check engine KIA Sorento 2006 1.G Owner's Guide

TIPS ON DRIVING YOUR
VEHICLEBefore Entering Vehicle:
 Be sure that all windows, outside
mirror(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/clutch fluid,
and washer fluid should be checked
on a regular basis, with the exact
interval depending on the fluid.
Further details are provided in the
“Maintenance” section.Before Starting
 Close and lock all doors.
 Position the seat so that all controls
are easily reached.
 Adjust the inside and outside
rearview mirrors.
 Be sure that all lights work.
 Check all gauges.
 Check the operation of warning
lights when the ignition switch 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.
DRIVING TIPS
5-5
WARNING- Driving Under the
Influence of Alcohol or
Drugs
Drinking and driving is danger-
ous. Drunk driving is the num-
ber one contributor to the high-
way death toll each year. Even
a small amount of alcohol will
affect your reflexes, percep-
tions and judgement.
You are much more likely to
have a serious accident if you
drink and drive.
If you are drinking or taking
drugs, don’t drive. Do not ride
with a driver who has been
drinking or taking drugs.
Choose a designated driver or
call a cab.
Driving while under the influ-
ence of drugs is as dangerous
or more dangerous than driving
drunk.
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Driving in the Rain
Rain and wet roads can make driving
dangerous, especially if you’re not
prepared for the slick pavement. Here
are a few things to consider when
driving in the rain:
 A heavy rainfall will make it harder
to see and will increase the dis-
tance needed to stop your vehicle,
so slow down.
 Keep your windshield wiping equip-
ment in good shape. Replace your
windshield wiper blades when they
show signs of streaking or missing
areas on the windshield.
 If your tires are not in good condi-
tion, making a quick stop on wet
pavement can cause a skid and
possibly lead to an accident. Be
sure your tires are in good shape. Turn on your headlights to make it
easier for others to see you.
 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 your brakes may have
become wet, apply them lightly
while driving until normal braking
operation returns.Winter Driving
 We recommend that you carry
emergency equipment, including
tire chains, a window scraper, wind-
shield 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.DRIVING TIPS5-10
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 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
1 (First) or R (Reverse) with a man-
ual transmission or P (Park) with an
automatic transmission, and block
the rear wheels.Snow Tires
If you mount snow tires on your Kia,
make sure they are radial tires of the
same size and load range as the orig-
inal tires. Mount snow tires on all four
wheels to balance your vehicle’s han-
dling in all weather conditions. Keep
in mind that the traction provided by
snow tires on dry roads may not be
as high as your vehicle’s original
equipment tires. You should drive
cautiously even when the roads are
clear. Check with the tire dealer for
maximum speed recommendations.Do not install studded tires without
first checking local, provincial and
municipal regulations for possible
restrictions against their use.
DRIVING TIPS
5-11
WARNING- Snow Tire Size
Snow tires should be equivalent
in size and type to the vehicle’s
standard tires. Otherwise, the
safety and handling of your
vehicle may be adversely affect-
ed.
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USING FOUR-WHEEL DRIVEDriving on Snow- or Ice-Covered
Roads (“4HI, 4LO” for Part-time
4WD Operation or “AUTO” for
Full-time 4WD Operation)
 Use snow tires. See “Tires” in this
section for more information.
 Keep an adequate distance
between yourself and other vehi-
cles.
 Avoid sudden braking, acceleration
or steering. These actions can
cause your vehicle to lose traction.Driving in Sand or Mud (“4HI,
4LO” for Part-time 4WD Operation
or “AUTO” for Full-time 4WD
Operation)
 Avoid sudden braking, acceleration
or steering. These actions can
cause your vehicle to get stuck in
the sand or mud.
 Drive at low speeds whenever pos-
sible.
 You may need to get out of your
vehicle at times to check road con-
ditions.
 If you get stuck in the sand or mud,
try placing stones, wood or other
similar materials under the tires to
get traction, or move forward and
backward repeatedly to get
unstuck.DRIVING TIPS5-14
WARNING
- Traction
Make sure that no one stands in
front of or behind the tires when
materials are placed under the
tires to get more traction. The
tires may cause loose materials
to fly out from under the vehi-
cle, potentially causing serious
bodily injury or death.
✽ ✽
NOTICEProlonged rocking may cause
engine damage, overheating, trans-
mission differential or transfer case
damage or failure and tire damage.
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Off-Road Driving with Your Four-
Wheel Drive Vehicle
Off-road driving can be great fun. But
it has definite hazards. The greatest
of these is the terrain itself.
“Off-roading” means you’ve left the
paved road system behind. Traffic
lanes are not marked. Curves are not
banked.
There are no carefully engineered
road signs to warn you of dangerous
conditions or to advise you of a safe
speed. You have to assess the envi-
ronment yourself. Surfaces can be
slippery, rough, uphill or downhill.
Off-road driving involves learning
new skills. That’s why it’s important
that you read and understand this
section. You’ll find useful driving infor-
mation and suggestions. These will
help make your off-road driving safer
and more enjoyable.Before you go Off-Roading
There are some things to do before
you leave the paved roads. Be sure to
have all necessary maintenance and
service work done beforehand. Be
sure to read all the information about
your four-wheel drive vehicle in this
manual. Is there enough fuel? Is the
spare tire fully inflated? Are the fluid
levels at the proper levels? What are
the local laws that apply to off-road-
ing where you’ll be driving? If you
don’t know, you should check with
law enforcement people in the area.
Will you be on someone’s private
land? If so, be sure to get the neces-
sary permission.DRIVING TIPS5-16
WARNING
- Rollover
As with other Sports Utility
Vehicles (SUVs), failure to oper-
ate this vehicle correctly may
result in loss of control, an acci-
dent or vehicle rollover.
 Specific design characteris-
tics (higher ground clearance,
narrower track, etc.) give this
vehicle a higher center of
gravity than ordinary cars.
 A SUV is not designed for cor-
nering at the same speeds as
conventional 2-wheel drive
vehicles.
 Avoid sharp turns or abrupt
maneuvers.
 In a rollover crash, an unbelt-
ed person is significantly
more likely to die than a per-
son wearing a safety belt.
Make sure everyone in the
vehicle is properly buckled
up.
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Driving in Water
Light rain causes no special off-road
driving problems. However, heavy
rain can cause flash flooding, and
flood waters demand extreme cau-
tion.
Find out how deep the water is before
you drive through it. If it’s deep
enough to cover your wheel bearing
hubs, axles, or exhaust pipe, don’t try
it. You probably won’t get through.
Also, water that deep can damage
your axle and other vehicle parts.If the water isn’t too deep, then drive
through slowly. At fast speeds, water
can splash on your ignition system
and your vehicle can stall. Stalling
can also occur if your tailpipe goes
underwater. As long as your tailpipe
is underwater, you will not be able to
start your engine. When you go
through water, remember that it may
take you longer to stop when your
brakes are wet.
If you have driven through water that
was deep enough to cover your
wheel bearing hubs, it may be a good
idea to have an authorized Kia dealer
repack your front wheel bearings and
examine your rear-end fluid for evi-
dence of water.After Off-Road Driving
Remove any brush or debris that has
collected on the underbody, chassis
or under the hood. These accumula-
tions can be a fire hazard.
After driving in mud or sand, clean
and check the brake linings.
Accumulation of mud or sand can
cause glazing and uneven braking.
Check the body structure, steering,
suspension, wheels, tires, and
exhaust system for damage. Also,
check the fuel lines and cooling sys-
tem for any leakage. Your vehicle will
also require more frequent service
due to off-road use.DRIVING TIPS5-30
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You must check the capacity of the
lighting system and electrical equip-
ment for a trailer before connecting
the wires.
 Trailer accessory : 120W and below
 Turn signal lamp : 27W × 2EA and
below (Total : 4.2 A and below)
 Stop lamp : 27W × 2EA and below
(Total : 4.2 A and below)
 Position lamp : 5W × 8EA and
below (Total : 3.65 A and below)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 possibil-
ity of engine and transmission over-
heating.
If your trailer weighs more than 1650
lbs (750 kg) and you have an auto-
matic transmission, 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 transmission. If you have a man-
ual transmission, drive in fourth gear
(or, as you need to, a lower gear).
DRIVING TIPS5-40
4
3
2
1
7
6
5
Trailer Connector Back up lamp
 Position lamp
 Trailer accessory
 Turn signal lamp (LH)
 Turn siganl lamp (RH)
 Stop lamp
EarthTrailer Connector
S2BLA550
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When You Are Ready to Leave
After Parking on a Hill
1. With the manual transmission in
Neutral or automatic transmission
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.Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more
often when you regularly pull a trailer.
Important items to pay particular
attention to include engine oil, auto-
matic transmission fluid, axle lubri-
cant and cooling system fluid. Brake
condition is another important item to
frequently check. Each item is cov-
ered in this manual, and the Index will
help you find them quickly. If you’re
trailering, it’s a good idea to review
these sections before you start your
trip.
Don’t forget to also maintain your
trailer and hitch. Follow the mainte-
nance schedule that accompanied
your trailer and check it periodically.
Preferably, conduct the check at the
start of each day’s driving. Most
importantly, all hitch nuts and bolts
should be tight.DRIVING TIPS5-42
✽ ✽
NOTICEDue to higher load during trailer
usage, overheating might occur in
hot days or during uphill driving. If
the coolant gauge indicates over-
heating, switch off the A/C and stop
the vehicle in a safe area to cool
down the engine.
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OVERHEATINGIf your temperature gauge indicates
overheating, if you experience a loss of
power, or if you hear a loud knocking or
pinging noise, the engine has probably
overheated. Should any of these
symptoms occur, use the following pro-
cedure:
1. Turn on the hazard warning flash-
er, then drive to the nearest safe
location and stop your vehicle; shift
to Neutral (manual transaxle) or
Park (automatic transaxle) and
apply the parking brake.
2. Make sure the air conditioner is off.
3. If coolant or steam is boiling out of
the radiator, stop the engine and call
an authorized Kia dealer for assis-
tance.
If there is no visible coolant, you
may allow the engine to idle and
open the hood to permit the engine
to cool gradually.
If the temperature does not go down
with the engine idling, stop the
engine and allow sufficient time for it
to cool.4. The coolant level should then be
checked. Use the coolant reservoir
dipstick to check the level. If the
level in the reservoir is low, look for
leaks at the radiator hoses and
connections, heater hoses and
connections, radiator, and water
pump. If you find a major leak or
another problem that may have
caused the engine to overheat, do
not operate the engine until it has
been corrected. Call an authorized
Kia dealer for assistance. If you do
not find a leak or other problem,
carefully add coolant to the reser-
voir.If the engine frequently overheats,
have the cooling system checked and
repaired by an Authorized Kia Dealer.
IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
6-3
WARNING- Removing Radiator Cap
Never remove the radiator cap
when the engine and radiator
are hot. Scalding hot coolant
and steam may blow out under
pressure. This could cause seri-
ous injury.
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3. Turn off all unnecessary electrical
loads.
4. Connect the jumper cables in the
exact sequence shown in the previ-
ous illustration. First connect one
end of a jumper cable to the posi-
tive terminal of the discharged bat-
tery, then connect the other end to
the positive terminal on the booster
battery. Proceed to connect one
end of the other jumper cable to the
negative terminal of the booster
battery, then the other end to a
solid, stationary, metallic point (for
example, the engine lifting bracket)
away from the battery. Do not con-
nect it to or near any part that
moves when the engine is cranked.
Do not connect the jumper cable
from the negative terminal of the
booster battery to the negative ter-
minal of the discharged battery. Do
not allow the jumper cables to con-
tact anything except the correct
battery terminals or the correct
ground. Do not lean over the bat-
tery when making connections.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 vehicle with the discharged
battery.
If the cause of your battery discharge
is not apparent, you should have your
vehicle checked by an authorized Kia
dealer.Push-Starting
Your manual transmission-equipped
vehicle should not be push-started
because it might damage the emis-
sion control system. Vehicles
equipped with automatic transmis-
sions cannot be push-started. Follow
the directions for jump-starting in this
manual.IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY6-6
CAUTION
Never tow a vehicle to start it
because the sudden surge for-
ward when the engine starts
could cause a collision with the
tow vehicle.
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