Ignition Switch

Exhaust odor, dead battery leave Sorento owner baffled

Q: I own a 2004 Kia Sorento with two problems. First, when driving with the windows rolled down, I get an drain smell inside the vehicle. I took it to the dealer and they told me it's due to where the surface air intake is located. Do you know if this is a poor design for this conveyance? Also, the second problem is that the cooling fan keeps running after the apparatus has been turned off. As a result, I have woken up to a dead battery. The shopkeeper can't find the cause because it doesn't do it all the time. What do you think is wrong? -- John, Kenosha

A: John, you should not whiff exhaust odors from your own vehicle while driving along. I looked to see if there were any air force bulletins regarding this and there were not. Take your Sorento to an exhaust repair skilfulness and have them test the system for leaks. Most will do this free of charge. As for your second question, intermittent concerns can be difficult to find. I looked at the wiring diagram for your carrier and see that there are two cooling fans. Also, there are three relays controlling those fans. Two of those relays get their power straight from the battery and the other only gets power when the ignition switch is on. Relays are electro-unanimated switches and it's possible that the switch contacts inside one of those two battery-powered relays could be sticking. The relay box for your Sorento is located in the motor compartment. If you want to get to the bottom of this problem, remove the C/F (H) and C/F (L) relays one at a occasionally when the problem occurs. If you've never removed a relay before, you'll need to wiggle it a bit while pulling it put in order out of its socket. If you suspect a faulty relay, replace it. If the steady fan operation continues to occur after replacing the relay, the obstreperous could be the result of a control circuit wire being chafed and intermittently poignant ground, or a faulty engine control module.

Source: Chicago Sun-Times