engine KIA Sorento 2006 1.G Repair Manual

Stalling while Driving Uphill
What should I do if my vehicle stalls,
or is about to stall, and I can’t make it
up the hill?
If your vehicle stalls, or is about to
stall while driving uphill, there are
some things you should do, and there
are some things you must not do.
First, here’s what you should do:
 Push the brake pedal to stop the
vehicle and keep it from rolling
backwards. Also, apply the parking
brake.
 If your engine is still running, shift
the transmission into reverse,
release the parking brake, and
slowly back down the hill in reverse. If your engine has stopped running,
you’ll need to restart it. With the
brake pedal depressed and the
parking brake still applied, shift a
manual transmission to N (Neutral),
or an automatic transmission to P
(Park) and restart the engine. Then,
shift to reverse, release the parking
brake, and slowly back down the
hill in reverse.
 As you are backing down the hill,
put your left hand on the steering
wheel at the 12 o’clock position.
This way, you’ll be able to tell if your
wheels are straight or turned to the
left or right as you back down.
DRIVING TIPS
5-23
WARNING
- Driving over
Hills
Driving to the top (crest) of a hill
at full speed can cause an acci-
dent and result in serious or
fatal injury. There could be a
drop-off, embankment, cliff,
another vehicle or people sit-
ting on the ground. As you near
the top of a hill, slow down and
stay alert.
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Here are some things you must not
do if you stall, or are about to stall,
when going up a hill.
 Never attempt to prevent a stall by
depressing the clutch or shifting to
N (Neutral) to “rev-up” the engine
and regain forward momentum.
This won’t work. Your vehicle will
roll backwards very quickly and you
could go out of control or roll over.
Instead, apply the brake to stop the
vehicle. Then apply the parking
brake. Shift into reverse, release the
parking brake, and slowly back down.Stalled on a Steep Uphill
If your vehicle stalls and you can’t
back down the hill, try this: Set the
parking brake, put your transmission
in 1 (First) gear or P (Park), and turn
the engine off. Leave the vehicle and
get some help. If your vehicle is at an
angle to the slope of the hill, exit the
vehicle on the uphill side and stay
clear of the path the vehicle would
take if it rolled downhill. Leave it in 1
(First) gear for manual transmission
or P (Park) for automatic transmis-
sion.DRIVING TIPS5-24
CAUTION
Never attempt to turn around if
you are about to stall when
going up a hill. If the hill is steep
enough to stall your vehicle, it’s
steep enough to cause you to
roll over if you turn around. If
you can’t make it up, you must
back down the hill.
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Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill,
you’ll want to consider many of the
same things you thought about
before you went uphill. As a brief
reminder, those include:
 How steep is the downhill? Will I be
able to maintain vehicle control?
 What’s the surface like? Smooth?
Rough? Slippery? Hard-packed
dirt? Gravel?
 Are there hidden surface obsta-
cles? Ruts? Logs? Boulders?
 What’s at the bottom of the hill? Is
there a hidden creek bank or even
a river bottom with large rocks?
 Have changes in the weather con-
ditions and their effect on the ter-
rain since you went uphill made
your task more difficult?Once you have decided that you can
go down a hill safely, try to keep your
vehicle headed straight down, and
use a low gear. This way, engine
braking can help your brakes so they
won’t have to do all the work.
Descend slowly, keeping your vehicle
under control at all times.
DRIVING TIPS
5-25
WARNING- Exiting Vehicle
Getting out on the downhill
(low) side of a vehicle stopped
across an incline is dangerous.
If the vehicle rolls over, you
could be crushed or fatally
injured. Always get out on the
uphill (high) side of the vehicle
and stay well clear of the
rollover path.WARNING - Leaving Vehicle
If you are going to leave your
vehicle, set the parking brake
and shift a manual transmission
to 1(First), or an automatic
transmission to P (Park).
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Stalling downhill
Stalling is much more likely to hap-
pen going uphill. But if it happens
going downhill, here’s what to do.
 Stop your vehicle by applying the
brakes. Then apply the parking
brake.
 Move the shift lever to P (Park) in
automatic transmissions or shift to
N (Neutral) in manual transmis-
sions and, while still braking,
restart the engine.
 Shift back to a low gear, release the
parking brake, and drive straight
down.
 If the engine won’t start, get out
and seek help. Exit on the uphill
side of the vehicle and stay clear of
the path the vehicle would take if it
rolled downhill.Driving across an incline
Sooner or later, an off-road trail will
probably go across the incline of a
hill. If this happens, you have to
decide whether or not to try to drive
across the incline. Here are some
things to consider:
 A hill that can be driven straight up
or down may be too steep to drive
across. When you go straight up or
down a hill, the length of the wheel
base (the distance from the front
wheels to the rear wheels) reduces
the likelihood the vehicle will tumble
end over end. But when you drive
across an incline, the much narrow-
er track width (the distance
between the left and right wheels)
may not prevent the vehicle from
tilting and rolling over. Also, driving
across an incline puts more weight
on the downhill wheels. This could
cause a downhill slide or a rollover. Surface conditions can be a prob-
lem when you drive across a hill.
Loose gravel, muddy spots, or even
wet grass can cause your tires to
slip sideways. If the vehicle slips
sideways, it can hit something that
will tip it (a rock, a rut, etc.) and
cause it to roll over.
 Hidden obstacles can make the
steepness of the incline even
worse. If you drive across a rock
with the uphill wheels, or if the
downhill wheels drop into a rut or
depression, your vehicle can tilt
even more.
For reasons like these, you need to
decide carefully whether or not to try
to drive across an incline. Just
because the trail goes across the
incline doesn’t mean you have to
drive it.
DRIVING TIPS
5-27
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Driving in Mud, Sand, Snow, or Ice
When you drive in mud, sand, snow,
or ice, your wheels won’t get good
traction. You can’t accelerate as
quickly, turning is more difficult, and
you’ll need longer braking distances.
It’s best to use a low gear when
you’re in mud, the deeper the mud,
the lower the gear. In extremely deep
mud, the idea is to keep your vehicle
moving so you don’t get stuck.
When you drive on sand, you’ll sense
a change in wheel traction. But it will
depend upon how loosely packed the
sand is. On loosely packed sand (as
on beaches or sand dunes) your tires
will tend to sink into the sand.This has an effect on steering, accel-
erating, and braking. You may want to
reduce the air pressure in your tires
slightly when driving on sand. This
will improve traction. Remember to
re-inflate them the first chance that
you have after you leave the loosely
packed sand.Hard-packed snow and ice offer the
worst tire traction. On these surfaces,
it’s very easy to lose control. On wet
ice, for example, the traction is so
poor that you will even have difficulty
accelerating. And if you do get mov-
ing, poor steering and difficult braking
can easily cause you to slide out of
control.
DRIVING TIPS
5-29
✽ ✽
NOTICE In case of loss of traction in mud,
loose soil, or sand, turn the steer-
ing wheel rapidly from side-to-
side. This can help generate addi-
tional traction.
 Do not gun the engine. This will
cause the tires to spin and dig
down, not forward, and could
bury the vehicle to the frame.
Smooth, easy power is better than
too much power.
WARNING- Frozen Surfaces
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds
or rivers can be dangerous.
Underwater springs, currents
under the ice, or sudden thaws
can weaken the ice. Your vehicle
could fall through the ice and
you and your passengers could
drown. Drive your vehicle on
safe surfaces only.
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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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TRAILER TOWINGYour vehicle can tow a trailer. To iden-
tify what the vehicle trailering capaci-
ty is for your vehicle, you should read
the information in “Weight of the
Trailer’’ that appears later in this sec-
tion. Remember that trailering is dif-
ferent than just driving your vehicle
by itself. Trailering means changes in
handling, durability, and fuel econo-
my. Successful, safe trailering takes
correct equipment, and it has to be
used properly.This section contains many time-test-
ed, important trailering tips and safe-
ty rules. Many of these are important
for your safety and that of your pas-
sengers. Please read this section
carefully before you pull a trailer.
Load-pulling components such as the
engine, transmission, 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, further increasing
the pulling requirements.If You Do Decide to Pull a Trailer
Here are some important points if you
decide to pull a trailer:
 State, provincial, county and
municipal government have varying
trailering laws. Make sure your
hitch, mirrors, lights and wiring
arrangements are legal, not only
where you live, but also where
you’ll be driving. A good source for
this information is provincial or local
law enforcement agencies.
 Consider using a sway control. You
can ask a hitch dealer about sway
control.
 After your odometer indicates 800
km or more, you can tow a trailer.
For the first 800 km that you tow a
trailer, don’t drive over 80 km/h and
don’t make starts at full throttle.
This helps your engine and other
parts of your vehicle “wear” in at the
heavier loads.
 Always drive at a safe speed (less
than 100 km/h) commensurate with
road conditions.
 Three important considerations
have to do with weight:DRIVING TIPS5-34✽ ✽
NOTICEPulling a trailer improperly can
damage your vehicle and result in
costly repairs not covered by your
warranty. To pull a trailer correct-
ly, follow the advice in this section.
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Weight of the Trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than 1,590
kg (3,500 lbs.) with trailer brakes. But
even that can be too heavy depend-
ing on the number of passengers.
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 TIPS
5-35
ItemFour Wheel Drive Two Wheel Drive
A/T M/T A/T M/T
Maximum GCWR3,681 kg 3,662 kg 3,592 kg 3,573 kg
(8,115 lbs) (8,074 lbs) (7,919 lbs) (7,877 lbs)
Maximum
Trailer Weight
✽ ✽
NOTICE For definitions of terms used in this table and instructions on how to calcu-
late your vehicle load, refer to Weight of the Vehicle in this chapter.
 The combined weight of the completed towing vehicle and the loaded trail-
er must not exceed the GCWR.
 When towing maximum loads under high outside temperatures and/or on
steep grades, the A/C system may cycle on and off to protect the engine from
overheating. This may result in a temporary increase of interior tempera-
ture.
Without brake system : 750 kg (1,650 lbs)
With brake system : 1,590 kg (3,500 lbs)
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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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Parking on hills
Generally, you should not park your
vehicle, 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 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 R
(Reverse) for a manual transmis-
sion or P (Park) for an automatic
transmission.
5. Be sure the transfer case (if
equipped) is fully engaged in a
drive gear – not in N (Neutral).
6. Release the brakes.
DRIVING TIPS
5-41
WARNING- Parking on a Hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill
with an attached trailer could
cause serious injury or fatal
injury. If the brakes fail, the
vehicle and trailer could roll
down hill and strike people or
property.
WARNING- Parking Brake
Not setting the parking brake
when leaving the vehicle could
lead to a serious accident.
If you have left the engine run-
ning, the vehicle can move sud-
denly. Always set the parking
brake and take the key with you
to be sure your vehicle is
securely parked.
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