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New to Kia Spectra - what do I need to know ?

11K views 12 replies 4 participants last post by  SilverSpook 
#1 ·
Hello,

Having been a Saturn (1996 SL2) owner for the last 8 years or so, I am moving up to a 2005 Kia Spectra.

I am decent backyard mechanic, having even done a engine rebuild of my Saturn (which after a recent (used) head replacement is having oil burning problems so I have to pull the CAMs off and replace the valve seals which may be the cause). It is kind of nice getting away from working on the Saturn to getting a 2005 Kia Spectra.

The Spectra has 102,000 miles on it, had a single owner all its life and no accidents, etc. (got a CarFax and AutoCheck report). Carfax shows it was regularly brought to the dealer of things like oil changes. The car was not used a lot for the last few years. It was owned by an older couple who moved a couple times and it appears they parked for awhile during the moves. They decided to buy a new car and decided to sell this one.

So what do I need to know about a Kia Spectra ?

What are the most common problems ?

Any recommendations for common replacables, like oil, spark plugs, coolant, etc. ?

How well do the timing belts hold up on these cars and is there a standard interval for replacement ?

How hard a job is replacement of the timing belt on this car ?

I do know about the fuel tank strap problem they have. This car has one pretty clean one and the other one is a good bit rusty but looks still reasonable solid. The straps are low cost, so I likely will replace them anyway. Any problems when replacing the straps I should know about ?

I did a google search for specs on what oil to use, but the best I could find was a document from Kia and it appears they allow a variety of oils weights and simply provide a chart based on temperature range. The dealer I am purchasing it from offered to do an oil change for free and the previous owner used regular "dino" oil (not synthetic), so I opted for 10W30 dino oil (request Castrol). My Saturn only could use 5W30, so was surprised the range Kia allowed for this car.

So what is the "real story" about oil with the Kia Spectra ?

Are Spectras oil burners at all ? (Saturns are notorious)

What is the most common cause for oil usage on a Spectra to be aware of ?

I guess that's enough for now. Will likely have more questions after I use the car for some time. I will get a Haynes manual soon. I get one for every car I buy. Hope to become as knowlegible about working on the Kia Spectra as I am with my Saturn. The SaturnFans forum was vital to my learning what I needed to know, so hope this forum will provide similarly for my gaining knowledge about the Kia Spectra. You may get a kick about this: I probably have the longest thread ver on the S forums. I documented an entire engine rebuild on it.

Let's hope my experience with the Kia Spectra is less exciting. Hoping only 102,000 miles on the car will give me a few years of minimal grief. I got my Saturn when it had 175,000 miles on it and today have 90,000 on it since I rebuilt it and it has about 265,000 miles on it. Previous to that, had a Geo Prism which had about 180,000 miles on it when I got it and kept it until about 330,000 miles on it. Not sure what kind of lifespan to expect from the Kia.

So, let me say thank you right from the start, since I know how important forums like these are to car owners.
 
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#2 ·
You got a good car...
Two things that you need to do....
Change the timing belt.... The "book" says every "5yrs or 60k" miles... There is no way to tell the condition on the belt or when it was (or wasn't) replaced....
The engine is an "interference" type....so...if the belt breaks you trashed the engine...
Good thread here...
http://www.kia-forums.com/kia-cerat...40-08-spectra-sx-timing-belt-replacement.html
Drain and refill the (automatic) transmission every 30k miles....Use Diamond type III fluid.... Valvoline has a full synthetic ATF in a 5 qt bottle and it is available at WalMart...

Use KIA/Hyundai oil filters... non OEM can cause problems... You can get them at the dealer OR off of ebay...

I have seen posts here showing 300k miles on these Spectras and I own two and have another one within the family... and they have been the best cars I've owned in my 67yrs !
Good luck with your "Spec"
Dave

p.s.
I haven't seen one burn any oil...
 
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#4 ·
Timing belt isn't too bad by itself. You have an '05, which means it'll have the older style (pre May 2006) manual style TB tensioner - no spring or hydraulic actuator. Gates is the go-to brand for timing belt kits. I'd like to recommend the Gates water pump, but if you do it yourself: do yourself a favor and buy a water pump that has the key in it for the pulley such as OE or Bosch. The pulley is held on by 4 small bolts and there is a position key to help line things up. The Gates brand WP has no key, so you have to hold 2 pulleys up against a smooth water pump and line up the bolt holes until you can get the first one started. It took quite a bit of finagling for me to finally get that one...

The only "oil usage" I've seen came from a weeping valve cover gasket at 175K miles. Installed a new gasket and it's all cleared up. I'm in the Texas heat, so I use 5W-30. I can't see why you shouldn't be able to do the same in VA.

I have the either a haynes or chiltons manual at home, can't remember which. It's the worst manual I've ever bought. It is supposed to cover the Spectra, Sephia, and Sportage from mid 90's to 2009. Of course, that means it's missing a lot of data or is very vague. I pretty much only use it to reference torque specs.

I'm at 180K miles. Things I've replaced that were broken/worn include: front and rear engine roll stop mounts (broken), lateral transmission mount (wasn't cracked or broken, but rubber went soft and collapsed. The mount vibrated against the housing bracket making serious noise!) Front brake pads/rotors, valve cover gasket, A/C tensioner pulley (squeaking), shocks and struts all around including front strut mounts, lower control arm rear bushings on both sides. All pretty normal wear and tear stuff.
 
#5 ·
Some more questions

A few more questions:

How can I tell if my Kia Spectra (EX) has anti-lock brakes (ABS) ?

Mine has fog lights low on the front bumper. They don't appear to work. Aside from bad bulbs, is there anything else which could cause them not to work ?

Have any Kia owners on the forum ever used Auto-RX in the their engines and does it help in any practical ways ?

Anything I should know about what spark plugs should be used in it ?
 
#7 ·
Look under the hood on the passenger side inner fender towards the front ...If you see a "box" with a lot of 3/16 pipes (brake lines) you have ABS...
You probably don't on an EX anyway...
The fog light sockets are probably corroded being that close to the road... The OEM fog light switch is on the left multi-function stem just in from the headlight switch... If it's not there than you probably have an add-on circuit...

KIA does NOT support any add in engine cleaner products other than Chevron Techron in the tank.... Lot's of "snake oil" cleaners that only waste your money and can cause problems with breaking loose sludge and plugging the oil sump pickup or plug the oil pump.

Your KIA probably came with "Champion" spark plugs BUT the engine was designed for NGK or Denso plugs...Do not use strange design super duper plugs...They cause misfire problems...
Standard replacement keys will work just fine unless the car cam with an "Immobilizer" (found in Canadian and UK cars)... The thickness of the "blank" key should be checked as some are really thin and can bend or break.... I doubt that a key could be a fire hazard though...
Dave
 
#8 ·
which engines, which cars ?

There appears to be different engine sizes in the Kia Spectra. The 1.8 liter appears to be an early one. What years or models come with the 2.0 liter engine ?

I think mine is a 2.0 L, but how does one know ?

My car is a 2005 Spectra EX.

Does the LX come with the 1.8 and EX or SX come with the 2.0 Liter ?
 
#10 ·
Engine mount torque specs needed (2005 Kia Spectra 2.0L)

I can't find the torques specs I need.

What is the torque specs for the upper engine mount (on passenger side next to timing belt) for the 2005 Kia Spectra (2.0L engine) ?

I need the specs ASAP, since I am finishing up a Timing belt job. Just putting back a few things and will be done.
 
#12 ·
Is that the actual torque specs for the upper motor mount ?

If not, does anyone have some actual OEM specs for it ?

The manual I have for my Saturn has actual specs for the mounts, but the Chilton manual I have for my Kia Spectra does not. Something like an engine mount really does require proper specs.

Might have to purchase an AllData account to get better specifications ( ALLDATAdiy.com Leading Source of Factory Automotive Repair Information )
 
#13 ·
Here is the text from the procedure saved in the sticky at the top of the forum. The actual procedure and pictures are on pages 17 and 18:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...1zK-oFLcc/edit

1) Install the engine mounting support bracket stay plate(A) with bolt( B ). (This is the small individual bolt on the back side of the bracket.)
Tightening torque : 31.1 ~ 39.8lbft

(2) Install the engine mounting support bracket(A) with nuts(C,D) and bolt( B ).
Tightening torque :
Nut(D) : 50.6 ~ 68.7lbft
Nut(C) and bolt( B ) : 36.2 ~ 47.0lbft

Yes, the torques are a little bit different. This application isn't quite as critical to the exact number. Steel on steel hardware of a large size is more forgiving. The mount bolts for the water pump or the valve cover - steel into aluminum with a sealing gasket - would be far more sensitive and absolutely require proper spec. An item like a motor mount is often run down with just an impact or checked with a generic torque stick. That being said, I can appreciate your looking for the exact spec. I bought the chiltons manual looking for the same thing, but it is very generic and missing some things.
 
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