Kia Rio JB (2005-2011) Questions & Answers

Maybe you could get a gas analyser on the exhaust pipe which should tell you if it’s running rich. Also maybe get some hotter spark plugs. A really good mechanic should be able to sort your problem out.

Could be a faulty spark plug/ignition coil. Milne had a similar issue, where it would loose power, the engine light would flash, then after a few seconds, it would 'jerk' and regain power. Happened a few times, before the ignition coil gave out completely and had to get towed to a mechanic to get a replacement fitted.

Hi Narrel

Sorry to hear about your car problems. Definitely go back to the mechanic you bought it off. It sounds though, he probably hasn't told you the truth as it is highly unlikely it has all happened since you bought it in only 2 days. More than likely he had a car he knew had problems and he needed to off load it quickly. I once bought a car off a mechanic I trusted and it was the biggest mistake I had ever made because I didn't get it checked independently. I had to spend 1000s rebuilding the motor.

If the car has a 3 month warranty you may be covered but if it was a private purchase you may have no come back on the mechanic as it is up to the buyer to fully check a car when buying it. When someone sells a car privately it's often because it has a number of expensive repairs that need doing.

If you have no response from the mechanic it would be best to go to the nearest Kia dealer who have specialist mechanics who can see what exactly it is going on.

Regarding the temperature light the 2010 model we have only shows when there is a warning. We have never had it come on so can't comment on the colour it should be.

What you describe above sounds a lot like a problem I had in the 1980s with a Holden Camira. It turned out the head gasket had blown and back then in 1988 a head gasket cost $1500 to repair. The white smoke sounds a lot like steam as the water from your radiator 'goes into your engine via the cracked head gasket, which in turn drains your radiator. That's only what it sounds like and I could be wrong so a professional mechanic will be able to help.

Sorry to hear you have gone through this. Buying a car is never and easy decision as you always hope you haven't bought a lemon.

Sorry mine is a 2012 model.

No this problem has not happened to me, though all new cars speedos are electronic speed sensitive, a dealer should be able to diagnose the problem, hope this helps.

Hi no but it could be the speedo cable

Hello, usually the light in the shape of a car is a warning that something is wrong, but that it flickers does sound like a loose wire or bulb, Kia's are known for poor build quality of their plastics, a quick trip to your dealership and a plug into there computer should tell them if anything is wrong, on some cars the whole dash lights up,{ Christmas tree } and the computer shuts down, though I don't believe it is that, it may also be a warning that your service is due, many factors, Kia not to giving with information regarding problems, though the 2010 models had very little in the way of problems, have you checked all the fluids, oil, water, brake fluid, etc?, hope this helps.

The light could be on for 2 reasons like you said a loose connection or a fault. Take the car to a mechanic, he can connect it to a computer and it should tell him what it is

Most definitely valves one or two have gone best option is do an engine swap over the old engine for a new rebuilt, normally costs $1000 that's in Queensland not sure anywhere else, not sure how long you have had the car less than three months from a dealer their responsibility if longer your cost

Are you sure it was not a loose or broken engine mount?, an engine will run rough if it's engine mount is not secure, a piston can break, ruin rings, crack, it's not unheard of, in any manufacturer, perhaps you should have taken it to Kia, not sure if you have it serviced there, or ask the mechanic to show you what was replaced, if it was a piston with new rings, there should be more compression in that cylinder.

I believe it could have been a loose engine mount, but the mechanic insisted it was a piston, even pulled out the part and showed me but me being a 23 year old girl I wasn't confident in what the issue actually was. I guess I just wanted to know if its possible for the piston to misfire and cause the car to loose power (couldn't get over 50ks) and shake heavily and the engin light to be on?

A piston not firing does shake the car engine badly as described, a loose or broken engine mount wont shake it significantly because the weight of the engine sits it relatively still, particuarly in a small engine like this. The thing is, there are a few most likely things that will cause a single piston not to fire in your Kia: A spark plug, spark plug wiring, ignition coil (plugs onto the spark plug) and a blocked or broken fuel injector. The check engine light comes on for all of these. A piston change is a major job where as all of these are easy replacements, my guess is it wouldve been one of these things.

Hello, no I have not had that problem, though our car is a 2012 model, though we had hard starting for a long time until it was serviced and the spark plugs were replaced with a different heat range, though it does sound like a computer glitch, Kia is notorious for electrical problems which arise from out of the blue, try and find a good dealership who hopefully can correct the problem, good luck.

Most probably fuel/electrical. Go to a Kia dealership who have the equipment to check Kias. If you go to your local mechanic you are going to be buying different parts to diagnose the problem.

My son has a 2008 Rio and we are experiencing the same problem and the same results. Been to a Kia dealership and they cannot find a fault on their computers. Today the car died while driving but started 30 minutes later. From what I have read it appears to be a worldwide problem. Going back to dealer next week for round 2.

Hello, I change my oil every 8000kms, don't believe in 15,000kms for a oil change, by then the oil is black and thick, even though the oil may still protect the internals it is still breaking down, synthetic oil just protects that much better.

Thanks for the answer Steven, I am in Australia and was wondering are you using the same weight oil (10-30W)?

Hello djross, I use 5w30 synthetic, the dealership uses a Nissan brand, excellent oil, at service, I then use Nulon for the Teflon additive, hope this helps.

There are quite a few aftermarket chip sellers on the market, the ones that are cheap and promise the world do nothing, performance chipping involves resetting all the systems on the car, cars are set at 87% only for engine life, a good system such as Wolf, sets every aspect of the engine and transmisson, though a performance exhaust, air cleaner system, injectors, coil packs, etc, are also needed, this is not cheap, do a little research online and see how much more performance people have attained, I had our 2012 Rio serviced and by using synthetic oil 5W30, hotter spark plugs, tweaking the setting a little the dealership had achieved much better economy and about 1 kilowat increase in engine power
So please don't be fooled by these $60 gimmicks, hope this helps.

Kia dealer have latest computer updates Had my JB 2007 done.Re engine not starting when hot see

Hi Gina, Not sure about this one will look into it as it hasnt happened to mine and i use normal unleaded and have done 300,000 ks in my kia rio 2006, could be quite a number of things however if there is an electrical fault you would be better off taking it to an auto elect as mechanics usually would not be able to trace the problem as easily, if it is mechanical then a mechanic should be able to diagnose it on a machine.