UK Car Repair: 99 Kia Sephia, 99 kia sephia, tie rod ends

Question
99 Kia Sephia is stalling when breaking or sometimes when i start it and go to step on the gas it will stall... i have changed oil and spark plugs. i also have a rattling sound under my car.

Answer
Take it to your friendly neighborhood auto shop and have them do a diagnostic scan. I have been getting a lot of complaints lately about cars doing this. I identify this problem with three issues. The first being a dirty throttle body. Second being a seized or plugged EGR Valve. The third being a faulty idle air control valve.

As far as the rattling sound goes, it is probably a stone caught in the heat shield for the exhaust or the heat shield itself falling off. I would have it looked at for both issues and make a point of having the front end scrutinized. To be completely honest with you, KIA's are great cars built with terrible components. If they were built from a better parts supply they would be a superior economy car. However; I can recall brand new KIA's breaking tie rod ends and popping out ball joints on the ride home from the dealership on their first day of ownership. Not impressive for cars that are marketed to people who most of the time will have a hard time keeping up with the minimum service requirements due to lack of time, money, or caring "college students". If this car is your baby, and many KIA owners including myself do for some reason find a strange attraction to them, you should make a point of getting it checked once every three months if only for an oil change. I also recommend using AMS oil brand Motor Oil and if equipped with a manual transmission, the AMS oil Synchromesh transmission oil. For the $6 a quart it costs, it will dramatically increase the longevity of your engine and lasts for 7500 miles between changes. That equates to aprox 2.5 normal oil changes for the cost of 2 normal oil changes with a boost in fuel economy and general engine cleanliness. Also, it is probably time to have the timing belt checked out and if you have 75K or more miles, replaced.

Happy Motoring,


Regards,

John