I’m looking at a 2018 Kia Sedona with 70k miles. I’m noticing seepage (not a leak) around the head gasket going around the majority of the engine. I did a exhaust gas leak test in the coolant reservoir reservoir and the fluid remained blue
I take it this is a very small head gasket leak, that will eventually need to be fixed? I understand some seepage is normal, but am particularly worried about this because it’s from the head gasket.
Thoughts?
I’d do cooling system pressure test to see how bad the leak is under pressure.
Some parts stores rent the tool to perform this test.
Tester
First of all, you say “head gasket”, but the 2018 Kia Sedona is not an inline 4-cylinder. The only engine offered is a 3.3L V6, which would have two head gaskets.
Second, you don’t say what kind of “seepage” this is. Engine oil? Most engines have minor valve cover leaks, which drip down, and appear to be from the head gasket(s). Coolant? Check for leaking frost plug(s), hoses, or crossover pipe. Some V6 engines have a coolant pipe located between the two cylinder heads, and if this leaks, the coolant can run down the engine, appearing to come from somewhere else.
Third, this type of engine requires way too much effort to perform a DIY head gasket repair, and having this done professionally would be way too expensive.
If you have any doubts about the condition and reliability of the engine, my advice would be to not buy this vehicle, and keep looking.
Then why are you even looking at it? Find something else.
Also I would not buy a used Kia because of the easy theft problem that some had . The thieves are not going to have a list of which ones have that problem and may do alot of damage just trying to steal it.
This is silly. Thieves are likely to do just as much damage to any vehicle–whether or not they are ultimately able to start it. Most theft attempts are crimes of opportunity–either teenage joyriders, or someone needing a vehicle to commit some other crime. These people are as likely to bust out the window, and tear up the dash on a model with ironclad security as they are on a model with no security system. The only difference is that if your vehicle has ironclad security, it will still be there, albeit damaged, after the thief gives up and leaves.
If you truly mean the head gasket . . . and NOT the valve cover gasket, which would be more common, imo . . . Remove this vehicle from consideration
Thank you all for the input.
It did seem like a head gasket seepage to me. I’m not sure if it was coolant or oil. It was black damp looking and wet to the touch. It started underneath where the exhaust entered the head and where the head attached to the rest of the engine. It seemed to go around most of the engine. Above this point the head was silver in color and looked like typical 8 year old oxidized aluminum. So I suspect it was a very small head gasket leak resulting in seepage.
There was also a good amount of seepage on the timing chain cover, and the piece of metal that contains the oil cap, that mounts to the timing chain cover.
No accumulation of droplets though so technically not a leak I guess.
So I decided to pass.
Thanks for all the help!
I am in central VA. Advance Auto “rents” these by having you buy it, and then refunding you when you return it, so it ends up as a free loan. That was very much appreciated and perfectly diagnosed my leak.
What was the problem?
Just remember that there are 6 ways that a head gasket can leak/blow, only one will allow exhaust gases in the coolant…
The thermostat on the 2007 Mazda 3 is mounted in a plastic structure that connects to the hoses in the normal way, and then attaches to the side of the engine with a shaped O-ring style gasket. Apparently, that O-ring had hardened just enough in one spot to cause the leak which occurred when the engine was cooling. This very tiny leak was magnified by the tool which pressurized the system while it was cool so that the source of the leak was obvious. Luckily, I had seen just a bit of drip on the driveway and found the overflow tank low on coolant before there were any overheating issues.
I note that if I had had a simple cap on the coolant tank that had a Schrader valve, I could have done this with a bicycle pump.
Maybe you should invent one…
Personally I wouldn’t purchase any Kia, due to concerns about the engines and overall quality/build.
But I wouldn’t buy any 7 year vehicle that had any indication of leaking oil or coolant. I’ve had cars that were 10-15 years old with 200K miles that didn’t leak a drop of fluid. They might burn a little oil, but no leaks.
Just my two cents.
Ditto, on all points.
