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2001 Kia Sephia Check engine light flashing/engine loses power/smoking
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OpheliaDiFranco
New User
Jan 9, 2010, 4:22 PM
Post #1 of 4
(4454 views)
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2001 Kia Sephia Check engine light flashing/engine loses power/smoking
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Hi! I have a 2001 Kia with VERY HIGH MILEAGE- 230,000 (yikes) I'm not sure what kind of engine...I want to saw 4 cylinder (does that make sense, I don't know much about cars) i have had it for about a year and it has been very reliable, however, last night, at the tail end of a 4 hour road trip, the check engine light started flashing and the engine seemed to lose much power and started sputtering. I still drove it another 25 miles and made it home. When I shut the car off, I was able to re-start it. The engine was smoking---it seemed to be more like steaming actually. I am up to date on my oil changes, however, I have been told that i have an oil leak. I put a quart of oil in it before the trip. I go through a lot of antifreeze quickly, so maybe there is a leak there. I put like 2 gallons in a week and I had just put antifreeze in it. The car passed inspection and emissions in September. I know the car is not in great shape. It is our 2nd car and I am kinda dependent on it. I can't get it looked at till monday- Can you take some guesses? Thanks so much all!
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chickenhouse
Enthusiast
Jan 9, 2010, 8:08 PM
Post #2 of 4
(4447 views)
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Re: 2001 Kia Sephia Check engine light flashing/engine loses power/smoking
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O K, here's your first guess. You may need to pressurize the cooling system and look for all the anti-freeze in the oil pan. Sounds like it blew a head gasket. If it has been using anti-freeze for some time, that was a hint that there is a prob. Ses light confirmed, driving another 25 miles with the light on did it no favors. Check the cooling system pressure. See if it will hold any pressure.
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brager
User
Jan 10, 2010, 4:23 AM
Post #3 of 4
(4445 views)
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Re: 2001 Kia Sephia Check engine light flashing/engine loses power/smoking
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the fact that your adding antifreeze regularly and you mentioned you seen steam so
you have a big leak somewhere like water pump or seal, rad hose, or rad or worse case leaking head gasket
also the fact that the engine light was flashing sugests your onboard computer was picking up
a misfire get it scanned by a shop for codes with all that said you might wanna get it towed to a shop
to properly diagnose and repaire
i cant see your vehicle in front me to say whats wrong 
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steve01832
Veteran
Jan 10, 2010, 5:38 AM
Post #4 of 4
(4443 views)
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Re: 2001 Kia Sephia Check engine light flashing/engine loses power/smoking
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As was said earlier, getting scanned for codes is a good place to start. If you get misfire codes for 2 adjacent cylinders could help diagnose a head gasket or a cracked head or block between those 2 cylinders. Another thing to try is noticing how the engine runs when coolant is low. If idling ok and antifreeze is being added, the engine starts to get rough and blow white smoke, that is a good indication that as the coolant is added, it is being drawn into the affected cylinders fouling the plugs.
Steve
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