Kia Picanto problem.

L.S.D.
L.S.D. Posts: 412
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I recently bought an 05 Kia Picanto 1.1. I have driven around 200 miles with no problem, however I had to accelerate fast for about 4 seconds & after that the 'Engine' light lit up on the dash. The engine seemed to lose some power & once I got home it was running lumpy, almost as if it was running on 3 cylinders & the exhaust was 'puffy' & not smooth. The Kia book says something to do with a cataleptic converter problem. However the next morning all was well & I have driven it about 15 miles without any problems. I'm sure it is something that needs sorting out, any ideas what it may be? Thanks for any help.
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  • chris175
    chris175 Posts: 49 Forumite
    If the "engine" light came on there will be a fault code stored in the ECU, which will point you in the right direction. To get this read you'll need to either pay a garage to do it, or find someone friendly who has a reader who can do it for you.

    If the engine light is now off again and the car is running fine i would honestly be tempted to leave it and put it down as a 1 off. Modern engines have all sorts of sensors all over the place and it can only take 1 to read out of spec for a few seconds to throw the entire system.

    If however it starts not running right again, get it in for diagnostics asap otherwise further damage and expense can occur.
  • Outpost
    Outpost Posts: 1,720 Forumite
    One of my cars kicked itself into so called 'limp home mode' once - it detected a problem and basically shut off the engine's turbo and was running extremely roughly with the engine management light on. Left it a day or two and it was fine. :)
    :cool:
  • blue_monkey_2
    blue_monkey_2 Posts: 11,435 Forumite
    Our Kia Rio did the exact same when the oil needed changing. :o Oops. I remember we was on our way to the Renault Free Day that they were doing at Silverstone when it happened.

    When was the last time it was serviced? Sometimes people do not bother once the warranty time is up and for us, it was 2 years since the last service when it started running like a slug and the light came on. An oil change sorted everything out and the engine management light went out on it's own and we did not have a problem with it again.
  • L.S.D.
    L.S.D. Posts: 412
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    edited 9 May 2011 at 2:21PM
    Thanks chris175, outpost & blue_monkey. I will run it longer & see what happens. It had a service & an oil + filter change recently by a main dealer.
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  • L.S.D.
    L.S.D. Posts: 412
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    The Kia ran for 9 days & around 200 miles. Mostly short journeys a couple of 20 mile journeys then it started running lumpy again. The engine light didn't come on until 5 minutes after it started running lumpy. I suppose it's time for a diagnostic test?
    I wanted to take a look at the spark plugs but it looks like you need a special socket to get at them?
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  • sillygoose
    sillygoose Posts: 4,794 Forumite
    L.S.D. wrote: »
    The Kia ran for 9 days & around 200 miles. Mostly short journeys a couple of 20 mile journeys then it started running lumpy again. The engine light didn't come on until 5 minutes after it started running lumpy. I suppose it's time for a diagnostic test?
    I wanted to take a look at the spark plugs but it looks like you need a special socket to get at them?

    Very likely the catalytic converter with that driving pattern, it needs a weekly run at sustained speed/revs, long enough for the computer to decide its a suitable journey, make the engine run hotter, burn off the waste build up in the converter with the hotter gases then ease off.

    Your pattern is probably not letting it complete a cycle so it gives an error. The expensive catalytic could be damaged if this goes on.

    I know its not very moneysaving, but in some cases people need to do specific journeys just to achieve this if their normal driving pattern doesn't cover it. Thats why many people hate them, it can seem crazy on a city car!!!

    Try to weekly do a journey that after a while on the road ends on quiet dual carriage way, do say 50 but avoid 6th if you have one, use 5th or 4th so the revs sit steady above halfway or into top 3rd of the rev counter. Try to keep this up for at least 15 minutes (do a few loops up and down if needed)

    A 20 minute blast on the motorway should do it too, can you route a regular trip to go long way round via a motorway?
    European for 3 weeks in August, the rest of the year only British and proud.
  • atrixblue.-MFR-.
    atrixblue.-MFR-. Posts: 6,887 Forumite
    sillygoose wrote: »
    Very likely the catalytic converter with that driving pattern, it needs a weekly run at sustained speed/revs, long enough for the computer to decide its a suitable journey, make the engine run hotter, burn off the waste build up in the converter with the hotter gases then ease off.

    Your pattern is probably not letting it complete a cycle so it gives an error. The expensive catalytic could be damaged if this goes on.

    I know its not very moneysaving, but in some cases people need to do specific journeys just to achieve this if their normal driving pattern doesn't cover it. Thats why many people hate them, it can seem crazy on a city car!!!

    Try to weekly do a journey that after a while on the road ends on quiet dual carriage way, do say 50 but avoid 6th if you have one, use 5th or 4th so the revs sit steady above halfway or into top 3rd of the rev counter. Try to keep this up for at least 15 minutes (do a few loops up and down if needed)

    A 20 minute blast on the motorway should do it too, can you route a regular trip to go long way round via a motorway?

    15 mins at 50 on the duals is quite impossible, he need to have the fault read if its the cat a "simulated burn" would be the first thing i'd try on rolling road attched the their machine.

    diy burn offs can cause frustration to other road users (50 in a possible 70 zone!) he would have to factor in congestion roundabouts and also the OP would not know if the cycle has completed where dont in simulation at a garage their machine will tell them when its done.
  • sysiphus
    sysiphus Posts: 46 Forumite
    dad's 55 plate 1.1 picanto had same problem -Local garage charged £20 to diagnose - cause: lambda sensors.
    Sourced 2 Bosch replacements at £80 each delivered from euro car parts. You can get non branded ones at £30 each from eBay. Elsewhere they seem to be over £100 each.

    I think the lumpy running is caused by the emu trying to fix the fuel air and exhaust gas (imbalances?) being reported by faulty sensors.

    I'm not saying that this is def the problem, however the symptoms are identical.

    Good luck
  • L.S.D.
    L.S.D. Posts: 412
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    Thanks Silly Goose,atrixblue,-MFR & Sysiphus.

    Had it checked & it said there is a problem on Cylinders 1 or 2. Short story, changed points put in Injector cleaner ran it for 50 klm & the light went out. So far touch wood it has been OK for the last 2 days.
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  • L.S.D.
    L.S.D. Posts: 412
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    edited 24 May 2011 at 2:18PM
    Well just after posting the last message, back came the problem. Since then it has run lumpy then stopped running lumpy, had the light on then the light goes off & all is well again. The mechanic says the last thing to do is to put on a coil pack. He says that generally you should replace both coil packs. Is this so? what would happen if only the problem coil pack was replaced. I am in Spain at the moment & the car will stay in Spain. In the UK a Coil pack after a brief search is around £78-00, however in Spain they are about €110-00, so quite a bit more, especially for 2. Having said that I just want it sorted once & for all. Any more help welcomed.

    Edit the mechanic replaced the HT lead to the number one cylinder just in case it is that, but would still like to know if I can replace one coil pack only, just in case.
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