2012 KIA PICANTO overheating

559
Driving your vehicle
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) for automatic transaxle.
7. Shut off the vehicle and release the vehicle brakes but leave the parking
brake set.
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
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
temperature gauge moves acrossthe dial towards “H (or 130°C / 260°F)” (HOT), pull over and stop
as soon as it is safe to do so, andallow the engine to idle until itcools down. You may proceedonce the engine has cooled suffi-
ciently.
You must decide the driving speed depending on trailerweight and uphill grade to reducethe possibility 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.

Driving your vehicle
60
5
When you are ready to leave after park-
ing on a hill
1. With the manual transaxle in Neutral
or 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. 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 nutsand bolts should be tight.CAUTION
Due to higher load during trailer
usage, overheating might occur
in 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 the transaxle fluid more frequently.
If your vehicle is not equipped with an air conditioner, you
should install a condenser fan toimprove engine performancewhen towing a trailer.

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 (Park) and set the parking brake. If the air condition-
ing is on, turn it off.
3. If engine coolant is running out under the car or steam is coming out from
the hood, stop the engine. Do not openthe hood 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 operating. 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 authorized KIA 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 author-
ized KIA dealer for assistance.
WARNING
While 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 authorized KIA dealer.

37
Safety features of your vehicle
Active headrest (if equipped)
The active headrest is designed to move
forward and upward during a rear impact.
This helps to prevent the driver's and
front passenger’s heads from moving
backward and thus helps prevent neck
injuries.Seat warmer (if equipped)
The seat warmer is provided to warm the
front seats during cold weather. With the
ignition switch in the ON position, push
either of the switches to warm the driver'sseat or the front passenger's seat.
During mild weather or under conditions
where the operation of the seat warmer
is not needed, keep the switches in the"OFF" position.
Each time you press the button, the
temperature setting of the seat will
change as follows :
The seat warmer defaults to the OFF position whenever the ignition switch is
turned on.
✽✽ NOTICE
With the seat warmer switch in the ON
position, the heating system in the seat
turns off or on automatically depending
on the seat temperature.
OFF HIGH( ) LOW( )

HNF2041-1/HOTA030008R
WARNING
A gap between the seat and the
headrest release button mayappear when seating on the seat or
when you push or pull the seat. Be
careful not to get your finger, etc.caught in the gap.
CAUTION
When cleaning the seats, do not use an organic solvent such aspaint thinner, benzene, alcohol and petrol. Doing so may damage
the surface of the heater or seats.
To prevent overheating the seat warmer, do not place blankets,cushions or seat covers on theseats whilst the seat warmer is in
operation.
Do not place heavy or sharp objects on seats equipped withseat warmers. Damage to the seat warming components could occur.

Features of your vehicle
60
4
Malfunction indicator light
(MIL) (check engine light)
This indicator light is part of the Engine
Control System which monitors various
emission control system components. If
this light illuminates whilst driving, it indi-cates that a potential malfunction has
been detected somewhere in the emis-sion control system. This light will also illuminate when the
ignition switch is turned to the ON posi-
tion, and will go out in a few seconds
after the engine is started. If it illuminates
whilst driving, or does not illuminate
when the ignition switch is turned to the
ON position, take your vehicle to your
nearest authorised KIA dealer and have
the system checked.
Generally, your vehicle will continue to be
drivable, but have the system checked by
an authorised KIA dealer promptly.
Engine coolant tempera-ture warning light (if equipped)
The warning light illuminates if the tem-
perature of the engine coolant is above120±3.0°C (248±5.4°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.
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 whichcould result in loss of enginepower. Have the Engine Control System inspected as soon as pos-
sible by an authorised KIA dealer.

487
Features of your vehicle
Operation Tips
To keep dust or unpleasant fumes fromentering the vehicle through the venti-
lation system, temporarily set the air
intake control to the recirculated air
position. Be sure to return the control
to the fresh air position when the irrita-
tion has passed to keep fresh air in the
vehicle. This will help keep the driver
alert and comfortable.
Air for the heating/cooling system is drawn in through the grilles just ahead
of the windscreen. Care should be
taken that these are not blocked by
leaves, snow, ice or other obstructions.
To prevent interior fog on the wind- screen, set the air intake control to the
fresh air position and fan speed to the
desired position, turn on the air condi-tioning system, and adjust the temper-
ature control to desired temperature.Air conditioning
All KIA Air Conditioning Systems are
filled with environmentally friendly
R-134a refrigerant which does not dam-
age the ozone layer.
1. Start the engine. Press the air condi- tioning button.
2. Set the mode to the position.
3. Set the air intake control to the outside air or recirculated air position.
4. Adjust the fan speed control and tem- perature control to maintain maximum
comfort.
When maximum cooling is desired, set the temperature control to the extreme
left position, then set the fan speedcontrol to the highest speed.✽✽ NOTICE
 When using the air conditioning sys- tem, monitor the temperature gauge
closely whilst driving up hills or in
heavy traffic when outside tempera-
tures are high. Air conditioning sys-
tem operation may cause engine over-
heating. Continue to use the blower
fan but turn the air conditioning sys-
tem off if the temperature gauge indi-
cates engine overheating.
 When opening the windows in humid weather air conditioning may create
water droplets inside the vehicle.
Since excessive water droplets may
cause damage to electrical equipment,
air conditioning should only be used
with the windows closed.

4101
Features of your vehicle
Cigarette lighter (if equipped)
For the cigarette lighter to work, the igni-
tion switch must be in the ACC positionor the ON position.
To use the cigarette lighter, push it all the
way into its socket. When the elementhas heated, the lighter will pop out to the
“ready” position.
If it is necessary to replace the cigarette
lighter, use only a genuine KIA replace-
ment or its approved equivalent.Ashtray (if equipped)
To use the ashtray, open the cover.
To clean or empty the ashtray, pull it out.
Use the ashtray by leaning it to the cup
holder right beside.
INTERIOR FEATURES
CAUTION
Only a genuine KIA lighter should
be used in the cigarette lightersocket. The use of plug-in acces-sories (shavers, hand-held vacu- ums, and coffee pots, etc.) may
damage the socket or cause electri- cal failure.
WARNING
Do not hold the lighter in after it is already heated because it will
overheat.
If the lighter does not pop out within 30 seconds, remove it to
prevent overheating.
OTA040085R
WARNING - Ashtray use
Do not use the vehicle’s ashtrays as waste receptacles.
Putting lit cigarettes or matches in an ashtray with other com-
bustible materials may cause a
fire.
OTA040086

Driving your vehicle
36
5
Good braking practices
After parking the vehicle, check to be
sure the parking brake is not engaged
and that the parking brake indicator
light is out before driving away.
Driving through water may get the brakes wet. They can also get wet
when the car is washed. Wet brakes
can be dangerous! Your car will not
stop as quickly if the brakes are wet.
Wet brakes may cause the car to pull
to one side. To dry the brakes, apply the brakes
lightly until the braking action returns to
normal, taking care to keep the car
under control at all times. If the braking
action does not return to normal, stop
as soon as it is safe to do so and call
an authorised KIA dealer for assis-
tance.
Don't coast down hills with the car out of gear. This is extremely hazardous.
Keep the car in gear at all times, use
the brakes to slow down, then shift to a
lower gear so that engine braking will
help you maintain a safe speed.
Don't "ride" the brake pedal. Resting your foot on the brake pedal whilst driv-ing can be dangerous because it can
result in the brakes overheating and
losing their effectiveness. It also
increases the wear of the brake com-
ponents.
If a tyre goes flat whilst you are driving, apply the brakes gently and keep the
car pointed straight ahead whilst you
slow down. When you are moving
slowly enough for it to be safe to do so,
pull off the road and stop in a safe
place. If your car is equipped with an auto-
matic transaxle, don't let your car
creep forward. To avoid creeping for-
ward, keep your foot firmly on the
brake pedal when the car is stopped.
Be cautious when parking on a hill. Firmly engage the parking brake and
place the shift lever in P (Park). If your
car is facing downhill, turn the front
wheels into the kerb to help keep the
car from rolling. If your car is facing
uphill, turn the front wheels away from
the kerb to help keep the car from
rolling. If there is no kerb or if it is
required by other conditions to keep
the car from rolling, block the wheels.
Under some conditions your parking brake can freeze in the engaged posi-
tion. 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 that the
parking brake may freeze, apply it only
temporarily whilst you put the shift lever
in P (Park) and block the rear wheels so
the car cannot roll. Then release the
parking brake.
Do not hold the vehicle on the upgrade with the accelerator pedal. This can
cause the transaxle to overheat.
Always use the brake pedal or parking
brake.
WARNING
Whenever leaving vehicle or parking, always set the parking
brake as far as possible and fully
engage the vehicle's transaxle
into the park position. Vehicles
not fully engaged in park with the
parking brake set are at risk for
moving inadvertently and injur-
ing yourself or others.
All vehicles should always have the parking brake fully engaged
when parking to avoid inadver-
tent movement of the car whichcan injure occupants or pedestri-ans.