2008 KIA Optima Owner's Manual

449
Driving your vehicle
Fan speed control knob The ignition switch must be in the ON
position for fan operation.
The fan speed control knob allows you to
control the fan speed of the air flowing
from the ventilation system. To change
the fan speed, turn the knob to the right
for higher speed or left for lower speed.
Setting the mode selection knob to the
OFF position turns off the fan.
Temperature control knobThe temperature control knob allows you
to control the temperature of the air flow-
ing from the ventilation system. To
change the air temperature in the pas-
senger compartment turn the knob to the
right for warm and hot air or left for cool-
er air.
Mode selection knob The mode selection knob controls the
direction of the air flow through the venti-
lation system.
The steps (
tions represent a midpoint between
those positions.
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Driving your vehicle50 4
MAX/ A/C position
When you select the MAX
A/C mode while the fan is on,
the following system settings
will be made automatically;

will be turned on.

will be selected.

selected.
If you select MAX A/C mode,
you will not be able to cancel
the A/C system operation, or
change the recirculated air
mode position.
Set the fan speed control
knob to the desired speed
and rotate the temperature
control knob to the extreme
left position for maximum
cooling.
(outlet port: B, D)
MAX
A/C
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Driving your vehicle
Face position
Air flow is directed toward the
upper body and face.
Additionally, each outlet can
be controlled to direct the air
discharged from the outlet.
(outlet port: B, D)
Face - floor position
Air flow is directed towards
the face and the floor. The air
to the floor is warmer than
the air to the face (except
when the temperature control
is set to the extreme cold
position).
(outlet port: B, C, E, D)
Floor position
Most of the air flow is direct-
ed to the floor, with a small
amount of the air being
directed to the windshield
and side window defroster.
(outlet port: C, E, A, D)
Floor - defrost position
Most of the air flow is direct-
ed to the floor and the wind-
shield with a small amount
directed to the side window
defrosters.
(outlet port: A, C, E, D)
Defrost position
Most of the air flow is direct-
ed to the windshield with a
small amount of air directed
to the side window
defrosters.
(outlet port: A, D)
Instrument panel ventsIf air flow control is not satisfactory, check
the instrument panel vents. The outlet
port (B, D) can be opened or closed sep-
arately using the thumbwheel.
Also, you can adjust the direction of air
delivery from these vents using the vent
control lever as shown.
The air from outlet port (D) flows at any
mode. Close the ventilation outlets using
the thumbwheel to block the air flow.
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Driving your vehicle52 4Air intake control button This is used to select outside (fresh) air
position or recirculated air position.
To change the air intake control position,
push the control button.
Recirculated air position
The indicator light on the but-
ton is illuminated when the
recirculated air position is
selected.
Use this position only for
short period with the recircu-
lated air position selected, air
from passenger compart-
ment will be drawn through
the climate control system
and heated or cooled accord-
ing to the function selected.
Outside (fresh) air position
With the outside (fresh) air
position selected, air enters
the vehicle from outside and
is heated or cooled according
to the function selected.
✽ ✽
NOTICEProlonged use of the air conditioning
with the “recirculated air position”
selected, will result in excessively dry air
in the passenger compartment.
WARNING
- Recirculated
air
Continued climate control system
operation in the recirculated air
position may allow humidity to
increase inside vehicle which
may fog the glass and obscure
visibility.
Do not sleep in a vehicle with air
conditioning or heating system
on. It may cause serious harm or
death due to a drop in the oxygen
level and/or body temperature.
Continued climate control system
operation in the recirculated air
position can slightly reduce oxy-
gen levels which can lead to
cause drowsiness or sleepiness,
and loss of vehicle control. Set
the air intake control to the out-
side (fresh) air position as much
as possible while driving.
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453
Driving your vehicle
Air conditioning button
(if equipped) Push the A/C button to turn the air condi-
tioning system on (indicator light will illu-
minate). Push the button again to turn the
air conditioning system off.System operationVentilation1. Set the mode to the position.
2. Set the air intake control to the outside
(fresh) air position.
3. Set the temperature control to the
desired position.
4. Set the fan speed control to the
desired speed.
Heating1. Set the mode to the position.
2. Set the air intake control to the outside
(fresh) air position.
3. Set the temperature control to the
desired position.
4. Set the fan speed control to the
desired speed.
5. If dehumidified heating is desired, turn
the air conditioning system (if
equipped) on.
If the windshield fogs up, set the mode
to the
,
position.
Air conditioning (if equipped) All Kia Air Conditioning Systems are
filled with environmentally friendly
R-134a refrigerant which is not damag-
ing to the ozone layer.
1. Start the engine. Push the air condi-
tioning button.
2. Set the mode to the position.
3. Set the air intake control to the outside
air or recirculated air position.4. Adjust the fan speed control and tem-
perature control to maintain maximum
comfort.
When maximum cooling is desired, set
the temperature control to the extreme
left position, set the mode control to
the MAX A/C position, then set the fan
speed control to the highest speed.
✽ ✽
NOTICE• When using the air conditioning sys-
tem, monitor the temperature gauge
closely while driving up hills or in
heavy traffic when outside tempera-
tures are high. Air conditioning sys-
tem operation may cause engine over-
heating. Continue to use the blower
fan but turn the air conditioning sys-
tem off if the temperature gauge indi-
cates engine overheating.
• When opening the windows in humid
weather air conditioning may create
water droplets inside the vehicle.
Since excessive water droplets may
cause damage to electrical equipment,
air conditioning should only be run
with the windows closed.
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Driving your vehicle54 4Air conditioning system opera-
tion tips If the vehicle has been parked in direct
sunlight during hot weather, open the
windows for a short time to let the hot
air inside the vehicle escape.
To help reduce moisture inside of win-
dows on rainy or humid days, decrease
the humidity inside the vehicle by oper-
ating the air conditioning system.
During air conditioning system opera-
tion, you may occasionally notice a
slight change in engine speed as the
air conditioning compressor cycles.
This is a normal system operation
characteristic.
Use the air conditioning system every
month if only for a few minutes to
ensure maximum system perform-
ance.
When using the air conditioning sys-
tem, you may notice clear water drip-
ping (or even pudding) on the ground
under the passenger side of the vehi-
cle. This is a normal system operation
characteristic. Operating the air conditioning system
in the recirculated air position does
provide maximum cooling, however,
continual operation in this mode may
cause the air inside the vehicle to
become stale.
Checking the amount of air con-
ditioner refrigerant and compres-
sor lubricantWhen the amount of refrigerant is low,
the performance of the air conditioning is
reduced. Overfilling also has a bad influ-
ence on the air conditioning system.
Therefore, if abnormal operation is
found, have the system inspected by an
authorized Kia dealer.✽ ✽
NOTICEWhen the performance of the air condi-
tioning system is reduced it is important
that the correct type and amount of oil
and refrigerant is used. Otherwise, dam-
age to the compressor and abnormal
system operation may occur.
CAUTION
The air conditioning system should
be serviced by an authorized Kia
dealer. Improper service may cause
serious injury to the person per-
forming the service.

455
Driving your vehicle
AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)
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1. Temperature control knob
2. AUTO (automatic control) button
3. Fan speed control knob
4. Mode selection button
5. OFF button
6. Front windshield defrost button
7. Rear windshield defrost button
8. Air intake control button
9. Air conditioning button
10. Indicator light

Driving your vehicle56 4Automatic operationThe automatic climate control system is
controlled by simply setting the desired
temperature.
The Full Automatic Temperature Control
(FATC) system automatically controls the
heating and cooling system as follows;
1. Push the AUTO button. It is indicated
by AUTO on the display. The modes,
fan speeds, air intake and air-condi-
tioning will be controlled automatically
based on temperature setting.2. Turn the TEMP knob to set the desired
temperature.
If the temperature is set to the lowest
setting (Lo), the air conditioning sys-
tem will operate continuously.
3. To turn the automatic operation off,
press any button except temperature
control button and AQS button (if
equipped). If you press the mode
selection button, air-conditioning but-
ton, defrost button, air intake control
button or fan speed button, the select-
ed function will be controlled manually
while other functions operate automat-
ically.
Regardless of the temperature setting,
when using automatic operation, the air
conditioning system will automatically
turn on to decrease the humidity inside
the vehicle, even if the temperature is set
to warm.
✽ ✽
NOTICENever place anything over the sensor
located on the instrument panel to
ensure better control of the heating and
cooling system.
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