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Car Forum / Kia Cars / October 2003Rio Electrical Problems
I have one of the first Rios brought into the St Louis area; no radio, no A/C, no power steering. They were in a hurry to get samples to the dealers so they sent a few advance copies pretty well 'stripped' ! The car has been very good for 80,000+ miles; uses no oil, solid clutch, original belts, hoses, and even brake shoes/pads. Only had the spider gear problem with the wipers twice plus a piece of trim has fallen off interior. Last night and again tonight had a funny electrical problem. After turning on the headlights for approx. 10 minutes at highway speed (65mph), they slowly dim, the air bag warning light comes on, and the engine temperature drops approx 40 degrees. Pulling off the road, when the engine slowed down to idle, the lights returned to full strength and all was normal. When immediately returning to the highway, the symptoms returned almost immediately. I let the car idle for 20 minutes, returned to the road, and all was fine if I stayed under 50 mph or about 1,800 rpm. If I went beyond that, the lights would dim BUT NOT AS MUCH AS BEFORE. I checked the battery and it is reporting 13.4+ volts; alternator is showing 38+ amps so all is well there. Could this be a voltage regulator problem? or something worse? Like I said, it's been a very good car for one of the first ones to come over however I baby all of my cars and change the oil religiously at 5K. Mike Frandson > I checked the battery and it is reporting 13.4+ volts; alternator is showing > 38+ amps so all is well there. Could this be a voltage regulator problem? or > something worse? Like I said, it's been a very good car for one of the first > ones to come over however I baby all of my cars and change the oil > religiously at 5K. Have you checked the output of the alternator when the engine is above idle speed? Thanks for responding, Bill. The more I think about it, the more I think it's the alternator belt which is what maybe you're alluding to here. The lights dimmed only slightly tonight coming home from work. The previous two times they dimmed was after ~ 3 hrs of highway driving. If the belt had been slipping during that 3 hr. period (and draining the battery during that time), then turning on the lights would have sapped what charge was left very quickly. Tonight the lights for my 30 minute drive home were perfect the whole time however I noticed they did brighten SOMEWHAT when the engine went to idle. Sounds like a slipping belt, don't you think? > Have you checked the output of the alternator when the engine is above idle > speed? The symptoms you describe in your original post seem to indicate a battery that is not being recharged. That usually points to the alternator (regulator is internal to the unit). The alternator could be failing to put out adequate amperage at certain RPM, or the battery could have an internal short which appears intermittent. Sounds like it's time to get both the alternator AND battery tested (as in "hooked up to a testing machine"), since these symptoms could be caused by either getting ready to fail. Note that "passing" these tests is no guarantee that there's no problem. The testing machines cannot duplicate "on the road" vibration patterns in the vehicle that may cause a problem to be intermittent. At 80,000 it is not unreasonable to replace either (or both). You probably don't want to be left stranded. The battery terminals may be loose and/or corroded. It's also possible that a "hot" wire somewhere else in the car may have rubbed through its insulation and is occasionally grounding out when some obscure vibration pattern occurs. Wiring problems in KIAs are not uncommon. I'd also look very carefully at the wiring between the alternator and battery, and between the battery and various fuse boxes, and between the battery and ground, and between the engine and ground. Good luck with it! >Thanks for responding, Bill. > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >idle >> speed? Very good suggestions; I just got back from the dealership; Sinclair Kia in St Louis. Very good folks and Mark (service manager) is helpful. Hooked up briefly to the diagnostic machine showed NO abnormalities and Mark says there are no technical bulletins for this symptom in the Rio. He is checking further. I had a friend who suggested the 'vibration' issue as perhaps theculprit. That could be hard to trace down . .. Thanks again; will keep you posted here . . . M > The symptoms you describe in your original post seem to indicate a > battery that is not being recharged. That usually points to the [quoted text clipped - 42 lines] > >idle > >> speed? |
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