2008 KIA PICANTO maintenance

541
Driving your vehicle
E140500ASA
Maintenance when trailer towing
Your vehicle will need service more often
when you regularly pull a trailer.
Important items to pay particular atten-tion to include engine oil, automatic
transaxle fluid, axle lubricant and cooling
system fluid. Brake condition is another
important item to frequently check. Each
item is covered 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 maintenance
schedule that accompanied your trailer
and check it periodically. Preferably, con-
duct the check at the start of each day’s
driving. Most importantly, all hitch nutsand bolts should be tight.
CAUTION
Due to higher load during trailerusage, overheating might occurin hot days or during uphill driv-ing. If the coolant gauge indicates
over-heating, switch off the A/Cand stop the vehicle in a safe area to cool down the engine.
When towing, check the transaxle fluid more frequently.
If your vehicle is not equipped with an air conditioner, youshould install a condenser fan to improve engine performance
when towing a trailer.

7
Engine compartment / 7-2 Maintenance services / 7-4
Owner maintenance / 7-6Scheduled maintenance service / 7-8Explanation of scheduled maintenance items / 7-21Engine oil / 7-23Engine coolant / 7-25Brakes/clutch fluid / 7-27Automatic transaxle fluid / 7-29
Washer fluid / 7-31Parking brake / 7-31
Fuel filter / 7-32
Air cleaner / 7-34
Climate control air filter / 7-35
Wiper blades / 7-37Battery / 7-39
Tires and wheels / 7-41 Fuses / 7-51Light bulbs / 7-58
Appearance care / 7-64
Emission control system / 7-70
Maintenance

Maintenance
2
7
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
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OSA017003
1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Engine oil filler cap
3. Brake fluid reservoir
4. Air cleaner
5. Fuse box
6. Negative battery terminal
7. Positive battery terminal
8. Automatic transaxle fluid dipstick*
9. Radiator cap
10. Engine oil dipstick
11. Windshield washer fluid reservoir
* : if equipped
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Gasoline Engine

73
Maintenance
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■
Diesel Engine
1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Engine oil filler cap
3. Brake fluid reservoir
4. Fuel filter
5. Air cleaner
6. Fuse box
7. Negative battery terminal
8. Positive battery terminal
9. Radiator cap
10. Engine oil dipstick
11. Windshield washer fluid reservoir

Maintenance
4
7
MAINTENANCE SERVICES
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You should exercise the utmost care to
prevent damage to your vehicle and
injury to yourself whenever performing
any maintenance or inspection proce-
dures.
Should you have any doubts concerning
the inspection or servicing of your vehi-
cle, we strongly recommend that you
have an authorized KIA dealer perform
this work.
An authorized KIA dealer has factory-
trained technicians and genuine KIA
parts to service your vehicle properly. For
expert advice and quality service, see an
authorized KIA dealer.
Inadequate, incomplete or insufficient
servicing may result in operational prob-
lems with your vehicle that could lead to
vehicle damage, an accident, or person-
al injury. G020100AUN
Owner’s responsibility
✽✽
NOTICE
Maintenance Service and Record
Retention are the owner's responsibility.
You should retain documents that show
proper maintenance has been performed
on your vehicle in accordance with the
scheduled maintenance service charts
shown on the following pages. You need
this information to establish your compli-
ance with the servicing and maintenance
requirements of your vehicle warranties.
Detailed warranty information is provided
in your Warranty & Maintenance book. Repairs and adjustments required as a
result of improper maintenance or a lack
of required maintenance are not covered.
We recommend you have your vehicle
maintained and repaired by an author-
ized KIA dealer. An authorized KIA deal-
er meets KIA’s high service quality stan-
dards and receives technical support
from KIA in order to provide you with a
high level of service satisfaction. G020200AUN Owner maintenance precautions
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, sev-
eral procedures can be done only by an
authorized KIA dealer with special tools.
✽✽
NOTICE
Improper owner maintenance during the warranty period may affect warran-
ty coverage. For details, read the sepa-
rate Warranty & Maintence book pro-
vided with the vehicle. If you're unsure
about any servicing or maintenance pro-
cedure, have it done by an authorized
KIA dealer.

75
Maintenance
WARNING- Maintenance
work
Performing maintenance work on a vehicle can be dangerous. You
can be seriously injured while
performing some maintenance
procedures. If you lack sufficient
knowledge and experience or the
proper tools and equipment to do
the work, have it done by an
authorized KIA dealer.
Working under the hood with the engine running is dangerous. 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 work-
ing under the hood, make certain
that you remove all jewelry (espe-
cially rings, bracelets, watches,
and necklaces) and all neckties,
scarves, and similar loose cloth-
ing before getting near theengine or cooling fans.WARNING - Diesel Engine
Never work on the injection system with the engine running or within30 seconds after shutting the
engine off. High-pressure pump,
rail, injectors and high-pressurepipes are subject to high pressure
even after the engine stopped. The
fuel jet produced by fuel leaks may
cause serious injury, if it touches
the body. People using pacemakers
should not move than 30cm closerto the ECU or wiring harness within
the engine room while engine is
running, since the high currents in
the electronic engine control sys-
tem produce considerable magnet-ic fields.

Maintenance
6
7
OWNER MAINTENANCE
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The following lists are vehicle checks and
inspections that should be performed by
the owner or an authorized KIA dealer atthe frequencies indicated to help ensure
safe, dependable operation of your vehi-
cle.
Any adverse conditions should be
brought to the attention of your dealer as
soon as possible.
These Owner Maintenance Checks are
generally not covered by warranties and
you may be charged for labor, parts and
lubricants used. Owner maintenance schedule
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When you stop for fuel:
Check the engine oil level.
Check the coolant level in the coolant
reservoir.
Check the windshield washer fluid level.
Look for low or under-inflated tires. G030102AUN
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 steering
effort or looseness in the steering
wheel, or change in its straight-aheadposition.
Notice if your vehicle constantly turns slightly or “pulls” to one side when trav-
eling on smooth, level road.
When stopping, listen and check for unusual sounds, pulling to one side,
increased brake pedal travel or “hard-
to-push” brake pedal.
If any slipping or changes in the oper- ation of your transaxle occurs, check
the transaxle fluid level.
Check the automatic transaxle P (Park) function.
Check the parking brake.
Check for fluid leaks under your vehicle (water dripping from the air condition-
ing system during or after use is nor-mal).
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 burns
or other serious injury.

77
Maintenance
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At least monthly:
Check coolant level in the enginecoolant reservoir.
Check the operation of all exterior lights, including the stoplights, turn sig-
nals and hazard warning flashers.
Check the inflation pressures of all tires including the spare. G030104AUN
At least twice a year
(i.e., every Spring and Fall):
Check radiator, heater and air condi- tioning hoses for leaks or damage.
Check windshield washer spray and wiper operation. Clean the wiper
blades with clean cloth dampened with
washer fluid.
Check the headlight alignment.
Check the muffler, exhaust pipes, shields and clamps.
Check the lap/shoulder belts for wear and function.
Check for worn tires and loose wheel lug nuts. G030105APA
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 weatherstrips.
Check the air conditioning system.
Inspect and lubricate automatic transaxle linkage and controls.
Clean battery and terminals.
Check the brake/clutch fluid level.