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59
Driving tips
Driving too fast through large pud-
dles can affect your brakes. If you
must go through puddles, try to
drive through them slowly.
If you believe you may have gotten
your brakes wet, apply them lightly
while driving until normal braking
operation returns.
Winter driving We recommend that you carry
emergency equipment, including
tire chains, a window scraper,
windshield de-icer, a bag of sand
or salt, flares, a small shovel and
jumper cables.
Make sure you have sufficient eth-
ylene-glycol coolant in the radiator.
Check the battery condition and
cables. Cold temperatures reduce
the capacity of any battery, so it
must be in excellent condition to
provide enough winter starting
power.
Make sure the engine oil viscosity
is suitable for cold weather.
Check the ignition system for loose
connections and damage. Use antifreeze-formulated wind-
shield washer fluid. (Do not use
engine coolant antifreeze.)
Do not use the parking brake if it
might freeze. When parking, shift
to 1 (First) or R (Reverse) with a
manual transaxle or P (Park) with
an automatic transaxle and block
the rear wheels.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
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63
In case of an emergency
OVERHEATING If your temperature gauge indicates
overheating, if you experience a loss
of power, or if you hear a loud knock-
ing or pinging noise, the engine has
probably overheated. Should any of
these symptoms occur, use the fol-
lowing procedure:
1. Turn on the hazard warning flash-
er, then drive to the nearest safe
location and stop your vehicle; set
the automatic transaxle in P
(Park), or shift the manual
transaxle to N (Neutral) and apply
the parking brake.
2. Make sure the air conditioner is
off.
3. If coolant or steam is boiling out of
the radiator, stop the engine and
call an Authorized Kia Dealer for
assistance.If coolant is not boiling out, allow
the engine to idle and open the
hood to permit the engine to cool
gradually.
If the temperature does not go
down with the engine idling, stop
the engine and allow sufficient
time for it to cool.
4. The coolant level should then be
checked. If the level in the reser-
voir is low, look for leaks at the
radiator hoses and connections,
heater hoses and connections,
radiator, and water pump. If you
find a major leak or another prob-
lem that may have caused the
engine to overheat, do not operate
the engine until it has been cor-
rected. Call an Authorized Kia
Dealer for assistance. If you do not
find a leak or other problem, care-
fully add coolant to the reservoir.
If the engine frequently overheats,
have the cooling system checked
and repaired by an Authorized Kia
Dealer.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
WARNING
- Removing
radiator cap
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.
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721
Maintenance
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
POWER STEERING Checking the power steering
fluid level With the vehicle on level ground,
check the fluid level in the power
steering reservoir periodically. The
fluid should be between MAX and
MIN marks on the side of the reser-
voir at the normal temperature.
Before adding power steering fluid,
thoroughly clean the area around the
reservoir cap to prevent power steer-
ing fluid contamination.
If the level is low, add fluid to the
MAX level.In the event the power steering sys-
tem requires frequent addition of
fluid, the vehicle should be inspected
by an Authorized Kia Dealer.
✽ ✽
NOTICE• To avoid damage to the power
steering pump, do not operate the
vehicle for prolonged periods with
a low power steering fluid level.
• Never start the engine when the
reservoir tank is empty.
• When adding fluid, be careful that
dirt does not get into the tank.
• Too little fluid can make the steer-
ing wheel heavier or strange noise
can be generated.
• The use of the non-specified fluid
could reduce the effectiveness of
the power steering wheel and
cause damage to it.Use only the specified power steer-
ing fluid. (Refer to "Recommended
Lubricants" later in this section.)
Power steering hoseCheck the connections for oil leaks,
severe damage and the twists in the
power steering hose before driving.
1KMN5018
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Maintenance24 7
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
If the fluid has been warmed to nor-
mal operating temperature of approx-
imately 70~80°C(158~176°F), the
fluid level should be within “HOT”
range.✽ ✽
NOTICE“COLD” scale is for reference only
and should NOT be used to deter-
mine transaxle fluid level.
✽ ✽
NOTICENew automatic transaxle fluid
should be red. The red dye is added
so the assembly plant can identify it
as automatic transaxle fluid and dis-
tinguish it from engine oil or
antifreeze. The red dye, which is not
an indicator of fluid quality, is not
permanent. As the vehicle is driven,
the automatic transaxle fluid will
begin to look darker. The color may
eventually appear light brown.
Therefore, have an Authorized Kia
dealer change the automatic
transaxle fluid according to the
Scheduled Maintenance at the
beginning of this section.
Changing automatic transaxle
fluidHave automatic transaxle fluid
changed by an Authorized Kia
Dealer according to the Maintenance
Schedule at the beginning of this
section.
Use only the specified automatic
transaxle fluid. (Refer to
"Recommended Lubricants" later in
this section.)
1LDE5009 COLDHOT
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733
Maintenance
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
✽ ✽
NOTICE• Before performing maintenance
or recharging the battery, turn off
all accessories and stop the engine.
• The negative battery cable must
be removed first and installed last
when the battery is disconnected.
WARNING
- Recharging
battery
When recharging the battery,
observe the following precau-
tions:
The battery must be removed
from the vehicle and placed in
an area with good ventilation.
Do not allow cigarettes,
sparks, or flame near the bat-
tery.
Watch the battery during
charging, and stop or reduce
the charging rate if the battery
cells begin gassing (boiling)
violently or if the temperature
of the electrolyte of any cell
exceeds 49°C (120°F).
Wear eye protection when
checking the battery during
charging.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Disconnect the battery charg-
er in the following order.
1. Turn off the battery charger
main switch.
2. Unhook the negative clamp
from the negative battery ter-
minal.
3. Unhook the positive clamp
from the positive battery ter-
minal.
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Maintenance50 7
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Recommended SAE viscosity
number ✽ ✽
NOTICEAlways be sure to clean the area
around any filler plug, drain plug,
or dipstick before checking or drain-
ing any lubricant. This is especially
important in dusty or sandy areas
and when the vehicle is used on
unpaved roads. Cleaning the plug
and dipstick areas will prevent dirt
and grit from entering the engine
and other mechanisms that could be
damaged.
Engine oil viscosity (thickness) has
an effect on fuel economy and cold
weather operating (starting and oil
flow). Lower viscosity engine oils can
provide better fuel economy and cold
weather performance, however,
higher viscosity engine oils are
required for satisfactory lubrication in
hot weather. Using oils of any viscos-
ity other than those recommended
could result in engine damage.When choosing an oil, consider the
range of temperature your vehicle
will be operated in before the next oil
change. Proceed to select the rec-
ommended oil viscosity from the
chart.
Temperature Range for SAE Viscosity Numbers
Temperature
Gasoline
Engine Oil *
1°C
(°F)
-30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50
-10 0 20 40 60 80 100 120
1. For better fuel economy, it is recommended to use the engine oil of a viscosity grade SAE 5W-
20,5W-30 (API SJ,SL / ILSAC GF-3). However, the engine oil is not available in your country,
select the proper engine oil using the engine oil viscosity chart.
10W-30
5W-20, 5W-30
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