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15
Introduction
Operation in foreign countries
If you are going to drive your vehicle
in another country, be sure to:
Observe all regulations regardingregistration and insurance.
Determine that acceptable fuel is available. No special break-in period is needed.
By following a few simple precautions
for the first 1,000 km (600 miles) you
may add to the performance, econo-
my and life of your vehicle.
Do not race the engine.
While driving, keep your engine
speed (rpm, or revolutions per
minute) between 2,000 rpm and
4,000 rpm.
Do not maintain a single speed for long periods of time, either fast or
slow. Varying engine speed is need-
ed to properly break-in the engine.
Avoid hard stops, except in emer- gencies, to allow the brakes to seat
properly.
Don't let the engine idle longer than 3 minutes at one time.
Don't tow a trailer during the first 2,000 km (1,200 miles) of operation.
VEHICLE BREAK-IN PROCESS
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541
Driving your vehicle
Your vehicle's fuel economy depends
mainly on your style of driving, where
you drive and when you drive.
Each of these factors affects how
many miles (kilometers) you can get
from a gallon (liter) of fuel. To operate
your vehicle as economically as pos-
sible, use the following driving sug-
gestions to help save money in both
fuel and repairs:
Drive smoothly. Accelerate at amoderate rate. Don't make "jack-
rabbit" starts or full-throttle shifts
and maintain a steady cruising
speed. Don't race between stop-
lights. Try to adjust your speed to
the traffic so you don't have to
change speeds unnecessarily.
Avoid heavy traffic whenever pos-
sible. Always maintain a safe dis-
tance from other vehicles so you
can avoid unnecessary braking.
This also reduces brake wear.
Drive at a moderate speed. The faster you drive, the more fuel your
vehicle uses. Driving at a moderate
speed, especially on the highway,
is one of the most effective ways to
reduce fuel consumption. Don't "ride" the brake pedal. This
can increase fuel consumption and
also increase wear on these com-
ponents. In addition, driving with
your foot resting on the brake pedal
may cause the brakes to overheat,
which reduces their effectiveness
and may lead to more serious con-
sequences.
Take care of your tires. Keep them inflated to the recommended pres-
sure. Incorrect inflation, either too
much or too little, results in unnec-
essary tire wear. Check the tire
pressures at least once a month.
Be sure that the wheels are aligned correctly. Improper align-
ment can result from hitting curbs
or driving too fast over irregular
surfaces. Poor alignment causes
faster tire wear and may also result
in other problems as well as
greater fuel consumption. Keep your vehicle in good condi-
tion. For better fuel economy and
reduced maintenance costs, main-
tain your vehicle in accordance
with the maintenance schedule in
section 7. If you drive your vehicle
in severe conditions, more frequent
maintenance is required (see sec-
tion 7 for details).
Keep your vehicle clean. For maxi- mum service, your vehicle should
be kept clean and free of corrosive
materials. It is especially important
that mud, dirt, ice, etc. not be
allowed to accumulate on the
underside of the vehicle. This extra
weight can result in increased fuel
consumption and also contribute to
corrosion.
Travel lightly. Don't carry unneces- sary weight in your vehicle. Weight
reduces fuel economy.
Don't let the engine idle longer than necessary. If you are waiting
(and not in traffic), turn off your
engine and restart only when
you're ready to go.
ECONOMICAL OPERATION
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625
What to do in an emergency
Emergency towing precautions
Turn the ignition switch to ACC sothe steering wheel isn’t locked.
Place the transaxle shift lever in N (Neutral).
Release the parking brake.
Press the brake pedal with more force than normal since you will
have reduced brake performance.
More steering effort will be required because the power steer-
ing system will be disabled.
If you are driving down a long hill, the brakes may overheat and brake
performance will be reduced. Stop
often and let the brakes cool off. If the car is being towed with all four
wheels on the ground, it can be
towed only from the front. Be sure
that the transmission is in neutral. Be
sure the steering is unlocked by plac-
ing the ignition switch in the ACC
position. A driver must be in the
towed vehicle to operate the steering
and brakes.
CAUTION - Automatic
transaxle
To avoid serious damage to
the automatic transmission,limit the vehicle speed to 15km/h (10 mph) and drive lessthan 1.5 km (1 mile) when tow-ing.
Before towing, check for an automatic transmission fluidleak under your vehicle. If theautomatic transmission fluidis leaking, a flatbed equipmentor towing dolly must be used.
Page 428 of 446

Maintenance
80
7
Do not operate the engine in con-
fined or closed areas (such as
garages) any more than what is
necessary to move the vehicle in or
out of the area.
When the vehicle is stopped in an open area for more than a short
time with the engine running,
adjust the ventilation system (as
needed) to draw outside air into the
vehicle.
Never sit in a parked or stopped vehicle for any extended time with
the engine running.
When the engine stalls or fails to start, excessive attempts to restart
the engine may cause damage to
the emission control system.Operating precautions for catalyt-
ic converters (if equipped)
Your vehicle is equipped with a cat-
alytic converter emission control
device.
Therefore, the following precautions
must be observed: Use only UNLEADED FUEL for
gasoline engines.
Do not operate the vehicle when there are signs of engine malfunc-
tion, such as misfire or a noticeable
loss of performance.
Do not misuse or abuse the engine. Examples of misuse are
coasting with the ignition off and
descending steep grades in gear
with the ignition off.
Do not operate the engine at high idle speed for extended periods (5
minutes or more).
Do not modify or tamper with any part of the engine or emission con-
trol system. All inspections and
adjustments must be made by an
authorized Kia dealer.
Avoid driving with a extremely low fuel level. Running out of fuel could
cause the engine to misfire, dam-
aging the catalytic converter.
Failure to observe these precautions
could result in damage to the catalyt-
ic converter and to your vehicle.
Additionally, such actions could void
your warranties.
WARNING- Fire
Do not park, idle or drive the vehicle over or near flamma-
ble objects, such as grass,
vegetation, paper, leaves, etc.
A hot exhaust system can
ignite flammable items under
your vehicle.
Also, do not remove the heat sink around the exhaust sys-
tem, do not seal the bottom of
the vehicle or do not coat the
vehicle for corrosion control.
It may present a fire risk under
certain conditions.
WARNING- Catalytic
converter
Keep away from the catalytic
converter and exhaust system
while the vehicle is running or
immediately thereafter. The
exhaust and catalytic systems
are very hot and may burn you.