Wagon dilemma!!!

Ok I'm not sure that this is the right place on the forum to put this but I need help. Aaaand it isn't a wagon but this problem is keeping me and my wife from getting one. It's my '03 Optima. We need to finish fixing it before we can sell it. A quick history on the repairs we made since we got it. Oooook... The windshield has been replaced, AC recharged (not that that seemed to make a difference), the front spindles (axle) have been replaced, the fuel lines cleaned, most of the bulbs have been replaced, new tires and a tune up (one of the spark plugs was cracked), belts replaced, high pressure line for the power steering pump replaced, It was leaking fluid all over my belts and alternator. and something else I can't remember... When we test drove the car it drove like a dream and did great with gas. Two days later when we bought it we filled the tank (17 gallon tank) and it was drained by the next day with knowing why. It wasn't a leak, it just burned through the fuel that quickly. The car vibrated badly and the engine started 'coughing' especially at higher speeds and up hills.

Now even though it still has a slight vibration and it gets better gas it now has other problems. The car thinks that its hot. It doesn't act like its hot; no steam, there isn't any excess heat coming from under the hood or anything. But just to be safe I run the heater and it seems to keep the heat gauge out of the red zone. This really sucks with the Missouri humidity and heat. My car is an automatic but it has a sports mode option which is like having a semi-manual car. When I first start the car for the day I have to drive the car in sports mode or the transmission doesn't want to shift on its own until I have been driving for awhile. This all even after a transmission fluid and filter change. Until we get these things fixed we can't sell it and we can't get a wagon.

HEEEEELLP!!! :banghead3:

 

Optima ?

I thought that was a battery!!! I have nothing to help you. But a few words came to mind as I read your post------------ Can you spell LEMON?

 

Sounds like you should rid of that thing as soon as you can!

 

I'm suspecting an issue with a sensor. MAF MAP O2 TEMP, who knows?
Sometimes I'll start by running some Sea Foam in the gas tank to help clean the fuel system and injectors.

 

I would first verify that the temp gauge is indeed accurate. You might want to hook up a gauge with actual numbers on it to see where it is really running. Factory gauges have been known to be inaccurate. Next step would probably be a coolant system flush and fill. It sounds like maybe this car hasn't had a stellar maintenance record so it's possible it is running the original coolant. I've had cars with weak coolant that ran much warmer than they should have. You can also test your thermostat while you have the system apart. Is it leaking any coolant or are you otherwise loosing any?

No clue on the trans issue. Sounds like it may be electrical, but I know zero about Kia's. Might be worth signing up on a Kia board and searching around there. Could be a common problem.

 

Not to sound like a horses ass but if you are not fixing it yourself with the cost of diagnostic fees and repair bill you may come out better selling as is and cut your losses. Hope it all works out for you and sorry I don't have any info that could help out.

 

Oh it's totally a lemon... a lemon that we're trying to make into at least an orange. We bought it outright (I'm not a big fan of car payments... Too easy to lose it) for $3500. while other car lots were asking another 3000 for the same model. We've paid almost that much for all the repairs. And nothing would make me happier [realistically] than selling it. Oh it also has a new starter in it, also. That I was able to do myself. Last fall the computer scan showed multiple engine misfires and now it has a clean readout. The car was very poorly taken care of as evidenced by its revealed condition. The Kia dealership ( which is not where I bought it) said that everything checked out except for needing another oil change [not ] and the power steering needed to be replaced (I saved like $250 just by having my mechanic do it, or at least what really needed to be done and not the Kia dealership) and the belts were bad and needed to be replaced (they already had been just a couple of months earlier by my mechanic)... Okay first off my usual mechanic is a man who paid for is education and experience, bought his own land, and built his own garage and bought all his own tools and equipment out of his own pocket. I have been going to him for years, and trust him very much. We went to the dealership because we got a coupon for the fluid change and now my battery is weak and my once clean air filter is now dirty and has grit in it that resembles the stuff at the bottom of the fish tank in the waiting... STOP SCREWING WITH MY CAR YOU SHIFTY
:sorry::Blasting_anim:

Sorry about that rant. I am very sensitive about cars... even ones I am planning on getting rid of.

Anyways, We are going to get the coolant system flushed. and I'm going to talk to my mechanic about the other things. There hasn't been any signs of fluid leaks other than the power steering which is now fixed. Thanks for the help I really appreciate it. We are just trying to get it to the point where we can get a certain amount $ out of it.

 

Lemon--Aid

Sadly we all probably know the feeling about putting more money into something that we've already spent too much on. We have to finally realize that enough was more than enough. I suggest you park it in one of those sleazy neighborhoods and leave the keys in it. (Shouldn't be hard to find one of those where ever you live) Heck, leave it running and the windows down. If that don't work add a sign, take me, my trunk is full of drugs and booze. Make sure your insurance is paid up!

 

Check out www.kia-forums.com and www.kia-world.net and search around. Sounds like they had some sensor issues causing some problems with the transmissions back then. Hopefully that is all it is and nothing mechanical inside the trans.

 

I'm puzzled by the gas thing. Your engine can't be using that much gas in just one day. You've got to have a leak somewhere. That should be checked out - could be dangerous. Maybe it only leaks while it's being driven.....

I'd stick with your mechanic and just get it to the point where it runs reasonably well, fix the gas problem, then RUN to your nearest dealer and trade it in.

 

I would just leave it some where with the key and a note saying free to any kind of home. I'd even fill up the tank. However, I'm disabled and mobility and money restrictions are what has kept it in our possession this long. Missouri pays $^!% if you are as young as I am. So my financial situation is limiting and my living situation is not what it should be for my family and me. Getting this car to a certain value point, selling it, and then buying another [less expensive] car, and saving the rest of the money for moving into our own place again, somewhere near Cleveland hopefully. This is, at least, the best plan we have.

I will see what I can find out about the sensor. Thank you.

As for a gas leak, I have found nothing so far. We wondered about that and had it checked out. We started using Lucas in it and that seemed to make a huge difference. Some one suggested to me once that it could be leaking fuel out of the exhaust but I don't know how plausible that is.

To add to its lemonosity, the motor mounts have been fixed and the front end re-leveled. YAY I got fr-uit-ca-ked!

 

Cleaveland ?

First you admit you bought a lemon for a vehicle, now you're movin to Cleveland? Next time you drive that Optima roll the windows down. I think I know where the gas fumes are going!!!!!! Okay, I'm just joking. Good luck on the car repairs and the move. We all have to live someplace---Cleveland?

 

Well in my defense I did't know it was a lemon when I bought it...

 

Lemon Aid

---------- Would you have still bought it?:banghead3:

 

No way in hell