Kia Rio parked. Acorns down Oil Fill tube

A flood damaged 2003 KIA with acorns in the lubrication system? You can't make this stuff up! It is junk, so have it hauled off for scrap.

Those computer modules have been sitting in water, on top of all the other ailments this heap has, agree with all above, junk it, it's not worth a plugged nickel.

Your friend did not do you a favor by giving you this car.

(CORRECTIONS) Js08016, How can i tell where the filler tube goes to? ive looked around the engine bay quite a bit, and nothing looks to be chewed up at all, just dirty. The car has been sitting for just about 3 years now. Still trying to dig through the interior, nothing looks EXTREMELY bad, but moldy. Im not looking to do a complete restoration, just trying to get it back on the road. I guess the only reason im even trying, is because me and the guy who owned it before used to take to chicago many times, and i'm trying to hold on to memories xD. I appreciate everyones help with this.

Follow the tube to the end! Most engines just take the oil directly into the valve cover. Are you thinking of the transmission fluid tube? My guess is you will spend 5x what the car is worth getting it back on the road but good luck!

F_O_R, i totally get where you're coming from. at this moment i'm only willing to pick up some battery cables out of a junk kia rio, and maybe a cheap used battery just to test it to see if any sort of light comes on in the dash, then ill go off of that.

Change the oil before trying to start it and remove the plugs and squirt a little oil in the cylinders, turn it over for a minute before trying to start it. I would probably remove the gas tank and drain it and put in 5 gallons of fresh gas with a good fuel system cleaner before trying to fire it up.

i appreciate all the help. like i said, i ain't gonna too much into it, it was a cheap car in the first place. another question i have, is should i try to do an oil "flush"?

Thanks for the help everyone!

Oh! and btw, heres an interior pic, just to show what's inside.

And another.

I'd pull the seats and pull the carpet and padding, scrub it and really let it dry. Anytime water gets into an interior it pools right were the seat bolts are they rust out like crazy. After a while they won't unbolt at all, just snap off. After you get the carpet out you can check on the condition of the wire harness and computer modules under it, usually a BCM or SRS module can be located under carpet between front seats. (that's just in general, i don't know where they live on a Kia). That interiors not too bad, just needs a good scrub down to get rid of the mold.

KenF, I removed the back seats no problem, but the front driver and passenger seats bolts won't come loose. Would a little soak of PB Blaster free them?

Yeah, PB Blaster the **** out of them and let them soak a while. Sometimes you can see the end of the bolt from underneath the car, blast that too. If a bolt breaks, all you can do is get a bolt-extractor kit and back it out. When you do get the seat unbolted, tilt it up to unplug any harness connector under it before removing it from car.

Alright, perfect. Thanks a lot!!

Here's a picture of under the hood. It looks like the oil filler goes to the valve cover, not completely sure, if anyone could correct me that would be awesome, thanks.

Pull it off, see how bad it is in there. The cam shaft actuators are at the front of the engine, and the chain from it extends to the crank case, so it's still possible debris got down in there, not to mention any open valves. And not just debris either but water. I mean it's probably not bad, but it would be better to pull motor and give it a mild rebuild - new gaskets and bearings - especially at 210K miles.

KenF: Ok, ill try my best at it. With those valve covers are there any bolt patterns i've gotta worry about? I'll also post a pic of under the dash. I don't know what "BAD" looks like under the dash wise, but i'll get you're opinion on it. Thanks!

I THINK that's the ECU to the left of the clutch pedal.

That's definitely more rust than you would typically see under a dash area, and a strong indicator this was indeed in a flood, and also why you never want a flood car - rust and corrosion can set in on computer modules, fuse box (esp. the backing plane everything is mounted to), brake lines, and all those many electronic controls found throughout a car. Maybe you'll be chasing electrical gremlins forever, or maybe not, no way to predict how bad it is. I'd clean it up and get a battery in it and verify it's salvageable before putting money into it.

A 2003 Kia Rio repair manual will give you all the specs on torque ratings and disassembly/reassembly procedures. You might get lucky and find a manual online. Autozone's web site uses the ARRC repair guides, listed under "repair guides" on their site (you have to join to see them). Or try a Kia forum, people on such forums can direct to a place that might have them online. (If you do try to disassemble anything on your own, well worth the purchase price to buy a manual, either from Haynes or Chiltons. Either of those companies also have online subscriptions that includes much more in the way of photos than paper manuals. As it is, the torque spec for the valve cover (it's actually the cylinder head cover) is: 4-7 ft-lb. No real pattern to tightening them, but go around and tighten each a little, to keep pressure on gasket fairly even. Don't just crank all the way down on the first one before moving on to the next.

KenF, Thanks for the help. recently got an online service manual to look at. For now, to make sure it's "Salvagable" should i just go off of dash lights? I've still gotta get battery cables for it. Any other indicators that make it salvagable?

hi i have the same car mine is a 2005 model also off the road just got the head sorted out and im looking for a sump gasket or pan i dont kn wat you call it im from south africa and im also looking for a tappet cover to please if anyone can send me pics of wat it looks like and descriptions to