coolant temperature KIA Spectra 2006 2.G Owner's Manual

Driving your vehicle32
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Engine temperature gauge This gauge shows the temperature
of the engine coolant when the igni-
tion switch is ON.
Do not continue driving with an over-
heated engine. If your vehicle over-
heats, refer to “Overheating”in the
Index.✽ ✽
NOTICEIf the gauge pointer moves beyond
the normal range area toward the
“H” position, it indicates overheat-
ing that may damage the engine.
Fuel gaugeThe fuel gauge indicates the approx-
imate amount of fuel remaining in the
fuel tank.
Fuel tank capacity - 55 litres.
The fuel gauge is supplemented by a
low fuel warning light, which will illu-
minate when the fuel level has
dropped to about 8.5 liters.
Instrument panel illumination
(if equipped)When the vehicle’ s parking lights or
headlights are on, rotate the illumina-
tion control knob to adjust the instru-
ment panel illumination intensity.
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Driving your vehicle56
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 When maximum cooling is desired,
set the temperature control to the
extreme left position and set the air
intake control to the recirculated air
position, then set the fan speed
control to the highest speed.✽ ✽
NOTICE When using the air conditioning
system, monitor the temperature
gauge closely while driving up
hills or in heavy traffic when out-
side temperatures are high. Air
conditioning system operation
may cause engine overheating.
Continue to use the blower fan but
turn the air conditioning system
off if the temperature gauge indi-
cates engine overheating.
 When opening the windows in humid weather air conditioning
may create water droplets inside
the vehicle. Since excessive water
droplets may cause damage to
electrical equipment, air condi-
tioning should only be run with
the windows closed.
Air conditioning system oper-
ation 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
windows on rainy humid days,
decrease the humidity inside the
vehicle by operating the air condi-
tioning system.
 During air conditioning system
operation, you may occasionally
notice a slight change in engine
speed at idle as the air condition-
ing compressor cycles on. This is
a normal system operation charac-
teristics.
 Use the air conditioning system
every month if only for a few min-
utes to ensure maximum system
performance.
 When using the air conditioning
system, you may notice clear water
dripping (or even pudding) on the
ground under the passenger side
of the vehicle. This is a normal sys-
tem operation characteristics. 
The air conditioning system
includes a function that automati-
cally turns the air conditioning
compressor off if engine coolant
temperature approaches an over
heating level. The air conditioning
compressor operation will resume
once engine coolant temperature
returns to the normal range. Also,
the air conditioning compressor is
automatically turned off for a few
seconds when the accelerator is
fully depressed (wide open throt-
tle).
 When operating the air condition-
ing system use the outside (fresh)
air position.
 Operating the air conditioning sys-
tem 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.
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59
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 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 1 (First) or R (Reverse) with a
manual transaxle or P (Park) with
an automatic transaxle and block
the rear wheels.
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Driving tips16
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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 70
km/h (45 mph) to reduce the possi-
bility of engine and transaxle over-
heating.
If your trailer weighs more than 453
kg (1000 lbs.) 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 in
damage to the vehicle electrical
system and/or personal injury.
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63
In case of an emergency
OVERHEATING If your temperature gauge indicates
overheating, if you experience a loss
of power, or if you hear a loud knock-
ing or pinging noise, the engine has
probably overheated. Should any of
these symptoms occur, use the fol-
lowing procedure:
1. Turn on the hazard warning flash-er, then drive to the nearest safe
location and stop your vehicle; set
the automatic transaxle in P
(Park), or shift the manual
transaxle to N (Neutral) 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
assistance. If coolant is not boiling out, 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. If the level in the reser-
voir 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 prob-
lem that may have caused the
engine to overheat, do not operate
the engine until it has been cor-
rected. Call an Authorized Kia
Dealer for assistance. If you do not
find a leak or other problem, care-
fully add coolant to the reservoir. If the engine frequently overheats,
have the cooling system checked
and repaired by an Authorized Kia
Dealer.
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WARNING
- Removing
radiator cap
Do not 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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Maintenance14
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Check the condition and connections
of all cooling system hoses and
heater hoses. Replace any swollen
or deteriorated hoses.
The coolant level should be filled
between F and L marks on the side
of the coolant reservoir when the
engine is cool.
If the coolant level is low, add enough
specified coolant to provide protec-
tion against freezing and corrosion.
Bring the level to F, but do not over-
fill. If frequent additions are required,
see an Authorized Kia Dealer for a
cooling system inspection.
Adding coolant  Use only soft (de-mineralized)
water in the coolant mixture.
 The engine in your vehicle has alu- minum engine parts and must be
protected by an ethylene-glycol-
based coolant to prevent corrosion
and freezing.
 DO NOT USE alcohol or methanol coolant or mix them with the spec-
ified coolant.
 Do not use a solution that contains more than 60% antifreeze or less
than 35% antifreeze, which would
reduce the effectiveness of the
solution.
Have coolant changed in accordance
with the maintenance schedule. For mixture percentage, refer to the
following table.
1LDN5005
-15°C (5°F) 35
65
-25°C (-13°F) 40 60
-35°C (-31°F) 50 50
-45°C (-49°F) 60 40Ambient
Temperature Mixture Percentage (volume)
Coolant
Solution Water
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