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My 2001 Kia Rio stopped instantly in the middle of a left hand turn, it just simply turned off, no noise of anykind. Luckily we didn't cause an accident.
No indications this was going to happen prior to it happening, everything running normal.
The car was towed and mechanic says that timing belt "broke", smashed all the pistons, car will require a new engine. Car has 122,000km. Cost is going to be $2700 for used engine.
Manual says change at 96,000, dealership has sign posted saying 106,000.
The timing belt is considered a maintenance item, like brakes, tires and oil. If you neglect normal maintenance like replacing the belts or brakes at the recommended interval, then it is you who puts your own safety as well as the safety of others in jeopardy. It is very unfortunate that the situation happens at all, but you can not expect to just put gas and nothing else into a car and expect it to last as long as yours has. Every manufacture states in the manual the recommended replacement time or mileage interval. And every manufacture recommends normal maintenance which includes checking the belts.
Over 75% or so cars out there have a belt set up; Honda has it, Toyota, Gm, Ford, and Nissan too. I think ever car manufacturer has at least one motor they make that has a belt on it. You are in for a big fight if you think you can get a recall.
I'm sorry for what happen to you but you put yourself in that situation. You cannot expect any car to run 100K miles on gas alone. It is you and your mechanic who is to blame. And your mechanic can only advise you as to what he recommends replacing, so pick your mechanic wisely and listen to what he says.
Same happened to me yesterday, I was doing 70 at the time on a motorway, in my 2001 Shuma. My car is on 47,000 so I am told shouldn't have snapped yet. See what Kia say when they open after Christmas.
The rubber timing belt is VERY common, wouldn't like to put a figure on it, but a large portion of engines run happily with a timing belt, one snapping is unfortunate, assuming car has been serviced correctly and the belt replaced at the stated intervals it shouldn't happen.
I have owned my rio for 2 years now, and i have just replaced the timing belt at the 100,000km mark. (Actually did it at 97,000kms) Quite a costly excercise, however it appears its cheaper that the $3000 option.
MY timing belt was changed and it still did this. You guys can say all you want about maintance and blah blah blah. BUt I sevrvied my car according to the manual and it still happened. KIA has a problem and it needs to be fixed
Pretty harsh words Allen, try to tone it down a little.
The fact that kia, as well as many other manufacturers, builds an interference engine is the sad fact here. From what I know about kias from reading the boards, they seem to make the engine pretty beefy but yet that engine can be blown by a flimsy belt.
The belt on my 02 rio shredded at 87000 kms, and like grizzly, stopped dead, nothing. They installed a new head and 3 new pistons under warranty and without question. That was great. My engine light was off and on for about a month but they said to drive it if there were no problems... Go figure
Grizzly, if you got 122k out of the original belt, consider yourself lucky. It shouldn't have been left that long.
My Dealer (Toronto) recommends changing timing belt at 86000kms, or 60000 miles. the KIA shop manual says 60K miles or 105K miles in California only. Even California cars have to be checked at 60K + 90K miles and changed at 105K. Maybe the milder weather is easier on belts? I cant think of any other possible reason for the difference in change intervals.
After reading all these horror stories, I am going to change mine at 70K kms just to be safe, but if my engine blows, I think I will try to stick in a Nissan SR20 or something similar if it will fit.
byron
Originally posted by rhynes@Jan 24 2006, 01:13 PM Pretty harsh words Allen, try to tone it down a little.
The fact that kia, as well as many other manufacturers, builds an interference engine is the sad fact here. From what I know about kias from reading the boards, they seem to make the engine pretty beefy but yet that engine can be blown by a flimsy belt.
The belt on my 02 rio shredded at 87000 kms, and like grizzly, stopped dead, nothing. They installed a new head and 3 new pistons under warranty and without question. That was great. My engine light was off and on for about a month but they said to drive it if there were no problems... Go figure
Grizzly, if you got 122k out of the original belt, consider yourself lucky. It shouldn't have been left that long.
Manufacturers build interference engines to minimize tolerances and increase efficiency. Also, timing belts are not flimy at all - they are quite sturdy, but they do wear out after time. My Rio owners manual states clearly to replace the belt at 60,000mi/96,000km OR 5 years, which ever comes first.
The reason Kia and ALL other manufacturers tell you to replace the timing belt at a specific mileage is because IT WILL BREAK if you don't!
Originally posted by rhynes@Jan 24 2006, 11:13 AM Grizzly, if you got 122k out of the original belt, consider yourself lucky. It shouldn't have been left that long.
The reason Kia and ALL other manufacturers tell you to replace the timing belt at a specific mileage is because IT WILL BREAK if you don't!
No, Really??? Sorry, had to throw the smartass remark in there
Fact is, there's been alot of great little engines that were non-interference. Shred a timing belt, don't have to replace/rebuild the engine. This is the first car i've had with an interference engine. i've had them break in the past and it's a hundred dollar fix at the top end for a new belt.
The timing belt can be very flimsy, there are no guarantees. I've seen them break after 20k, as many can testify right? My dealer tells me that they've rebuilt/replaced many engines with broken belts after only 60,000 kms. Anything beyond 70k is borrowed time.
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