I came across this forum while looking for a KIA Repair manual and now I am confused?
My 2001 Sportage (4X4 with 5 speed 78,000 miles) lost power and died! Although I paid a repair shop for a 60,000 mile service repair I was told I didn't need a new timing belt. @ 70,000 I did have the coils and plug wires replaced.
My KIA started having coolant problems my temperature gauge never went above 1/3 however I was losing coolant constantly. I did not have coolant in my oil or oil in my coolant (no white smoke either) however I was finding my radiator dry quite often. Anyway I was driving home from work and my KIA died just as if I turned the Key off while driving, I coasted to the side of the road and tried to restart it with no luck so I called AAA. They sent a tow truck driver who tried to start it and determined it wasn't getting compression. (Fuel OK, Battery OK, had Spark etc...) So he towed it to a reliable??? Repair shop. The mechanic told me that my Sportage was an "interference" engine, meaning that “when the belt went, the pistons took out all the valves!” He then spent a week calling around to find someone to machine the head and replace the valves once he removed the head, anyway he couldn’t find anybody so he called me and told me to come pick up my KIA before he had it towed to a junk yard.
So I was going to by a used engine and try to R & R it my self but now I’m reading that KIA engines are non interference engines so there should not be any other damage. If it was my timing belt. Right now the upper part of the belt cover is undone and the belt is sticking out.

I have posted some of the above information in another thread ( dead on I-95) however I do not want to Limit my request for help only to those that read that thread so I am starting this one to ask for HELP!
So if any one has any suggestions as to what I should do know they would be greatly appreciated.

I came across this forum while looking for a KIA Repair manual and now I am confused?
My 2001 Sportage (4X4 with 5 speed 78,000 miles) lost power and died! Although I paid a repair shop for a 60,000 mile service repair I was told I didn't need a new timing belt. @ 70,000 I did have the coils and plug wires replaced.
My KIA started having coolant problems my temperature gauge never went above 1/3 however I was losing coolant constantly. I did not have coolant in my oil or oil in my coolant (no white smoke either) however I was finding my radiator dry quite often. Anyway I was driving home from work and my KIA died just as if I turned the Key off while driving, I coasted to the side of the road and tried to restart it with no luck so I called AAA. They sent a tow truck driver who tried to start it and determined it wasn't getting compression. (Fuel OK, Battery OK, had Spark etc...) So he towed it to a reliable??? Repair shop. The mechanic told me that my Sportage was an "interference" engine, meaning that “when the belt went, the pistons took out all the valves!” He then spent a week calling around to find someone to machine the head and replace the valves once he removed the head, anyway he couldn’t find anybody so he called me and told me to come pick up my KIA before he had it towed to a junk yard.
So I was going to by a used engine and try to R & R it my self but now I’m reading that KIA engines are non interference engines so there should not be any other damage. If it was my timing belt. Right now the upper part of the belt cover is undone and the belt is sticking out.

I have posted some of the above information in another thread ( dead on I-95) however I do not want to Limit my request for help only to those that read that thread so I am starting this one to ask for HELP!
So if any one has any suggestions as to what I should do know they would be greatly appreciated.
Go and get your car and take it to another mechanic he is taking you for a ride. the engine in the kis is a NON-interferiance engine. it requires 2 hours labor and roughly 120-200$ of parts so it should be that means the total bill for repair should be 260- 380 tops.

hope this helps.

:rolleyes:Thanks your information does help some.
I think my biggest problem right now is finding a mechanic that knows something a bout KIA’s or compile enough information to fix it myself. The first mechanic I took my (actually my wife took it while I was working) Sportage to for a 60,000 service definitely “took us for a ride” We asked him to do a 60,000 mile service on it and all he did was change the spark plugs. He even told me the timing belt was OK.
As for the second mechanic that I had it towed to I want to believe that he didn’t know what he was talking about. So here is were I am know, My Sportage is sitting in my driveway with the timing belt sticking out of the upper timing belt cover.
I have one question before I start replacing the belt (and anything else that I can while I’m in there)
:shakehead
Is there any way I can tell my problem is the Timing belt. As I don’t want to replace things on a engine that I will just have to replace next week?

Any suggestions as to what I should do know they would be greatly appreciated.:smile:

see if you can grab the belt and pull it out. aside from that you are going to need to replace the belt before you do any other work to get it to run.

i can help you in another way there is a seller on ebay that is selling water pumps and timing belt kits (since they have to be changed at the same time and you have to remove timing belt to chang water pump.) for around 80-90 dollers plus shipping. that is alot cheaper then buying the parts through autozone.

Instructions for Changing belt are here:
http://www.geocities.com/lmp4203/kia...TimingBelt.zip

:shakehead If I replace the timing belt & water pump and then find out that there are bigger problems that might cause me to replace the engine. I should be able to reuse the timing belt on a “used” engine shouldn’t I? :uhoh:

Why not. But this broken belt event is common stuff with this DOHC and all of those I read about just went back on the road alive and well with the new belt: no bent valves. However the coolant issue is still a problem...but it will always be the time to think of it: the worst it can be is a blown head gasket and this does not mandate changing the engine ...but you should have other symptoms then ....and no water in the oil is a good sign...at least the bearings are not being starved of lubrication..

:smile:Thanks, I pulled on the belt and it’s definitely busted. So I started calling around for part prices and I keep getting told that my engine is a “interference” engine:screwy: and that the valves are positively shot!:screwy: (5 out of 7 parts sellers)
I tried to explain that I believe my information is reliable and correct, however I keep getting nope, your valves are positively shot!:screwy:
As a result of all the misinformation from parts people I called a KIA dealership (KIA OF KIRKLAND 11414 120th Ave NE,. Kirkland, WA 98033 (425) 823-0800) and a service tech there confirmed every thing that I have been told here.:smile: (Thank you all again) I was also told to put the new belt on and check for 190 lbs of compression.
Is there any thing else that I should replace while I have the timing belt cover off?
Thank you all your information and help it is really appreciated!:grinyes::rofl::grinno:

Well 190 lb is somewhat overblown...that would be 14:1 compression ratio...well may be if one takes adiabatic heating into the calculation..but at cranking speed, I would expect 155-165..but anyway, checking compression would confirm that correct timing has been achieved. However, that spark plug hole is very deep under ...I would not be able to check compression with what I have.. unless the valve cover has been removed.
What you have in the zipped folder suggest changing the timing belt bender and idler....another 70$. There have been several incidents of squeeling idler/tensioner and opening again just for that is adding insult to the pain...so take a good look at them for any play or lack of lubrication....and play safe. ANd do not forget: the spring is just a convenience for the installation, not to take the slack as the belt gets older: the tensioner has to be tightened in place, somewhat tight...this is annoying: in several other makes, the tensioner is adjustable from the outside (but anyway these belts are not supposed to get longer with time as this would mean the tooth spacing would change...which would destroy them in a short time...which is probably the way they get shot)

for me it was $6xx.xx plus my tow. 1 timing belt, one tensioner kit, 1 water pump and 1 new cover. On mine the bolt actually worked itself loose causing the belt to run into the cover. Since the pully is keyed on the shaft, it dropped out caising all my problems. Took a couple days but I was good to go with no other motor work.

I am in the middle of changing the timing belt on my KIA Sportage and since this is the first time I have done open hart surgery on a car I have some questions before I close her up. The following are STEPS 5 – 9 of the instructions that I have for installing the timing belt on my Sportage.
Install new belt but leave tensioner free.
Turn engine in direction of rotation twice to insure everything remains lined up.:banghead:
Loosen tensioner lock bolt so tensioner goes against the belt
Turn engine so the 'S' mark on the exhaust cam aligns with the mark on the top of the head and then tighten the tensioner lock bolt.
It's done, except to put everything back together.In step six, when I tried to turn the engine (by hand) I could not keep all the gears lined up, the belt is loose-fitting and gears move out of place, so I have undone the tensioner lock bolt at this time (before step 6) allowing the tensioner to hold the belt in place on the sprockets, and then I rotated the engine twice by hand, Is this OK?
If so then what is the reason for step eight? Am I screwing anything up by undoing the tensioner lock bolt so tensioner goes against the belt before step 8?


Once again thank you all for the Help!!!

You probley fix this allready but I tell ya once you do get this timming belt on right the KIA timming belt in my opnion was the easyest of the ones I did. and yes all the garbage from the other repair shops is wrong. I know this cause my timming belt slipted 1 tooth and cause the car to over heat and all sorts of things. change the timming belt and got my timing right and all my problems went away. if you are having a hard time starting it. its most likely you of one tooth cause the car does seam to run fine just dies sometimes or a little hard to start.