2021 KIA SPORTAGE coolant

Driving your vehicle
1585
Chain installation
When installing chains, follow the
manufacturer's instructions and
mount them as tightly as you can.
Drive slowly with chains installed. If
you hear the chains contacting the
body or chassis, stop and tighten
them. If they still make contact, slow
down until it stops. Remove the
chains as soon as you begin driving
on cleared roads.
When mounting snow chains, park
the vehicle on level ground away
from traffic. Turn on the vehicle
Hazard Warning flashers and place a
triangular emergency warning device
behind the vehicle if available.
Always place the vehicle in P (Park),
apply the parking brake and turn off
the engine before installing snow
chains.• The use of chains may adversely
affect vehicle handling.
• Do not exceed 20 mph (30 km/h) or the chain manufacturer’s recom-
mended speed limit, whichever is
lower.
• Drive carefully and avoid bumps, holes, sharp turns, and other road
hazards, which may cause the
vehicle to bounce.
• Avoid sharp turns or locked-wheel braking.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 chapter 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 chapter 7. The level of charge in
your battery can be checked by an
authorized Kia dealer or a service
station.
CAUTION- Snow chains
• Chains that are the wrong size or improperly installed candamage your vehicle's brakelines, suspension, body andwheels.
• Stop driving and retighten the chains any time you hear themhitting the vehicle.

5 159
Driving your vehicle
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
chapter 9 for recommendations. If
you aren't sure what weight oil you
should use, consult an authorized
Kia dealer.
Check spark plugs and ignition
system
Inspect your spark plugs as
described in chapter 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.
Don’t let your parking brake
freeze
Under some conditions your parking
brake can freeze in the engaged
position. This is most likely to happen
when there is an accumulation of
snow or ice around or near the rear
brakes or if the brakes are wet. If
there is a risk the parking brake may
freeze, apply it only temporarily while
you put the gear shift lever in P
(Park, Automatic Transmission) and
block the rear wheels so the vehicle
cannot roll. Then release the parking
brake.
Don't let ice and snow accu-
mulate underneath
Under some conditions, snow and
ice can build up under the fenders
and interfere with the steering. When
driving in severe winter conditions
where this may happen, you should
periodically check underneath the
vehicle to be sure the movement of
the front wheels and the steering
components are not obstructed.

5 165
Driving your vehicle
Towing up hill
• When towing a trailer on steepgrades (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 temper-
ature gauge moves across the dial
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 driving speed depending on trailer weight and
uphill grade to reduce the possibil-
ity of engine and transmission
overheating.
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 parkingspace. Turn the steering wheel in
the direction of the curb (right if
headed downhill, left if headed up
hill).
2.If the vehicle has an automatic transmission, 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 P (Park) for automatic transmis-
sion.
7.Shut off the vehicle and release the vehicle brakes but leave the park-
ing brake set.

67
What to do in an emergency
IF THE ENGINE OVERHEATS
If your temperature gauge indicates
overheating, you experience a loss
of power, or hear loud pinging or
knocking, the engine will probably be
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 (for Automatic transmission) and set
the parking brake. If the air condi-
tioning 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
leaking 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 is leaking
out, 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. If coolant has been lost, care-
fully 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,
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 to pre-
vent injury.
WARNING - Radiator cap
Do not remove the
radiator cap when the
engine is hot. This may
result in coolant being
blown out of the open-
ing and cause serious
burns.

Maintenance
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Maintenance services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
• Owner’s responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4
• Owner maintenance precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
Owner maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
• Owner maintenance schedule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Scheduled maintenance service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items . . . 7-21
Checking fluid levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-26
Engine oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
• Checking the engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
• Changing the engine oil and filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-28
Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-29
• Checking the coolant level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-29
• Changing the coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-32
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33
• Checking the brake fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33
Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
• Checking the washer fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
• Checking the parking brake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
• Filter replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36
Climate control air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
• Filter inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
• Blade inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
• Blade replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-\
43
• For best battery service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-43
• Recharging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-44
• Reset items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-45\
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
• Tire care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
7-46
• Recommended cold tire inflation pressures . . . . . . . 7-46
• Tire pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-47
• Checking tire inflation pressure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-47
• Tire rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-48
• Wheel alignment and tire balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-49
• Tire replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-50
• Wheel replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-51
• Tire traction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-51
• Tire maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-51
• Tire sidewall labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-51
• All season tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-58
• Summer tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-58
• Snow tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-\
58
• Tire chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-58\
7

73
Maintenance
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
OQLE075095/OQLA075109
■Theta II 2.4L GDI
❈ The actual engine compartment in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.
■Theta II 2.0L T-GDI 1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Engine oil filler cap
3. Brake fluid reservoir
4. Air cleaner
5. Fuse box
6. Negative battery terminal
7. Positive battery terminal
8. Engine oil dipstick
9.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 thecoolant reservoir.
• 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
roads.
• 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 transmission
occurs, check the transmission
fluid level.
• Check the automatic transmission 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 for tires
that are worn, show uneven wear,
or are damaged.
• Check for loose wheel lug nuts.
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.
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.
• Inspect and lubricate automatic transmission linkage and controls.
• Clean the battery and terminals.
• Check the brake fluid level.