Just replaced timing belt on 03 kia v6 dual ohc motor for a side job whew!! What a job just to get to it. after i was done only to find that it also had the cam sensor out which meant one of three possibilities incorrect cam timing(me), sensor bad or ecu/harness problems. So i had to take it apart again to check timing and then chase my tail trying figure the p0340 code finally bought a new 152.00 sensor and that was it, very happy. But what is unusual is that when it was turning over to start it would misfire and kick back it did this hard enough to slip the harmonic balancer 15 degrees by the external timing mark, never seen or heard of this before ,dealer either. only took three days of research and labor I need to get back to the simpler sixties mechanicals now.

 

I don't particularly care to work on the newer cars either. Nothing over 73 for me.

 

Yup its reassuring to open a hood and see a carb and steel instead of plastic. obd11 has made things easier but the cars are just getting too complicated with electronic steering and throttle computer controlled doesn't seem safe to me just because we can do it is it better or more reliable? computer even controls windshield wipers on some, crazy..

 

Crank and cam sensors are common problems on Kia's and Hyundai's

 

yes they are i wanted to get the crank also but trying to keep the price down . what took the time was that all codes were erased when i got it . so there wasnt any way to tell if i miss timed or it was the sensor, also conflicting info from the online kia site didn't help in determining if it was the sensor or other. Thankfully an experienced tech from the dealership took the time to admit that the site was wrong. so i bought the sensor and that fixed it still waiting on rock auto for another dampener and to get another one time use crank bolt .

 

Last week we got a recall notice (another) for the wife's 2005 Malibu. A warning about the electronic power steering being *****. Don't bother bringing it in for repair tho .. we don't have any parts. We'll send you a second letter if we get parts in ... but this first letter is so that you can't sue us for ignoring the problem.

Even our mechanic tells the missus she should get rid of it and start driving one of my B bodies.

 

classic plate, cheaper insurance (maybe), you can or someone you know can fix it, fewer and cheaper parts to break . We could go on but weigh that against poor mileage and you are not keeping up with the Jones's. although on the mileage most suvs are not that much better than a DD small block or conservatively driven b body.

 

Whall .... a 1984 Honda Civic got comparable, if not better mileage than anything on the road today ... we haven't come that far. And honestly ... a well tuned up q-jet on a 305 matched my grand caravan for city mileage. I never got anything like what the dealer's sticker claimed for mileage on the newer people mover.

 

i was referring to suv's that most drive. i also have a few metros, manual trans pre 95, that make a civic look deluxe but get 50 plus mpgs on the highway , I'm retired and do not commute on a daily basis so i switch cars on a whim rather than mileage but when gas does its annual rise the geo's start looking better.

I drove a 91 caravan for a bit and got over 20 mpg reguarly after the normal transmission rebuild. i rated the mileage one of its good points and the easiest water pump replacement ever, but i never bought another.