Seeking Solutions for Overheating and Check Engine Light Issues in a 2000 Kia Pride with Gasoline Engine

Hey there, faced something similar with my Kia Rio, 2002 model. Now, I'm no mechanic, but I've got some experience tinkering around with cars. It did turn out to be a cable connection/plug defective issue. Took it to my local workshop, asked them to check the connections and plugs. They found the problem and managed to fix it for €95. But hey, every car's a different beast, right? Could you give more details about your Kia Pride? Like mileage, condition of wires and plugs? Any other symptoms apart from overheating and the check engine light? Might be able to help out a wee bit more with a little more info.

Thanks for sharing your experience it does shed a bit of light on my issue. I've got 40485 kilometers on my Pride so far. Haven't noticed any major issues with the condition of the wires and plugs, they seem to be in decent shape from a layman's viewpoint. No other symptoms that I've picked up on so far, but the overheating and check engine light are concerning enough on their own. Hoping to find a fix soon so I can get back to smooth rides again.

Hey again! Just under 41,000 km, huh? That's not too much for a car of its age, nice! Since your wiring and plugs seem okay and you're not noticing any other weird happenings, yeah, the culprit could still be that coolant temperature sensor. Just to be sure, you might check out the coolant levels too. Make sure it's always topped up, 'cause low coolant can also trigger overheating and that pesky check engine light. As for my car, I've had my Kia Rio's coolant sensor checked during the serviced as I similarly suspected it causing the check engine light. The mechanic confirmed it was faulty and cost me around €130 to replace it. It did solve the problem. But then again, as I said, each car behaves differently. If you're not too confident tinkering it yourself, it might be worth taking it to a professional. Sometimes it's a small issue that only a trained eye can catch! Hope you get to solve this issue pronto. Safe driving!

Hey, cheers for your response again. Yeah, keeping an eye on the coolant levels seems like a pretty sound advice given my situation, I'll make it a point to do that more often. Really relieved to know that for your Kia Rio, changing the coolant temperature sensor actually solved the issue, gives me some hope! I'm not too wrench-savvy myself so might just end up taking it to a professional like you suggested. Thanks for all the insights and the well-wishes! Safe driving to you too!