2004 KIA CERATO warning

Maintenance
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OWNER MAINTENANCE
Owner maintenance schedule
The following lists are vehicle checks and inspections that should be per-
formed by the owner or an
Authorized Kia Dealer at the fre-quencies indicated to help ensure
safe, dependable operation of your
vehicle.
Any adverse conditions should be
brought to the attention of your deal-
er as soon as possible.
These Owner Maintenance Checks
are generally not covered by war-
ranties and you may be charged for
labor, parts and lubricants used.
When you stop for fuel:
Check the engine oil level.
Check coolant level in coolant reservoir.
Check the windshield washer fluid level.
Look for low or under-inflated tires.
While operating your vehicle:
Note any changes in the sound of the exhaust or any smell of
exhaust fumes in the vehicle.
Check for vibrations in the steering wheel. Notice any increased steer-
ing effort or looseness in the steer-
ing wheel, or change in its straight-ahead position.
Notice if your vehicle constantly turns slightly or “pulls” to one side
when traveling on smooth, levelroad.
When stopping, listen and check for strange sounds, pulling to one
side, increased brake pedal travel
or “hard-to-push” brake pedal.
If any slipping or changes in the operation of your transaxle occurs,
check the transaxle fluid level.
Check automatic transaxle P (Park) function.
Check parking brake.
Check for fluid leaks under your vehicle (water dripping from the air conditioning system after use is
normal).
WARNING
Be careful when checking your
engine coolant level when the
engine is hot. Scalding hot
coolant and steam may blow out
under pressure. This could
cause serious injury.

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At least monthly:
Check coolant level in the coolantrecovery reservoir.
Check the operation of all exterior lights, including the stoplights, turn
signals and hazard warning flash-
ers.
Check the inflation pressures of all tires including the spare.
At least twice a year
(i.e., every Spring and Fall) :
Check radiator, heater and air con- ditioning hoses for leaks or da-
mage.
Check windshield washer spray and wiper operation. Clean wiper
blades with clean cloth dampened
with washer fluid.
Check headlight alignment.
Check muffler, exhaust pipes, shields and clamps.
Check the lap/shoulder belts for wear and function.
Check for worn tires and loose wheel lug nuts.
At least once a year :
Clean body and door drain holes.
Lubricate door hinges and checks,and hood hinges.
Lubricate door and hood locks and latches.
Lubricate door rubber weather- strips.
Check the air conditioning system before the warm weather season.
Check the power steering fluid level.
Inspect and lubricate automatic transaxle linkage and controls.
Clean battery and terminals.
Check the brake fluid level.

Maintenance
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Owner maintenance precau- tions
Improper or incomplete service may
result in problems. This section gives
instructions only for the maintenance
items that are easy to perform.
As explained earlier in this section,
several procedures can be done only
by an Authorized Kia Dealer with
special tools.
✽✽
NOTICE
Improper owner maintenance dur- ing the warranty period may affect
warranty coverage. For details, read
the separate Kia Warranty &
Maintenance book provided with
the vehicle. If you're unsure about
any servicing or maintenance proce-
dure, have it done by an Authorized
Kia Dealer.
WARNING - Maintenance
work
Performing maintenance work on a vehicle can be danger-
ous. You can be seriously
injured while performing some
maintenance procedures. If
you lack sufficient knowledge
and experience or the propertools and equipment to do the
work, have it done by an
Authorized Kia Dealer.
Working under the hood with the engine running is danger-
ous. It becomes even more
dangerous when you wear
jewelry or loose clothing.These can become entangled
in moving parts and result in
injury. Therefore, if you must
run the engine while working
under the hood, make certain
that you remove all jewelry
(especially rings, bracelets,
watches, and necklaces) and
all neckties, scarves, and sim-
ilar loose clothing before get-ting near the engine or cool-ing fans.

Maintenance
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ENGINE OIL AND OIL FILTER
Checking the engine oil level
1. Be sure the vehicle is on level ground.
2. Start the engine and allow it to reach normal operating tempera-
ture.
3. Turn the engine off and wait for a few minutes (about 5 minutes) for
the oil to return to the oil pan.
4. Pull the dipstick out, wipe it clean, and re-insert it fully.
5. Pull the dipstick out again and check the level. The level should
be between F and L. If it is near or at L, add enough oil to
bring the level to F.
Do not overfill.
Use only the specified engine oil.
(Refer to “Recommended Lubricants”later in this section.)
Changing the engine oil and filter Change engine oil and filter accord- ing to the Scheduled Maintenance atthe beginning of this section.
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WARNING
Used engine oil may cause irri- tation or cancer of the skin if left
in contact with the skin for pro-
longed periods of time. Used
engine oil contains chemicals
that have caused cancer in lab-
oratory animals. Always protect
your skin by washing your
hands thoroughly with soap and
warm water as soon as possibleafter handling used oil.

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1. Warm the engine up for a few min-utes and then turn it off. Remove
the oil filler cap.
2. Raise and suitably support the vehicle.
3. Drain the oil into a suitable con-tainer by removing the oil drainplug. 4. Remove the engine oil filter with
an oil filter wrench.
✽✽ NOTICE
Do not allow the oil filter gasket to
remain on the oil filter mounting
surface. This will cause oil leakageand engine damage. Remove the oldgasket completely so that a new gas-
ket may be properly seated.
5. Use a clean rag to clean the oil fil- ter mounting surface on the
engine.
6. Apply a small amount of engine oil to the new oil filter O-ring seal.
CAUTION
Both the oil and engine are
hot. Do not burn yourself.
Keep all engine oil out of the reach of children.
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WARNING - Lifting your
vehicle
If you raise your vehicle, always
ensure that it is supported at all
four jacking or lift points for the
vehicle. Do not use jacks meant
for tire changes. Use only lift
equipment specifically recom-
mended for doing maintenance
work under the vehicle. Place
the vehicle and lift equipment
on a hard, level surface capable
of supporting the full weight of
the vehicle without moving or
deforming. If the support is not
stable, the vehicle could fall andcause serious or fatal injuries.
Follow the instructions with the
lift device.

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ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM
The high-pressure cooling system
has a reservoir filled with year-round
antifreeze coolant. The reservoir is
filled at the factory.
Check the antifreeze protection and
coolant level at least once a year, atthe beginning of the winter season,
and before traveling to a colder cli-
mate. Checking the coolant level
WARNING
- Removing
radiator cap
Never attempt to remove the radiator cap while the engine
is operating or hot. Doing somight lead to cooling system
and engine damage and could
result in serious personal
injury from escaping hotcoolant or steam.
Turn the engine off and wait until it cools down. Even then,
use extreme care when
removing the radiator cap.
Wrap a thick towel around it,
and turn it counterclockwise
slowly to the first stop. Step
back while the pressure is
released from the cooling sys-
tem. When you are sure all thepressure has been released,
press down on the cap, using
a thick towel, and continue
turning counterclockwise to
remove it.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Even if the engine is not oper-ating, do not remove the radi- ator cap or the drain plugwhile the engine and radiator
are hot. Hot coolant and steam
may still blow out under pres-
sure, causing serious injury.

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1. Turn the radiator cap counter-clockwise to remove it.
2. Loosen the radiator drain plug and drain the coolant into a suitable
container.
3. With the plug loose, flush the sys- tem with running water.
4. Drain the system completely and retighten the drain plug. Add the
necessary amount of ethylene-gly-
col based coolant and water to
provide the required protection
against freezing and corrosion. In
extremely cold climates, add ethyl-ene-glycol based coolant in accor-
dance with the instructions of the
manufacturer. 5. Run the engine at idle with the
radiator cap off. Slowly add addi-
tional coolant as necessary.
6. At this point, wait until the engine reaches normal operating temper-
ature. Depress the accelerator two
or three times; then add coolant asrequired. Be careful not to burn
yourself.
7. Reinstall the radiator cap. Inspect all connections for leaks and
recheck the coolant level in the
reservoir. Recheck again after a
few days and add coolant as nec-
essary.
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WARNING
Do not remove the radiator cap when the engine and radiator
are hot. Scalding hot coolant
and steam may blow out under
pressure. This could cause seri-
ous injury.
Gasoline EngineDiesel Engine

Maintenance
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BRAKES AND CLUTCH (IF EQUIPPED)
Checking brake/clutch fluid
level
Check the fluid level in the reservoir
periodically. The fluid level should be
between MAX and MIN marks on the
side of the reservoir.
Before removing the reservoir cap
and adding brake/clutch fluid, clean
the area around the reservoir cap
thoroughly to prevent brake/clutchfluid contamination. If the level is low, add fluid to the
MAX level. The level will fall with
accumulated mileage. This is a nor-mal condition associated with the
wear of the brake linings. If the fluid
level is excessively low, have the
brake system checked by an
Authorized Kia Dealer.
Use only the specified brake/clutch
fluid. (Refer to “RecommendedLubricants” later in this section.)
Never mix different types of fluid.WARNING
When changing and adding
brake/clutch fluid, handle it
carefully. Do not let it come in
contact with your eyes. If
brake/clutch fluid should come
in contact with your eyes, imme-
diately flush them with a large
quantity of fresh tap water. Have
your eyes examined by a doctor
as soon as possible.
WARNING
In the event the brake system
requires frequent additions of
fluid, the vehicle should be
inspected by an Authorized Kia
Dealer.
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