2009 KIA Sorento engine

513
Driving tips
Off-road driving with your four-
wheel drive vehicleOff-road driving can be great fun. But it
has definite hazards. The greatest of
these is the terrain itself.
“Off-roading” means you’ve left the paved
road system behind. Traffic lanes are not
marked. Curves are not banked.
There are no carefully engineered road
signs to warn you of dangerous condi-
tions or to advise you of a safe speed.
You have to assess the environment
yourself. Surfaces can be slippery, rough,
uphill or downhill.
Off-road driving involves learning new
skills. That’s why it’s important that you
read and understand this section. You’ll
find useful driving information and sug-
gestions. These will help make your off-
road driving safer and more enjoyable.
Before you go off-roadingThere are some things to do before you
leave the paved roads. Be sure to have
all necessary maintenance and service
work done beforehand. Be sure to read
all the information about your four-wheel
drive vehicle in this manual. Is there
enough fuel? Is the spare tire fully inflat-
ed? Are the fluid levels at the proper lev-
els? What are the local laws that apply to
off-roading where you’ll be driving? If you
don’t know, you should check with law
enforcement people in the area. Will you
be on someone’s private land? If so, be
sure to get the necessary permission.
Loading your vehicle for off-roaddrivingThere are some important items to
remember about how to properly load
your vehicle.
The heaviest things should be in the cargo area and forward of your rear
axle. Place heavier items as far forward
as you can.
Be sure the load is properly secured, so driving over off-road terrain doesn’t
shift your load or throw items toward
the driver or passengers.

515
Driving tips
Getting familiar with off-road drivingIt’s necessary for you to practice in an
area that’s safe and close to home before
you begin serious off-road driving. Off-
road driving requires new and different
driving skills.
You need to tune your senses to different
kinds of signals. For example, constantly
sweep the terrain with your eyes looking
for unexpected obstacles. Listen for
unusual tire, gear, or engine sounds. Feel
and respond to the vibrations of the vehi-
cle with your hands, feet, and body while
still carefully controlling your vehicle.
You’ll also need to adjust your expecta-
tions and greatly lower the number of
miles you expect to cover in an hour or a
day.
Controlling your vehicle is the key to suc-
cessful off-road driving. One of the best
ways to control your vehicle is to control
your speed. Here are some things to
keep in mind when traveling at higher
speeds:
You approach things faster and youhave less time to scan the terrain for
obstacles. You have less time to react.
You have much more vehicle bounce
when you drive over obstacles, giving
you less vehicle control.
You’ll need more distance for braking, especially since you’re on an unpaved
surface. Such terrain will always be
more “slippery” than a paved road. Scanning the terrain
Off-road driving can take you over many
different kinds of terrain. You need to be
familiar with the terrain and its many dif-
ferent features. Here are some things to
consider.
Surface conditionsOff-roading can take you over hard-
packed dirt, gravel, rocks, grass, sand,
mud, snow or ice. Each of these surfaces
affects the steering, acceleration, and
braking of your vehicle in different ways.
Depending upon the kind of surface you
are on, you may experience slipping,
sliding, wheel spinning, delayed acceler-
ation, poor traction, and longer braking
distances.
WARNING -
Off road driv-
ing
When you’re driving off-road,
bouncing and quick changes in
direction can easily throw you out
of position in your seat. This could
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle and crash. Whether you are
driving on or off the road, you and
your passengers should always
wear safety belts.

Driving tips18
5Driving uphillOnce you decide you can safely drive up
the hill, you need to take some special
steps.
Use a low gear and get a firm grip on
the steering wheel.
Get a smooth start up the hill and try to maintain your speed. Don’t use more
power than you need, because you
don’t want your wheels to start spin-
ning or sliding.
Try to drive straight up the hill, if at all possible. If the path twists and turns,
you may have to find another route. Slow down as you approach the top of
the hill.
Attach a flag to the vehicle to make you more visible to approaching traffic on
trails or hills.
Sound the horn as you approach the top of the hill to let opposing traffic
know you’re there.
Use your headlights even during the day. They make you more visible to
other drivers.
Stalling while driving uphill
What should I do if my vehicle stalls, or isabout to stall, and I can’t make it up thehill?If your vehicle stalls, or is about to stall
while driving uphill, there are some
things you should do, and there are some
things you must not do. First, here’s what
you should do:
Push the brake pedal to stop the vehi- cle and keep it from rolling backwards.
Also, apply the parking brake.
If your engine is still running, shift the transmission into reverse, release the
parking brake, and slowly back down
the hill in reverse.
If your engine has stopped running, you’ll need to restart it. With the brake
pedal depressed and the parking
brake still applied, shift a manual trans-
mission to N (Neutral), or an automatic
transmission to P (Park) and restart
the engine. Then, shift to reverse,
release the parking brake, and slowly
back down the hill in reverse.
As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand on the steering wheel at
the 12 o’clock position. This way, you’ll
be able to tell if your wheels are
straight or turned to the left or right as
you back down.
WARNING -
Driving across
hills
Turning or driving across steep
hills can be dangerous. You could
lose traction, slide sideways, or just
reach an area too steep to traverse.
In any case, it could cause you to
roll over. You could be seriously or
fatally injured. When driving up
hills, always try to go as straight up
as possible.
WARNING
- Driving overhills
Driving to the top (crest) of a hill at
full speed can cause an accident
and result in serious or fatal injury.
There could be a drop-off, embank-
ment, cliff, another vehicle or peo-
ple sitting on the ground. As you
near the top of a hill, slow down and
stay alert.

519
Driving tips
Here are some things you must not do if
you stall, or are about to stall, when
going up a hill.
Never attempt to prevent a stall bydepressing the clutch or shifting to N
(Neutral) to “rev-up” the engine and
regain forward momentum. This won’t
work. Your vehicle will roll backwards
very quickly and you could go out of
control or roll over.
Instead, apply the brake to stop the vehi-
cle. Then apply the parking brake. Shift
into reverse, release the parking brake,
and slowly back down.
Stalled on a steep uphillIf your vehicle stalls and you can’t back
down the hill, try this: Set the parking
brake, put your transmission in 1 (First)
gear or P (Park), and turn the engine off.
Leave the vehicle and get some help. If
your vehicle is at an angle to the slope of
the hill, exit the vehicle on the uphill side
and stay clear of the path the vehicle
would take if it rolled downhill. Leave it in
1 (First) gear for manual transmission or
P (Park) for automatic transmission.
WARNING
- Stalling
Never attempt to turn around if you
are about to stall when going up a
hill. If the hill is steep enough to
stall your vehicle, it’s steep enough
to cause you to roll over if you turn
around. If you can’t make it up, you
must back down the hill.
WARNING
- Exiting vehicle
Getting out on the downhill (low)
side of a vehicle stopped across an
incline is dangerous. If the vehicle
rolls over, you could be crushed or
fatally injured. Always get out on
the uphill (high) side of the vehicle
and stay well clear of the rollover
path.
WARNING
- Leaving vehi- cle
If you are going to leave your vehicle,
set the parking brake and shift a
manual transmission to 1 (First), or
an automatic transmission to P
(Park).

Driving tips20
5Driving downhillGoing downhill can be considerably more
dangerous than driving uphill. When off-
roading takes you downhill, you’ll want to
consider many of the same things you
thought about before you went uphill. As
a brief reminder, those include:
How steep is the downhill? Will I be
able to maintain vehicle control?
What’s the surface like? Smooth? Rough? Slippery? Hard-packed dirt?
Gravel?
Are there hidden surface obstacles? Ruts? Logs? Boulders?
What’s at the bottom of the hill? Is there a hidden creek bank or even a
river bottom with large rocks?
Have changes in the weather condi- tions and their effect on the terrain
since you went uphill made your task
more difficult?
Once you have decided that you can go
down a hill safely, try to keep your vehicle
headed straight down, and use a low
gear. This way, engine braking can help
your brakes so they won’t have to do all
the work. Descend slowly, keeping your
vehicle under control at all times. Avoid turns that take you across the
incline of the hill. A hill that’s not too
steep to drive down may be too steep to
drive across. You could roll over if you
don’t drive straight down.
Never go downhill with the clutch pedal
depressed. This is called “free-wheeling.”
Your brakes will have to do all the work
and could overheat and fade.
If your wheels lock up during downhill
braking, you may feel the vehicle starting
to slide sideways. To regain your direc-
tion, just ease off the brakes and steer to
keep the front of the vehicle pointing
straight downhill.
WARNING
- Braking
Heavy braking when going down a
hill can cause your brakes to over-
heat and fade. This could cause
loss of control and a serious acci-
dent. Apply the brakes lightly when
descending a hill and use a low
gear to keep vehicle speed under
control.
WARNING
- Wheel locking
Avoid braking so hard that you lock
the wheels when going downhill. If
your front wheels are locked, you
can’t steer your vehicle.
WARNING
- Downhill
Before beginning to go downhill, it
is critical that you ensure that no
cargo can shift forward while you
are heading downhill. Such shifting
could either endanger you and your
occupants, or interfere with your
ability to control the vehicle.

521
Driving tips
Stalling downhillStalling is much more likely to happen
going uphill. But if it happens going
downhill, here’s what to do.
Stop your vehicle by applying thebrakes. Then apply the parking brake.
Move the shift lever to P (Park) in auto- matic transmission or shift to N
(Neutral) in manual transmission and,
while still braking, restart the engine.
Shift back to a low gear, release the parking brake, and drive straight down.
If the engine won’t start, get out and seek help. Exit on the uphill side of the
vehicle and stay clear of the path the
vehicle would take if it rolled downhill.
Driving across an inclineSooner or later, an off-road trail will prob-
ably go across the incline of a hill. If this
happens, you have to decide whether or
not to try to drive across the incline. Here
are some things to consider:
A hill that can be driven straight up ordown may be too steep to drive across.
When you go straight up or down a hill,
the length of the wheel base (the dis-
tance from the front wheels to the rear
wheels) reduces the likelihood the
vehicle will tumble end over end. But
when you drive across an incline, the
much narrower track width (the dis-
tance between the left and right
wheels) may not prevent the vehicle
from tilting and rolling over. Also, driv-
ing across an incline puts more weight
on the downhill wheels. This could
cause a downhill slide or a rollover.
Surface conditions can be a problem when you drive across a hill. Loose
gravel, muddy spots, or even wet grass
can cause your tires to slip sideways. If
the vehicle slips sideways, it can hit
something that will tip it (a rock, a rut,
etc.) and cause it to roll over. Hidden obstacles can make the steep-
ness of the incline even worse. If you
drive across a rock with the uphill
wheels, or if the downhill wheels drop
into a rut or depression, your vehicle
can tilt even more.
For reasons like these, you need to
decide carefully whether or not to try to
drive across an incline. Just because the
trail goes across the incline doesn’t
mean you have to drive it.
WARNING
- Roll over
Driving across an incline that’s too
steep will make your vehicle roll
over. You could be seriously or
fatally injured. If you have any
doubt about the steepness of the
incline, don’t drive across it. Find
another route instead.

523
Driving tips
Hard-packed snow and ice offer the
worst tire traction. On these surfaces, it’s
very easy to lose control. On wet ice, for
example, the traction is so poor that you
will even have difficulty accelerating. And
if you do get moving, poor steering and
difficult braking can easily cause you to
slide out of control.
Driving in waterLight rain causes no special off-road driv-
ing problems. However, heavy rain can
cause flash flooding, and flood waters
demand extreme caution.
Find out how deep the water is before
you drive through it. If it’s deep enough to
cover your wheel bearing hubs, axles, or
exhaust pipe, don’t try it, You probably
won’t get through. Also, water that deep
can damage your axle and other vehicle
parts.
If the water isn’t too deep, then drive
through slowly. At fast speeds, water can
splash on your ignition system and your
vehicle can stall. Stalling can also occur
if your tailpipe goes underwater. As long
as your tailpipe is underwater, you will
not be able to start your engine. When
you go through water, remember that it
may take you longer to stop when your
brakes are wet.
If you have driven through water that was
deep enough to cover your wheel bear-
ing hubs, it may be a good idea to have
an Authorized Kia dealer or other com-
petent service center repack your front
wheel bearings and examine your rear-
end fluid for evidence of water.
CAUTION
In case of loss of traction in mud,loose soil, or sand, turn the steer-ing wheel rapidly from side-to-side. This can help generate addi- tional traction.
Do not gun the engine. This will cause the tires to spin and digdown, not forward, and couldbury the vehicle to the frame. Smooth, easy power is betterthan too much power.
WARNING
- Frozen sur-
faces
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds or
rivers can be dangerous.
Underwater springs, currents under
the ice, or sudden thaws can weak-
en the ice. Your vehicle could fall
through the ice and you and your
passengers could drown. Drive
your vehicle on safe surfaces only.

531
Driving tips
TRAILER TOWING
To identify what the vehicle trailering
capacity is for your vehicle, you should
refer to the chart on this page.
WARNING
- Towing a trail-er
If you don't use the correct equip-
ment and drive properly, you can
lose control when you pull a trailer.
For example, if the trailer is too
heavy, the brakes may not work well
- or even at all. You and your pas-
sengers could be seriously or fatal-
ly injured. Pull a trailer only if you
have followed all the steps in this
section.
WARNING
- Weight limits
Before towing, make sure the total
trailer weight, gross combination
weight, gross vehicle weight, gross
axle weight and trailer tongue load
are all within the limits.
Item 4WD*
1
2WD*
2
4WD*
1
2WD*
2
Maximum 3,665 kg 3,572 kg 4,339 kg 4,255 kg
GCWR (8,079 lbs) (7,874 lbs) (9,565 lbs) (9,314 lbs)
Maximum
Trailer Weight
3.3 Engine
1,590 kg (3,500 lbs)
*1: Four Wheel Drive
*2: Two Wheel Drive
2,268 kg (5,000 lbs) 3.8 Engine
✽ ✽
NOTICE• For definitions of terms used in this table and instructions on how to calcu\
late
your vehicle load, refer to Weight of the Vehicle in this chapter.
• The combined weight of the completed towing vehicle and the loaded trail\
er must not exceed the GCWR.
• When towing maximum loads under high outside temperatures and/or on steep grades, the A/C system may cycle on and off to protect the engine from overheat-
ing. This may result in a temporary increase of interior temperature.
CAUTION
Pulling a trailer improperly can
damage your vehicle and result in costly repairs not covered by yourwarranty. To pull a trailer correctly,follow the advice in this section.