2009 KIA AMANTI engine

Driving tips65SUGGESTIONS FOR ECONOMICAL OPERATIONYour vehicle's fuel economy depends
mainly on your style of driving, where you
drive and when you drive.
Each of these factors affects how many
kilometers (miles) you can get from a liter
(gallon) of fuel. To operate your vehicle
as economically as possible, use the fol-
lowing driving suggestions to help save
money in both fuel and repairs:
Avoid lengthy warm-up idling. Once theengine is running smoothly, begin driv-
ing. Remember, engine warm-up may
take a little longer on cold days.
Save fuel by accelerating slowly after stopping.
Keep the engine in tune and follow the recommended periodic maintenance
schedule. This will increase the life of
all parts and lower your operating
costs. Do not use the air conditioner unnec-
essarily.
Slow down when driving on rough roads.
For longer tire life and better fuel econ- omy, always keep the tires inflated to
the recommended pressures.
Maintain a safe distance from other vehicles to avoid sudden stops. This
will reduce wear on brake linings and
pads. Driving in such a way will also
save fuel because extra fuel is required
to accelerate back to driving speed.
Do not carry unnecessary weight in the vehicle.
Do not rest your foot on the brake pedal while driving. This can cause
needless wear, possible damage to the
brakes, and poor fuel economy.
Improper wheel alignment results in faster tire wear and lower fuel econo-
my. Open windows at high speeds can
reduce fuel economy.
Fuel economy is less in crosswinds and headwinds. To help offset some of
this loss, slow down when driving in
these conditions.
Keeping a vehicle in good operating con-
dition is important both for economy and
safety. Therefore, have an authorized Kia
dealer perform scheduled inspections
and maintenance.
WARNING
- Engine off dur-
ing motion
Never turn the engine off to coast
down hills or anytime the vehicle is
in motion. The power steering and
power brakes will not function with-
out the engine running. Instead,
downshift to an appropriate gear for
engine braking effect.

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Driving tips
SPECIAL DRIVING CONDITIONS Hazardous driving conditions When hazardous driving conditions are
encountered such as water, snow, ice,
mud, sand, or similar hazards, follow
these suggestions:
Drive cautiously and allow extra dis-tance for braking.
Avoid sudden movements in braking or steering.
When braking, pump the brake pedal with a light up-and-down motion until
the vehicle is stopped.✽ ✽ NOTICEDo not pump the brake pedal on a vehi-
cle equipped with ABS.
If stalled in snow, mud, or sand, use
second gear. Accelerate slowly to
avoid spinning the drive wheels.
Use sand, rock salt, tire chains, or other non-slip material under the drive
wheels to provide traction when stalled
in ice, snow, or mud.
Rocking the vehicle If it is necessary to rock the vehicle to
free it from snow, sand, or mud, first turn
the steering wheel right and left to clear
the area around your front wheels. Then,
shift back and forth between R (Reverse)
and any forward gear in vehicles
equipped with an automatic transaxle. Do
not race the engine, and spin the wheels
as little as possible. If you are still stuck
after a few tries, have the vehicle pulled
out by a tow vehicle to avoid engine
overheating and possible damage to the
transaxle.
WARNING
- Downshifting
Downshifting with an automatic
transaxle, while driving on slippery
surfaces can cause an accident.
The sudden change in tire speed
could cause the tires to skid. Be
careful when downshifting on slip-
pery surfaces.

Driving tips85✽
✽NOTICEProlonged rocking may cause engine
over-heating, transaxle damage or fail-
ure, and tire damage.
Driving at night Because night driving presents more
hazards than driving in the daylight, here
are some important tips to remember:
Slow down and keep more distance
between you and other vehicles, as it
may be more difficult to see at night,
especially in areas where there may
not be any street lights.
Adjust your mirrors to reduce the glare from other driver's headlights.
Keep your headlights clean and prop- erly aimed on vehicles not equipped
with the automatic headlight aiming
feature. Dirty or improperly aimed
headlights will make it much more diffi-
cult to see at night.
Avoid staring directly at the headlights of oncoming vehicles. You could be
temporarily blinded, and it will take
several seconds for your eyes to read-
just to the darkness.
Driving in the rain Rain and wet roads can make driving
dangerous, especially if you’re not pre-
pared for the slick pavement. Here are a
few things to consider when driving in the
rain:
A heavy rainfall will make it harder tosee and will increase the distance
needed to stop your vehicle, so slow
down.
Keep your windshield wiping equip- ment in good shape. Replace your
windshield wiper blades when they
show signs of streaking or missing
areas on the windshield.
If your tires are not in good condition, making a quick stop on wet pavement
can cause a skid and possibly lead to
an accident. Be sure your tires are in
good shape.
Turn on your headlights to make it eas- ier for others to see you.
WARNING
- Spinning tires
Do not spin the wheels, especially
at speeds more than 35 mph (56
km/h). Spinning the wheels at high
speeds when the vehicle is station-
ary could cause a tire to overheat,
explode and injure bystanders.

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Driving tips
Driving too fast through large puddlescan 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 oper-
ation returns.
Winter driving We recommend that you carry emer-gency 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 ethyl- ene-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 windshield
washer fluid. (Do not use engine
coolant antifreeze.)
Do not use the parking brake if it might freeze. When parking, shift to P (Park)
with an automatic transaxle and block
the rear wheels.

511
Driving tips
Chain installation
When installing chains, follow the manu-
facturer's instructions and mount them as
tightly as you can. Drive slowly with
chains installed. If you hear the chains
contacting the body or chassis, stop and
tighten them. If they still make contact,
slow down until it stops. Remove the
chains as soon as you begin driving on
cleared roads.
CAUTION
Make sure the snow chains arethe correct size and type for yourtires. Incorrect snow chains cancause damage to the vehicle body and suspension and may not becovered by your vehicle manufac-turer warranty. Also, the snow chain connecting hooks may bedamaged from contacting vehiclecomponents causing the snowchains to come loose from the tire. Make sure the snow chainsare SAE class “S” certified. Cable-type, or plastic-type snow chain can also be used.
Always check chain installation for proper mounting after drivingapproximately 0.5 to 1 km to ensure safe mounting. Retightenor remount the chains if they areloose.
WARNING
When mounting snow chains, park
the vehicle on level ground away
from traffic. Turn on the vehicle
Hazard Warning flashers and place
a triangular emergency warning
device behind the vehicle if avail-
able. Always place the vehicle in
park (P), apply the parking brake
and turn off the engine before
installing snow chains.
WARNING
- Tire chains
The use of chains may adversely affect vehicle handling.
Do not exceed 20 mph (30 km/h) or the chain manufacturer’s rec-
ommended speed limit, whichev-
er is lower.
Drive carefully and avoid bumps, holes, sharp turns, and other road
hazards, which may cause the
vehicle to bounce.
Avoid sharp turns or locked- wheel braking.
Chains that are the wrong size or improperly installed can damage
your vehicle's brake lines, sus-
pension, body and wheels.
Stop driving and retighten the chains any time you hear them
hitting the vehicle.

Driving tips12
5Driving in flooded areas Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no high-
er than the bottom of the wheel hub.
Drive through any water slowly. Allow
adequate stopping distance because
brake performance may be affected.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them several
times while the vehicle is moving slowly.
HLA (Hydraulic Lash Adjuster)
noiseThe engine HLA's keep the gap between
the valve and cam at zero regardless of
the valve expansion.
Occasionally, you may hear a temporary
or continuous sound (clatter) from the
engine when starting or idling. This noise
will usually go away by following a few
simple steps: If the temporary sound occurs when
starting a cold engine:
This is a normal condition. This sound
will disappear after the engine oil has
reached normal operating pressure.
If the sound occurs when starting the
engine after the engine has not been oper-
ated for more than 48 hours; or engine
has been cranked excessively:
This condition may be caused by oil
draining from the HLA's. This allows air to
enter the HLA causing insufficient lubri-
cating oil in the HLA. This will usually dis-
appear within 15 minutes with the engine
running at 2000~3000 rpm. If the sound
does not disappear, have the engine oil
pressure, engine lubrication system and
HLA's inspected by an Authorized Kia
Dealer.
CAUTION
Do not run the engine at more than
3000 rpm until the noise goes away. Damage to the HLA's could occur.

519
Driving tips
Load-pulling components such as the
engine, transaxle, wheel assemblies, and
tires are forced to work harder against
the load of the added weight. The engine
is required to operate at relatively higher
speeds and under greater loads. This
additional burden generates extra heat.
The trailer also adds considerably to
wind resistance, increasing the pulling
requirements.
If you do decide to pull a trailerHere are some important points if you
decide to pull a trailer:
Consider using a sway control. You canask a hitch dealer about sway control.
After your odometer indicates 500 miles (800 km) or more, you can tow a
trailer. For the first 500 miles (800 km)
that you tow a trailer, don’t drive over
50 mph (80 km/h) and don’t make
starts at full throttle. This helps your
engine and other parts of your vehicle
“wear” in at the heavier loads.
Always drive your vehicle at a moder- ate speed (Less than 100 km/h).
The important considerations have to do with weight: Weight of the trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than 2000 lbs.
(908 kg) with trailer brakes. But even that
can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use your
trailer. For example, speed, altitude, road
grades, outside temperature and how
much your vehicle is used to pull a trailer
are all important. The ideal trailer weight
can also depend on any special equip-
ment that you have on your vehicle.

523
Driving tips
Driving on grades Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade. If you don’t shift down, you
might have to use your brakes so much
that they would get hot and no longer
operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around 45 mph (70
km/h) to reduce the possibility of engine
and transaxle overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than 1000 lbs.
(454 kg) and you have an automatic
transaxle, you should drive in D (Drive)
when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive) when
towing a trailer will minimize heat buildup
and extend the life of your transaxle.
Parking on hills Generally, you should not park your vehi-
cle, 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 tra-
jectory.
CAUTION
When towing a trailer on steepgrades (in excess of 6%) payclose attention to the enginecoolant temperature gauge to ensure the engine does not over-heat. If the needle of the coolanttemperature gauge moves across the dial towards “H” (HOT), pullover and stop as soon as it is safe to do so, and allow the engine toidle until it cools down. You mayproceed once the engine has cooled sufficiently.
You must decide driving speed depending on trailer weight anduphill grade to reduce the possi-bility of engine and transaxleoverheating.
WARNING
- Parking on a hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill with a
trailer attached could cause serious
injury or death, should a down hill
trajectory happen.