I just swapped out my motor, it starts but only runs for a couple of seconds and then dies. Is there anything I can look for for why this is happening and it wont idle, If I stay in the throttle it will run but at high rpm's only.

Timing or vacuum issue perhaps?

my mechanic said it has brain issues. Should I go back to the rig I got the engine from and take the brain also?

What codes is it producing? also, check the ground connections...

I was doing some electrical work on my Sporty and accidentally touched a hot wire to the chassis. One little spark smoked the ECU. It doesn't take much. After I finished up, the engine idled really rough and would stall if I didn't keep on the gas. It started kicking all kinds of error codes, but nothing consistent, though the misfire on various cylinders did pop a lot. I found a used replacement ECU on eBay and that did the trick. It very well could be your ECU. But it could also be a ground issue, as noted. If you do have to replace your ECU, make sure you match the part numbers exactly. As I understand it, the ECUs on our generation of Sportage are programmed for the specific build of the vehicle - auto, manual, 4x4, 2wd, etc. So an ECU from a manual tranny won't work with the auto trans. I could be wrong. But that's the consensus I came across when researching the ECU problem. Hope that helps and best of luck... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" />

Hmmm, mine is a manual tranny, but the motor came out of one with a auto tranny. Sounds like I need to go and find a different ecu. If I were to take mine out, is there a place that can test them to see if they are good or not?
My engine, when I got it started did backfire a few times then died, restarted it and it did the same thing. I am going to check out my ECM and get a different one. Maybe its a plug and play fix. I dont know?

If you only swapped the engine, then the configuration for that portion of the ECU should be the same, I think. However, if the model years are different enough, to include time-frames of build within a given production year, that could pose problems. Was this a complete swap... long block or short? Can you give the specs on your Sporty and the donor vehicle, to include the year. If you can post pics of the production sticker on the driver's door jamb for both, that would be great. You can leave out the VIN if you don't want that published. I'd just like to see the production date and other values. That can help narrow down the compatibility window for the ECU. Also, was the donor engine known to be working when it was pulled? That can be a big variable on it's own. As far as testing the ECU, I would think a dealer could run diagnostics on it. But if it becomes obvious that your current ECU isn't a match for the engine, as configured, then there's no point in testing it. You may be able to get it running right with little effort if we can narrow down the variations between builds...

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

The one I took it out of was a 1997 sportage 4 door automatic, Mine is a 2000 sportage 2 door. It was a complete motor not a short block. My engine before was running decent but it had a blown head gasket.
Could the idle/air control have something to the way it starts and doesnt run? Or maybe the MAF sensor? Or the other one on the throttle body. I dont have access to the one I took it out of , it has been crushed now.

So you kept the engine complete from the 1997 including the throttle body, injection, and intake? If so that is probably part of your problem. From what I have read the 1997 injectors are not compatible with the 2000 computer. Do you still have the the complete intake (intake, injection, and throttle body) off of your old engine? If so put it on the 97 engine. I just did this exact swap. A 1997 engine into a 2000 vehicle. All I used from the 97 was the long block. Block, head, and sheet metal(pan and covers). Everything else came off of the 2000. The whole intake system, exhaust, steering pump, a/c pump, alternator, everything came off of my 2000. The ecu's are to specific to each vehicle, year, and its systems. I hope this helps.

Yep, lilkia's dead on. There was a significant change in the engine system starting in '98. So the '97 configuration will not make a 2000 ECU happy. Your best bet would be to swap over the intake, emissions and sensors from your 2000 engine. You can always do a cross-ref of parts on Rock Auto or the KIA parts online places to see what varies. Sensors performing the same function but of different make can produce different electrical signals during normal operation. A mismatch like that will drive the ECU bonkers. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/zombie.gif" alt="" />

But I think the patient is going to live... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" />