2018 KIA FORTE coolant

587
Driving your vehicle
Driving off-road
Drive carefully off-road because your
vehicle may be damaged by rocks or
roots of trees. Become familiar with
the off-road conditions where you
are going to drive before you begin
driving.
Highway driving
Tires
Adjust the tire inflation pressures to
specification. Low tire inflation pres-
sures will result in overheating and
possible failure of the tires.
Avoid using worn or damaged tires
which may result in reduced traction
or tire failure.
Never exceed the maximum tire
inflation pressure shown on the tires.
Fuel, engine coolant and engineoil
High speed travel consumes more
fuel than urban motoring. Do not for-
get to check both the engine coolant
and engine oil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may
overheat the engine.
WARNING- Tire tread
Always check the tire tread
before driving your vehicle.
Worn-out tires can result in loss
of vehicle control. Worn-out
tires should be replaced as
soon as possible. For further
information and tread limits,
refer to "Tires and wheels" in
section 7.
WARNING- Under/Over Inflated Tires
Always check the tires for prop-
er inflation before driving.
Underinflated or overinflated
tires can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and sud-
den tire failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.

589
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.

What to do in an emergency
66
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 (Automatic transaxle/ Dual Clutch
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.
Serious loss of coolant indicates
there is a leak in the cooling system
and this should be checked as soon
as possible by an authorized Kia
dealer.
WARNING - Under the hood
While the engine is running,
keep hair, hands and clothing
away from moving parts such
as the fan and drive belts.
WARNING- Radiator cap
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.

Maintenance
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Maintenance services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
• Owner’s responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
• Owner maintenance precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Owner maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
• Owner maintenance schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Scheduled maintenance service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items . . . 7-29
Checking fluid levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-32
Engine oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33
• Checking the engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33
• Changing the engine oil and filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
• Checking the coolant level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
• Changing the coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-37
Brake/clutch fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
• Checking the brake/clutch* fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
• Checking the washer fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
• Checking the parking brake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
• Filter replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
Climate control air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
• Filter inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
• Filter replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-44
• Blade inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-44
• Blade replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-44
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-\
47
• For best battery service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-47
• Battery recharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-48
• Reset items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-49\
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-50
• Tire care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-\
50
• Recommended cold tire inflation pressures . . . . . . . 7-50
• Checking tire inflation pressure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-51
• Tire rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-52
• Wheel alignment and tire balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-53
• Tire replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-54
• Wheel replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-55
• Tire traction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-55
• Tire maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-55
• Tire sidewall labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-55
• All season tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-61
• Summer tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-61
• Snow tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-\
62
• Radial-ply tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-62
• Low aspect ratio tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-62
7

73
Maintenance
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
OYDM076017/OYDM076078
■ ■Gasoline Nu 2.0 MPI Engine
❈ The actual engine compartment in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.
■ ■Gasoline Nu 2.0 GDI Engine 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

Maintenance
47
OJFA075002
■ ■Gasoline Gamma 1.6T-GDI Engine❈ The actual engine compartment in the vehicle may differ from the illustration. 1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Engine oil filler cap
3. Brake/clutch* fluid reservoir
4. Air cleaner
5. Fuse box
6. Negative battery terminal
7. Positive battery terminal
8. Engine oil dipstick
9. Radiator cap
10.Windshield washer fluid reservoir

77
Maintenance
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 its 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- Hot coolant
Be careful when checking your
engine coolant level when the
engine is hot. Scalding hot
coolant and steam may blow
out under pressure.

Maintenance
87
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 check the 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.