why will my car not start?

240

Asked by eddierio Apr 23, 2012 at 10:45 AM about the 2004 Kia Rio Base

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My car was parked on down slope all day. As I drove away it stalled and would not start again. It was
low on fuel, so I put 5 gals in. It still would not start. I towed it home and put in on level ground. No
change.

13 Answers

24,465

Most likely you burned out the pump. Some fuel pumps only need to run dry for seconds and they are burnt out. Try spraying a little starter fluid in the intake if you run for a second that would confirm fuel pump.

9 people found this helpful.
925

1st, check your fuse for your fuel pump. 2nd, On certain cars, you can hear the pump for like 2-3 seconds when you turn the ignition to the on position, if not, unplug the fuel line and check if there is some fuel coming out when ignition key is on. do this in a bucket briefly. NOTE: Those engine has a major fault regarding the timing belt. If you haven't repalced/servicing it, those are most likely to snap! KIA had a lot of trouble with thsoe. If your timing belt has snap, your car wont start and will stall when driving while this occurs. This happen often with those cars and if it does happen, since the motor is with interference(wich mean the valves will hit the pistons), your engine will be dead and a new one will be required. Remove slightly the timing belt plastic cover an check if the belt is turning when cranking the engine. Those car are well known for this engine faillure.

14 people found this helpful.
240

Thanks guys, I checked the fuel pump and you can hear it start for 2-3 seconds. I checked the fuses and all their ok. I checked the timing belt, it's ok. The fuel filter is inside the gas tank and it is only a screen. I can not find a diagram of the fuel line. Aztec626bf, can you tell me where to find the intake to spray the starter fluid?And if you have anymore suggestions, it would be appreciated.

8 people found this helpful.
24,465

I would still try the starter fluid in the intake just to verify spark. The intake is right under where the air filter is. Since you heard the pump run probably not pump, but would still like to do this test. Then we can take it from there.

7 people found this helpful.
240

Guys, I put in a new battery today. I sprayed starter fluid in the intake and still nothing. It turns over but does not start. Could it be one of the sensors?

16 people found this helpful.
24,465

Yes it could be the crank sensor or the cam sensor. If you sprayed starter fluid in to the intake while you were turning it over and it did not fire that tells you there is no spark. I think by now I would hook your car up to a diagnostic machine and see if you can come up with a code. Otherwise you might be just throwing parts at it hoping to find the problem.

7 people found this helpful.
30

I have a 1994 Honda Civic and I am having the same problem. My car suddenly died on me. It was full of gas as I filled the tank the day before. Two different mechanics told me it was the distributor. so I paid a little over $200.00 PLUS $60.00 for the diagnoses fee of one of the mechanics and replaced the distributor. The car still will only crank and not turn over. Another mechanic who came hghly recommended by autozone told me it was the fuel pump. All he did was spray the starter fluid while I tried to crank and the car turned over briefly and then died.So I am going to pay him $150.00 plus buy the new fuel pump for $90.00 to see if that works. I have sank almost $500.00 dollars into my car trying to get it to turnover. I hope these mechanics aren't just "guessing" as they will get paid either way.

3 people found this helpful.
13,275

If the mechanic sprayed starter fluid into the "intake" (bypassing the air cleaner) and the car ran briefly, then you have answered your question, it needs a fuel pump.

1 people found this helpful.
40

If you ran out of gas see if there is a bleed valve on the fuel rail sometimes air gets stuck in fuel rail preventing fuel being emitted

4 people found this helpful.
30

Fuel pump replaced and the pump is in and if I spray starting fluid and it will run but then stops and then no fire is ge

3 people found this helpful.
40

the one with the kia you need to replace the crankshaft position switch.. that worked for me on my 2006 kia runs like a dream now...

4 people found this helpful.
100

I have a 2006 kia rio. I had the same problems, would crank butwould not fire. I checked timing belt it was still in tact. Replacedboth the crankshaft and camshaft sensor to try to resolve the issue still same problem. Once again I checked the timing belt but a little more thorough and the belt has jumped several teeth are missing. If it is slightly out of time it will crank, you willget spark but she won't fire.

10 people found this helpful.

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