2010 KIA Optima engine coolant

Your vehicle at a glance
42
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
B030000AMG
OMG019003
■
■Gasoline Engine (2.4L)
1. Engine coolant reservoir ...................7-16
2. Engine oil filler cap............................7-15
3. Brake fluid reservoir ..........................7-19
4. Air cleaner .........................................7-24
5. Fuse box ...........................................7-43
6. Negative battery terminal ..................7-27
7. Positive battery terminal....................7-27
8. Auto transaxle oil dipstick* ................7-21
9. Radiator cap......................................7-17
10. Engine oil dipstick ...........................7-15
11. Windshield washer fluid reservoir ...7-23
12. Power steering fluid reservoir* ........7-20
* : if equipped
* The actual engine room in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.

25
Your vehicle at a glance
OMG079002N
1. Engine coolant reservoir ...................7-16
2. Engine oil filler cap............................7-15
3. Brake fluid reservoir ..........................7-19
4. Air cleaner .........................................7-24
5. Fuse box ...........................................7-43
6. Negative battery terminal ..................7-27
7. Positive battery terminal....................7-27
8. Auto transaxle oil dipstick* ................7-21
9. Radiator cap......................................7-17
10. Engine oil dipstick ...........................7-15
11. Windshield washer fluid reservoir ...7-23
12. Power steering fluid reservoir* ........7-20
* : if equipped
■ ■
Gasoline Engine (2.7L)
* The actual engine room in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.

Features of your vehicle
48
4
D150203AUN
Engine temperature gauge
This gauge shows the temperature of the
engine coolant when the ignition switch
is ON.
Do not continue driving with an overheat-
ed engine. If your vehicle overheats, refer
to “If the engine overheats” in section 6.
D150204BMG
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge indicates the approxi-
mate amount of fuel remaining in the fuel
tank. The fuel tank capacity is given in
section 8. The fuel gauge is supplement-
ed by a low fuel warning light, which will
illuminate when the fuel tank is nearly
empty.
On inclines or curves, the fuel gauge
pointer may fluctuate or the low fuel
warning light may come on earlier than
usual due to the movement of fuel in the
tank.
Avoid driving with an extremely low fuel
level. Running out of fuel could cause the
engine to misfire, damaging the catalytic
converter.
CAUTION
If the gauge pointer moves beyond
the normal range area toward the“H” position, it indicates overheat-ing that may damage the engine.
WARNING
Never remove the radiator cap
when the engine is hot. The engine
coolant is under pressure and
could cause severe burns. Wait
until the engine is cool before
adding coolant to the reservoir.
OMG040045NOMG040046N

53
Driving your vehicle
E020100AUN
Before entering vehicle
• Be sure that all windows, outside mir-ror(s), and outside lights are clean.
Check the condition of the tires.
Check under the vehicle for any sign of leaks.
Be sure there are no obstacles behind you if you intend to back up.
E020200AUN
Necessary inspections
Fluid levels, such as engine oil, engine
coolant, brake fluid, and washer fluid
should be checked on a regular basis,
with the exact interval depending on the
fluid. Further details are provided in sec-
tion 7, “Maintenance”.
E020300BUN
Before starting
Close and lock all doors.
Position the seat so that all controls areeasily reached.
Adjust the inside and outside rearview mirrors.
Be sure that all lights work.
Check all gauges.
Check the operation of warning lights when the ignition switch is turned to
the ON position.
Release the parking brake and make sure the brake warning light goes out.
For safe operation, be sure you are famil-
iar with your vehicle and its equipment.
BEFORE DRIVING
WARNING
All passengers must be properly
belted whenever the vehicle is mov-
ing. Refer to “Seat belts” in section
3 for more information on their
proper use.
WARNING
Always check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for people,
especially children, before putting a
car into D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
WARNING- Driving under
the influence of alcohol or
drugs
Drinking and driving is dangerous.
Drunk driving is the number one
contributor to the highway death
toll each year. Even a small amount
of alcohol will affect your reflexes,
perceptions and judgment. Driving
while under the influence of drugs
is as dangerous or more dangerous
than driving drunk.
You are much more likely to have a
serious accident if you drink or
take drugs and drive.
If you are drinking or taking drugs,
don’t drive. Do not ride with a driv-
er who has been drinking or taking
drugs. Choose a designated driver
or call a cab.

539
Driving your vehicle
E110700ABH
Highway driving
Tires
Adjust the tire inflation pressures to
specification. Low tire inflation pressures
will result in overheating and possible
failure of the tires.
Avoid using worn or damaged tires which
may result in reduced traction or tire fail-
ure.
✽ ✽NOTICE
Never exceed the maximum tire inflation
pressure shown on the tires.
Fuel, engine coolant and engine oil
High speed travel consumes more fuel
than urban motoring. Do not forget to
check both engine coolant and engine
oil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may result
in overheating of the engine.
WARNING
Underinflated or overinflated
tires can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and sud-
den tire failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.
Always check tires for proper
inflation before driving. For prop-
er tire pressures, refer to “Tires
and wheels” in section 8.
Driving on tires with no or insuffi- cient tread is dangerous. Worn-
out tires can result in loss of
vehicle control, collisions, injury,
and even death. Worn-out tires
should be replaced as soon as
possible and should never be
used for driving. Always check
the tire tread before driving your
car. For further information and
tread limits, refer to “Tires and
wheels” in section 7.
OMG015008

541
Driving your vehicle
E120200AUN
Use high quality ethylene glycol
coolant
Your vehicle is delivered with high quality
ethylene glycol coolant in the cooling
system. It is the only type of coolant that
should be used because it helps prevent
corrosion in the cooling system, lubri-
cates the water pump and prevents
freezing. Be sure to replace or replenish
your coolant in accordance with the
maintenance schedule in section 7.
Before winter, have your coolant tested to
assure that its freezing point is sufficient
for the temperatures anticipated during
the winter.
E120300AUN
Check battery and cables
Winter puts additional burdens on the
battery system. Visually inspect the bat-
tery and cables as described in section
7. The level of charge in your battery can
be checked by an authorized KIA dealer
or a service station.
E120400AUN
Change to "winter weight" oil if
necessary
In some climates it is recommended that
a lower viscosity "winter weight" oil be
used during cold weather. See section 8
for recommendations. If you aren't sure
what weight oil you should use, consult
an authorized KIA dealer.
E120500AUN
Check spark plugs and ignition
system
Inspect your spark plugs as described in
section 7 and replace them if necessary.
Also check all ignition wiring and compo-
nents to be sure they are not cracked,
worn or damaged in any way.
E120600AUN
To keep locks from freezing
To keep the locks from freezing, squirt an
approved de-icer fluid or glycerine into
the key opening. If a lock is covered with
ice, squirt it with an approved de-icing
fluid to remove the ice. If the lock is
frozen internally, you may be able to thaw
it out by using a heated key. Handle the
heated key with care to avoid injury.
E120700AUN
Use approved window washer
anti-freeze in system
To keep the water in the window washer
system from freezing, add an approved
window washer anti-freeze solution in
accordance with instructions on the con-
tainer. Window washer anti-freeze is
available from an authorized KIA dealer
and most auto parts outlets. Do not use
engine coolant or other types of anti-
freeze as these may damage the paint
finish.

Driving your vehicle
46
5
An authorized KIA dealer can assist you
in installing the wiring harness.
E140406AUN
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 70 km/h (45
mph) to reduce the possibility of engine
and transaxle overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than the max-
imum trailer weight without trailer brakes
and you have an automatic transaxle,
you should drive in D (Drive) when tow-
ing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive) when
towing a trailer will minimize heat build up
and extend the life of your transaxle.
E140407BUN-EU
Parking on hills
Generally, if you have a trailer attached to
your vehicle, you should not park your
vehicle on a hill. People can be seriously
or fatally injured, and both your vehicle
and the trailer can be damaged if unex-
pectedly roll down hill. However, if you ever have to park your
trailer on a hill, here's how to do it:
1. Pull the vehicle into the parking space.
Turn the steering wheel in the direction
of the curb (right if headed down hill,
left if headed up hill).
2. If the vehicle has a manual transaxle, place the car in neutral. If the vehicle
has an automatic transaxle, place the
car in P (Park).
3. Set the parking brake and shut off the vehicle.
4. Place chocks under the trailer wheels on the down hill side of the wheels.
5. Start the vehicle, hold the brakes, shift to neutral, release the parking brake
and slowly release the brakes until the
trailer chocks absorb the load.
6. Reapply the brakes, reapply the park- ing brake and shift the vehicle to R
(Reverse) for manual transaxle or P
(Park) automatic transaxle.
CAUTION
When towing a trailer on steep grades (in excess of 6%) payclose attention to the enginecoolant temperature gauge toensure the engine does not over- heat. If the needle of the coolanttemperature gauge moves acrossthe dial towards “H” (HOT), pullover and stop as soon as it is safeto do so, and allow the engine toidle until it cools down. You mayproceed once the engine hascooled sufficiently.
You must decide driving speed depending on trailer weight anduphill grade to reduce the possi-bility of engine and transaxleoverheating.
WARNING
Failure to use an approved trailer
wiring harness could result in dam-
age to the vehicle electrical system
and/or personal injury.
WARNING- Parking on a hill.
Parking your vehicle on a hill with a
trailer attached could cause seri-
ous injury or death, should the trail-
er break loose.

547
Driving your vehicle
7. Shut off the vehicle and release thevehicle brakes but leave the parking
brake set.
When you are ready to leave after park-
ing on a hill
1. With the automatic transaxle in P (Park), apply your brakes and hold the
brake pedal down while you:

and

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.E140500AUN
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 nuts
and bolts should be tight.
WARNING- Parking brake
It can be dangerous to get out of
your vehicle if the parking brake is
not firmly set.
If you have left the engine running,
the vehicle can move suddenly. You
or others could be seriously or
fatally injured.
CAUTION
Due to higher load during trailer usage, overheating might occurin hot days or during uphill driv- ing. If the coolant gauge indicatesover-heating, switch off the A/Cand stop the vehicle in a safe area to cool down the engine.
When towing check transaxle fluid more frequently.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the air conditioner, youshould install a condenser fan toimprove engine performancewhen towing a trailer.