Kia Sedona Overheating issue

bjenkins · 10-24-2008, 05:15 PM

Hi All,

Its my first post on here, so Hi and I hope someone can help!

I have had a 2000 reg 2.9l deisel automatic Sedona. I have had it for a couple of months and have started having overheating problems.
The first time it overheated, I put radseal in the radiator and the problem went away for between 1500-2000 miles and then came back.
It is now losing a lot of water. In fact, it loses between 2-4 litres on a 70mile journey!
It is losing it through the reservoir overflow and there appear to be no leaks anywhere in the radiator system.

It is not the thermostat (it has been removed)
It is not the radiator cap (it has been changed)
It has been up on a ramp and checked out for leaks - none found
It has been checked behind the dash and in the boot for leaks and none have been found
It was tested for exhaust fumes in the radiator (i.e. head gasket) but they dye test didn't show it as having exhaust fumes.
The oil level is normal and the oil is normal.
The radiator fan didn't seem to be kicking in, so the sensor was disconnected (active short, so now the fan is on permanently)
Running with the rad cap off, you can see the water circulating, so the pump is running.

I generally have to put 2 litres of water in the radiator every time I go to or from work (130 mile round trip).
It is normally worse on the journey home, where I often have to stop and top up the water. Yesterday, I had to stop and put 4 litres in and then another 2 by the time i got home!

One time it overheated and I had the bonnet/hood up, I topped up the radiator directly with the rad cap off and the engine running to get out any airlocks. After putting on the rad cap, I noticed that water came out of the reservoir overflow.
It tended to do it if I dropped the revs.

i.e. rev the engine to 3500, hold it there and there was no leak.
let the engine revs fall to idle, and water would squirt out of the overflow.

I took it to another garage today and they thought it was probably the head gasket, but they didn't manage to do a dye test on it. As the other garage seemed confident it wasn't the head gasket, I am reluctant to scrap the car off until I am sure.

If it was the gasket, wouldn't it leak when the revs were high rather than when they were dropped? (or am I clutching at straws!)

Does anyone have any thoughts as to what else it could be?

Thanks in advance for any advice, and there's a pint in it for anyone who can solve the problem without needing the head gasket changed!!!

Cheers,

Ben

ESKORT27 · 10-24-2008, 06:03 PM

have you pressure tested the colling system with a pressure tester? And i would also pressure test the rad cap because i have seen faulty rad caps out of the package before. It really does sound like a bad rad cap but im not there so im not 100%. Use an actual pressure tester and see what happens.

bjenkins · 10-24-2008, 07:48 PM

I haven't pressure tested the cooling system yet. I don't have the means to do it. I'll see whether any local garages have one.
Any other thoughts?

John Kelly · 10-26-2008, 08:15 AM

Hi Ben
Have you checked the rear heater pipes? It's a well known fault that the metal sections rot away big time causing a leak that goes unoticed. They run the whole length of the vehicle (right hand side). Had the rear metal pipes on my 2004 Sedona replaced under warranty at 3 years so yours could be well overdue. Hope this helps.

Regards John.

02SedondaEX · 10-30-2008, 05:40 PM

I jsut got a call from my automotive shop ~ I have been overheating and dripping antifreeze.

They DID do the pressure ... apparently when they did it flooded the garage ............the pipes are rusted and coroded

It will cost between $400 - $450 to fix this ~ is this a common problem and if so has Kia done anything about it?

ESKORT27 · 10-30-2008, 05:49 PM

yep, it is very common and kia started making new pipes that have a protective coating but it is only where the hold down clamps are.

02SedondaEX · 10-30-2008, 05:57 PM

Does it have to be a Kia dealer or can the pipes be ordered and a mechanic I know and trust?

(I have had severe Kia mechanic problems ..... to the point that things were done for free more then once time!

I have a long time mechanic who does things right the first time and he has yet to be wrong.

bjenkins · 10-30-2008, 08:55 PM

Quick question on the pipes. I will get them checked again as soon as I can.
but could they explain why I lose water through the reservoir tank?

I have been trying to think what could cause water to come out of the reservoir.

1. bad radiator cap (tried a new one and will try another just in case)
2. head gasket (but the air in the radiator tested negative for exaust fumes, will get that double checked)
3. Could a leak actually cause this? (if so how?)

If it did turn out to be the head gasket - has anyone had any experience with k-seal/steel seal?

Thanks,

BJ

MushMule · 11-02-2008, 06:09 PM

Could be that the system leaks out through the bad rear heater pipes when the coolant is hot and under pressure, but when it cools down and creates a vacuum, it sucks coolant out of the reservoir. When there are no leaks, coolant goes back and forth to and from the reservoir as the engine changes temp.

miccus1 · 11-04-2008, 11:32 AM

I had exactly the same problem, if you have coolant bubbling up through the reservoir then you have a cylinder head problem. It turned out on mine that the head had become porous, quite common on the Mk1 due to a manufacturing fault, and it had to be replaced. This cost £1800! Gasket replacement or head skimming would not help if that is the problem.