me and I can try another manufacturuer, if need be.

I love my KIA's performance, ride, handling and could not afford to be upside-down in my loan by trading it in and was determined to find an affordable solution to the rotor warping problem.
I have only about a year and a half before it is paid off; plan to try and buy something else next year when the new 2002 models come out. What I will buy ... cannot say, but I'm through with KIA and now that Hyundai owns them, I am not comforted with their 10yr. warranty. A warranty is of little help when you compare it to the frustration of having to be in and out of a service shop WITHOUT getting results and repeatedly taking your vehicle back, over and over for the same problem.

I trust you take note of this possible solution and that you'll find a mechanic who can rectify your stalling problem as well.

pdsabre

I am researching my mother's stalling 1999 Kia 5spd. It appears to happen after the car has been running a while, and stalls in first or second gear. It feels like loss of spark, drop in fuel advance, almost like an alternator regulator, but not consistent enough. 3rd gear on the car is good to go. No over heating and you can get around it stalling with clutch play and paying attention to the engine. 1) you should not have to and 2) a 60 yr old, I mean 29 yr old woman ;-) should not have to deal with this. I have only seen the car once, but will work on it soon and will post the results. Kia service does suck in our region (Lower Westchester NY). She has the warping break syndrome and had the faulty fuel tank float. NOTE: please email me the symptoms that you are experiencing. Is the car hot or cold? Is the car an auto or stick. Car dies at idle or at speed? Mail to Airborneops@hotmail.com

mjo50

Have 1997 Kia Sephia, and had a nightmare with stalling. Been to dealer 8 times while under warranty, they did everything, nothing worked. Finally used Florida Lemon Law to give car back, they flew in a tech, who found out it was the throttle body. Was replaced at 20,000 miles. Now car has 30,000, is out of warranty, and its starting all over again. Have to trade it in for a new one, with 100,000 warranty, should have no fear, the price is too good not to buy one.

joef6

the problems I have had w/ my Kia are the flywheel when I start it. It stalls around 10mph when i am giving it a go. The brakes are a continous problem. I have also had my cheap a** seats start to come apart at the sewing already. They say that is not covered under warranty, is it?? Tires are badd I had to replace w/ own money. fuel tank pumps back at me, what do i do w/ that?

kavasagi

I am suing Kia company under lemon law for stalling problem. Problem starts after engine heats up. My Kia is automatic.Cannot drive long distance because of stalling problem.
Anybody had any success getting settelment under lemon law? Please reply.

pat455

We have several lemon law topics throughout Town Hall. It would be a good idea to read through them to learn of other folks' experiences. Click here to get a list of them.

Good luck.

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

romero5

Fellow Kia Owners:
I own a 1996 Sephia that has 60,000 miles on it. I have had the stalling problem/check engine light, ever since it was new
and the dealer couldn't figure what was wrong. I finally decided to take the car to an electromechanic of my confidence, and he told me that the problem was caused by the wiring of the mass air flow meter. He changed the wires, charged me $45.00, and I have not had the problem ever since. Hope this helps you.

romero5

Ask your mechanic to check the wiring of the mass air flow meter. Mine had the stalling problem, the wires where bad. After replacing them the problem went away

kiadriver55

for anyone that has had an inquiry on this issue, i just want to let every sephia owner know that the gas tank backflow issue is from air in the tank and is now under formal recall and can be repaired for free at any authorized kia dealership, i also own a sephia and had tons and tons of problems please e-mail me if you've also had problems JJL100@Yahoo.com

halatos

I degreased the engine in my Kia last weekend and immediately started having problems with bucking, stalling, high idle, etc. I traced it down to the connector at the airflow sensor. The fix is to disconnect the plug, unscrew the hose clamp attaching the intake hose to the air cleaner, and then remove the air cleaner with attached airflow sensor from the car. I used a jewelers screwdriver to scrape the crud off of the pins(5 or 6, I forget) and then sprayed it out with carb cleaner. I also sprayed out the plug on the wiring harness and blew it dry with compressed air. You should also disconnect the battery to clear any check engine codes, without an OBD-II scanner this is the only way to get the codes out of the system.

Upon reassembly the car ran just fine. As a side note, it looks like the pins are simply crimped to the individual wires inside the connector plug. If I have future problems I will solder these connections and see if that helps, there is a white plastic insert in the plug that can be removed, and then you can depress some small plastic tabs and remove the individual wires from the MAF connector to gain access to the crimp connections and apply some solder.

Other than this issue the car has always run like a champ, and judging from others experiences it looks like that MAF connector is a little weak as far as being moisture proof.

Chris

mvaldivi

You are the kind of owner that everyone should learn from.
One's car is more than just a vehicle of four wheels. It's an extension of our bodies. It's our tool of work, and it's a partner on the every day living. And so, everyone should learn its works, and how to take care of it.

Congratulations.

shawn31

Because of this site and all of your posts....I believe that I have corrected the stalling problems. I followed the directions about the mass air flow sensor and I think the problem is gone. It is hard to tell because my stalling problems occured mostly on hot days and I guess I'll have to wait till summer. Kia, the dealer, and the factory, all get a big thumbs down from me and another Sephia owner that I know. It is truly the worst car that I have ever owned. I will never purchase another. I will never recommend Kia to anyone, either. Thanks for the air flow sensor info.

kiaowner

i'm suprised on howmany people posted on having problems with there Kia's! i bought a 99' LS and never had a problem except for the rotors warped once. no stalling, no cut outs, no nothing. once in a blue moon, after 40,000 miles, it takes a while to turn over the engine during ignition( i assumed after market spark plugs and i let the neigborhood mechanic tune it up for a cheaper price)but it never failed to start. i've had 3 recalls, none of them serious,except for the gas pump and even before it still had no problems. my sister owns a sportage since 98, the only problem that she had was the latch for the rear door rusted out. a few of my friends own kia models starting from 1998 and had not one problem yet. i would recommend it to someone who wants a brand new car at a bargain price. i assume you ladies and gents are some of the car owners who lucked out with lemons. lemons lie among all cars. i had a 99 civic before i bought a kia. it ran well but after 1000 miles the engine died. it wasn't fixable. i decided to take it back and get another brand because the others looked more pleasing in apperance.

iluvmysephia1

Hello, kiaowner. I too am very plesed with my '99 Kia Sephia. I'm at around 55,000 miles and still going VERY strong. I'll be getting a minor tune-up soon but there's no rush. The car starts every time, handles well, has plenty of pep in the engine, is finished inside just fine, pulls around 30 mpg and is the best looking car on the road. I got some Yokohama tires and Konig wheels for it and I can't find another car I like better out there. That includes Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagen, Lexus, Acura and the whole snotty circus of cars and their owners out there. Yahoo! From here on out it's either Kia or Hyundai for me. I don't like getting ripped off!

larrylarose

I am interested in the "Mass Air Flow" wiring corrections that you made. What exactly did they correct? Were the wires damaged or were they wired to the wrong pins? I am having similar problems with my Kia and would like to try this modification. Please respond as soon as possible.