01 kia rio won't stay running

Did he do a compression test?

Yes. It has good compression.

Things you might want to do attach a odb II diag box on it it see the ECM threw a code.(ie if you have a check engine light ) More than likely could be the following -Bad Crankshaft position sensor (Sometimes cranks right away then dies, sometime hard to crank or wont crank at all ) -Bad Camshaft position sensor (Sometime cranks right away then dies, sometime hard to crank or wont crank at all ) -Bad or Dirty IAC vale (rough idle, may smell gas in exhaust ) -Bad/ Dirty Mass Air flow sensor (rough idle, may smell gas in exhaust ) -Bad Throttle Position sensor (Engine does not rev when accelerator pressed -Bad Coolant Temp sensor (rough idle in cold weather, temp gauge reads "cooler" than normal at operating temps ) -restricted Cat convertor (loss of power / fuel economy when driving , car may backfire, die may not start sometimes) -Bad Electrical System ground Ground (car acts dead when trying to start or dies when running ) - Bad programming on ECM ( there was a recall for this car to have the ECM reprogrammed for this particular problem !!!! ) Bad Coil Pack (ECM may report a misfire ) Bad /wet wiring harness connection (Common on all Rios Including mine) And last but not least VACUUM LEAKS !!! The truth is the Kia Rio is a car with a 10yr/100k mile warranty with parts ( other than the engine ) that MAY last 60K miles ( They may be making them better now I won't buy one to find out :( ). Hyundai and Kia use the same Korean-based sensors for their cars. The difference is Hyundai, a company that builds supertankers and the engines for them, puts higher quality electronics on their engine, ergo their cars run better and last longer. There has NOT BEEN ONE PRODUCTION YEAR PAST 2000 WHERE KIA HAS NOT HAD A RECALL OR PROBLEMS THAT DID NOT NOT INCLUDE THEIR ELECTRICAL/Sensor/Computer SYSTEMS !!! . If your car has more than 60K miles on and still cranks up , count yourself lucky. I call my putt-putt my "miracle car" because I have about 158k miles on a car that usually blows up around 80k miles. This is a quote from Wikipedia: "The first-generation Kia Rio (referred to as the "DC") was offered in both four-door sedan and five-door hatchback body styles. When released, it was the **** least-expensive **** mass-produced car to be sold in the United States.[3] While the Rio's styling and affordability were well-received, it was derided for its *** poor build quality and driving experience.*** " Unless in the future Kia makes a flying car that folds into a suitcase and runs on water, I'm quite sure I won't be buying another one. That being said, 13 years out a 2-owner , 5-year life car is actually not bad.

My car had 186k on it. She has finally died! Did have a "specialist" look at it. Could never figure it out. Always thought it was an electrical problem, just couldn't find tge problem.

mine just did the same thing....wouldn't crank....new battery...tested,and alternator was bad...replaced it, and then found cam position and crankshaft sensors were bad.......replaced and now I'm getting a faulty reading from the coolant temperature sensor, so not passing emissions check yet....hopefully replacing this one will fix the issue....I've got almost 200k on this little Rio....would like to keep it running just a bit longer

So my daughter's car 2001 Kia Rio shuts off randomly n they can't figure out wats goin on. Did a tune up also alng wit other thgs that others did on here. Shld I chk electric sys?

So my father in law brother in law and husband are mechanics. Had a "specialist" come and check out my car and could never figure out what was exactly wrong with it. Even just put Kia parts on it. Eventually the car just wouldn't stay running. One day was just out in the driveway and started all by itself and caught on fire!! Disconnected the battery and junked the next day!! My opinion try to sell as fast as you can!!

Sounds like the fuel pump. Have you tried testing the fuel pressure!

My Kia Rio had an electrical problem when it died while I was driving or idle. It was a faulty coil which did not trigger any warning lights.