2021 KIA SPORTAGE radiator cap

Features of your vehicle
484
Opening the fuel filler door
1. To open the fuel filler door, pressthe 3 o’clock position edge of the
fuel filler door.
✽NOTICE
The fuel filler door will open when
driver door is unlocked.
2. Pull the fuel filler door (1) out tofully open.
3. To remove the fuel tank cap (2), turn it counterclockwise. You may
hear a hissing noise as the pres-
sure inside the tank equalizes.
4. Place the cap on the fuel filler door.✽NOTICE
If the fuel filler door does not open
because ice has formed around it,
tap lightly or push on the door to
break the ice and release the door.
Do not pry on the door. If necessary,
spray around the door with an
approved deicer fluid (do not use
radiator antifreeze) or move the
vehicle to a warm place and allow
the ice to melt.
FUEL FILLER DOOR
OQL048027L
OQL048046L
WARNING
Before refueling, be sure to
check what type of fuel is used
for your vehicle.
If you put diesel fuel into a
gasoline-powered vehicle or
gasoline into a diesel-powered
vehicle, it may affect the fuel
system and cause serious dam-
age to the vehicle.

4 83
Features of your vehicle
Fuel Gauge
This gauge indicates the approxi-
mate amount of fuel remaining in the
fuel tank.
✽NOTICE
• The fuel tank capacity is given inchapter 7.
• The fuel gauge is supplemented by a low fuel warning light which will
illuminate when the fuel tank is
nearly empty.
• On inclines or curves, the fuel gauge pointer may fluctuate or the
low fuel warning light may come
on earlier than usual due to the
movement of fuel in the tank.✽NOTICE
Fuel display may not be accurate if
you are filling in sloping places.
WARNING - Hot radiator
Never remove the radiator cap
when the engine is hot. The
engine coolant is under pres-
sure and could cause severe
burns. Wait until the engine is
cool before adding coolant to
the reservoir.
OQL048232N
WARNING - Fuel gauge
Stop and obtain additional fuel
as soon as possible after the
warning light comes on or when
the gauge indicator comes
close to the E level. Running out
of fuel can expose vehicle occu-
pants to danger.
CAUTION- Low fuel
Avoid driving with an extremely low fuel level. Running out offuel could cause the engine tomisfire damaging the catalyticconverter.

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.

7 27
Maintenance
ENGINE OIL
Checking the engine oil level
1. Be sure the vehicle is on levelground.
2. Start the engine and allow it to reach normal operating tempera-
ture. 3. Turn the engine off and wait for a
few minutes (about 5 minutes) for
the oil to return to the oil pan.
4. Pull the dipstick out, wipe it clean, and reinsert it fully.
5. Pull the dipstick out again and check the level. The level should
be between F and L.
If it is near or at L, add enough oil to
bring the level to F.Do not overfill.
Use a funnel to help prevent oil
from being spilled on engine com-
ponents.
Use only the specified engine oil. (Refer to “Recommended lubricantsand capacities” in chapter 8.)
OQLE075099
OQLA075110
■Theta II 2.4L GDI
■Theta II 2.0L T-GDI
CAUTION - Replacing
engine oil
Do not overfill the engine oil. Itmay damage the engine.
WARNING- Radiator hose
Be very careful not to touch the
radiator hose when checking or
adding the engine oil as it may
be hot enough to burn you.
OQLE075103
OQLA075111
■Theta II 2.4L GDI
■Theta II 2.0L T-GDI

7 29
Maintenance
ENGINE 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 itcools 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.
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 bodily injury
from escaping hot coolant or
steam.

7 31
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 isstraight In front. 2. Make sure that the tiny protru-
sions inside the coolant cap are
securely interlocked.
Recommended engine 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.
OQL075072
■ Engine room front view
OQL078073L
■Engine room rear view

Maintenance
327
For mixture percentage, refer to the
following table.Changing the coolant
Have the coolant changed by an
authorized Kia dealer according to
the Maintenance Schedule at the
beginning of this chapter.
Put a thick cloth around the radiator
cap before refilling the coolant in
order to prevent the coolant from
overflowing into engine parts such as
the alternator.
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
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.