[sspak9]

I just finished it, with pedal in place and using an offset screw driver. I was able to fine-tune it so that there is virtually no dead spot while keeping the idle rpm near what is was before.

Wow ! This is how a "normal" stick shift should feel like ! I took it out for a spin and for first few shifts, my foot was used to pushing down a bit further on the gas, but after I got used to the responsive accelerator, I was enjoying the "new" Forte SX. I can see where gas mileage would suffer, because you want to push the car... Man, the gear shift feels so natural and so effortless.

If Kia is monitoring this forum, they should send out a TSB telling the dealers to make this small "fix" to at least the manual transmission equipped Fortes !

 

[SteveL]

hahahah i havent driven a stick in 15 years.....
and here i am choking or over reving and chirpping tires.....
just waiting to get a ticket-...got all the ricers looking at me at the next light....but they think i wanna race them.........
buddy of mine- took him for the first passenger ride....at traffic lights- he was waving his hands around saying stuff.......
i asked him- WTF are you doing.........
he says....i am the next airbender- trying to get you room to launch this thing..............
lol- looking back on what the circumstances were- (less than 2 hrs driving my new car) - yeah- he saw that i needed a lot of room from launch or i was getting right up within 6 inches of the car at the stop light.......
i gotta admit- i've gotten real quick on the emergency restarts.......
esp. now that i remember to step on the clutch and not the brake in order to get the igntion fired up..........lol..

houston we have lift off )

no stalling or high rev's for me anymore, once I made this mod it has been great ever since

 

[@cUr@-TL]

Just did this mod.. adjusted it about halfway and it seems perfect, no deadspot, idle is the same as it was before, etc.

I'm very happy with it!

 

[Enviros]

I don't mind helping out, but...THANKS to Enviros for finding this!

Again it was my pleasure to help out! I'm bored today, i might go tinker with the car and see what else i can dig up...LOL!

 

[darkfroggy]

any tips for my model?

 

[jserrent]

New member.....just did this today....

Hi guyz....nice to find this discussion/fix. I performed the adjustment today on my son's new Koup 6-speed, which was really jerking me around getting out of first gear until I made this adjustment. The manual feels "normal" now, you don't have to rev and get your head snapped back taking off !!!!

Things I've been watching but don't follow:

When looking at the unit, not removed from the car, the adjustment screws were set dead center in the small curved adjustable area in the plastic cover. I loosened the screws, twisting the cover to the left...to its max position.

My son was the "Tach Man" ( It would have been nice to know what the spec idle speed should be on the Kuop in neutral and with the clutch in....I think the Koup might have a slower idle setting than the sedan....)

I slowly reversed the direction until the idle fell back to about 750-800. This is where I tightened the screws. The top adjustment screws ended up being about 1/16" from the maximum left twist setting. This seems to be the sweet spot.

Now you guyz got me nervous with all this talk about advancing the timing, burning the plugs out etc. If this were to be a fixed setting that is to be left alone...why would Kia have created the plastic cover with left/right adjustment slots......???? The answer is simple....to drive the car this way for 2 or 3 years and then have a TSB come out and tell the techs to twist the cover to adjust the throttle.....!!!!

Way back when....we always adjusted timing on our cars just far enough ahead until they backfired....I don't remember anyone frying anything. But there was a world of difference in the car's response!

And lastly, this engine has variable valve timing. How does all of our throttle tweaking jive with that...???

Nice meeting Ya.........

 

[applejedi]

I personally don't feel comfortable trying this on my own. Is this something my dealer would do for me if i requested it?

 

[rpps]

I have been reading about this mod for a while now and I'm very interested. Is this mod for only the SX with the 2.4 litre engime ?, I haven't noticed any dead spot with my car 2.0 litre Koup . If I press on the accelerator pedal with my fingers you don't have to press it far before you have contact.

 

[ForteGT2]

I have been reading about this mod for a while now and I'm very interested. Is this mod for only the SX with the 2.4 litre engime ?, I haven't noticed any dead spot with my car 2.0 litre Koup . If I press on the accelerator pedal with my fingers you don't have to press it far before you have contact.

We don't know about the Forte/Cerato outside the USA. On the USA models we found the deadspot -- I did at a Kia Dealer on 2 Koups. Easily 3/8" (about the thickness of an ink pen) before the engine responded to the pedal input. We also watched it on the computer hookup -- engine response at 1.0 volts, just as the specs show.

Too much pedal advance simply tells the ECU the throttle is open when it is not. With the adjustment full forward my engine surged at idle (auto) and the timing was advancing -- IMO will create extra heat with little advantage.

 

[rpps]

Thanks for that, I will test mine again today, but I haven't found any dead spot or lag it's pretty touchy on the gas pedal when pushed in.

 

[jserrent]

SX Man Coupe throttle mod update.......

Since the 2 days I adjusted the setting in my son's koup the idle has returned to 600 rpm...I assume the computer compensated and relearned the values. The car takes off as smooth as butter.....I mean smooth....no jerking, reving, etc. I really believe that these cars , especially the manual transmissions, are at a default setting as far as the APS setting goes. Each car isn't calibrated for it's best accelerator/clutch response......and that's the reason for this room built into the plastic cover for movement in either direction. Because they are so new the complaints are just starting to surface, it will be interesting how the dealer would adjust the car's response to remedy the jerky take off problem....we'll see......!!!

 

[MaxD]

I just finish this mod. NO MORE DEAD SPOT

Thx Enviros

 

[cearick]

dealer

The Kia Dealer told me that it's normal for the dead spot. They said it was a delay and it was fine. Such BS!

 

[Rainyraven]

The Kia Dealer told me that it's normal for the dead spot. They said it was a delay and it was fine. Such BS!

figures,

I just love how the dealers are so carring about there product! lol

 

[topspin]

Is this mod valid for both automatic and manual transmissions?

I've test driven the car many times. The clutch/gas glitch bugs me enough that I'm considering getting an automatic. But with this mod, you all seem so happy. So I'm considering sticking with the manual in the hopes that Kia will do this mod for me. I don't feel too comfy doing it myself.

 

[xb9rguy]

I don't know if this will help anybody here that's been worried about doing this change or not but, I have found that blipping the throttle once like on a motorcycle helps me. I want to do this mod but haven't had the time yet with 9 month old twins and ten hour days. Just thought I would throw it out there.

 

[ForteGT2]

Is this mod valid for both automatic and manual transmissions?

I've test driven the car many times. The clutch/gas glitch bugs me enough that I'm considering getting an automatic. But with this mod, you all seem so happy. So I'm considering sticking with the manual in the hopes that Kia will do this mod for me. I don't feel too comfy doing it myself.

Nothing wrong with being wary of doing something you are not comfortable with!

This mod works on both manual and auto trannys.
I brought this up to my dealer's service department. They were interested in it and helped me check mine and another Koup SX on their lot. (The GM stalled a 6 spd sedan several times when he test drove one so that might have helped..LOL!). I personally have only looked into the SX versions, not the 2.0L.

Whether or not your dealer will look into this -- can't tell...you could ask. Also, ask them to look at this thread (they can get on-line to this site from their computers at their desks). If the technician hooks up their computer to the car they will see the "dead spot" themselves -- and if they adjust the APS they will see the difference...and feel the difference.

Wouldn't hurt to ask them to look at your car, adjust the APS to see and feel the difference, and then see if they will leave it adjusted for you so you could enjoy your car a bit more.

Good Luck!

 

[topspin]

I spoke to a dealership where I might buy the car. They said they are interested in seeing this thread.

As for the mod itself, there is one thing that really confuses me. Are we fixing only part of the problem with this mod? The reason I ask is because the clutch also has a glitch in that it tends to engage/disengage suddenly and you need to have the pedal almost all the way up before it engages. See this review:

2010 Kia Forte Koup Review by David Thomas - Cars.com

The paragraph of interest is quoted here: "There was one big problem with this setup, however: I kept stalling the darn engine. First gear didn't engage until high in the release of the clutch, and during my entire week with the car I never got used to it. It was very hard to start in 2nd gear, too, or even to slowly ease a roll into 2nd in bumper-to-bumper traffic without stalling.

At least two of our other editors also admitted to stalling the Koup, and one who didn't thanked me for the warning."

There is also a thread on here about a user modifying the clutch by removing some spring in order to try to alleviate this issue.

So is this relevant at all or does the gas pedal fix pretty much just make things right?

 

[rpps]

Been reading about this mod for a while, I have never experienced any dead spot on the 2.0 Litre version. But on page 2 of this review the reviewer said that the clutch is changed on the Koup compaired to sedan version 2010 Kia Cerato Koup Road Test Review Page 1 of 2 | Reviews | Prices | Australian specifications

 

[.hacK]

I always just thought it was just me not being used to the clutch in a car because I had been driving my jeep for so long. I'm gonna try this tonight on my 2.0L EX model. It really does suck when you have a friend in the car and you stall it 3 times in one trip and they're just looking at you like "wow, new to driving a stick?" and you've been driving a stick for over 4 years haha.