fuse problems on my KIA Sportage 2001

I have gone through a lot of mechanics and the dealership different people say different things.

The Fuse that controls the dash board on my truck keeps blowing off so none of gauges work the a/c is not working and the accleration on the car in drive mode is not at the usual level.

The mechanics first run a diagonoses and told me that O2 sensors need to be replaced. So not sure about it i went to get a second opinion and this time i was told that O2 sensors are fine it could be the alternator as battery was not showing enough power when the engine was running.

The dealer ship spent a full day and came out with nothing concrete..if anybody has any ideas...i will be very greatful as i dont want to be ripped off.

Not that I am real good with this stuff, but have you checked to see if your wires are crossed somewhere? In the sense that possibly you have a short? If your going through fuses then sometimes it's a short or crossed wires putting to much power somewhere that it usually does not go. When I wired my stereo system into my Sportage the first few times I blew the fuses, too much power, then had to reconfigure my wiring and then I was fine. It might pay just to trace your wiring and make sure you don't have a crossed wires or a short. But like I said, not real good at this stuff, so it's just an idea.

WOUld like much to know which codes you did have...
1st the alternator or battery will not blow the fuse. SOmething draws more current than normal...or you have a pinched wire somewhere.
Which fuse is it? the one labelled METER? www.geocities.com/lmp4203/kiasport/FusesIN.jpg
Then the lack of power....if some sensors or computer function are deactivated due to the blown fuse (??), then the computer can enter some "default" mode and this will in most cases deoptimize the engine, so what you say is relevant: find the fuse problem first and after that, see if the engine returns to normal behaviour. IN the mean time,you can check this out to trace components:
www.geocities.com/lmp4203/kiasport/Injection.PDF

i dunno i have had alts. go bad before by having the voltage regulator go bad and thus putting out tooo much energy. enough to burn out high beems in seconds.

thanks to everyone for taking out the time and pitching in a reply for my query and LMP, yes its the meter fuse that keeps blowing off another thing that i have noticed is the fuse is fine when car is idle and turned on its once i am on the move the fuse goes off.

does the brightness of your headlights flare at the same time?

first go to dealer who knows what they are doing.
Second get a code readout. The output of the alternator should be examined on an oscillioscope to look for AC. if one or the 5 or 6 diodes is shorted, it will pass AC into the voltage stream. usually this will dim the lights and kill the battery, and possible cause an overvoltage to the computer, which in turn may pop the fuse so you don't loose the computer (A very expensive part). the next suspect is the harness where it passes through the firewall. A competent mechanic will need to get some test equipment in there, but first you need the data stream readouts to begin the detective hunt. A Kia is nothing but a rolling computer with it's own power source. you have to start there, in that order. Every thing has a reason, it takes a good mechanic to sort out the facts, like a detective.

Hi, I was wondering if you found out the problem that was blowing the Meter fuse in, your Kia Sportage? I have a 2001 Kia Sportage and it is blowing the Meter fuse. When the fuse blows, I lose all gauges in the dash and the automatic transimmion won't shift through the gears and the motor cuts down a little. You can get about a half mile driving but just idleling in park it seems fine. Thanks in advance for any help from anybody.

[quote=newfie1969]Hi, I was wondering if you found out the problem that was blowing the Meter fuse in, your Kia Sportage? I have a 2001 Kia Sportage and it is blowing the Meter fuse. When the fuse blows, I lose all gauges in the dash and the automatic transimmion won't shift through the gears and the motor cuts down a little. You can get about a half mile driving but just idleling in park it seems fine. Thanks in advance for any help from anybody.

I have a 2001 Kia Sportage with the same Meter Fuse problem. It was a wiring short that run near the top of the Transmission. We taped the wire and no more blown fuses.

If the electricity has "welded" it in you will have to take a sharp thin blade and work it between the fuse and holder to break the bond if possible.

hi all im new to this buti have same problem with meter fuse blown , well ive replace this fuse now and starts but when in drive it seems to be stuck in a high gear, also power and hold button no longer works. can any one help me . thanks

THere were a few suggestions in this very old thread. DId you look for the solutions offered ?
You could hit more up to date info here (http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=UBB70)

the codes are VSS (vehicle speed sensor), MIL (your dash lights aren't lighting up) and no speedo or tach. I was told there's a group of wires near tranny that looked all buggered up that could be causing my meter fuse to keep blowing, until i can figure that mess out i carry 5amp fuses in the glove box just in case :)