2018 KIA NIRO PLUG-IN HYBRID Owners Manual

Maintenance
28
8
COOLANT
The high-pressure cooling system
has a reservoir filled with year round
antifreeze coolant. The reservoir is
filled at the factory.
Check the antifreeze protection and
coolant level at least once a year: at
the beginning of the winter season,
and before traveling to a colder cli-
mate.Checking the coolant level Turn the engine off and wait until it
cools down. Use extreme care
when removing 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 cool-
ing system.
When you are sure all the pressure
has been released, press down on
the cap, using a thick towel, and
continue turning counterclockwise
to remove it.
Even if the engine is not operating, do not remove the radiator cap or
the drain plug while the engine and
radiator are hot. Hot coolant and
steam may still blow out under
pressure, causing serious injury.
The engine coolant and/or inverter
coolant level is influenced by the
hybrid system temperature. Before
checking or refilling the engine
coolant and/or inverter coolant,
turn the hybrid vehicle off.
WARNING
Removing radiator
cap
Never attempt to remove the
radiator cap while the engine is
operating or hot. Doing so
might lead to cooling system
and engine damage and could
result in serious personal injury
from escaping hot coolant or
steam.
CAUTION - Radiator cap
Never attempt to remove theradiator cap while the engine isoperating or hot. Doing somight lead to cooling systemand engine damage.

829
Maintenance
Engine coolant
Check the condition and connections
of all cooling system hoses and
heater hoses. Replace any swollen
or deteriorated hoses.
The coolant level should be filled
between MAX and MIN marks on the
side of the coolant reservoir when
the engine is cool.
If the coolant level is low, add enough
specified coolant to provide protec-
tion against freezing and corrosion.
Bring the level to MAX, but do not
overfill. If frequent additions are
required, see an authorized Kia deal-
er for a cooling system inspection.
Inverter coolant
The coolant level should be filled
between MAX and MIN marks on the
side of the coolant reservoir when
the engine is cool.
WARNING- Cooling fan
Use caution when
working near the
blade of the cooling
fan. The electric
motor (cooling fan) is
controlled by engine coolant
temperature, refrigerant pres-
sure and vehicle speed. it may
sometimes operate even when
the engine is not running.
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■Hybrid
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■Plug-in Hybrid

Maintenance
30
8
If the coolant level is low, add enough
specified coolant to provide protec-
tion against freezing and corrosion.
Bring the level to MAX, but do not
overfill. If frequent additions are
required, see an authorized Kia deal-
er for a cooling system inspection.Recommended coolant
When adding coolant, use only
deionized water or soft water for
your vehicle and never mix hard
water in the coolant filled at the fac-
tory. An improper coolant mixture
can result in serious malfunction or
engine damage.
The engine in your vehicle has alu- minum engine parts and must be
protected by an ethylene-glycol
with phosphate based coolant to
prevent corrosion and freezing.
DO NOT USE alcohol or methanol coolant or mix them with the spec-
ified coolant.
Do not use a solution that contains more than 60% antifreeze or less
than 35% antifreeze. This would
reduce the effectiveness of the
solution. For mixture percentage, refer to the
following table.
Ambient
Temperature Mixture Percentage
(volume)
Antifreeze Water
5°F (-15°C)35 65
-13°F (-25°C)4060
-31°F (-35°C)5050
-49°F (-45°C)6040

831
Maintenance
✽
✽NOTICE
Make sure the coolant cap is proper-
ly closed after refill of coolant.
Otherwise the engine could be over-
heated while driving.
1. Check if the radiator cap label is
straight In front.WARNING
Radiator cap
Do not remove the radiator cap
when the engine and radiator
are hot. Scalding hot coolant
and steam may blow out under
pressure which may result in
serious injury.
■Inverter coolant reservoir cap (Hybrid)
■Engine coolant reservoir cap
ODE076004■Inverter coolant reservoir cap (Plug-in Hybrid)
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■ Engine room front view

Maintenance
32
8
2. Make sure that the tiny protru-
sions inside the coolant cap
should be securely interlocked.
Changing the coolant
Have the coolant changed by an
authorized Kia dealer according to
the Maintenance Schedule at the
beginning of this chapter.
CAUTION
Put a thick cloth or fabric
around the radiator cap beforerefilling the coolant in order toprevent the coolant from over-flowing into engine parts suchas the generator.
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■ Engine room rear view

833
Maintenance
BRAKE FLUID
Checking the brake fluid level
Check the fluid level in the reservoir
periodically. The fluid level should be
between MAX (Maximum) and MIN
(Minimum) marks on the side of the
reservoir.
Before removing the reservoir cap
and adding brake fluid, clean the
area around the reservoir cap thor-
oughly to prevent brake fluid contam-
ination.If the level is low, add fluid to the
MAX (Maximum) level. The level will
fall with accumulated mileage. This is
a normal condition associated with
the wear of brake linings. If the fluid
level is excessively low, have the
brake system checked by an author-
ized Kia dealer.
Use only the specified brake fluid.
(Refer to “Recommended lubricantsand capacities” in chapter 9.)
Never mix different types of fluid.
In the event the brake system
requires frequent additions of fluid,
the vehicle should be inspected by
an authorized Kia dealer.
When changing and adding brake
fluid, handle it carefully. Do not let it
come in contact with your eyes. If
brake fluid should come in contact
with your eyes, immediately flush
them with a large quantity of fresh
tap water. Have your eyes examined
by a doctor as soon as possible.
Brake fluid, which has been exposed
to open air for an extended time
should never be used as its quality
cannot be guaranteed. It should be
disposed of properly.
CAUTION - Brake fluid
Do not allow brake fluid to con-tact the vehicle's body paint, aspaint damage will result.
CAUTION - Proper fluid
Only use brake fluid in brakesystem. Small amounts ofimproper fluids (such as engineoil) can cause damage to thebrake system.
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Maintenance
34
8
ENGINE CLUTCH ACTUATOR FLUID
Checking the engine clutch
actuator fluid level
In normal driving conditions, the
actuator fluid level does not go down
rapidly. However, oil consumption
rate may rise as vehicle mileage
increases, and leakage in actuator
related parts may result in increased
consumption of the engine clutch
actuator oil. Regularly check and
make sure the engine clutch actuator
oil fluid level is between [MIN] and
[MAX] marks.
If the oil level is below [MIN] mark,
we recommend that your vehicle be
checked by an authorized Kia dealer. If the fluid level is excessively low, we
recommend that the system be
checked by an authorized Kia dealer.
Use only the specified engine clutch
actuator fluid.
(Refer to “Recommended lubricants
or capacities” in chapter 9.)
Never mix different types of fluid.
✽ ✽
NOTICE - Loss of engine
clutch actuator fluid
In the event the engine clutch actua-
tor requires frequent additions of
fluid, we recommend that the system
be inspected by an authorized Kia
dealer.
WARNING- Engine clutch actuator fluid
When changing and adding
engine clutch actuator fluid,
handle it carefully. Do not let it
come in contact with your eyes.
If engine clutch actuator fluid
should come in contact with
your eyes, immediately flush
them with a large quantity of
fresh tap water. Have your eyes
examined by a doctor as soon
as possible.
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835
Maintenance
CAUTION
Do not allow engine clutch actu-ator fluid to contact the vehi-cle's body paint, as paint dam-age will result. The engineclutch actuator fluid, which hasbeen exposed to open air for anextended time should never beused as its quality cannot beguaranteed. It should be proper-ly disposed. Don't put in thewrong kind of fluid. A few dropsof mineral-based oil, such asengine oil, in your engine clutchactuator system can damageengine clutch actuator systemparts.