2014 Hyundai Sonata overheating

5-82
Driving your vehicle
Driving on hills
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
overheated and may not operate effi-
ciently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down
and reduce your speed to around 70
km/h (45 mph) to reduce the possi-
bility of engine and transaxle over-
heating.
If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum trailer weight without trail-
er brakes and you have an automat-
ic transaxle , you should drive in D
(Drive) when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive)
when towing a trailer will minimize
heat build-up and extend the life of
your transaxle.
To p r e v e n t e n g i n e a n d / o r
transaxle overheating:
•When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay
close attention to the engine
coolant temperature gauge to
ensure the engine does not
overheat. If the needle of the
coolant temperature gauge
moves towards “H” (HOT), pull
over and stop as soon as it is
safe to do so, and allow the
engine to idle until it cools
down. You may proceed once the
engine has cooled sufficiently.
•You must decide your vehicle
speed according to trailer
weight and uphill grade.
Parking on hills
Generally, if you have a trailer
attached to your vehicle, you should
not park your vehicle on a 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 head-
ed down hill, left if headed up hill).
2. Shift the vehicle to P (Park, for
automatic transaxle vehicle) or
neutral (for manual transaxle vehi-
cle).
3. Set the parking brake and shut off
the vehicle.
4. Place wheel 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 park-
ing brake and slowly release the
brakes until the trailer chocks
absorb the load.
NOTICE

5-84
Driving your vehicle
To prevent vehicle damage:
•Due to higher load during trailer
usage, overheating might occur
on hot days or during uphill driv-
ing. If the coolant gauge indi-
cates over-heating, switch off
the air conditioner and stop the
vehicle in a safe area to cool
down the engine.
•When towing check automatic
transaxle fluid more frequently.
•If your vehicle is not equipped
with an air conditioner, you
should install a condenser fan
to improve engine performance
when towing a trailer.
NOTICE

6-8
What to do in an emergency
If your temperature gauge indicates
overheating, you experience a loss
of power, or hear loud pinging or
knocking, the engine may be over-
heating. If this happens, 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, for
automatic transaxle vehicle) or
neutral (for manual transaxle vehi-
cle) and set the parking brake. If
the air conditioning is ON, turn it
OFF.
3. If engine coolant is running out
under the vehicle or steam is com-
ing out from the hood, stop the
engine. Do not open the 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 for coolant leaking from the
radiator, hoses or under the vehi-
cle. (If the air conditioning had
been in use, it is normal for cold
water to be draining from it when
you stop.)
5. If engine coolant is leaking out,
stop the engine immediately and
we recommend that you call an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer for
assistance.
IF THE ENGINE OVERHEATS
While the engine is
running, keep hands,
clothing and tools
away from the mov-
ing parts such as the
cooling fan and drive
belt to prevent seri-
ous injury.
WARNING
NEVER remove the
radiator cap or the
drain plug while the
engine and radiator
are hot. Hot coolant
and steam may blow out under
pressure, causing serious
injury.
Turn the engine off and wait
until the engine cools down.
Use extreme care when remov-
ing the radiator cap. Wrap a
thick towel around it, and turn it
counterclockwise slowly to the
first stop. Step back while the
pressure is released from the
cooling system. When you are
sure all the pressure has been
released, press down on the
cap, using a thick towel, and
continue turning counterclock-
wise to remove it.
WARNING

6-9
What to do in an emergency
6
6. If you cannot find the cause of the
overheating, wait until the engine
temperature has returned to nor-
mal. 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 overheat-
ing. If overheating happens again,
we recommend that you call an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer for
assistance.
•Serious loss of coolant indi-
cates a leak in the cooling
system and we recommend
the system be checked by an
authorized HYUNDAI dealer.
•When the engine overheats
from low engine coolant, sud-
denly adding engine coolant
may cause cracks in the
engine. To prevent damage,
add engine coolant slowly in
small quantities.
CAUTION
IF YOU HAVE A FLAT TIRE
Changing a tire can be danger-
ous. Follow the instructions in
this section when changing a
tire to reduce the risk of serious
injury or death.
WARNING