2000 KIA Sephia - Help me go faster!

[mykiasucks]

My 2000 KIA Sephia will not go up hills... I cannot go past 20 mph going up hill... No matter what size the incline is, I always lose momentum, and have to drive on the side of the rode with my hazard lights on because it's a 50 mph zone and I can't go past 20 mph. It's horrible. Not to mention that when I am getting on the freeway, it literally takes me 5 minutes to go from 0 - 60 Seriously! I almost get squished by big rigs everyday and it is dangerous. Please help me!

[mark_gober]

Is your check engine light on? This type of performance sounds like your catalytic converter may be blocking the exhaust. I have a 2000 w/ 195,000 miles and I just encountered this problem. I had been getting an obd code that was for catalytic converter efficiency threshold, but it would clear and not come back for a few days.

One day it started running as if I had no power at all. If I accelerated heavily, it would buck at me. Both of my cats were melted and broken inside. The cost of the cats was around $200 for both of them. One was from autozone and the other was a universal from pep boys. The universal one I had to weld the flanges on, but it works like a champ now.

Can you provide any more information about the car (how many miles, any other symptoms, recent failures/fixes) That type of info can help locate the problem.

Mark

[mykiasucks]

Thanks so much!!! Okay, so I have 72,000 miles on it.. And I just bought the car this January. I first put new tires on it and got new brakes for the front and the back. I also had my cadallidic converter replaced.. Something about the honeycombs being completely crushed? However like you said, my check engine light will come on, and I will go have it read and it comes up with something about oxygen flow - I'm not positive, I've given up having it read because they always just tell me it's the same code about oxygen. And they will reset it and my light will go off for a day or so, and then turn right back on.. And when I'm trying to go up hills it does the same buck thing to me.. Maybe I can go have the code read and give you the exact one? Thanks so much for trying to help!!!!! :]

[mark_gober]

Originally Posted by mykiasucks

Thanks so much!!! Okay, so I have 72,000 miles on it.. And I just bought the car this January. I first put new tires on it and got new brakes for the front and the back. I also had my cadallidic converter replaced.. Something about the honeycombs being completely crushed? However like you said, my check engine light will come on, and I will go have it read and it comes up with something about oxygen flow - I'm not positive, I've given up having it read because they always just tell me it's the same code about oxygen. And they will reset it and my light will go off for a day or so, and then turn right back on.. And when I'm trying to go up hills it does the same buck thing to me.. Maybe I can go have the code read and give you the exact one? Thanks so much for trying to help!!!!! :]

There are two catalytic converters on your car. Which did you have replaced? One is visible just in front of the engine . It has 5 bolts that face up to the sky. You may have to unbolt the heat shield to see the bolts. The main catalytic converter is underneath the engine, just past a 90 turn in the exhaust pipe. Both of mine were melted.

I replaced my front one with one from Autozone for less than $100. The rear one was pretty expensive everywhere else, so I purchased a universal one from Pep Boys. It did not come with flanges, so I cut the flanges off of the old one and welded them on the new one. If welding isn't your thing, take it to an exhaust shop and the welding portion/install should be relatively cheap. I would say around $50/$100.

Mark