coolant temperature Hyundai Elantra 2008 Owner's Manual

Features of your vehicle40 4Engine temperature gauge This gauge shows the temperature of the
engine coolant when the ignition switch
is ON.
Do not continue driving with an overheat-
ed engine. If your vehicle overheats, refer
to “If the engine overheats” in the Index.
Fuel gaugeThe fuel gauge indicates the approxi-
mate amount of fuel remaining in the fuel
tank.
The fuel tank capacity is given in sec-
tion 9.The fuel gauge is supplemented by
a low fuel warning light, which will illumi-
nate when the fuel tank is nearly empty.
OHD046031
CAUTION
If the gauge pointer moves beyond
the normal range area toward the
“H” position, it indicates overheat-
ing that may damage the engine.
WARNING
Never remove the radiator cap
when the engine is hot. The engine
coolant is under pressure and
could erupt and cause severe
burns. Wait until the engine is cool
before adding coolant to the reser-
voir.
OHD046032
WARNING
- Fuel gauge
Running out of fuel can expose
vehicle occupants to danger.
You must stop and obtain addition-
al fuel as soon as possible after the
warning light comes on or when the
gauge indicator comes close to the
E level.

537
Driving your vehicle
Use high quality ethylene glycol
coolantYour 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 cooling system, lubri-
cates 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 cablesWinter puts additional burdens on the
battery system. Visually inspect the bat-
tery and cables as described in Section
7. The level of charge in your battery can
be checked by an authorized Hyundai
dealer or a service station.
Change to "winter weight" oil if
necessaryIn some climates it is recommended that
a lower viscosity "winter weight" oil be
used during cold weather. See Section 9
for recommendations. If you aren't sure
what weight oil you should use, consult
an authorized Hyundai dealer.Check spark plugs and ignition
systemInspect your spark plugs as described in
Section 7 and replace them if necessary.
Also check all ignition wiring and compo-
nents to be sure they are not cracked,
worn or damaged in any way.
To keep locks from freezingTo 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
heated key with care to avoid injury.Use approved window washer
anti-freeze in systemTo keep the water in the window washer
system from freezing, add an approved
window washer anti-freeze solution in
accordance with instructions on the con-
tainer. Window washer anti-freeze is
available from an authorized Hyundai
dealer and most auto parts outlets. Do
not use engine coolant or other types of
anti-freeze as these may damage the
paint finish.

Driving your vehicle42 5Driving on grades Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade. If you don’t shift down, you
might have to use your brakes so much
that they would get hot and no longer
operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around 20 mph (30
km/h) to reduce the possibility of engine
and transaxle overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than the max-
imum trailer weight without trailer brakes
and you have an automatic transaxle,
you should drive in D (Drive) when tow-
ing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive) when
towing a trailer will minimize heat build up
and extend the life of your transaxle.
Parking on hills Generally, you should not park your vehi-
cle, with a trailer attached, on a hill.
People can be seriously or fatally injured,
and both your vehicle and the trailer can
be damaged if they begin a downhill tra-
jectory.
However, if you ever have to park your
trailer on a hill, here’s how to do it:
1. Apply your brakes, but don’t shift into
gear.
2. Have someone place chocks under
the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place,
release the brakes until the chocks
absorb the load.
4. Reapply the brakes. Apply your park-
ing brake, and then shift to R
(Reverse) for a manual transaxle or P
(Park) for an automatic transaxle.
5. Release the brakes.
CAUTION
When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay
close attention to the engine
coolant temperature gauge to
ensure the engine does not over-
heat. If the needle of the coolant
temperature 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 possi-
bility of engine and transaxle
overheating.
WARNING
- Parking on a
hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill with a
trailer attached could cause seri-
ous injury or death, should the trail-
er break lose.

65
What to do in an emergency
5. Start the engine of the vehicle with the
booster battery and let it run at 2,000
rpm, then start the engine of the vehi-
cle with the discharged battery.If the cause of your battery discharging is
not apparent, you should have your vehi-
cle checked by an authorized Hyundai
dealer.Push-starting Vehicles equipped with automatic
transaxle cannot be push-started.
Follow the directions in this section for
jump-starting.If your temperature gauge indicates over-
heating, you experience a loss of power,
or hear loud pinging or knocking, the
engine is probably too hot. If this hap-
pens, you should:
1. Pull off the road and stop as soon as it
is safe to do so.
2. Place the gear selector lever in P
(automatic transaxle) or neutral (man-
ual transaxle) and set the parking
brake. If the air conditioning is on, turn
it off.
3. If engine coolant is running out under
the car or steam is coming out from
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 cooling 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 car. (If the air con-
ditioning had been in use, it is normal
for cold water to be draining from it
when you stop).5. If the water pump drive belt is broken
or engine coolant is leaking out, stop
the engine immediately and call the
nearest authorized Hyundai dealer for
assistance.
CAUTION
Never tow a vehicle to start it
because the sudden surge forward
when the engine starts could cause
a collision with the tow vehicle.
CAUTION
- Battery cables
Do not connect the jumper cable
from the negative terminal of the
booster battery to the negative ter-
minal of the discharged battery.
This can cause the discharged bat-
tery to overheat and crack, releas-
ing battery acid.
IF THE ENGINE OVERHEATS
WARNING
While the engine is running, keep
hair, hands and clothing away from
moving parts such as the fan and
drive belts to prevent injury.
WARNING
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.

717
Maintenance
Check the condition and connections of
all cooling system hoses and heater
hoses. Replace any swollen or deterio-
rated hoses.
The coolant level should be filled
between F and L 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 protection
against freezing and corrosion. Bring the
level to F, but do not overfill. If frequent
additions are required, see an authorized
Hyundai dealer for a cooling system
inspection.
Recommended engine coolant Use only soft (de-mineralized) water in
the coolant mixture.
The engine in your vehicle has alu-
minum engine parts and must be pro-
tected by an ethylene-glycol-based
coolant to prevent corrosion and freez-
ing.
DO NOT USE alcohol or methanol
coolant or mix them with the specified
coolant.
Do not use a solution that contains
more than 60% antifreeze or less than
35% antifreeze, which would reduce
the effectiveness of the solution.For mixture percentage, refer to the fol-
lowing table.
OHD076008
5°F (-15°C) 35 65
-13°F (-25°C) 40 60
-31°F (-35°C) 50 50
-49°F (-45°C) 60 40Ambient
TemperatureMixture Percentage (volume)
AntifreezeWater

I3
Index
Emergency starting ························································ 6-4
Emission control system ·············································· 7-65
Engine compartment ······················································ 7-2
Engine coolant ····························································· 7-16
Engine oil ····································································· 7-15
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items ············· 7-12
Fuel filler lid ································································ 4-20
Fuel requirements ·························································· 1-3
Fuses ············································································ 7-45
Hazard warning flasher ··············································· 4-51
Hood ············································································ 4-18
How to use this manual ················································· 1-2
If the engine overheats ·················································· 6-5
If the engine will not start ············································· 6-3
If you have a flat tire ··················································· 6-12
Changing tires ·························································· 6-13
Removing the spare tire ··········································· 6-13
Storing the spare tire ················································ 6-13
Important - use of compact spare tire ······················ 6-18
In case of an emergency while driving ························· 6-2Indicator symbols on the instrument cluster ················· 1-7
Instrument cluster ························································ 4-38
Gauges ······································································ 4-40
Engine temperature gauge ········································ 4-38
Fuel gauge ································································ 4-40
Instrument panel illumination ·································· 4-39
Odometer/Trip odometer ·········································· 4-41
Speedometer ····························································· 4-39
Tachometer ······························································· 4-39
Instrument panel overview ············································ 2-3
Interior features ··························································· 4-82
Ashtray ····································································· 4-82
Cigarette lighter ························································ 4-82
Clothes hanger ·························································· 4-86
Cup holder ································································ 4-83
Digital clock ····························································· 4-85
Power outlet ····························································· 4-84
Shopping bag holder ················································ 4-85
Sunvisor ···································································· 4-83
Interior light ································································· 4-56
Interior overview ··························································· 2-2
Key positions ································································· 5-4
Keys ··············································································· 4-2FHI
K