2006 KIA Sorento automatic transmission

Parking on hills
Generally, you should not park your
vehicle, with a trailer attached, on a
hill. People can be seriously or fatally
injured, and both your vehicle and the
trailer can be damaged if they begin a
downhill trajectory.However, if you ever have to park
your trailer on a hill, here’s how to do
it:
1. Apply your brakes, but don’t shift
into gear.
2. Have someone place chocks
under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in
place, release the brakes until the
chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the brakes. Apply your
parking brake, and then shift to R
(Reverse) for a manual transmis-
sion or P (Park) for an automatic
transmission.
5. Be sure the transfer case (if
equipped) is fully engaged in a
drive gear – not in N (Neutral).
6. Release the brakes.
DRIVING TIPS
5-41
WARNING- Parking on a Hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill
with an attached trailer could
cause serious injury or fatal
injury. If the brakes fail, the
vehicle and trailer could roll
down hill and strike people or
property.
WARNING- Parking Brake
Not setting the parking brake
when leaving the vehicle could
lead to a serious accident.
If you have left the engine run-
ning, the vehicle can move sud-
denly. Always set the parking
brake and take the key with you
to be sure your vehicle is
securely parked.
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When You Are Ready to Leave
After Parking on a Hill
1. With the manual transmission in
Neutral or automatic transmission
in P (Park), apply your brakes and
hold the brake pedal down while
you:
Start your engine;
Shift into gear; and
Release the parking brake.
2. Slowly remove your foot from the
brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear
of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up
and store the chocks.Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more
often when you regularly pull a trailer.
Important items to pay particular
attention to include engine oil, auto-
matic transmission fluid, axle lubri-
cant and cooling system fluid. Brake
condition is another important item to
frequently check. Each item is cov-
ered in this manual, and the Index will
help you find them quickly. If you’re
trailering, it’s a good idea to review
these sections before you start your
trip.
Don’t forget to also maintain your
trailer and hitch. Follow the mainte-
nance schedule that accompanied
your trailer and check it periodically.
Preferably, conduct the check at the
start of each day’s driving. Most
importantly, all hitch nuts and bolts
should be tight.DRIVING TIPS5-42
✽ ✽
NOTICEDue to higher load during trailer
usage, overheating might occur in
hot days or during uphill driving. If
the coolant gauge indicates over-
heating, switch off the A/C and stop
the vehicle in a safe area to cool
down the engine.
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3. Turn off all unnecessary electrical
loads.
4. Connect the jumper cables in the
exact sequence shown in the previ-
ous illustration. First connect one
end of a jumper cable to the posi-
tive terminal of the discharged bat-
tery, then connect the other end to
the positive terminal on the booster
battery. Proceed to connect one
end of the other jumper cable to the
negative terminal of the booster
battery, then the other end to a
solid, stationary, metallic point (for
example, the engine lifting bracket)
away from the battery. Do not con-
nect it to or near any part that
moves when the engine is cranked.
Do not connect the jumper cable
from the negative terminal of the
booster battery to the negative ter-
minal of the discharged battery. Do
not allow the jumper cables to con-
tact anything except the correct
battery terminals or the correct
ground. Do not lean over the bat-
tery when making connections.5. Start the engine of the vehicle with
the booster battery and let it run at
2,000 rpm, then start the engine of
the vehicle with the discharged
battery.
If the cause of your battery discharge
is not apparent, you should have your
vehicle checked by an authorized Kia
dealer.Push-Starting
Your manual transmission-equipped
vehicle should not be push-started
because it might damage the emis-
sion control system. Vehicles
equipped with automatic transmis-
sions cannot be push-started. Follow
the directions for jump-starting in this
manual.IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY6-6
CAUTION
Never tow a vehicle to start it
because the sudden surge for-
ward when the engine starts
could cause a collision with the
tow vehicle.
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Use a towing strap less than 5 m
(16 feet) long. Attach a white or red
cloth (about 30 cm (12 inches)
wide) in the middle of the strap for
easy visibility.
Drive carefully so that the towing
strap is not loosened during towing.When Your Vehicle is Being Towed
by Another Vehicle Other Than a
Tow Truck (In Case Of an
Emergency) (2WD Vehicles or
Part-time 4WD Vehicles)
Turn the ignition switch to ACC so
the steering wheel isn’t locked.
Place the transmission shift lever in
N (Neutral).
Place the transfer shift knob for
part-time 4WD operation in the 2HI
position.
Release the parking bake.
Vehicle equipped with automatic
transmissions should not exceed
45km/h (28 mph) and should not be
towed more than 80km (50 miles).
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
6-17
S4BLA613
✽ ✽
NOTICERemove the rear drive shaft if it is
necessary to exceed 45km/h (28
mph) and/or 80km (50 miles). If the
drive shaft cannot be removed, stop
every 80km (50 miles) and start
the engine. Allow the engine to idle
for a few minutes. This will ensure
that the transmission is sufficiently
lubricated.
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7-1
MAINTENANCEMaintenance Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Owner Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Engine Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Engine Oil and Oil Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Brakes and Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Lubricants and Fluids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Wiper Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-26
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33
Lubricant Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-41
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-43
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-47
7
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OWNER MAINTENANCEOwner Maintenance Schedule
The owner should perform these
vehicle inspections at the indicated
intervals to ensure safe and depend-
able operation.
Bring any problem to the attention of
an authorized Kia dealer as soon as
possible.When refueling, check the follow-
ing:
 Engine oil level
 Engine coolant level
 Brake (and clutch, if equipped) fluid
level
 Washer fluid levelEvery month, check:
 Tire inflation pressures (cold)
 Coolant level in reservoir (cold
engine)
Every 6 months (for example,
every spring and fall), check:
 Power steering fluid level
 Automatic transmission fluid level
MAINTENANCE
7-7
WARNING
Be careful when checking your
engine coolant level. The engine
compartment will be hot and
you could be burned.
WARNING- Engine Cooling Fans
Because your engine cooling
fans are electronically con-
trolled, they will run if the igni-
tion switch is ON, even if the
engine is not running. This
could cause serious injury. To
prevent this, be sure the igni-
tion is OFF, unless you must run
the engine while performing
maintenance or an inspection.
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AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
(IF EQUIPPED)Checking the Automatic
Transmission Fluid Level
The automatic transmission fluid level
should be checked regularly.The volume of the transmission fluid
changes with temperature. Although
it is best to check the level after hav-
ing driven the vehicle for at least 30
minutes, the level can be checked
after warming the fluid using the pro-
cedure below.
MAINTENANCE
7-17
S2BLC704
Automatic transmission fluid dipstick
✽ ✽
NOTICE Low transmission fluid level
causes transmission slippage.
Overfilling can cause foaming,
loss of fluid and transmission
malfunction.
 The use of a non-specified fluid
could result in transmission mal-
function and failure.
WARNING- Parking Brake
To avoid sudden movement of
the vehicle, set the parking
brake and depress the brake
pedal before moving the shift
lever.
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1. Park the vehicle on level ground
and firmly set the parking brake.
2. Allow the engine to idle for about 2
minutes.
3. Depress the brake pedal and move
the shift lever slowly through all
ranges then set it in P (Park).
4. With the engine still idling, pull out
the dipstick, wipe it clean and rein-
sert it fully.
5. Pull out the dipstick again and
check the fluid level.5. Pull out the dipstick again and
check the fluid level.
If the fluid has been warmed to nor-
mal operating temperature of approx-
imately 167°F (75°C), the fluid level
should be between the 2 notches
marked 75°C.MAINTENANCE7-18
25 C
75 C
S2BLA712A
LowOk
Ok
Full
Low
Cold fluid scaleHot fluid scale
Full
✽ ✽
NOTICEThe notch on the 25°C scale is for
reference only and should NOT be
used to determine transmission
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
distinguishes 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.
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