04 rio turns over but dosent start.

[rilobeto]

ok check this out ive got 2004 kid rio or my wife does. she got gas on monday and it ran fine. the next day the car wouldnt start at all. it turns over just fine but no fire. any suggestions? next question does the 2004 rio have inertia switch and where and last but not least where is the fuel filter located it seems to me it would be up by the left tire where the fuel tank is but to my amazment i cant find one. or is it just some weird looking filter? anyways any knowledge would be much appreciated.

[YouGetWhatYouPayFor]

You say "no fire" but have you actually checked for a spark? I just finished dealing with one of these "fine" vehicles for my girlfriend who thought she actually had a 100K mile warranty. If you have a spark, unscrew the oil filler cap and look straight into the hole. You will be looking at one of your 2 cams. See if the thing is turning when you are trying to start it. How many miles do you have on this and what if anything was happening just before it wouldn't start? Did you get it new (only owner) in 2004?

[rilobeto]

ive checked the spark plugs and they are firing fine it just seems like the fuel is not reaching it. it worked excellent the day before. it only has about 22,000 miles on it and we bought it new. my wife had just filled it up the day before it died . she drove it home and didint try starting till the next day. im wondering if maybe she got some bad fuel. i went back and tried starting it again late this afternoon it started then stumbled and died. i then opened up the cover to the to look at the fuel pump and removed the outlet line and it had fuel in it tomm ill remove it again and turn it over and see if the pump is actually pumping. this car is a complete mystery. lol.

[Raven1210]

the fuel filter is near the back of the car right behind the drivers side rear door and drivers side tire. It has 3 lines running into it.

[YouGetWhatYouPayFor]

At least you almost got it to run. My girlfriend just went through the Kia interference engine timing belt nightmare on this same 2004 vehicle. Let me tell you now that you MUST change that timing belt around 50K miles or 5 years, whichever comes first, or you may well have a total piece of junk for an engine. Just Google Kia and warranty and timing belt complaints and you will see what I mean. There is also a fairly common problem with this vehicle that can prevent it from starting and it can happen over night. There is a cam position sensor that can malfunction or come loose and that will stop the thing cold when you try to start it. If you have this problem then your check engine light will be on. Is this idiot light on when you try to start it? There are also a number of other sensors that can go out and prevent starting, and these will also cause the check engine light to be on. Bad fuel is possible, but not likely. There was a case recently where a tanker truck driver simply put diesel into the gasoline tanks and vice versa, but this would be obvious if you already checked the gas at the fuel pump. Just for the heck of it, push the the accel. pedal all the way to the floor when you try to start it and see if it kicks over after a few seconds.

[jcwit]

I agree with You Get What You Pay For regarding the Timing belt, however many many engines over the years had the interference engine Ford Escort & different Honda models are examples, so its not a Kia only deal. Back in the '90's you couldn't find a Escort head assy in a salvage yard because of this. Regarding you're starting problem here is a possible tip, this last spring mine sate for approx a week and the ignition wires collected moisture on them. Make sure they are dry and then spray them with silicone spray, cured my problem. Moisture sometimes condences under the engine cover and all the ignition wires are running together causing cross firing. Good Luck

[robhynes]

Dump some methyl hydrate in the tank and let it sit for a bit, may just be water in the gas... Dirty fuel filter could definitely be the cause as well.

[rilobeto]

well today i took off the line coming from the pump and had my daughter turn the engine over the fuel was not being sent to the engine nor did i hear the pump humm when i turned the key over. so i think or im pretty sure its the damn fuel pump. does anyone know the cost of one ? ive heard they are expensive. ill try and find a fuel pump here the next couple of days and see what happens.

[YouGetWhatYouPayFor]

I assume you already checked the fuel pump fuse and made sure you had power to the pump before deciding a new one is required. Google shows one for 118.79 (BECK/ARNLEY 1520845), but the link does not show any at rockauto.com.

Here is one from autozone:

AutoZone.com | Shopping | Parts | Product Detail - Fuel Pump

This is the complete assy and it is ~$200 !!!

I actually show a lower price form several Kia dealers and eBay has several for less than $50 and claim they are new units, so this may require some shopping around local and net.

Instructions here:

AutoZone.com | Vehicle Selection - Year

Good luck. I'll take my Nissan King Cab truck any day. 21+ years old, 280,000+ miles, 29-32 MPG, still have 175 pounds original factory compression on all 4 cylinders, still have original heater hoses, rotors, even front wheel bearings, and many other items you would expect to replace over that time. Bought new for $9999.00 in 87. Admittedly that is probably about $20K now in today's dollars, but when I read the number of complaints on Kias and Hyundais, I have to believe they are not worth it, and they seem to have a problem honoring warranties. I expect I will get a few who disagree about the quality and customer service, but naming other vehicles which also are not up to par is damning with faint praise at best. As I stated, I have just been through a nightmare with one of these, so maybe I'm biased, but they are advertising some Kia/Hyundai models locally for $7900 with a 100K mile warranty and I still believe you get what you pay for. Wait until those new Chinese cars come rolling up from Mexico, made with slave labor parts from the commies, assembled in Mexico and trucked in to the US with no tariffs, duties, or taxes of any kind due to NAFTA. They will also be briinging them in on the "great" new Trans Texas Corridor from Mexico and ultimately running to Canada, with the highway being built by Spain. I have heard estimates of as little as $4900 initially for some models, subsidized by the Reds until the competition is DEAD. Sorry to get off on a (off topic) rant as a newbie in a group I never saw until yesterday. I'll shut up now and go away.