My check engine light came on and my cars vague diagnosis said there is a problem with the emissions control system. Before i could take it to a shop about a week later it died while driving. I couldn’t get it started again. I took it to a shop that told me my fuel pump needed replaced. He replaced it but he still can’t get my car to start. It’s been in the shop for 2 weeks because he can’t figure out why! He’s put in new spark plugs and new wires and a new battery. He’s thinking it’s a security issue. When he goes to start it, it will occasionally cough but doesn’t start. I would think if it is a security issue it wouldn’t do that but I’m not really sure. I’m desperately needing my car back and looking for suggestions on what the problem could be!
You need to get the car to a new mechanic. This guy doesn’t know what he’s doing.
Have the car towed to a new shop, and let them try to figure it out.
Sad thing is he actually has a shop! That’s what I’ve been thinking. I was just hoping someone might have an idea since I’m already into him for at least 1400 for the fuel pump and find are dangerously low!
Having a shop does not mean the mechanic is competent.
I’d start with the basics. I’d plug in an OBD2 scanner and look for fuel pressure, crankshaft position sensor output and camshaft position sensor output. While cranking I’d test for spark. Your mechanic sounds like he is tossing parts at the car hoping it will fix it.
Take it somewhere else before this one drains your bank account and leaves you with no car.
Car is not running at shop. Next step?
Are you paying him to throw parts at your car and hope they stick?? Or are you paying him to diagnose and repair the vehicle?? Is he coming to you and saying I think this could be the issue but not sure and you are agreeing to do what ever??
Sounds like you need to work something out on the money side cause he is just going to keep spending YOUR money guessing and that is wrong… If he was spending his money trying to fix it and then charge you for what was the real problem then that is one thing… If it was his money, he would either say I don’t know and recommend the dealer or fix it right the 1st time… but you should not be paying him to learn how to fix cars…
Is the anti-theft symbol on or flashing during your no-start incident?
Did the shop bother looking at the drive suthorization pids?
Better if shop owner was asking for help.
I’ve had many vehicles brought in on the hook for this problem. And 90% of the time the problem was with crankshaft position sensor.
Tester
The faster you tow it out of there to a dealer or decent shop, the faster you’ll get your car back.
I had my riv stall and not start. 200 miles from home at the cabin site. Only two guys in town so had it towed. Over the next week couldn’t figure it out. I actually faxed diagnostic charts from the factory manual to help. Don’t remember if it was the pump or coil or what but he’d only take cash or check for payment. Would have been better off towing it 30 miles to someone competent.
My story from 29 years ago. I’m dating this gal and she drives a VW Rabbit. Her fuel pump fails and I’m going to be the hero!
I go to my local NAPA and they look up the pump for a 1980s something Rabbit. It’s in stock. Install it and only get coughs. After wasting a week trying to figure out what’s wrong I give up and take it to a local guy who specializes in German cars. The first thing he does is hook up a pressure gauge. He says: “Wrong pump, pressure too low.”
My girlfriend was not happy and I marched into NAPA with the pump they sold me and I gave them a piece of my mind! And I learned something too! (Pressure gauge).
I measured the fuel pressure on my late 70’s Rabbit so many times, I don’t know how many … lol … I had to make-up a set of fuel-line adapters to fit both the Rabbit and the gauge.
As far as the OP’s non-starting Kia Forte, suggest to revert to the basics: for the engine to start
- fuel deliver to each cylinder
- robust spark to each cylinder
- correct cold-start air/fuel mixture
One easy check, Make sure there’s plenty of gas in the gas tank. How to check the others varies car to car. I’m just a knucklehead diyer w/no experience w/your car. I’d start by checking for a visible spark (or spark signal) on my cars. May not be possible on yours. I will say however that the one time my VW wouldn’t start and I couldn’t figure out why, it turned out the cylinders were flooded with gasoline. Suggest to ask your shop if that could be the reason? In my case the solution was to remove the spark plugs and let the gasoline evaporate out. If the plug tips are wet with gasoline, good chance you are on the right track.
Concur w/others above, changing the spark plugs wouldn’t normally be the first thing to do w/this symptom, so it is possible the shop tech you are using doesn’t have the necessary diagnostic experience.
I’ll just say that just because there is no fuel pressure doesn’t necessarily mean the pump is bad. There is the connectors, wiring, relay, etc. that could be the cause.
Sounds like an “independent” mechanic with no access to proper training. The best stories come from those mechanics. Got to appreciate the “good independent” repair shops.
Yikes is putting it mildly! And he didn’t pay $1400 for a new fuel pump. He is being charged $1400 for a new fuel pump, based upon the mechanic’s recommendation, plus diagnostic labor, which was apparently NOT performed correctly. This is engine uses port fuel injection (not direct injected) so there’s only one fuel pump, which runs at relatively low pressure.
A reasonable mechanic would have first tested for fuel pressure, then checked for power at the fuel pump pigtail (with the engine in the run position, or an assistant trying to start it) and ONLY declared the fuel pump to be the problem if it was running with insufficient pressure, or not running with power present.
Personally, I would tell this mechanic that he has two options: either get the car running for the quoted price of $1400, or otherwise, you are willing to pay the wholesale price for the fuel pump–which didn’t solve the problem–and that’s it.
In my business (heating and air conditioning), we are not allowed to charge a customer for an incorrect diagnosis, or unnecessary repairs due to a bad diagnosis. The ONLY exception is if the problem is intermittent, and our technician could not reproduce the malfunction, and we told the customer verbally and on the invoice that the repairs are an educated guess because we never witnessed the problem, so no guarantees that this will solve the problem. And this isn’t unique to the company I currently work for. Customers pay for results, not for incompetence and ineptitude.
I want to see itemized bill for labor and parts
AND old fuel pump
A number of businesses operate that way. My son in law is a lawyer. When he was just starting he was paid based on the time the partner he was working with would have taken to perform the same job. My SIL said at first he put in 3 to 4 times the time the partner would have spent on the project. That’s why you hear about young lawyers spending so much time at work.
I bet the dealer service advisor might say motor is shot. Might have cost $100 for news but owner could have moved on already. They would be $1300 ahead.