559
Driving your vehicle
Use high quality ethylene gly-
col coolant
Your vehicle is delivered with high
quality ethylene glycol coolant in the
cooling system. It is the only type of
coolant that should be used because
it helps prevent corrosion in the cool-
ing system, lubricates the water
pump and prevents freezing. Be sure
to replace or replenish your coolant
in accordance with the maintenance
schedule in section 7. Before winter,
have your coolant tested to assure
that its freezing point is sufficient for
the temperatures anticipated during
the winter.
Check battery and cables
Winter puts additional burdens on
the battery system. Visually inspect
the battery and cables as described
in section 7. The level of charge in
your battery can be checked by an
authorized Kia dealer or a service
station.
Change to "winter weight" oil
if necessary
In some climates it is recommended
that a lower viscosity "winter weight"
oil be used during cold weather. See
section 8 for recommendations. If
you aren't sure what weight oil you
should use, consult an authorized
Kia dealer.
Check spark plugs and igni-
tion system
Inspect your spark plugs as
described in section 7 and replace
them if necessary. Also check all
ignition wiring and components to be
sure they are not cracked, worn or
damaged in any way.
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 heat-
ed 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 instruc-
tions on the container. Window wash-
er anti-freeze is available from an
authorized Kia dealer and most auto
parts outlets. Do not use engine
coolant or other types of anti-freeze
as these may damage the paint fin-
ish.
Driving your vehicle
66
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 they unexpected-
ly roll downhill.
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 downhill, left if headed up
hill). 2.If the vehicle has a manual
transaxle, place the vehicle in neu-
tral. If the vehicle has an automatic
transaxle, place the vehicle in P
(Park).
3.Set the parking brake and shut off the engine.
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 parking 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 park-
ing brake set.CAUTION
When towing a trailer on steep grades (in excess of 6%) payclose attention to the enginecoolant temperature gauge toensure the engine does notoverheat.
If the needle of the coolanttemperature gauge movesacross the dial towards “H”(HOT), pull over and stop assoon as it is safe to do so, andallow the engine to idle until itcools down. You may proceedonce the engine has cooledsufficiently.
You must decide driving speed depending on trailerweight and uphill grade toreduce the possibility ofengine and transaxle over-heating.
WARNING- Parking on a hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill
with a trailer attached could
cause serious injury or death,
should the trailer break loose or
brake stops working.
567
Driving your vehicle
When you are ready to leave after
parking on a hill
1. With the manual transaxle inNeutral 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 tow-
ing
Your vehicle will need service more
often when you regularly pull a trail-
er. Important items to pay particular
attention to include engine oil, auto-
matic transaxle fluid, axle lubricant
and cooling system fluid. Brake con-
dition is another important item to
frequently check. Each item is cov-
ered 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 mainte-
nance schedule that accompanied
your trailer and check it periodically.
Preferably, conduct the check at the
start of each day’s driving. Most
importantly, all hitch nuts and bolts
should be tight.
CAUTION
Due to higher load duringtrailer usage, overheatingmight occur in hot days orduring uphill driving. If thecoolant gauge indicates over-heating, switch off the A/C andstop the vehicle in a safe areato cool down the engine.
When towing check transaxle fluid more frequently.
WARNING- Parkingbrake
It can be dangerous to get out
of your vehicle if the parking
brake is not firmly set.
If you have left the engine run-
ning, the vehicle can move sud-
denly. You or others could be
seriously or fatally injured.
What to do in an emergency
86
IF THE ENGINE OVERHEATS
If your temperature gauge indicates
overheating, you will experience a
loss of power, or hear loud pinging or
knocking, the engine is probably too
hot. If this happens, you should:
1.Pull off the road and stop as soonas it is safe to do so.
2.Place the shift lever in P (automat- ic 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 vehicle or steam is com-
ing out from underneath 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 cool-
ing 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 leak-
ing from the radiator, hoses or
under the vehicle. (If the air condi-
tioning had been in use, it is nor-
mal for cold water to be draining
from it when you stop).
5.If the water pump drive belt is bro- ken or engine coolant leaks, 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
temperature has returned to nor-
mal. Then, if coolant has been lost,
carefully add coolant to the reser-
voir 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,
call an authorized Kia dealer for
assistance.
WARNING - Under thehood
While the engine is running,
keep hair, hands and clothing
away from moving parts such
as the fan and drive belts to pre-
vent injury.
WARNING
Do not remove the radiator cap
when the engine is hot. This
may result in coolant being
blown out of the opening and
cause serious burns.
CAUTION
Serious loss of coolant indi-
cates there is a leak in the cool-ing system and this should bechecked as soon as possible byan authorized Kia dealer.
Maintenance
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Maintenance services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Owner’s responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
Owner maintenance precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
Owner maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Owner maintenance schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Scheduled maintenance service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Normal maintenance schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Maintenance under severe usage conditions . . . . . . . . 7-23
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items . . . 7-25
Engine oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-29
Checking the engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-29
Changing the engine oil and filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
Checking the coolant level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
Changing the coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33
Radiator cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33
Brake/clutch fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
Checking the brake/clutch fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
Checking the washer fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
Automatic transaxle fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-37
Checking the parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-37
Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
Filter replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
Climate control air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
Filter inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
Blade inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
Blade replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-43\
For best battery service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-43
Battery recharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-44
Reset items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-\
45
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
Tire care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
7-46
Recommended cold tire inflation pressures . . . . . . . 7-46
Checking tire inflation pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-48
Tire rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-49
Wheel alignment and tire balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-50
Tire replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-50
Wheel replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-51
Tire traction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-52\
Tire maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-52
Tire sidewall labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-52
All season tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-58
Summer tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-58
Snow tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
7-59
7
73
Maintenance
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
ORP072002
1. Engine oil dipstick
2. Engine oil filler cap
3. Engine coolant reservoir
4. Radiator cap
5. Brake/clutch* fluid reservoir
6. Windshield washer fluid reservoir
7. Air cleaner
8. Positive battery terminal
9. Negative battery terminal
10. Fuse box
* : if equipped
■
■NU 2.0L GDI
❈The actual engine room in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.
Maintenance
67
OWNER MAINTENANCE
The following lists are vehicle checks
and inspections that should be per-
formed by the owner or an author-
ized Kia dealer at the frequencies
indicated to help ensure safe,
dependable operation of your vehi-
cle.
Any adverse conditions should be
brought to the attention of your deal-
er as soon as possible.
These Owner Maintenance Checks
are generally not covered by war-
ranties and you may be charged for
labor, parts and lubricants used.Owner maintenance schedule
When you stop for fuel:
Check the engine oil level.
Check the coolant level in coolantreservoir.
Check the windshield washer fluid level.
Look for low or under-inflated tires.
While operating your vehicle:
Note any changes in the sound of the exhaust or any smell of
exhaust fumes in the vehicle.
Check for vibrations in the steering wheel. Notice any increased steer-
ing effort or looseness in the steer-
ing wheel, or change in the
straight-ahead position.
Notice if your vehicle constantly turns slightly or “pulls” to one side
when traveling on smooth, level
road.
When stopping, listen and check for unusual sounds, pulling to one
side, increased brake pedal travel
or “hard-to-push” brake pedal.
If any slipping or changes in the operation of your transaxle occurs,
check the transaxle fluid level.
Check the automatic transaxle P (Park) function.
Check the parking brake.
Check for fluid leaks under your vehicle (water dripping from the air
conditioning system during or after
use is normal).
WARNING
Be careful when checking your
engine coolant level when the
engine is hot. Scalding hot
coolant and steam may blow
out under pressure. This could
cause burns or other serious
injury.
77
Maintenance
At least monthly:
Check the coolant level in theengine coolant reservoir.
Check the operation of all exterior lights, including the stoplights, turn
signals and hazard warning flash-
ers.
Check the inflation pressures of all tires including the spare.
At least twice a year (i.e., every Spring and Fall) :
Check the radiator, heater and air conditioning hoses for leaks or
damage.
Check the windshield washer spray and wiper operation. Clean
the wiper blades with clean cloth
dampened with washer fluid.
Check the headlight alignment.
Check the muffler, exhaust pipes, shields and clamps.
Check the lap/shoulder belts for wear and function.
Check for worn tires and loose wheel lug nuts.
At least once a year :
Clean the body and door drainholes.
Lubricate the door hinges and checks, and hood hinges.
Lubricate the door and hood locks and latches.
Lubricate the door rubber weather- strips.
Check the air conditioning system.
Check the power steering fluid level.
Inspect and lubricate automatic transaxle linkage and controls.
Clean the battery and terminals.
Check the brake/clutch fluid level.