Ok so here is the deal; I have a 2001 Kia sportage 4X4. When I got it the check engine light was one and it vibrated when at idle not like a miss but just enough to piss you off but I got it for 500 so I was ok with finding the problem and fixing it. I pulled the code for the CEL and found the pre-cat was bad. I changed it but while doing so I caused an exhaust leak after the pre-cat and before the cat. (I am going to weld that closed this week) After that the CEL went off but it was still vibrating I donÆt have much pick up and itÆs hard to stay over 70 mph on the expressway or over 25 going up hill on the streets. But thatÆs ok we drove it for a few weeks as is and then bam, huge miss, no power and loud as can be. It blew the plug out of the cylinder closest to the cab. The person before me had stripped out the head and did a shotty job with the tap and it blew out. When it did that it also ate the coil up pretty bad. So I changed the plugs, got a new coil, re-tapped the head with a sparkplug kit put in the heli-coil and it fired up. Still with a vibration and lack of power but the miss was gone and fixed the loudness. Last weekend we took it on camping trip about 6 hours round trip. My CEL came on flashed a few times then stayed on. Now on my old Vic that meant the coil misfired or the cylinder misfired but I donÆt know that itÆs the same for the kia. I also have oil at the top of the engine running down. Not a lot, it is due for a change and was less than a quart low. Tomorrow I am going to pull everything off to get to the plugs and see if the coil is not connected well and thatÆs where the oil is blowing out. As far as the vibration I have no idea what the issue could be other than the exhaust leak as you can hear the leaking air when you hit the gas. My plan is to weld the exhaust leak and find the oil leak and have the CEL code pulled but I thought I would ask you guys if you have ever had anything like this on yours or had any ideas of what to look for. One other thing I have no idea about is the heli-coil, how do I get the spark plug to sit in the cylinder at the right distance? You know in the cylinder but not to far in.... I am not a mechanic but can do my own work so I just donÆt know what to do or where to look other than what I have explained, any help would be great. Thanks

Could you get a readout of the exact ECU codes that you have pulled. They will be in the form of a P plus a four digit number in the range 0000 to 1999 (ie., P0*** or P1***).

May also be a stuck injector causing the misfire and loss of power.

There is a known issue with oil contamination of the plughole in cyls 3&4. You have not stated if you have the metal shim rocker cover gasket or are still using (re-using???) the old one, or silicon etc.

See the "changing plugs" sticky above if needed (sound like you have it pretty sussed though) and change all coils leads and plugs if you haven't already (if nothing else it gives you a set of spares).

Someone else with more experience than me should pipe up with help for the helicoils.

Thanks for the info, I will grab the codes tomorrow after work and post them on this thread see if it helps you guys give me some direction. I have not changed the valve cover gasket yet but have a felt pro to do it with unless the rocker cover is something different. I will change all the coils and leads this weekend as I will have a bit more time on my hands. AS far as the stuck injector is there a way to test this or fix it if stuck?

ok, going to work on it today but sure could use some help on the heli-coil before this weekend...

I was going to be down that way this weekend but we changed our travel plans.

wow, that would have been awesome. Im looking for more of a answer on how I can make sure the spark plug is at the rigth depth with the heli-coil and not to deep in the cylinder. any ideas?

Measure how far down it is to the top of one of the other plugs from the edge of the valve cover where the spark plug wire plugs in and don't install it any deeper than that.

Thats so simple... I cant belive I never thought of that! Thanks man!! I cant tell you how helpfull that is

Another fix instead of a helicoil is called a TIMESERT.
I have read that several Harley shops use these to replace the threads in the head.

I'm probably going to get the extra head that I have fixed with one.

Good luck and keep us posted with your situation.

Everet <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

You said you replaced the pre cat but what shape is the cat in? Exhaust leak, low on power, bad idle all could be signs of a cloged cat. Just a thought. Also, when you do spark plugs on an aluminum head make sue you use anti seize on the threads or you will have a few other blown out spark plugs. I found out the hard-expensive way. I needed a new head.

Good luck, Dennis