oil KIA Sorento 2009 2.G Owner's Manual

23
Your vehicle at a glance
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
OBL086001N
1. Air cleaner.........................................7-22
2. Engine oil filler cap ...........................7-14
3. Engine oil dipstick .............................7-14
4. Auto transmission fluid dipstick* .......7-19
5. Brake / clutch* fluid reservoir ............7-17
6. Fuse box .............................................6-7
7. Windshield washer fluid reservoir .....7-21
8. Power steering fluid reservoir ...........7-18
9. Radiator cap .....................................7-16
10. Engine coolant reservoir .................7-15
11. Battery ......................................6-4/7-25
* : if equipped
1
4
35 6
2
7
89 11
10
* The actual engine room in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.

35
Knowing your vehicle
Your vehicle is equipped with an electron-
ic engine immobilizer system to reduce
the risk of unauthorized vehicle use.
Your immobilizer system is comprised of
a small transponder in the ignition key,
and antenna coil in the key cylinder and
Immobilizer Control Unit (or Smartra
Unit).
With this system, whenever you insert
your ignition key into the ignition switch
and turn it to ON, the antenna coil in the
ignition switch receives a signal from the
transponder in the ignition key and then
sends the signal to the ECU (Engine
Control Unit).
The ECU checks the signal whether the
ignition key is valid.
If the key is determined to be valid, the
engine will start.
If the key is determined to be invalid, the
engine will not start.
To deactivate the immobilizer system:
Insert the ignition key into the key cylin-
der and turn it to the ON position.
To activate the immobilizer system:
Turn the ignition key to the OFF position.
The immobilizer system activates auto-
matically. Without a valid ignition key for
your vehicle, the engine will not start.
✽ ✽NOTICEWhen starting the engine, do not use the
key with other immobilizer keys around.
Otherwise the engine may not start or
may stop soon after it starts. Keep each
key separately not to have any malfunc-
tion after you receive your new vehicle.
CAUTION
Do not put metal accessories near
the key or ignition switch.
The engine may not start for themetal accessories may interrupt the transponder signal from normallytransmitting.
WARNING
In order to prevent theft of your
vehicle, do not leave spare keys
anywhere in your vehicle. Your
Immobilizer password is a cus-
tomer unique password and should
be kept confidential. Do not leave
this number anywhere in your vehi-
cle.
CAUTION
An inappropriately disposed bat-tery can be harmful to the environ- ment and human health. Disposethe battery according to your locallaw(s) or regulation.
IMMOBILIZER SYSTEM (IF EQUIPPED)

413
Driving your vehicle
Part-time 4WD operation
(if equipped) You can send your engine's driving
power to all front and rear wheels for
maximum power.
Four-wheel drive is useful when you
drive in snow, mud, ice or sand where
good traction is required, or when your
wheels lose traction using two-wheel
drive.When 4WD is selected with the transfer
shift knob, the vehicle will switch to 4WD
operation after a few seconds.
✽ ✽
NOTICEWhen the vehicle shifts into 4WD mode,
a slight mechanical sound and vibration
may be felt and does not indicate a prob-
lem with the system.To avoid shift shock, when the vehicle is
stopped and you make a transfer case
shift using the transfer shift knob, wait
until the corresponding indicator light in
the instrument cluster illuminates before
driving.
✽ ✽NOTICE• Do not select four wheel drive on flat
and normal roads.
• Four-wheel driving on flat roads for a long period causes poor fuel economy
and noise and it also causes tires to
wear faster.
• Four-wheel driving on flat and nor- mal roads can result in a severe bind-
ing and chattering condition when
turning the steering wheel.
• Four-wheel driving on flat roads for a long period can also cause the differ-
ential oil temperature to increase,
resulting in damage to parts in the
power train.
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Driving your vehicle40
4Engine oil pressure
warning This warning light indicates the engine oil
pressure is low.
If the warning light illuminates while driv-
ing:
1. Drive safely to the side of the road and
stop.
2. With the engine off, check the engine oil level. If the level is low, add oil as
required.
If the warning light remains on after
adding oil or if oil is not available, call an
Authorized Kia Dealer.
Charging system
warning This warning light indicates a malfunction
of either the generator or electrical
charging system.
If the warning light comes on while the
vehicle is in motion:
1. Drive to the nearest safe location.
2. With the engine off, check the genera- tor drive belt for looseness or break-
age.
3. If the belt is adjusted properly, a prob- lem exists somewhere in the electrical
charging system. Have an Authorized
Kia Dealer correct the problem as
soon as possible.
Safety belt warning If the driver's safety belt is not fastened
when the key is turned ON or if it is
unfastened after the key is turned ON,
the safety belt warning light blinks until
the belt fastened.Shift pattern indicators
(if equipped)The individual indicators illuminate to
show the automatic transmission shift
lever selection.
CAUTION
If the engine is not stopped imme-diately, severe damage could result.
P
R
N
D
or

449
Driving your vehicle
Distance to empty (km or MI)This mode indicates the estimated dis-
tance to empty from the current fuel in
the fuel tank. When the remaining dis-
tance is below 50 km (30 miles), a blink-
ing “---” symbol will be displayed.
Trip computer recognizes only the
amount of fuel consumed to the engine.
Therefore if the vehicle happens to
abnormal oil leakage, the trip computer
fails to sense causing the amount of fuel
more than it really is.
If you press the “DOWN” switch for more
than 5 seconds, the distance unit would
transfer to “Km” from “Ml (mile) or “MI” from
“Km”.
✽ ✽NOTICE• If the vehicle is not on level ground or
the battery power has been interrupt-
ed, the “DISTANCE TO EMPTY”
function may not operate correctly.
The trip computer may not register
additional fuel if less than 6 liters of
fuel are added to the vehicle.
• Trip computer provides a driver with supplemental information about the
current operating status of your vehi-
cle. So the estimated distance to empty
can be changed according to operat-
ing status of your vehicle, average fuel
consumption and previously driving
style. Therefore the values approved
or displayed on LCD for the first time
can be different with your vehicles.
• The figure of distance to empty is esti- mated driving distance, so it can be
different from the driving distance
really is.
Average vehicle speed
(km/h or MPH)This mode indicates the average speed
from the starting of the vehicle to the igni-
tion key “OFF”. When the “MODE/SET”
switch is pushed (more than 1.5 sec-
onds), it will initialize to “---”.
If you press the “DOWN” switch for more
than 5 seconds, the speed unit would
transfer to “Km/h” from “MPH” or “MPH”
from “Km/h” .
RANGE
9BLA3014N
AVG
9BLA3015N

465
Driving your vehicle
Air conditioning system opera-
tion tips If the vehicle has been parked in directsunlight during hot weather, open the
windows for a short time to let the hot
air inside the vehicle escape.
To help reduce moisture inside of win- dows on rainy humid days, decrease
the humidity inside the vehicle by oper-
ating the air conditioning system.
During air conditioning system opera- tion, you may occasionally notice a
slight change in engine speed at idle as
the air conditioning compressor cycles
on. This is a normal system operation
characteristics.
Use the air conditioning system every month if only for a few minutes to
ensure maximum system performance.
When using the air conditioning sys- tem, you may notice clear water drip-
ping (or even puddling) on the ground
under the passenger side of the vehi-
cle. This is a normal system operation
characteristics.
Operating the air conditioning system in the recirculated air position does
provide maximum cooling, however,
continual operation in this mode may
cause the air inside the vehicle to
become stale.
Checking the amount of air con-
ditioner refrigerant and compres-
sor lubricantWhen the amount of refrigerant is low,
the performance of the air conditioning is
reduced. Overfilling also has a bad influ-
ence on the air conditioning system.
Therefore, if abnormal operation is
found, have the system inspected by an
authorized Kia dealer.
CAUTION
When using the air conditioning system, monitor the temperaturegauge closely while driving up hills or in heavy traffic when out-side temperatures are high. Airconditioning system operationmay cause engine overheating. Continue to use the blower fanbut turn the air conditioning sys-tem off if the temperature gauge indicates engine overheating.
When opening the windows in humid weather air conditioningmay create water droplets insidethe vehicle. Since excessive water droplets may cause dam-age to electrical equipment, airconditioning should only be run with the windows closed.
CAUTION
The air conditioner refrigerant con-tainer is highly pressurized.Therefore it should be serviced by an authorized Kia dealer. Improperservice may cause serious injury.
CAUTION
When the performance of the air conditioning system is reduced it isimportant that the correct type andamount of oil and refrigerant isused. Otherwise, damage to the compressor and abnormal systemoperation may occur.

Driving your vehicle74
4
Air conditioning system opera-
tion tips If the vehicle has been parked in direct
sunlight during hot weather, open the
windows for a short time to let the hot
air inside the vehicle escape.
To help reduce moisture inside of win- dows on rainy humid days, decrease
the humidity inside the vehicle by oper-
ating the air conditioning system.
During air conditioning system opera- tion, you may occasionally notice a
slight change in engine speed at idle
as the air conditioning compressor
cycles on. This is a normal system
operating characteristic.
Use the air conditioning system every month if only for a few minutes to
ensure maximum system perform-
ance.
When using the air conditioning sys- tem, you may notice clear water drip-
ping (or even puddling) on the ground
under the passenger side of the vehi-
cle. This is a normal system operating
characteristic.
Operating the air conditioning system in the recirculated air position does
provide maximum cooling, however,
continual operation in this mode may
cause the air inside the vehicle to
become stale.
Checking the amount of air con-
ditioner refrigerant and compres-
sor lubricantWhen the amount of refrigerant is low,
the performance of the air conditioning is
reduced. Overfilling also has a bad influ-
ence on the air conditioning system.
Therefore, if abnormal operation is
found, have the system inspected by an
authorized Kia dealer.
CAUTION
When using the air conditioningsystem, monitor the temperature gauge closely while driving up hillsor in heavy traffic when outside tem-peratures are high. Air conditioningsystem operation may cause engine overheating. Continue to use theblower fan but turn the air condi-tioning system off if the temperature gauge indicates engine overheat-ing.
CAUTION
The air conditioner refrigerant con-tainer is highly pressurized.Therefore it should be serviced by an authorized Kia dealer. Improperservice may cause serious injury.
CAUTION
When the performance of the airconditioning system is reduced it is important that the correct type andamount of oil and refrigerant is used. Otherwise, damage to thecompressor and abnormal systemoperation may occur.

55
Driving tips
BEFORE DRIVING Before entering vehicle: Be sure that all windows, outside mir-ror(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,
with the exact interval depending on the
fluid. Further details are provided in
Section 7, Maintenance.
Before starting Close and lock all doors.
Position the seat so that all controls areeasily 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 famil-
iar with your vehicle and its equipment.
WARNING
- Driving under
the influence of alcohol or
drugs
Drinking and driving is dangerous.
Drunk driving is the number one
contributor to the highway death
toll each year. Even a small amount
of alcohol will affect your reflexes,
perceptions and judgement. Driving
while under the influence of drugs
is as dangerous or more dangerous
than driving drunk.
You are much more likely to have a
serious accident if you drink or take
drugs and drive.
If you are drinking or taking drugs,
don’t drive. Do not ride with a driv-
er who has been drinking or taking
drugs. Choose a designated driver
or call a cab.

59
Driving tips
Winter driving We recommend that you carry emer-gency equipment, including tire chains,
a window scraper, windshield deicer, a
bag of sand or salt, flares, a small
shovel and jumper cables.
Make sure you have sufficient ethylene 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 windshield 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 manual trans-
mission 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 original
tires. Mount snow tires on all four wheels
to balance your vehicle’s handling in all
weather conditions. Keep in mind that the
traction provided by snow tires on dry
roads may not be as high as your vehi-
cle's original equipment tires. You should
drive cautiously even when the roads are
clear. Check with the tire dealer for max-
imum speed recommendations.Do not install studded tires without firstchecking local, state and municipal regu-lations for possible restrictions againsttheir use.
Driving in flooded areas Avoid driving through flooded areas
unless you are sure the water is no high-
er 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 several
times while the vehicle is moving slowly.
WARNING
- Snow tire size
Snow tires should be equivalent in
size and type to the vehicle's stan-
dard tires. Otherwise, the safety and
handling of your vehicle may be
adversely affected.

523
Driving tips
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 moving, poor steering and
difficult braking can easily cause you to
slide out of control.
Driving in waterLight rain causes no special off-road driv-
ing problems. However, heavy rain can
cause flash flooding, and flood waters
demand extreme caution.
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 bear-
ing hubs, it may be a good idea to have
an Authorized Kia dealer or other com-
petent service center repack your front
wheel bearings and examine your rear-
end fluid for evidence of water.
CAUTION
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 digdown, not forward, and couldbury the vehicle to the frame. Smooth, easy power is betterthan too much power.
WARNING
- Frozen sur-
faces
Driving on frozen lakes, ponds or
rivers can be dangerous.
Underwater springs, currents under
the ice, or sudden thaws can weak-
en the ice. Your vehicle could fall
through the ice and you and your
passengers could drown. Drive
your vehicle on safe surfaces only.