coolant KIA NIRO 2018 User Guide

Driving your vehicle
46
Before entering vehicle
• Be sure that all windows, outsidemirror(s), and outside lights are
clean.
Check the condition of the tires.
Check under the vehicle for any sign of leaks.
Be sure there are no obstacles behind you if you intend to back up.
Necessary inspections
Fluid levels, such as engine oil,
engine coolant, brake fluid, and
washer fluid should be checked on a
regular basis, at the exact interval
depending on the fluid. Further
details are provided in chapter 8,
“Maintenance”.
Before starting
Close and lock all doors.
Position the seat so that all con-trols are easily reached.
Buckle your seat belt.
Adjust the inside and outside rearview mirrors.
Be sure that all lights work.
Check all gauges.
Check the operation of warning lights when the engine start/stop
button is turned to the ON position.
Release the parking brake and make sure the brake warning light
goes out.
For safe operation, be sure you are
familiar with your vehicle and its
equipment.
BEFORE DRIVING
WARNING - Distracted driving
Focus on the road while driving.
The driver's primary responsi-
bility is in the safe and legal
operation of the vehicle. Use of
any handled devices, other
equipment or vehicle systems
that distract the drive should
not be used during vehicle
operation.

693
Driving your vehicle
Driving 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.
Driving off-road
Drive carefully off-road because your
vehicle may be damaged by rocks or
roots of trees. Become familiar with
the off-road conditions where you
are going to drive before you begin
driving.
Highway driving
Tires
Adjust the tire inflation pressures to
specification. Low tire inflation pres-
sures will result in overheating and
possible failure of the tires.
Avoid using worn or damaged tires
which may result in reduced traction
or tire failure.
Never exceed the maximum tire
inflation pressure shown on the tires.
Fuel, engine coolant and engine oil
High speed travel consumes more
fuel than urban motoring. Do not for-
get to check both the engine coolant
and engine oil.
Drive belt
A loose or damaged drive belt may
result in overheating of the engine.
WARNING- Under/overinflated tires
Always check the tires for proper
inflation before driving.
Underinflated or overinflated
tires can cause poor handling,
loss of vehicle control, and sud-
den tire failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.
For proper tire pressures, refer to
“Tires and wheels” in chapter 9.
WARNING- Tire tread
Always check the tire tread
before driving your vehicle.
Worn-out tires can result in loss
of vehicle control. Worn-out tires
should be replaced as soon as
possible. For further information
and tread limits, refer to "Tires
and wheels" in chapter 8.

Driving your vehicle
96
6
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 8. 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 8. The level of charge in
your battery can be checked by an
authorized Kia dealer or a service
station.
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 8 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.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.

697
Driving your vehicle
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,
Dual clutch 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.
Carry emergency equipment
Depending on the severity of the
weather, you should carry appropri-
ate emergency equipment. Some of
the items you may want to carry
include tow straps or chains, flash-
light, emergency flares, sand, shov-
el, jumper cables, window scraper,
gloves, ground cloth, coveralls, blan-
ket, etc.
TRAILER TOWING
We do not recommend using this
vehicle for trailer towing.

What to do in an emergency
10
7
IF THE ENGINE OVERHEATS
If your temperature gauge indicates
overheating, you will experience a
loss of power, or hear loud pinging or
knocking, the engine is probably too
hot. If this happens, you should:
1. Turn on the emergency warning
flasher and stop in a safe place.
Move the shift lever to P (Park)
and engage the parking brake.
2. If hot steam does not come out from the engine room, carefully
open the engine room and check
whether the water pump connec-
tor is properly engaged. If the con-
nector is not properly engaged,
stop the engine immediately and
properly engage the connector.
Then, turn the engine on.
3. Turn on the air conditioner. 4. If the “HEV Warning” light turns on
in the driver instrument cluster, or
engine coolant or hot steam emits
from the engine coolant filler, stop
the engine immediately. Then, call
the nearest authorized Kia dealer
for assistance. If the “Engine
Warning” light remains illuminated
or the engine coolant is not flowing
out, keep the engine running.
Open the engine hood for ventila-
tion to help cool down the engine. 5. Check whether the engine coolant
temperature is low enough by
checking its temperature. If the
engine coolant level is low, please
check the connecting parts
between the radiator hose, heater
hose, and water pump for any
signs of leakage. When there is no
sign of leakage, please refill the
engine coolant. If causes and
signs of engine overheating such
as warning light illumination,
engine coolant leakage, or cooling
fan malfunction are found, stop the
vehicle the earliest. Then, call the
nearest authorized Kia dealer for
assistance.
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.

711
What to do in an emergency
6. If you cannot find the cause of theoverheating, wait until the engine
temperature has returned to nor-
mal. Then, if coolant has been lost,
carefully add coolant to the reser-
voir 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 over heating happens again,
call the nearest authorized Kia
dealer for assistance.
✽ ✽NOTICE
Serious loss of coolant indicates
there is a leak in the cooling system
and should be checked as soon as
possible by an authorized Kia dealer.
CAUTION
When the engine overheats from
low engine coolant, suddenlyadding engine coolant maycause cracks in the engine. Toprevent damage, add enginecoolant slowly in small quantities
WARNING- Radiator Cap
Do not remove the
radiator cap when the
engine is hot. This
can allow coolant to
blow out of the open-
ing and cause seri-
ous burns.

Maintenance
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Maintenance services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
• Owner’s responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
• Owner maintenance precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Owner maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
• Owner maintenance schedule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Scheduled maintenance service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items . . . 8-22
Checking fluid levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-25
Engine oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-26
• Checking the engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-26
• Changing the engine oil and filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-27
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-28\
• Checking the coolant level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-28
• Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-29
• Inverter coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-29
• Recommended coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-30
• Changing the coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-32
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-33
• Checking the brake fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-33
Engine clutch actuator fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-34
• Checking the engine clutch actuator fluid level . . . . 8-34
Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-36
• Checking the washer fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-36
Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-37
• Checking the parking brake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-37
Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-38
• Filter replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-38
Climate control air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-40
• Filter inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-40
Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-42
• Blade inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-42
• Blade replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-42
Battery (Plug-in Hybrid) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-45
• For best battery service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-45
• Recharging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-46
• Reset items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-47\
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-48
• Tire care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
8-48
• Recommended cold tire inflation pressures . . . . . . . 8-48
• Tire pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-49
• Checking tire inflation pressure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-49
• Tire rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-50
• Wheel alignment and tire balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-51
• Tire replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-52
• Wheel replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-52
• Tire traction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-53
• Tire maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-53
• Tire sidewall labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-53
8

83
Maintenance
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
ODE076001
■
■Hybrid (Kappa 1.6 GDI)
❈ The actual engine room in the vehicle may differ from the illustration. 1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Engine oil filler cap
3. Engine oil dipstick
4. Brake fluid reservoir
5. Inverter coolant reservoir
6. Fuse box
7. Engine clutch actuator reservoir tank
8. Air cleaner
9. Windshield washer fluid reservoir

Maintenance
48
ODEP077001
■
■Plug-in Hybrid (Kappa 1.6 GDI)
❈ The actual engine room in the vehicle may differ from the illustration. 1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Engine oil filler cap
3. Engine oil dipstick
4. Brake fluid reservoir
5. Inverter coolant reservoir
6. Fuse box
7. Engine clutch actuator reservoir tank
8. Air cleaner
9. Windshield washer fluid reservoir

87
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 coolantreservoir.
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
road.
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 transaxle occurs,
check the transaxle fluid level.
Check the dual clutch 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.
WARNING
When you open the engine
hood, turn the Hybrid system
off. If not, it may result in death
or serious injury because of the
high voltage flow.