2012 Kia forte 2.4 liter engine, 388,000 miles on motor and transmission.
I’m the sole owner of this vehicle, and over the years I have replaced most of the parts on this car except for motor and transmission. I’m having coolant leak but not sure where it’s going. Very rough idle. Just recently had the crankshaft position sensor replaced as it had malfunctioned just last week (stalled out but hasn’t since replacement). I am leaning towards head, gaskets being blown, but no smoke out of the tailpipe no other problems even with a diagnosis tester. Should I just replace the head gaskets or should I go ahead and put another motor in my car? I’m really not too sure what to do at this point. I appreciate your time. Hopefully, I gave you enough information. Thanks Scotty
I’m having coolant leak but not sure where it’s going. Very rough idle.
Coolant doesn't always get into the engine with a head gasket failure. The coolant jackets are in the 4 corner areas of each cylinder. The heat gasket can fail and the cooling system can be fine because the head gasket blew in the thin areas in between the cylinders.
Do a compression test, and see what your results are. The cylinder with the best compression and worst compression should only vary by about 10%.
If you've never replaced the radiator cap, replace it. The cap can wear out and a little coolant can gradually evaporate.
UV dye and/or a pressure test would help find your coolant leak.
At that mileage it's very likely your engine is worn out. (Most of those cars don't reach near that kind of mileage before failing.) Perform a compression test, or better yet, a leakdown test to evaluate it.
A 15-year-old Kia is most likely not going to be worth the expense of installing another engine, and the transmission may well crater on you as well. Your best bet if the engine is toast would be to shop for another car.
