Servicing The Kia Optima: optima

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Friday, April 12, 2019

Which engine oil should I use for my 2014 Kia Optima SX Turbo

It is very important to use the proper oil with the proper weight in your 2014 Kia Optima SX Turbo because the tolerances on these modern Kia engines are very exact. If you use a heavier oil than Kia recommends, you may expand the area between lubricated parts.

What does this mean? It means that the heavier oil may cause oil loss and smoking. Kia recommends you use 5w-20 weight motor oil in your 2014 Kia Optima SX. The 5w-20 weight oil is lighter and when it leaks into the cylinder (which is normal), it is burned off and does not smoke. The heavier oil is not as easily burned off.

If you have an emergency and you don't have 5w-20 oil, you can add a different oil weight temporarily. Use no more than you need and then change the oil and filter as soon as you can and replace oil with 5w-20 oil.

Sunday, April 7, 2019

2014 Kia Optima SX Rough Idle - OBD II Code P0014

I recently had an issue with the my 2014 Kia Optima SX in which it would idle rough when I would slow down for traffic lights. At one point I found that I had to press on the gas pedal to keep the car engine idling while stopped.

I did some research about this issue and ran a OBD II diagnostic check when I got home. I got the following code;

P0014 KIA - 'B' Camshaft Position Timing Over-Advanced Or System Performance Bank 1

Read more: https://www.autocodes.com/p0014_kia.html

P0014 B Camshaft Position Sensor Over Advanced or System Performance Bank 1

What in hell does that mean? I thought to myself. As usual, I go to google and look up the code for suggestions. I found this;

Possible causes

Dirty Oil
Low engine oil level
Faulty Valve Timing Control (VTC)
Valve Timing Control (VTC) harness is open or shorted circuit.
Valve Timing Control (VTC) circuit poor electrical connector Incorrect timing Engine mechanical problems
Damaged Engine Control Module (ECM)

Wait, I thought, did I just read that dirty oil could be causing this code, and possibly causing my poor idle situation? It seemed like the easiest thing to look into. Could it be possible that Occam's Razor was in play here?

Occam's razor is the problem-solving principle that the simplest solution tends to be the right one.

So, I did what any quality back-yard mechanic would do; I changed my oil.

Result since then? The code has not returned. The idle has been smooth. In fact, I have gone over 10,000 miles since with two oil changes in between and the rough idle issue has not returned.

Don't take my word for it. If you get this code along with rough idle, take it to the dealer. But what I've found is, dirty oil in your 2014 Kia Optima (GDI) can cause this issue. This engine seems to be VERY sensitive to dirty oil. Changing the oil and filter solved the problem for me.

I suggest keeping your oil clean by changing it on the manufacturer's schedule. And of course, using a quality oil with a quality oil filter will be best for your engine.

P0014 KIA - 'B' Camshaft Position Timing Over-Advanced Or System Performance Bank 1

Read more: https://www.autocodes.com/p0014_kia.html

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Kia Optima 2002 2.7 L Engine, Hesitation and rough idle

My wife's 2002 Kia Optima was running quite rough. She told me it was hesitating at low idle and would sometimes not want to idle and would shut off. I immediately suspected a bad TPS (Throttle Position Sensor), but decided to do a diagnostic check with a OBDII code reader to be sure. If you do not yet own a code reader, I suggest you purchase one as it will save you a lot of time and money over the long haul.

So, I hooked up my code reader to the car and turned the ignition on. It came back with a few codes about cylinder mis-fires (often a secondary code resulting from another failure code). I found a P0102 code and then went inside to look up its meaning. MASS AIR FLOW (MAF) CIRCUIT LOW INPUT.

Ah ha! It had something to do with the MAF or MAF sensor. On the 2002 Kia Optima, the MAF sensor is located on the air intake just past the air filter, and is connected inline between the airfilter and the intake hose.

The MAF sensor looks like the photo to the right. There is an electronic connector which plugs into the square part of the sensor which is on top of the MAF sensor. In my case, I went to a you-pull-it junkyard and took one off of a 2003 Kia Optima with a 2.7 L engine. I removed the entire air intake assembly including the top of the air filter housing all the way back to the throttle body. But you may want to get just the MAF sensor (photo to the right).

The air intake hosing can be removed with a Philips screw driver. Once I replaced the MAF and associated intake hose, the rough idle and hesitation (and also shutting off) of the engine ceased. The car idled smoothly again and I felt it was safe for my wife to drive. I did a few miles of test driving to help the computer re-learn my driving habits (I am not sure if the Kia Optima does that, but did so just to be sure.

So, if you have rough idle, the card will not idle and will shut off or if there is hesitation during acceleration, it could be a MAF sensor. It could also be a TPS sensor (Throttle Position Sensor) so be sure to check your computer codes to be sure. I have found that it is usually one or the other on the Kia Optima 2002 which causes these problems.

Good luck.

Servicing The Kia Optima

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