Kia Reviews

The air-conditioning system is not critical to the car’s operation, only its comfort. As such, if you can find a belt that still drives all the ancillaries like the coolant pump, alternator, power-steering pump and whatever else is belt-driven on this model, then it’s certainly possible. What you have to ensure is that the shorter belt is the correct length and is still properly tensioned by the existing tensioning pulleys. You may have to change pulleys and brackets to achieve this. If you’re lucky, it will only be the air-conditioner itself that is driven by an auxiliary belt, with everything else running off the primary drive belt. If that’s the case, you simply remove the air-con belt and drive on.

In the old days, you simply bought the appropriate belt for the same make and model without factory air-con and fitted that. But more modern cars with standard air-conditioning can be trickier to bypass. But it should be possible, even if you have to take a piece of string the correct length to an auto parts store and go through the various belts to find one the right length. Either that, or find the same make and model at a wrecking yard that was not fitted with factory air-conditioning and use the drive belt pulleys and tensioners from that car. Never use a second-hand drive belt, however.

You could be looking at an engine that has a fuel-system problem. A lack of fuel pressure or volume (or worn injectors) can play havoc with a turbo-diesel engine at higher speeds thanks to the higher loads being placed on it. You may also have a worn or damaged turbocharger or perhaps an inlet manifold that is partially blocked from fumes and soot that are part of the vehicle’s emissions system. The problem could even be due to a blocked DPF in the exhaust system which could require manual cleaning or even replacement.

But this is another example of a car that’s still under warranty being the responsibility of the manufacturer to put right (provided the vehicle has been serviced correctly). Give the dealer very chance to fix things, but if they throw their hands in the air, then Kia Australia’s customer service department is your next stop.

There could be something wrong with the vehicle that is causing engines to blow up, and simply fitting a new engine is leaving it open to the same catastrophic problem(s). A fuel supply or cooling system problem would be just a couple of possibilities and fitting a new engine to a vehicle with such a problem could easily lead to successive blow-ups.

There’s also the possibility that you’ve simply been unlucky. Was the second engine a used one from a wrecking yard or a rebuilt unit? If it was the former, you might find that it was just about ready to expire, and the fact that it was fitted to your vehicle was not a factor. This is why it’s always important to have any second-hand engine tested before it gets fitted. Good quality used engines will come with a written report to prove there’s some life left in them.

There’s also the owner’s approach to a new engine. Were you careful to check the oil and coolant of the new engine once it was fitted and running? A second-hand engine might have an oil consumption pattern you’re not familiar with, and ignoring this important check could see it run dry and expire. Not pointing fingers, but even a 'new' second-hand engine requires a close eye kept on it.