Kia Carnival/Sedona Tuning

[bers]

Hi folks,

I have a 2000 Kia Carnival with approx 31000KM on the odo. I recently got it second hand from a friend and I am so far pleased with it. (functionality, mileage)
One thing I am not so happy with is the poor performance and poor power (not fuel mileage) of the carnival i got. Ive been reading throughout this forum and most of the Carnival/Sedona owners have great feedback like the carnival going up to 150 and 180km/hr in long stretches and great mileage.
Am also not so happy with the amount of grey smoke during idling and during acceleration.
I was wondering if you folks can recomend an outfit that can tune the carnival/sedona as I am not really well versed and have no experience tinkering with the diesel engine.
Ive already seen some tips on cleaning our the gunk from the intake manifold, carbon cleaning the exhaust system, and even recalibration but I would like to seek out an experts opinion regarding my specific case as I feel there might be deeper problem (e.g. turbo problem).
Any help is appreciated.

[woodfire]

one word: CALIBRATION!

Go to reputable diesel calibration shops that will calibrate and tune your fuel injection pump. Denso in Banawe, Betan in Makati, ATI in Makati, Precision VW in Roces Avenue, are some of the suggested shops for this.

Calibration will basically bring back to factory spec the power and emission levels of your diesel engine. The cost range from a low of Php 5,000 to a high of Php 12,000 depending on the parts to be replaced.

Hope this helps!

[jackaroo]

Can you get hold of the maintenance records from the casa or shop that worked on the car? May help explain the cause of the smoke and poor performance, like, oil and filters used, how often replaced, brand of air, fuel and oil filters, etc.

[benchph1]

poor performance and power from a carnival/sedona?

definitely something's wrong with your unit.

check the maintenance records to see if it was maintained properly.

any kia casa can do the intake manifold cleaning, the "carbon clean" is supposedly meant for the engine not just for the exhaust. your last resort maybe is recalibration of the injectors. oh and try to use biodiesel too

[bers]

thanks everyone for all your input,
i showed a mechanic the engine and we found one of the hoses leading to the intake not connected.
After it was securely fastened, i noticed immediately a lot more power and torque.
Ill be scheduling for kia to check out the car after the new year.

thanks again folks

[mikey177]

What are the indicators that you have to get your diesel vehicle calibrated? Should you do it when you reach a certain odometer reading, or when you experience sluggish performance even after following all the proper maintenance procedures?

[jackaroo]

bers,
Was the loose hose from the turbo? If so, this also resulted in non-filtered air entering your engine during the period it was loose. Suggest you replace your engine oil to remove the dirt that was sucked in.

[bers]

thanks for the info jack,
am not sure if the hose is indeed for/from the turbo but ill be changing oil soon just to make sure.