2012 Hyundai Sonata engine coolant

Your vehicle at a glance
4
2
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
1. Power steering fluid reservoir ...........7-22
2. Engine coolant reservoir ...................7-18
3. Windscreen washer fluid reservoir....7-23
4. Radiator cap .....................................7-20
5. Engine oil filler cap ...........................7-16
6. Engine oil dipstick .............................7-16
7. Brake/clutch fluid reservoir ...............7-21
8. Air cleaner.........................................7-25
9. Fuse box ...........................................7-4410.
Positive battery terminal.................7-31
11. Negative battery terminal ..............7-31
OYF019003R/OYF079060R-1
■■
2.0L
■
■ 2.4L

445
Features of your vehicle
Tachometer
The tachometer indicates the approxi-
mate number of engine revolutions per
minute (rpm). Use the tachometer to select the correct
shift points and to prevent lugging and/or
over-revving the engine. When the door is open, or if the engine is
not started within 1 minute, the tachome-
ter pointer may move slightly in ON posi-
tion with the engine OFF. This movement
is normal and will not affect the accuracy
of the tachometer once the engine is run-ning.
Engine temperature gauge
This gauge shows the temperature of the
engine coolant when the ignition switchis ON.
Do not continue driving with an overheat-
ed engine. If your vehicle overheats, refer
to “If the engine overheats” in section 6.
CAUTION
If the gauge pointer moves beyondthe normal range area toward the“H” position, it indicates overheat-ing that may damage the engine.
CAUTION
Do not operate the engine within the tachometer's RED ZONE. This
may cause severe engine damage.
OYF049045OYF049047
H

Features of your vehicle
46
4
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge indicates the approxi- mate amount of fuel remaining in the fueltank.
The fuel tank capacity is given in sec-
tion 8.The fuel gauge is supplemented by
a low fuel warning light, which will illumi-
nate when the fuel tank is near 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 thetank.
WARNING
Never remove the radiator cap
when the engine is hot. The enginecoolant is under pressure and
could cause severe burns. Wait
until the engine is cool before
adding coolant to the reservoir.
OYF049048
WARNING - Fuel gauge
Running out of fuel can expose
vehicle occupants to danger.
You must stop and obtain addition-
al fuel as soon as possible after thewarning light comes on or when the
gauge indicator comes close to the
E level.
CAUTION
Avoid driving with a extremely low fuel level. Running out of fuel could cause the engine to misfire, damag-ing the catalytic converter.

459
Features of your vehicle
Engine coolant tempera-ture warning light (if equipped)
The warning light illuminates if the tem-
perature of the engine coolant is above125±2.5°C (257±4.5°F).
Do not continue driving with an overheat-
ed engine. If your vehicle overheats, refer
to “Overheating” in section 6.
✽✽ NOTICE
If the engine coolant temperature warn-
ing light illuminates, it indicates over-
heating that may damage the engine.
ESP (Electronic Stability Program) indicator (if equipped)
The ESP indicator will illuminate when
the ignition switch is turned ON, but
should go off after approximately 3 sec-
onds. When the ESP is on, it monitors the
driving conditions. Under normal driving
conditions, the ESP indicator will remain
off. When a slippery or low traction con-dition is encountered, the ESP will oper-
ate, and the ESP indicator will blink to
indicate the ESP is operating. But, if the ESP system malfunctions the
indicator illuminates and stays on. Take
your vehicle to an authorised HYUNDAI
dealer and have the system checked.
ESP OFF indicator
(if equipped)
The ESP OFF indicator will illuminate
when the ignition switch is turned ON,
but should go off after approximately 3
seconds. To switch to ESP OFF mode,
press the ESP OFF button. The ESPOFF indicator will illuminate indicating
the ESP is deactivated.
CAUTION
Prolonged driving with the Malfunction Indicator Light illumi-
nated may cause damage to theemission control systems whichcould effect drivability and/or fuel economy.
CAUTION
If the Malfunction Indicator Lightilluminates, potential catalytic con-verter damage is possible which could result in loss of engine
power. Have the Engine ControlSystem inspected as soon as pos-sible by an authorised HYUNDAIdealer.

53
Driving your vehicle
Before entering vehicle
• Be sure that all windows, outside mir-ror(s), and outside lights are clean.
Check the condition of the tyres.
Check under the vehicle for any sign of leaks.
Be sure there are no obstacles behind you if you intend to back up. 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”.
Before starting
Close and lock all doors.
Position the seat so that all controls are
easily 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 whilst distracted can result
in a loss of vehicle control, that
may lead to an accident, severe
personal injury, and death. The dri-
ver’s primary responsibility is in
the safe and legal operation of a
vehicle, and use of any handheld
devices, other equipment, or vehi-
cle systems which take the driver’s
eyes, attention and focus away
from the safe operation of a vehicle
or which are not permissible by law
should never be used during oper-
ation of the vehicle.

545
Driving your vehicle
Highway driving
Tyres
Adjust the tyre inflation pressures to
specification. Low tyre inflation pressures
will result in overheating and possible
failure of the tyres.
Avoid using worn or damaged tyres
which may result in reduced traction or
tyre failure.
✽✽NOTICE
Never exceed the maximum tyre infla-
tion pressure shown on the tyres.
Fuel, engine coolant and engine oil
High speed travel consumes more fuel
than urban motoring. Do not forget to
check both engine coolant and engineoil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may result
in overheating of the engine.
WARNING
Underinflated or overinflated tyres can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and sud-den tyre failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.
Always check tyres for proper
inflation before driving. For prop-
er tyre pressures, refer to “Tyres
and wheels” in section 8.
Driving on tyres with no or insuf- ficient tread is dangerous. Worn-out tyres can result in loss of
vehicle control, collisions, injury,
and even death. Worn-out tyresshould be replaced as soon as
possible and should never be
used for driving. Always check
the tyre tread before driving your
car. For further information and
tread limits, refer to “Tyres and
wheels” in section 7.
ONF028001R

549
Driving your vehicle
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.
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 authorised HYUNDAI
dealer and most auto parts outlets. Donot use engine coolant or other types of
anti-freeze as these may damage thepaint finish.Don't let your parking brake
freeze
Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged position.
This is most likely to happen when there
is an accumulation of snow or ice around
or near the rear brakes or if the brakes
are wet. If there is a risk the parking
brake may freeze, apply it only temporar-
ily whilst you put the shift lever in P (auto-
matic transaxle) or in first or reverse gear
(manual transaxle) and block the rear
wheels so the vehicle cannot roll. Then
release the parking brake.
Don't let ice and snow accumu- late underneath
Under some conditions, snow and ice
can build up under the fenders and inter-
fere with the steering. When driving in
severe winter conditions where this may
happen, you should periodically check
underneath the car to be sure the move-
ment of the front wheels and the steering
components is not obstructed.Carry emergency equipment
Depending on the severity of the weath-
er where you drive your car, you should
carry appropriate emergency equipment.
Some of the items you may want to carry
include tyre chains, tow straps or chains,
flashlight, emergency flares, sand, a
shovel, jumper cables, a window scraper,
gloves, ground cloth, coveralls, a blanket,etc.

Driving your vehicle
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5
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 kerb (left if headed down hill,
right 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) for automatic transaxle.
7. Shut off the vehicle and release the vehicle brakes but leave the parking
brake set.CAUTION
When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay
close attention to the enginecoolant temperature gauge toensure the engine does not over- heat.
If the needle of the coolant tem-perature gauge moves across thedial towards “H” (HOT), pull overand stop as soon as it is safe to
do so, and allow the engine to idleuntil it cools down. You may pro-ceed once the engine has cooledsufficiently.
You must decide driving speed depending on trailer weight anduphill grade to reduce the possi-bility of engine and transaxle overheating.
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.