brakes KIA AMANTI 2006 User Guide

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Driving your vehicle
Low brake fluid level warningIf the warning light remains on, it may
indicate that the brake fluid level in
the reservoir is low.
If the warning light remains on:
1. Drive carefully to the nearest safelocation and stop your vehicle.
2. With the engine stopped, check the brake fluid level immediately
and add fluid as required. Then
check all brake components for
fluid leaks.
3. Do not drive the vehicle if leaks are found, the warning light
remains on or the brakes do not
operate properly. Have it towed to
any Authorized Kia Dealer for a
brake system inspection and nec-
essary repairs. To check bulb operation, check
whether the parking brake and brake
fluid warning light illuminates when
the ignition switch is in the ON posi-
tion.
Trunk lid open
warningThis warning light activates when the
trunk is not closed securely.Low fuel level
warningThis warning light indicates the fuel
tank is nearly empty. The warning
light will come on when the fuel level
has dropped to about 2.38 US gal. (9
liters). Refuel as soon as possible.
WARNING
Driving the vehicle with a warn-
ing light on is dangerous. If the
brake warning light remains on,
have the brakes checked and
repaired immediately by an
Authorized Kia Dealer.

Driving tips65SUGGESTIONS FOR ECONOMICAL OPERATIONYour vehicle's fuel economy depends
mainly on your style of driving, where
you drive and when you drive.
Each of these factors affects how
many kilometers (miles) you can get
from a liter (gallon) of fuel. To operate
your vehicle as economically as pos-
sible, use the following driving sug-
gestions to help save money in both
fuel and repairs:
 Avoid lengthy warm-up idling.Once the engine is running
smoothly, begin driving.
Remember, engine warm-up may
take a little longer on cold days.
 Save fuel by accelerating slowly after stopping.
 Keep the engine in tune and follow the recommended periodic mainte-
nance schedule. This will increase
the life of all parts and lower your
operating costs.  Do not use the air conditioner
unnecessarily.
 Slow down when driving on rough roads.
 For longer tire life and better fuel economy, always keep the tires
inflated to the recommended pres-
sures.
 Maintain a safe distance from other vehicles to avoid sudden stops.
This will reduce wear on brake lin-
ings and pads. Driving in such a
way will also save fuel because
extra fuel is required to accelerate
back to driving speed.
 Do not carry unnecessary weight in the vehicle.
 Do not rest your foot on the brake pedal while driving. This can cause
needless wear, possible damage
to the brakes, and poor fuel econo-
my.
 Improper wheel alignment results in faster tire wear and lower fuel
economy.  Open windows at high speeds can
reduce fuel economy.
 Fuel economy is less in crosswinds and headwinds. To help offset
some of this loss, slow down when
driving in these conditions.
Keeping a vehicle in good operating
condition is important both for econ-
omy and safety. Therefore, have an
authorized Kia dealer perform
scheduled inspections and mainte-
nance.
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WARNING
- Engine off
during motion
Never turn the engine off to
coast down hills or anytime the
vehicle is in motion. The power
steering and power brakes will
not function without the engine
running. Instead, downshift to
an appropriate gear for engine
braking effect.

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Driving tips
 Driving too fast through large pud-dles can affect your brakes. If you
must go through puddles, try to
drive through them slowly.
 If you believe you may have gotten your brakes wet, apply them lightly
while driving until normal braking
operation returns.
Winter driving We recommend that you carryemergency equipment, including
tire chains, a window scraper,
windshield de-icer, a bag of sand
or salt, flares, a small shovel and
jumper cables.
 Make sure you have sufficient eth- ylene-glycol coolant in the radiator.
 Check the battery condition and cables. Cold temperatures reduce
the capacity of any battery, so it
must be in excellent condition to
provide enough winter starting
power.
 Make sure the engine oil viscosity is suitable for cold weather.
 Check the ignition system for loose connections and damage.  Use antifreeze-formulated wind-
shield washer fluid. (Do not use
engine coolant antifreeze.)
 Do not use the parking brake if it might freeze. When parking, shift
to P (Park) with an automatic
transaxle and block the rear
wheels.
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Driving tips12
5Driving in flooded areas Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no
higher than the bottom of the wheel
hub. Drive through any water slowly.
Allow adequate stopping distance
because brake performance may be
affected.
After driving through water, dry the
brakes by gently applying them sev-
eral times while the vehicle is moving
slowly.
HLA (Hydraulic Lash Adjuster)
noiseThe engine HLA's keep the gap
between the valve and cam at zero
regardless of the valve expansion.
Occasionally, you may hear a tempo-
rary or continuous sound (clatter)
from the engine when starting or
idling. This noise will usually go away
by following a few simple steps: If the temporary sound occurs when
starting a cold engine:
This is a normal condition. This
sound will disappear after the engine
oil has reached normal operating
pressure.
If the sound occurs when starting the
engine after the engine has not been
operated for more than 48 hours; or
engine has been cranked excessively:
This condition may be caused by oil
draining from the HLA's. This allows
air to enter the HLA causing insuffi-
cient lubricating oil in the HLA. This
will usually disappear within 15 min-
utes with the engine running at
2000~3000 rpm. If the sound does
not disappear, have the engine oil
pressure, engine lubrication system
and HLA's inspected by an
Authorized Kia Dealer.
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CAUTION
Do not run the engine at more
than 3000 rpm until the noisegoes away. Damage to theHLA's could occur.

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Driving tips
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TRAILER TOWING✽ ✽NOTICE
Pulling a trailer improperly can
damage your vehicle and result in
costly repairs not covered by your
warranty. To pull a trailer correctly,
follow the advice in this section.
Your vehicle can tow a trailer. To
identify what the vehicle trailering
capacity is for your vehicle, you
should read the information in
“Weight of the Trailer” that appears
later in this section. Remember that
trailering is different than just driving
your vehicle by itself. Trailering
means changes in handling, durabil-
ity, and fuel economy. Successful,
safe trailering requires correct equip-
ment, and it has to be used properly.
This section contains many time-
tested, important trailering tips and
safety rules. Many of these are
important for your safety and that of
your passengers. Please read this
section carefully before you pull a
trailer.
WARNING
- Towing a
trailer
If you don't use the correct
equipment and drive properly,
you can lose control when you
pull a trailer. For example, if the
trailer is too heavy, the brakes
may not work well - or even at
all. You and your passengers
could be seriously or fatally
injured. Pull a trailer only if you
have followed all the steps in
this section.
Item Specification
Maximum trailer Without trailer brakes 1000 (453)
weight lbs. (kg) With trailer brakes 2000 (907)

Driving tips14
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Load-pulling components such as
the engine, transaxle, wheel assem-
blies, and tires are forced to work
harder against the load of the added
weight. The engine is required to
operate at relatively higher speeds
and under greater loads. This addi-
tional burden generates extra heat.
The trailer also adds considerably to
wind resistance, increasing the
pulling requirements.
If you do decide to pull a trailerHere are some important points if
you decide to pull a trailer:
 Consider using a sway control. You
can ask a hitch dealer about sway
control.
 After your odometer indicates 500 miles (800 km) or more, you can
tow a trailer. For the first 500 miles
(800 km) that you tow a trailer,
don’t drive over 50 mph (80 km/h)
and don’t make starts at full throt-
tle. This helps your engine and
other parts of your vehicle “wear” in
at the heavier loads.
 Always drive your vehicle at a mod- erate speed (Less than 100 km/h).
 The important considerations have to do with weight: Weight of the trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than 2000
lbs. (907 kg) with trailer brakes. But
even that can be too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use
your trailer. For example, speed, alti-
tude, road grades, outside tempera-
ture and how much your vehicle is
used to pull a trailer are all important.
The ideal trailer weight can also
depend on any special equipment
that you have on your vehicle.

Driving tips16
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Safety chains You should always attach chains
between your vehicle and your trail-
er. Cross the safety chains under the
tongue of the trailer so that the
tongue will not drop to the road if it
becomes separated from the hitch.
Instructions about safety chains may
be provided by the hitch manufactur-
er or by the trailer manufacturer.
Follow the manufacturer’s recom-
mendation for attaching safety
chains. Always leave just enough
slack so you can turn with your trail-
er. And, never allow safety chains to
drag on the ground.
Trailer brakes If your trailer weighs more than 1000
lbs. (453 kg) loaded, then it needs its
own brakes and they must be ade-
quate. Be sure to read and follow the
instructions for the trailer brakes so
you’ll be able to install, adjust and
maintain them properly.
 Don’t tap into your vehicle's brake
system.
Driving with a trailer Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. Before setting
out for the open road, you must get
to know your trailer. Acquaint your-
self with the feel of handling and
braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that
the vehicle you are driving is now a
good deal longer and not nearly so
responsive as your vehicle is by
itself.
Before you start, check the trailer
hitch and platform, safety chains,
electrical connector(s), lights, tires
and mirror adjustment. If the trailer
has electric brakes, start your vehicle
and trailer moving and then apply the
trailer brake controller by hand to be
sure the brakes are working. This lets
you check your electrical connection
at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally
to be sure that the load is secure,
and that the lights and any trailer
brakes are still working.
WARNING
Do not use a trailer with its own
brakes unless you are absolute-
ly certain that you have properly
set up the brake system. This is
not a task for amateurs. Use an
experienced, competent trailer
shop for this work.

Driving tips18
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Do not connect a trailer lighting sys-
tem directly to your vehicle’s lighting
system. Use only an approved trailer
wiring harness.
Your Authorized Kia Dealer can
assist you in installing the wiring har-
ness.
Driving 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 45
mph (70 km/h) to reduce the possi-
bility of engine and transaxle over-
heating.
If your trailer weighs more than 1000
lbs. (453 kg) and you have an auto-
matic transaxle, you should drive in
D (Drive) when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive)
when towing a trailer will minimize
heat buildup and extend the life of
your transaxle.
✽ ✽
NOTICE• When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 12%) pay close
attention to the engine coolant
temperature gauge to ensure the
engine does not overheat. 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 possibil-
ity of engine and transaxle over-
heating.
CAUTION
Failure to use an approved trail-
er wiring harness could result indamage to the vehicle electricalsystem and/or personal injury.

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Parking on hills Generally, you should not park your
vehicle, with a trailer attached, on a
hill. People can be seriously or fatal-
ly injured, and both your vehicle and
the trailer can be damaged if they
begin a downhill trajectory.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 parking brake, and then shift to P
(Park) for an automatic transaxle.
5. Release the brakes.
When you are ready to leave after parking on a hill 1. With the automatic transaxle in P (Park), apply your brakes and hold
the brake pedal down while you:
 Start your engine;
 Shift into gear; and
 Release the parking brake.
2. Slowly remove your foot from the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.
WARNING
- Parking brake
It can be dangerous to get out of
your vehicle if the parking brake
is not firmly set.
If you have left the engine run-
ning, the vehicle can move sud-
denly. You or others could be
seriously or fatally injured.
WARNING
- Parking on a hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill
with a trailer attached could
cause serious injury or death,
should a down hill trajectory
happen.

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In case of an emergency
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Towing with a vehicle other
than a tow truck If towing is necessary, we recom-
mend you to have it done by an
Authorized Kia dealer or a commer-
cial tow truck service.
If towing service is not available in an
emergency, your vehicle may be
temporarily towed using a cable or
chain secured to the emergency tow-
ing hook under the front or rear of the
vehicle. Use extreme caution when
towing the vehicle. A driver must be
in the vehicle to steer it and operate
the brakes.Towing in this manner may be done
only on hard-surfaced roads for a
short distance and at low speeds.
Also, the wheels, axles, power train,
steering and brakes must all be in
good condition.

Do not use the tow hooks to pull a
vehicle out of mud, sand or other
conditions from which the vehicle
cannot be driven out under its own
power.
 Avoid towing a vehicle heavier than
the vehicle doing the towing.
 The drivers of both vehicles should
communicate with each other fre-
quently.
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 Front1GHA417A
 Rear