That leaking rocker cover is common......also for it to tack out the altenator. keep an eye on it to make sure the leak is realy fixed, or anothe alenator will be on the shopping list

Flashing check engine light means there is a miss fire in the engine.

I had this not long ago and took too long to fix and it destroyed the front catalytic converter. The miss fire allowed unburnt fuel into the exhaust(cat) where it then burns overheating the innards melting (destroying) the cat.

I would get the codes read which will point you in the right direction to solving the problem.

Brian

 

An update on my original post. The car was checked by RACQ and then towed to my mechanic. Both of them checked the code and advised that it was most likely coils and/or sparkplugs that needed replacing. Anyway, both of these were done (all of them). The car was still idling really roughly apparently. My mechanic then started trying to figure out what was going on. He has gone through all of the possible causes and found issues e.g. fuel filter was full of crap ... replaced. Replaced fuel pump. Catalytic converters were clogged ... fixed. Heaps of things. However after fixing something, the car is still idling really roughly and there's hardly any power when driving off. The mechanic even got a guy to come out to look at the car who specialises in diagnosing really difficulty problems. He was also stumped. They have spoken to heaps of different people including Kia service (who said they would have done the same things). Have now been advised that the only option really is to take it to Kia as they may have access to info etc. on similar problems with other Carnivals. Does anyone have any other ideas?

 

do you know what the codes were?

The first thing that comes to mind is check the rubber intake hose for cracking/deterioration. It is the black hose about 80mm in diameter, it goes from the air filter box to the throttle body and are known to crack. if found to be cracked you can tape it up with electrical tape/duct tape.

Brian

 

Hi Brian. From memory I think it was P0300. Both the RACQ and the mechanic got the same code and thought it was probably coils and/or spark plugs. Although these were all replaced (along with heaps of other parts!!) the car is still not going properly. Apparently it appears to run okay in the workshop, however as soon as they take it for a road test, it has absolutely no guts taking off. It's extremely frustrating as it has cost a lot of money so far and yet we are no further advanced in fixing the silly car.

 

You didn't mention if you had a look at the intake tube. That will cause the symptoms you mentioned.

Brian

 

Haven't yet - the car's still at the mechanics but I'll mention it to him on Tuesday (public holiday here on Monday). Just trying to get advice on any other possible suggestions others may have so that I can mention them to him on Tuesday as the only other alternative seems to be to get Kia to look at it (and start the money roundabout again!).

 

The mechanic has said he has looked at the intake tube and all is good. He said to drive it at speed e.g. on a freeway all is good, but if you had to accelerate e.g. from lights etc. or needed to accelerate quickly (i.e. to get away from a dirty big truck!!), the car struggles. Any other suggestions?

 

Having EXACTLY the same problem!

Hi guys,
I'm having the EXACT same issue with my 2007 Grand Carnival. I've had the alternator and rocker covers replaced, and now have a CHECK ENGINE light, rough idle and sluggish acceleration.
Any advice before my mechanic starts searching for answers?

Cheers,
Dom

 

Having EXACTLY the same problem!

Hi guys,
I'm having the EXACT same issue with my 2007 Grand Carnival. I've had the alternator and rocker covers replaced, and now have a CHECK ENGINE light, rough idle and sluggish acceleration.
Any advice before my mechanic starts searching for answers?

Cheers,
Dom

I am also had the same exact problem and after they replaced the rocker cover gaskets and the alternator it worked fine but after two days the check engine light came on. Which was for a bad calic-converter which I haven’t yet replaced. But yesterday the battery light, and the hand brake light were flashing and everytime I started it up, it was fine but as soon as you turn on your lights and put it into drive and try to take off it would die. It eventually started working again. This all happened after I went to the Kia dealership to get a part replaced because my car could just randomly set on fire even if it’s off(yes I know very unsafe). And I own a Kia Grand Carnival which was made in 2008.