P0301 code and ohter issue

[tonylee]

I have a 01 sportage. Wife was driving it, said it would barely pull the hills and engine lite started flashing. When she got home, it had a horrible "Smog-type" smell in the passenger compartment. A friend plugged in a cheap computer and it gave I think p0301 #1 misfire. It would run but would cut out regularly and had little power. He pushed around on a couple of wires under the intake with a pocket knife, not hard enough to penetrate any of the plastic/rubber, and it suddenly died like he had shorted something out. I replaced a couple of burnt out ignition fuses in the passenger compartment and under the hood. It still won't start, won't even hit. Was thinking that maybe new plugs, wires, and coil packs maybe the answer but not sure.

Last time we had problems with this car, it was either the cam shaft sensor or the crank shaft position sensor, not sure which but it had similar symtoms. Where should I start at to get the old car back to running/driving?

Thanks

[GottaCruise]

Originally Posted by tonylee

I have a 01 sportage. Wife was driving it, said it would barely pull the hills and engine lite started flashing. When she got home, it had a horrible "Smog-type" smell in the passenger compartment. A friend plugged in a cheap computer and it gave I think p0301 #1 misfire. It would run but would cut out regularly and had little power. He pushed around on a couple of wires under the intake with a pocket knife, not hard enough to penetrate any of the plastic/rubber, and it suddenly died like he had shorted something out. I replaced a couple of burnt out ignition fuses in the passenger compartment and under the hood. It still won't start, won't even hit. Was thinking that maybe new plugs, wires, and coil packs maybe the answer but not sure.

Last time we had problems with this car, it was either the cam shaft sensor or the crank shaft position sensor, not sure which but it had similar symtoms. Where should I start at to get the old car back to running/driving?

Thanks

Your initial issue sounds like a blocked/degraded Catalytic converter (the pre-Cat, directly under the exhaust manifold).. The loss of power, flashing CEL light, and "smog smell" all point towards a partially/fully degraded -> blocked Cat.

Your secondary issue is more difficult, without knowing (which) wires were shorted/fried with the pocket knife.

If he was probing the Ignition lead that runs from the back of the motor to the coil packs, well, you are correct in suspecting some damage to the coil packs, the harness lead from the back motor connector to the coil packs, or a combination of both.

When I had the issue of a partially blocked pre-Cat on the '00 Sporty here, I ended up replacing both coils and harness lead: they had degraded due to the additional heat generated in the motor/engine compartment from the blocked pre-Cat.

A new harness lead is about $25.00, a simple spark tester is about $10-$15, that would tell you if a given cylinder is getting spark / a coil pack is bad.

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If your friend was -not- probing the coil pack harness lead, then you have more troubleshooting to do - you will need to check voltage readings at the sensors, in particular the Intake Air Control valve (IAC) and the Engine Coolant Temp sensor (ECT) to see if they are getting proper voltage.. the 5volt reference line runs in a wire harness under the Intake Manifold and supplies voltage to those sensors, in addition the the Air Intake Temp (AIT) sensor, if I recall correctly.

The 5 volt reference feed is generated directly at the ECM, as is the trigger pulse that goes to both coils -> fires the coil packs. If the ECM was engergized (ON) when the short occurred, the short (may) have affected the ECM. I cannot tell you this is the case, only relaying this as a possiblity that may have to be considered if front-line troubleshooting does not correct the problem. (The ECM should only be replaced as the -last- resort.)

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I would start by purchasing a good digital multimeter with auto-ranging capability and continuity testing function, so you can perform voltage checks and basic wire tests, a spark tester to determine if the coil packs are firing, and a holster for that pocket knife.

You will need to remove and visually inspect the coil pack lead to see if there is any obvious melting / damage, or if the connectors on the coil pack leads are brittle: if so, -replace the coil pack lead-.

Then retest with the spark tester.

Use the multimeter to verify fuses (the continuity function is handy for that), and test voltage at the "hot" side of the fuse with the positive probe to ensure full 12v power is present, with the negative probe against ground.

Test -all fuses-, in both the engine compartment fuse box and in the passenger cabin fuse box.

*If you find engine oil in the spark plug wells when removing the coil packs and ht leads (wires) for inspection, you -will- need to also go through the necessary work of replacing the valve/rocker cover gasket. *

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If you haven't signed up at the kiatechinfo website, you should do so, using Internet Explorer web browser (see requirements on main page), where you can then view the [Service Info] for your model year Sporty, including the ETM electrical schematics,

And/or use the following link, and download the material in post #26 by Ace1564:

http://www.kia-forums.com/1g-1994-20...al-free-3.html

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with the coil packs out, you should also check primary and secondary resistance of each pack, the ht leads, and the resistor in the short lead of each pack.

If you have oil in the spark plug wells, the wires are discolored/yellowed/faded, any tears or cracks in the leads, or any obvious degrading of the coil packs, consider replacement due to the suspected -primary- issue, the blocked pre-Cat.

*Don't forget to check that pre-Cat..

Hope this gives you a starting point.

Hope all reading have a Happy and peaceful Thanksgiving,

Regards,
GottaCruise