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Kia Sephia Sporty


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Thank you! ... ;) ...

 

I believe it doesn't have the Typical L4 Rasp due to the Pre-Catalytic that I converted onto a Huge Bowed Chamber,

 

as you can see in the Pictures above; so it acts as a Resonator just in front of the Exhaust manifold,

 

then it has a 2" Straight Pipe to the Muffler.

 

 

 

The Muffler itself is not the Original one, it had Rust inside and I Changed it

 

with a Direct Replacement "Made in Mexico" Standard Muffler, like the original one.

 

 

I Took this Photo while I just removed the Old Muffler...

 

 

ExhaustJob.jpg

 

 

...the new one could be Seen on the Video.

 

 

Kind Regards.

Edited by Loyale 2.7 Turbo
to Center the Image
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Why I Had to Remove both Catalytic Converters on my Wife's Kia Sephia?

 

Well, Both were Clogged.

 

 

Why not just buy a new cat, and not pollute this world?...

 

It was absolutely impossible for me to find a brand new Catalytic or pre-catalytic converters here in my developin' country, not even at the Kia Dealer, nor other car brand's dealer, nor almost any aftermarket Store, or exhaust specialist Shops.

 

Why? ... as I Said:

 

... those are not Legally required here, in my Country...

 

So even the Brand New cars with LADM (Latin American Domestic Market) Specs, comes here Without catalytics from factory. period.

 

Its a Fact that the Same car, made in USA, Mexico, Korea, Japan, etc... will go with a Different setup from factory to the USDM (United States Domestic Market) Specs; than to the Latin American / Asian \ African markets, etc... usually the difference is due to Legal Requirements.

 

So, almost all the Brand New Cars that comes here thru their Dealers, comes without Catalytics... and other things more or less.

 

Examples of Different Market's requirements are: the Toyota Land Cruiser II, seems like it has never been available in USA, and we have plenty of them, even with Factory snorkels, like these ones:

 

 

LandCruiserIIDiesel.jpg

 

 

Other example: Subarus does come here (and almost to the Rest of the World)

 

with Dual Range Transmissions as an option...

 

 

2844505253_5d26385439_b.jpg

 

 

...while North America seems to be the only market who doesn't get the Dual Range trans

 

since the 1990's decade, due to Taxation & Legal Reasons:

 

Because of their Dual Range Trans, Subaru where taxed as "Light Duty Trucks" then...

 

 

SubaruasTruck.jpg

 

 

...which makes them to have a different price range than their competitors, and different insurance rate, etc...

 

 

So Different Markets got different versions of the SAME car Model.

 

 

 

Also, here in my country is almost impossible to find a Good Used Catalytic converters... the ones that get removed from cars that comes from USA, usually are Sold to the Metal factories here, they melt them (along all the old metal) to be recicled.

 

 

 

... Why your Sephia obviously did come with catalytics? ...

 

The reason is that the Car came Used from USA, so is USDM, (United States Domestic Market) not purchased at the Local Dealer, so is not LADM. (Latin American Domestic Market)... and those markets' Specs are different.

 

 

 

ebay and yes almost all sellers would ship to your country. So there are options. ... you could get one from lots of USA sellers, dealers, etc. There are buisnesses willing to ship outside of the USA. ...

 

Yes, but at an Horrid High Expensive Price in US Dollars (Not our Currency) due to the part cost, shipping & Handling plus Taxes... Beside the Internet "Virtual" stores, The only Local aftermarket parts store which can bring here those catalytics, is the Local NAPA, but their price was even Worse than the internet ones...

 

I am facing pretty Hard times here and I have a Family to Feed, so that was Not an Option.

 

 

 

... Just because the car is in latin america does not mean its not letting out emmisions...

 

I Never meant that...

 

 

 

...Nice job with the great advice. Pollute the world and make your car louder and sound like crap...

 

 

Sorry but I Didn't gave any "Advice" ... I Was just Sharing my own experience.:

 

 

 

...If everyone in the world took the advise of gutting their cats when they stopped working, the air would be so polluted, everyone would have to wear respirators, or die...

 

Well... as I said: Not all the Cars in the World, came or comes with Catalytic converters... also in some countries like Latin America and Europe, there are very much more Diesel Cars than Gasoline cars, even small sedans comes diesel here... those doesn't have catalytics and Diesel does pollute too... even worse.

 

Something interesting is that Cow's Farts are polluting the Air worldwide, in an Even Worser way, read:

 

~► Here.

 

~► Here.

 

Maybe the enviromental minds who invented the Catalytic converters for cars, could find the way to adapt some to the Cow's... Back part! :D

 

So, I Had to Remove the Catalytic Converters because:

 

► Both were Clogged, you know the Consequences of Driving a car like That.

 

► It was Impossible to Find Brand New or Used Replacements Here.

 

► Internet Stores' Price for both plus Shipping, Handling & Taxes, were absolutely insane...

 

► They are Not Legally Required at all, Here, in my Little Country.

 

 

Also, I Removed them both on my EA82 Subaru "BumbleBeast" since march, 1993.

 

Both cars have not had any exhaust issue since the catalytic converters Removal, and the Kia has not developed any Code, nor a Check engine Light.

 

Kind Regards.

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I Had to Explain the whole situation (as a Fictional conversation for easy understanding), because I Don't want to be misunderstood about the Catalytic converters' removal.

_______________________________________

 

 

Lets move on: I will post here any Update or Modification on my Wife's Kia Sephia.

 

Any comment / Idea \ Advice or suggestion, is Welcome.

 

Kind Regards.

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Long time ago, when I wanted to do the First Radiator Flush,

 

Half of the Plastic Drain plug, fell off to my hand while trying to unscrew it...

 

 

02-BrokenDrainscrew.jpg

 

 

...and its location is in 45º angle, at the bottom of the Radiator;

 

so it was somehow a "Nightmare" to try to remove the Half that still was

 

screwed deep inside, with the Radiator still in its place. :banghead:

 

 

So, I Removed the Radiator from the Car, here you can see that

 

it has a Custom Aluminium Upper Tank...

 

 

04-DrainPlugsPlacement.jpg

 

 

...and you can see the angled placement for the Drain Plug; next to the Hose.

 

 

 

I Used my Soldering Gun to Melt a Square in the Plastic of the broken plug

 

that was screwed deep inside the Radiator... :Flame:

 

 

01-ChangedthePlugs.jpg

 

 

...once the plastic had cooled, I was able to use a fat flat screwdriver

 

inserted in the Square and unscrew the broken plastic part,

 

like if it were a normal screw. :D

 

 

It came off Easy and I Decided to Close the Drain Plug's opening,

 

using a Matching Stainless Steel Screw with the same thread & Pitch:

 

 

03-UsedanInoxScrew.jpg

 

 

So it can be opened using a wrench, but also I Can Drain the Rad

 

unhookin' the Hose which is Next to the Drain plug.

 

 

By the Way, I used my Soldering Gun to place New Plugs & Wires for both Fans.

 

Kind Regards.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The only Mini pickups we had in the USA were, Chevy Luv, Mazda B-series, Dodge D-50/Ram 50, Nissan models, Toyota models, Ford Courier, Isuzu models, and I think that is about it.

 

We never had Kia vehicles till the early 90s, and none were trucks.

 

I like that white Sport truck! And that white Toyota Prado.

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Thank you for the Kind answer!

 

 

Kia also does build Huge Trucks, Jeeps & Military Vehicles:

 

 

KiaTrucks.jpg

 

More info, ~► Here.

 

 

Kia has prescence here since the Seventies (1970's) Decade somehow, with the KiaMaster and the Kia 303 which was the Kia Version of the Mazda 808, as you can read, ~► Here.

 

Also here in Latin america the Laws that rule the Cars' markets are more simple and are based mainly in safety standards, such like if your car's Brakes & Lights are Working fine and the engine doesn't smoke...

 

Our authorities usually doesn't care if you build your own car of pieces as Long as everything works fine and has seatbelts. :o

 

Maybe that is the Reason why Kia is so Abundant here. :)

 

 

Our Local Kia dealer does import here Lots of Kia Diesel cab-forward Trucks, Big, Medium and Small sized Trucks.

 

The Small sized trucks are Weird Because they use six lugs 15" Rims in the Front and six lugs 13" Twins in the Rear, to maintain the Bed's Height not too tall.

 

 

Like This:

 

788814.jpg

 

 

 

The White toyota in the photo isn't the Prado, it doesn't have its characteristic grille with vertical openings;

 

so it must be the Toyota Fortuner. ~► http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FortunerKUN60GTRDSportivo.jpg

 

Kind Regards.

Edited by Loyale 2.7 Turbo
To add a Link for the Fortuner.
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Well... I'm pretty Sure that the Cab-Forward trucks that goes to the USA Market, are the Medium and Big sized Trucks.

 

The one in the Above Picture, is a Small Sized Truck: About same Size of a Loyale Wagon, I Understand that is Hard to see it in a Photo whith the Car alone and no other car aside for comparison, also I understand that you wrote that it has:

... the same wheel set up. ...

 

Because those Bigger trucks has also Four Wheels in the Back and two in the Front, but the Difference is that those Korean Small trucks (Kia, Hyundai Samsung and Asia Brands) on our Market has Different Rim Sizes between the Front and the Rear Axle, as I wrote:

 

...those are Weird 'cos they use six lugs 15" Rims in the Front and six lugs 13" Twins in the Rear, to maintain the Bed's Height not too tall...

 

 

 

This is the only Pic I could obtain of one of those (Samsung) Trucks on the Street:

 

 

i519866.jpg

 

 

 

Those usually comes in Single Cab, Cab and a Half, Double Cab and Bus Shapes.

 

But also in other "Special" configurations, like Tow Trucks, ambulances, Dump trucks, etc...

 

Those usually comes with a Strong in-line 4 cyl.2.7L Diesel engines, and are about the Size of a Loyale Wagon.

 

And seems like they're capable of run on two wheels too! :eek::

 

 

garbage-truck-stunts.jpg

 

 

 

Latin America and specially my Li'l country, has a Huge Market for those Small Trucks

 

But also is a Huge market for the Mini Trucks (Less than 3 Meters, like the Subaru Sambar) you can see Many of Chevrolet (Daewoo), Suzuki, and Chinese Trucks & Micro Buses, even some of them Looks like Micro BMW's ... Like This:

 

 

dfsk_truck_sc_imagen_07.jpg

 

 

 

Those are Front engined, in-line 4 Cyl. with 1.0L displacement, 5 Speed Manual trans and Solid Axle in the Rear (RWD) with Coil springs in the Front and Leaf Springs in the Rear: Even with A/C and Power Steering, those Mini Trucks & Buses Seems to be Built to Last Many Years of Rude use.

 

Subaru built a Series of Small pick ups with in-line 4 Cyl. engines (The Rare Subaru EN80 Engine) to compete with those Chinese ones, but Subaru cost twice than any Chinese equivalent, and Sadly, has the Worst Dealer in the World (in my Country), so No New Subaru mini truck or Mini Bus has been sold here in Years.

 

Kind Regards.

Edited by Loyale 2.7 Turbo
Mispelled word, Fixed. ;)
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Well... Back to Topic, I have to Correct myself, I made a Mistake about the Different Generations of the T8D engine:

 

Usually is Known that the First Gen T8D engine came on the 1998 ~ 2001 Kia Sephia, and the Second Gen T8D engine came on the 2002 ~ 2004 Kia Spectra. Also I posted that here.

 

Those T8D are almost Identical engines, but they has certain Differences.

 

The Spectra engine has one Hp Less than the Sephia engine, but it has eleven more ft lb Torque.

 

But the Spectra Engine is Built with Better Quality Materials and also has some Design improvements.

 

As far as I Know, the Spectra engine has better Design for the flow of Oil & Coolant and is built with Better Materials, plus the Head is Ported to its Maximum, and other design advantages, In example: the PCV Valve on the Sephia is plastic and came mounted on a Rubber O-Ring to the Head's Cover; while the PCV Valve on the Spectra is Metallic, threaded and directly screwed to the Head's cover.

 

 

 

But here comes the Correction:

 

The second gen Sephia (1998 ~ 2001) came with the Second Gen already, of the T8D Engine; not the First gen; so the Spectra (2002 ~ 2004) got the Third Gen of the T8D engine.

 

When Kia Purchased the Lotus Elan Design License, They Built the Kia Elan and they Developed the 1.8L T8D Engine for it, as a Huge Upgrade over the Isuzu 1.6L Engine that Lotus used on the Elan.

 

So, the T8D engine was not engineered for the Kia Sephia, the First Gen T8D engine was used two years Before, on the Kia Elan (1996 ~ 1999). Its a Fact. Period.

 

 

See the Wikipedia info Below:

 

Read ~►Here.

 

 

KiaElan.jpg

 

 

This is an Old Magazine Scan,

 

Please note that the Engine used on the Kia Elan...

 

 

kiaelan1-560x794.jpg

 

 

...is the Real First Gen of the T8D engine.

 

And Yes, is a Non-Interference Engine ... :D ... Like the EA82.

 

Kind Regards.

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Since I Tend to do Many Many Travels during Night time, and our Highways aren't so good... (new Potholes tend to Grow each Rainstorm) ...I Always install Auxiliary Driving Lights: "Halogen Lamps" on all my Cars, for Safety Reasons, because not only animals could cross the road, also the Main Headlamps could fail in the Middle of Nowhere during a Nocturnal travel, So, I wanted another, fully independent Lights Circuit on board, in case the main one fails... Not only better illumination.

 

I have much experience installing Halogens, I've installed them not only in my cars, but also in my Friends' cars, and much more...

 

Usually, I choose to do the Halogens' install, in an inexpensive but good working Way; let me Explain:

 

First, I Choose Halogen Lamps that are made of Glass & Metal, (Forget Plastics) it doesn't matter if those are Cheap Chinese Lamps.

 

Then I Always Remove the Cheap Bulbs that they have, and install there Better Bulbs, usually made in Germany of well-known Brands, such as Osram, Sylvania, Bosch, etc.

 

Then I reassemble the Lamp, Resealing it using Clear Silicone for weatherproofing purposes; also I smear some more clear silicone around the joints and around the hole that lets the wires to pass thru the Lamp's body. Doing that will keep the humidity away from the Lamps' inside... Ideal to make 'em Last Longer, specially if you drive on a Wet / Rainy enviroment.

 

Then I Do the Install, using a Relay, a Rocker Switch, a pair of Twin-wire Couplers (Female-Male) and enough Nº 12 Automotive Wiring... beside Good Electrical isolating Tape and other minorities...

 

You can use a Brand New "Bosch Standard" Relay of a good aftermarket brand, but I usually go to Hunt for a Good Relay to the Junk Yards, in order to obtain their mounting hardware and -specially- their rubber covering Hood that some relays which comes from factory, has, to avoid rust on them due to install on the engine's bay area.

 

The relay shall be rated between 20 ~ 40 Amps to work properly.

 

This writeup could help you to Understand better How the Relay Works and How to Wire one, ~► Here.

 

But I'll explain that here in Short Words. :)

 

The early Kia Spectra that comes with under bumper lights, usually has a Single Relay covered with a Rubber hood (for Weatherproof) for them in the engine bay, and is the Ideal Candidate for this install.

 

If you want to Reach Long Distance with the Halogen Lamps, you must install them as Near to the Road as Possible: Underbumper Lamps reach more Distance.

 

For Fog lightning, you Must install your Halogen Lamps Above the Bumper, so they'll point to spread the Light around certain area, depending on how far or close you adjust their beam light.

Edited by Loyale 2.7 Turbo
Misspelled word, Fixed ;)
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When you install Halogen Lamps on any car, you must be Sure that they will be Fixed Firmly in their place, because any shake or vibration could reduce the halogen bulb's lifespan.

 

That is Why I Welded to the metallic "Chassis" of my wife's Kiastein, a pair of Metal Plates, one for each side, then I Drilled a couple of 3/8" Holes on each plate to place the Screws that will sustain in its place the Lamp.

 

Also I Choosed to Protect the Wiring from Engine's heat, etc... by using a 5/16" white plastic hose, and Placed one end of the Male / Female Couplers at each Side.

 

 

 

You can see that in the Following Picture:

 

 

Halogens1-WeldedPlate.jpg

 

 

 

The Ground wire is placed on a fender's inner screw just for Showing in the Photo purposses, because in the end, I placed it on the same Halogen Lamp's holding Screw, right to the Metal Plate I Welded.

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In the Following Photo, you can see How the Halogen Lamp is installed, with a Couple of Strong Screws and Locking Washers to the Welded Metal Plate:

 

Halogens3-Installed.jpg

 

 

The Ground wire is still on the Fender for that Photo only, it has a Ring terminal and I Placed it to one of the two Said screws to the metal Plate.

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I Used my Soldering Gun to weld each wire's terminal, and covered the welding / terminal spot with more than enough electrical isolating Tape.

 

In the Following Photo, you can see the Relay I obtained from a Spectra at a Junk Yard, covered with its protective Rubber Hood, already in its Place; also the Photo has a Description for easy understanding the Wirings for a Relay: ;)

 

 

Halogens4-RelaySwitch.jpg

 

 

 

As I wrote above, Each Terminal has been welded with my Soldering Gun and isolated.

 

 

Then I Just Placed a Rocker Switch to the Dashboard, it sends the Ground Signal to the Relay,

 

so the wire that comes with the Ground Signal to the Switch, is taken from a Screw nearby Behind the Dashboard,

 

using a welded Ring terminal on its End and placed as a Washer on the Screw. Easy, isn't it?

 

 

Halogens5-Switch.jpg

 

 

 

The Rocker switch is placed in front of the Low / High Beams stick, so I can turn 'em On only when Needed;

 

Usually without incoming Traffic and only on Highways / offroads.

 

 

And Finally, this is How the Rectangular Halogen Lamps looks Like under the Bumper:

 

 

Halogens6-FinalLook.jpg

 

 

 

This is one of the very first Mods I done to my Wife's "Kiastein" and they has more than two years working Flawlessly.

 

I hope this Writeup will be Helpful.

 

Kind Regards.

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I try to avoid controversial subjects on this forum, but let me explain the two reasons I have to Not install an H.I.D. retrofit Kit on my Wife's "Kiastein"

 

The first reason is related to the Headlamps transparency on my Wife's "Kiastein" :

 

Since they're made by Policarbonate plastic, they has the Yellow Stain tint & blur... well, the car came like that from the USA, I'm sure that the Previous owner never cared of the Headlamps.

 

But both Headlamps were cracked on their sustaining arms, the passenger's side one was the worse, so I already changed that Headlamp on the Kiastein with a Junk Yard replacement, which was a Chinese Replacement! ... not a Kia original headlamp but you won't notice the diference.

 

I fixed the broken arm on the other side's Headlamp with an oversized washer and is working good since that, a couple of years ago...

 

 

Here is a Pic about that, maybe that simple idea could help other kia owners:

 

 

OversizedWasher.jpg

 

 

But the Replacement lamp has the same yellowish blur too...

 

 

 

I Tried to Polish them both using great quality products such as "Turtle Wax" Polishment, without great results. :(

 

So until I could afford a couple of brand new transparent headlamps, I'll avoid that retrofit on the Kiastein, because the yellowish Blur on the transparency of the Headlamps' Lens, could lead to a dangerous Glare for the incoming driver.

 

My Subaru Wagon is a Very different Story: It has Thick Glass Headlamps, one of those even received the Direct front impact of a Kia Sportage once, in a medium speed collision. The Glass survived absolutely intact, but the Metal behind it, which is part to the Subie's Body, was Bent.

 

Pictures ~► Here.

 

My Subaru Wagon has almost four years with an amazing 55 Watts Bi-Xenon (Low / High Beams) of 5000K (White-Yellowish colour) without any issue, and I drive it by Night very Much; its Bi-Xenon's Razor edge Low Beam plus the crystal clear headlamps ensure it is absolutely No dangerous glare for the incoming driver's eyes.

 

That was my First reason: the Yellowish blur on my Wife's Kiastein HeadLamps.

 

 

The Second Reason is, the Lack of Money:

 

Someday, if I win the Lotto ... :D ... I'll purchase a couple of Brand New HeadLamps and a 5000K Bi-Xenon retrofit kit for the Kiastein ... :) ...

 

 

Kind Regards.

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The Li'l Red Kia is "Picanto" ... Honduras has a Great Market for Kei Cars (Less than 3 Meters) and the Kia Picanto is one of the Market Leaders, with in-line 4 Cyl. 1L Gasoline and 1.1L Diesel engines; along the Chevrolet Spark (Which is a Korean made Chevrolet, former Daewoo) also many other brands sells mini cars here.

 

Kind Regards.

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