2012 Hyundai Sonata radiator cap

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

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.

67
What to do in an emergency
IF THE ENGINE OVERHEATS
If your temperature gauge indicates over-
heating, you experience a loss of power,
or hear loud pinging or knocking, the
engine is probably too hot. If this hap-
pens, you should:
1. Pull off the road and stop as soon as it is safe to do so.
2. Place the shift lever in P (automatic transaxle) or neutral (manual
transaxle) and set the parking brake. If
the air conditioning is on, turn it off.
3. If engine coolant is running out under the car or steam is coming out from
the bonnet, stop the engine. Do notopen the bonnet until the coolant has
stopped running or the steaming has
stopped. If there is no visible loss of
engine coolant and no steam, leave
the engine running and check to be
sure the engine cooling fan is operat-
ing. If the fan is not running, turn the
engine off. 4. Check to see if the water pump drive
belt is missing. If it is not missing,
check to see that it is tight. If the drive
belt seems to be satisfactory, check for
coolant leaking from the radiator,
hoses or under the car. (If the air con-
ditioning had been in use, it is normal
for cold water to be draining from it
when you stop).
5. If the water pump drive belt is broken or engine coolant is leaking out, stop the engine immediately and call the
nearest authorised HYUNDAI dealer
for assistance. 6. If you cannot find the cause of the
overheating, wait until the engine tem-
perature has returned to normal. Then,if coolant has been lost, carefully add
coolant to the reservoir to bring the
fluid level in the reservoir up to the
halfway mark.
7. Proceed with caution, keeping alert for further signs of overheating. If over-heating happens again, call an autho-
rised HYUNDAI dealer for assistance.
WARNING
Whilst the engine is running, keep
hair, hands and clothing away from
moving parts such as the fan and
drive belts to prevent injury.
WARNING
Do not remove the radiator cap
when the engine is hot. This can
allow coolant to be blown out of the
opening and cause serious burns.
CAUTION
Serious loss of coolant indicates there is a leak in the cooling systemand this should be checked as soonas possible by an authorised HYUNDAI dealer.

Maintenance
2
7
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
1. Power steering fluid reservoir
2. Engine coolant reservoir
3. Windscreen washer fluid reservoir
4. Radiator cap
5. Engine oil filler cap
6. Engine oil dipstick
7. Brake fluid reservoir
8. Air cleaner
9. Fuse box10.
Positive battery terminal
11. Negative battery terminal
OYF019003R/OYF079060R-1
■■ 2.0L
■
■ 2.4L

Maintenance
14
7
Air cleaner filter
A Genuine HYUNDAI air cleaner filter is recommended when the filter isreplaced. Spark plugs
Make sure to install new spark plugs of
the correct heat range.
Valve clearance
Inspect excessive valve noise and/or
engine vibration and adjust if necessary.
An authorised HYUNDAI dealer should
perform the operation. Cooling system
Check cooling system components, such
as radiator, coolant reservoir, hoses and
connections for leakage and damage.
Replace any damaged parts. Coolant The coolant should be changed at the
intervals specified in the maintenance
schedule.
Manual transaxle fluid (if equipped)
Inspect the manual transaxle fluid
according to the maintenance schedule.
Automatic transaxle fluid (if equipped)
Automatic transaxle fluid should not be
checked under normal usage conditions.
But in severe conditions, the fluid should
be changed at an authorised HYUNDAIdealer in accordance to the scheduledmaintenance at the beginning of this
chapter.
✽✽
NOTICE
Automatic transaxle fluid colour is basi-
cally red.
As the vehicle is driven, the automatic
transaxle fluid will begin to look darker.
It is normal condition and you should
not judge the need to replace the fluid
based upon the changed colour.
CAUTION
The use of a non-specified fluid could result in transaxle malfunc-
tion and failure.
Use only specified automatictransaxle fluid. (Refer to“Recommended lubricants and
capacities” in section 8.)

Maintenance
16
7
ENGINE OIL
Checking the engine oil level
1. Be sure the vehicle is on level ground.
2. Start the engine and allow it to reach normal operating temperature.
3. Turn the engine off and wait for a few minutes (about 5 minutes) for the oil to
return to the oil pan.
4. Pull the dipstick out, wipe it clean, and
re-insert it fully. 5. Pull the dipstick out again and check
the level. The level should be betweenF and L.
If it is near or at L, add enough oil to bring
the level to F.Do not overfill.
Use a funnel to help prevent oil frombeing spilled on engine components.
Use only the specified engine oil. (Refer to “Recommended lubricants and capaci-
ties” in section 8.)
WARNING - Radiator hose
Be very careful not to touch the
radiator hose when checking or
adding the engine oil as it may be
hot enough to burn you.
OYF079003
OYF071003N
2.0L
2.4LOYF079004
OYF071004N
2.0L
2.4LCAUTION
Do not overfill with engine oil. Engine damage may result.
Do not spill engine oil, when adding or changing engine oil. Ifyou drop the engine oil on theengine room, wipe it off immedi-ately.

Maintenance
18
7
ENGINE COOLANT
The high-pressure cooling system has a
reservoir filled with year-round antifreeze
coolant. The reservoir is filled at the fac-
tory.
Check the antifreeze protection and
coolant level at least once a year, at thebeginning of the winter season, and
before travelling to a colder climate. Checking the coolant level
WARNING
Removing radiatorcap
Never attempt to remove the radi- ator cap whilst the engine is
operating or hot. Doing so mightlead to cooling system and
engine damage and could result
in serious personal injury fromescaping hot coolant or steam.
Turn the engine off and wait until it cools down. Use extreme care
when removing the radiator cap.
Wrap a thick towel around it, and
turn it counterclockwise slowly to
the first stop. Step back whilst
the pressure is released from the
cooling system. When you aresure all the pressure has been
released, press down on the cap,
using a thick towel, and continue
turning counterclockwise to
remove it.
(Continued)
WARNING The electric motor (cool-
ing fan) is controlled byengine coolant tempera-
ture, refrigerant pres-
sure and vehicle speed.
It may sometimes operate evenwhen the engine is not running.
Use extreme caution when working
near the blades of the cooling fan
so that you are not injured by a
rotating fan blades. As the engine
coolant temperature decreases, the
electric motor will automatically
shut off. This is a normal condition.
(Continued)
Even if the engine is not operat- ing, do not remove the radiator cap or the drain plug whilst the
engine and radiator are hot. Hot
coolant and steam may still blow
out under pressure, causing seri-
ous injury.

Maintenance
20
7
Changing the coolant
Have coolant changed by an authorised
HYUNDAI dealer according to theMaintenance Schedule at the beginningof this section.
WARNING
Radiator cap
Do not remove the radiator cap when the engine and radiator are
hot. Scalding hot coolant and
steam may blow out under pres-
sure causing serious injury.
CAUTION
Put a thick cloth around the radiator cap before refilling the coolant in order to prevent the coolant fromoverflowing into engine parts such as the alternator.
WARNING - Coolant
Do not use radiator coolant or antifreeze in the washer fluid
reservoir.
Radiator coolant can severely obscure visibility when sprayed
on the windscreen and may
cause loss of vehicle control or
damage to paint and body trim.
OYF079006-1