maintenance MITSUBISHI iMiEV 2014 1.G Owner's Manual

Washer fluid
Vehicle care and maintenance 9-7
9
N00938600303
The windshield washer fluid reservoir is under the hood. Check the washer fluid level at regular inter-vals and add washer fluid to reservoir if nec- essary. Open the reservoir cap and check the fluidlevel. When freezing weather is anticipated, flush out the water in the reservoir by operating the pump. Fill the reservoir with windshield anti-freeze (not radiator
antifreeze), and operate
the system for a few se
conds to flush out the
residual water.
N00938700261
The brake fluid level must be between the “MAX” and “MIN” marks on the reservoir. The brake fluid level fa
lls slightly with wear
of the brake pads, but
this does not indicate
any abnormality. The brake fluid in the master cylinder should be checked when doing other work under the hood. The brake system should also bechecked for leaks at the same time. If the brake fluid level falls markedly in a short length of time, it indicates a leak in thebrake system.
If this occurs, have the vehicle checked by a certified i-MiEV dealer. Use the recommended brake fluid conform- ing to DOT 3 or DOT 4. The reservoir capmust be tightly sealed
to keep dirt and water
out.
N00939100914
The condition of the 12V starter battery is very important to keep the vehicle’s electricalsystem working properly. Check the 12V starter battery regularly.
Washer fluid During cold weather
FULL 1/2
Brake fluid To check the fluid level
Fluid type
CAUTION Do not let any petrol
eum-based fluid touch,
mix with, or get into the brake fluid. This will damage the seals. Be careful when handling brake fluid. It can damage painted surfaces. Use only the listed brake fluid. Different brands of brake fluid have different addi-tives, and these can cause a chemical reac- tion. Do not mix brands of brake fluid. Keep the reservoir ta
nk cap closed to keep
the brake fluid from evaporating.
12V starter battery
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12V starter battery 9-8 Vehicle care and maintenance
9
N00901300054
1. Turn the plastic nut (A) counterclockwise, and then remove the 12V starter battery upper cover (B).
1. Install the 12V starter battery upper cover (B) onto the 12V starter battery, and then push the plastic nut (A) in the direction shown by the arrows to secure the cover.
N00901500069
Before checking the 12V starter battery elec-trolyte level, remove th
e 12V starter battery’s
upper cover. The electrolyte level
must be between the
limits shown on the outside of the 12V starterbattery. Fill it with distilled water as needed. The inside of the 12V starter battery is divided into several compartments. Take the cap off of each compartment and fill to the mark.Do not fill above the t
op line because a spill
during driving could cause damage.
Removing and installing the 12V starter battery upper cover To r e m o v e
NOTE
 Be careful not to lose the removed plastic nut.
To install
CAUTION Be sure to install the 12V starter battery upper cover. Otherwise,
the battery electro-
lyte may spill and
cause a malfunction.
When installing the 12V
starter battery upper
cover and plastic nut
do not touch the cool-
ing fan or other moving parts under the hood.Be especially carefu
l that the cables, your
clothing or hair, etc.,
do not get caught in the
cooling fan or ot
her moving parts.
NOTE
Be sure to install the plastic nut in the correct direction.
Checking 12V starter battery electrolyte level
WA R N I N G If the 12V starter battery goes flat, be sure to check the 12V star
ter battery electro-
lyte level before connecting booster cables.
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12V starter battery
Vehicle care and maintenance 9-9
9
N00901600057
The 12V starter battery is weaker in cold tem- peratures. This has to do with its chemicaland physical propertie
s and is why a very
cold 12V starter battery, especially one with a
low charge, will have a hard time starting your vehicle.It is recommended that you have your 12V starter battery and charging system checked by a certified i-MiEV dealer before the startof cold weather. If necessary, have it charged. This will guarantee more reliable starting, and longer 12V starter battery life.
N00901701114
To disconnect the 12V starter battery cable,stop the electric motor.
Disconnect the nega-
tive (-) terminal first, then the positive (+) ter- minal. To reconnect th
e 12V starter battery,
first connect the positi
ve (+) terminal and
then the negative (-) terminal, before starting the vehicle.
 After checking the 12V starter battery electrolyte level, make sure the caps arefitted securely. If any of the caps cannot be re-secured to the 12V starter battery, replace the 12Vstarter battery. Electrolyte (battery acid) is made of corro- sive diluted sulfuric acid. If it spills on nearby parts, it can crack, stain, or dis- color them. And if gets on your skin or inyour eyes, it can cause burns or blindness. Please observe the following handling instructions:• If electrolyte gets on plastic parts orother nearby parts, wi
pe it off with a soft
cloth or chamois soak
ed in a solution of
water and neutral detergent then imme- diately rinse the affected parts withplenty of water.• If electrolyte gets on your hands orclothes, rinse thoroughly with water. If electrolyte gets in your eyes, flush them with water immediat
ely and get immedi-
ate medical attention.
During cold weather
WA R N I N G
Disconnection and connection
WA R N I N G Never disconnect the
12V starter battery
while the electric motor unit is running, or you could damage the
vehicle’s electrical
parts.  Never short-circuit
the 12V starter bat-
tery. This could cause it to overheat and be damaged.  Keep sparks, cigarette
s, and flames away
from the 12V starter battery because the 12V starter battery could explode.
 When installing the
12V starter battery,
start connection with the positive (+) ter-minal. If connection is started from thenegative (-) terminal,
sparks will occur if
the positive (+) termin
al touches any other
parts, and this may cause the 12V starterbattery to explode.NOTE
 Remove the 12V starte
r battery upper cover
before disconnecting the terminal of 12V starter battery. Refer to “Removing and installing the 12V st
arter battery upper
cover” on page 9-8.  Open the terminal cover (A) before discon- necting or connecting the positive (+) termi- nal of the 12V
starter battery.
 Loosen the nut (B), and then disconnect the 12V starter batt
ery cable from the positive
(+) terminal.WA R N I N G
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Tires 9-10 Vehicle care and maintenance
9
N00939201619
It is important to familiarize yourself with the following terms:  Cold tire pressure: • The measured pressure after the vehiclehas been parked for
at least three hours,
or • The measured pressure when the vehicleis driven less than 1 mile (1.6 km) after having been parked for three hours.
 Maximum inflation pressure: the maxi- mum permissible cold
tire inflation pres-
sure for this tire.  Recommended inflation pressure: the inflation pressure for optimum tire perfor- mance.
WA R N I N G Open doors and wind
ows in any closed
space where you may be charging orworking with the 12V starter battery.  Always wear protective clothing and gog- gles when working wi
th the 12V starter
battery, or have a sk
illed automobile tech-
nician do it.  If you are quick-charging your 12V starter battery, first disconnect the 12V starter battery cables.  In order to prevent a short circuit, be sure to disconnect the negative (-) terminalfirst, and reconnect it last. If the electrolyte level
is very low, have the
12V starter battery checked at a certified i-MiEV dealer. 12V starter battery te
rminals and related
accessories contain
lead and lead com-
pounds. Wash hands after handling. CAUTION When replacing the
12V starter battery,
remove the connected
positive (+) and nega-
tive (-) terminals after turning the electric motor switch to the “LOCK” position andwaiting at least 1 minut
e. If the 12V starter
battery terminal is removed just after the electric motor switch is turned to the “LOCK” position, this
may cause damage to
components of the electric motor unit.
NOTE
 Before cleaning the 12V starter battery, tighten all the filler port
caps to keep dirt and
moisture out.  Check each 12V starter battery terminal for corrosion. If necessary, clean the terminalswith a solution of baking soda and water. Grease the posts and cl
amps after cleaning or
tightening them.  Check to see that the 12V starter battery is securely installed and
cannot be moved. Also
check each terminal for tightness.  If you will not be driv
ing your vehicle for a
long period of time, re
move the 12V starter
battery and store it in a place where the 12V starter battery fluid wi
ll not freeze. Memory
data for settings made by the user may be erased when the 12V starter battery is removed. If this happens, reset the settingsagain using the releva
nt procedures. The
12V starter battery
only should be stored
with a full charge.
Tires
WA R N I N G Driving with tires that are worn, damaged or improperly inflated is dangerous.These type tire conditions will adversely affect vehicle performance. These type tire conditions can also cause atread separation or blowout which may result in an accide
nt causing serious
injury or death. Tires degrade over ti
me with age even
when they are not being used. It is recom-mended that tires ove
r 6 years generally
be replaced even if
damage is not obvious.
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Tires
Vehicle care and maintenance 9-11
9
 Intended outboard sidewall: • The sidewall that c
ontains a whitewall,
bears white letteri
ng or bears manufac-
turer, brand, and/or model name molding that is higher or deeper than the samemolding on the other sidewall of the tire, or • The outward facing si
dewall of an asym-
metrical tire that has a particular side that must always face outward when mounted on a vehicle.
 Passenger car tire: a
tire intended for use
on passenger cars, multipurpose passen-ger vehicles, and trucks, that have a gross vehicle weight rati
ng (GVWR) of 10,000
pounds or less. Light truck (LT) tire: a tire designated by its manufacturer as primarily intended for use on lightweight truc
ks or multipurpose
passenger vehicles.  Tread: portion of a tire that comes into contact with the road. Tread rib: a tread se
ction running circum-
ferentially around a tire.  Tread separation: pulling away of the tread from the tire carcass.  Carcass: the tire structure, except tread and sidewall rubber which, when inflated,bears the load.  Sidewall: portion of
a tire between the
tread and bead.
 Section width: the line
ar distance between
the exteriors of the sidewalls of aninflated tire, excluding elevations due to labeling, decoration, or protective bands.  Bead: the part of the tire that is made of steel wires, wrapped
or reinforced by ply
cords and that is shaped to fit the rim.  Ply: a layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.  Cord: the strands forming the plies in the tire.  Rim: a metal support for a tire or a tire and tube assembly upon which the tirebeads are seated.  Rim diameter: nominal diameter of the bead seat. Groove: the space between two adjacent tread ribs.
EXAMPLE:P215/65R15
Tire Markings
Size Designation P
Passenger car tire size based on U.S.A. design standards
215
Section width in millimeters (mm.)
65
Aspect ratio in percent (%) Ratio of section height to section width of tire.
R
Construction code •“R” means radial construc- tion.

• “D” means diagonal or bias construction.
15 Rim diameter in inches (in)
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Tires 9-12 Vehicle care and maintenance
9
EXAMPLE: 95H
Maximum load indicates the maxi- mum load this tire is designed to carry. Maximum Pressure indicates the maximum permissible cold tire infla-tion pressure for this tire. The TIN may be found on one or both sides of the tire but the date
NOTE
European/Japanese metric tire sizing is based on European/Jap- anese design standards. Tires designed to these standards havethe tire size molded into the sidewall beginning with the sec- tion width. The letter “P” isabsent from this tire size desig- nation. Example: 215/65R15 96H.LT (Light Truck) -metric tiresizing is based on U.S.A. designstandards. The size designation for LT-metric tires is the same as for P-metric tires except for theletters “LT” that are molded into the sidewall preceding the size designation. Example:LT235/85R16.
Service Description 95
Load index A numerical code associ- ated with the maximum load a tire can carry.
H
Speed symbol A symbol indicating the range of speeds at which a tire can carry a load corre- sponding to its
load index
under certain operating con-ditions.The maximum speed corre- sponding to the speed sym- bol should only be achieved under specified operating conditions. (i.e. tire pressure, vehicle loading, road condi-tions and posted speed lim- its)
Maximum Load
WA R N I N GOverloading of your tire is dangerous. Overloading cancause tire failure, affect vehi- cle handling, and increase your stopping distance. Usetires of the recommended load capacity for your vehicle. Never overload them.
Maximum Pressure Tire Identification Number (TIN)
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Tires
Vehicle care and maintenance 9-13
9
code may only be on one side. Look for the TIN on the outboard side of tires as mounted on the vehicle. If the TIN is not found on the outboard sidethen you will find it on the inboard side of the tire. EXAMPLE: DOT MA L9 ABCD 1504
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tire when testedunder controlled conditions on a specified government test course
. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and one-half (11/2) times as well on the government course
as a tire graded 100. The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use, however, and may depart signifi-cantly from the norm due to variations in driving habits, service practices and differ- ences in road characteristics and climate. The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B and C. Those grades represent the tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under contro
lled conditions on
specified government te
st surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor traction performance. The temperature grades are A (the highest), B and C, representing the ti
re’s resistance to the
generation of heat and it
s ability to dissipate
heat when tested u
nder controlled conditions
on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the material of the tire to
degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure. The grade C corre-sponds to a level of
performance which all
passenger car tires must
meet under the Fed-
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109.Grades B and A represent higher levels of performance on the laboratory test wheel than the minimum required by law.
N00939300873
Proper tire inflation pre
ssure is essential for
the safe and satisfac
tory operation of your
vehicle. The wrong tire pressure will cause problems in three major areas:
DOT
Department of Transporta- tion This symbol certifies that the tire is in compliance with the U.S.
Department
of Transportation tire safety standards, and is approved for highway use.
MA
Code representing the tire manufacturing location. (2 digits)
L9 ABCD
Code representing the tire size. (2 digits)Code used by tire manufac- turer. (1 to 4 digits)
15
Number representing the week in which the tire was manufactured. (2 digits)
04
Number representing the year in which the tire was manufactured. (2 digits)
Treadwear, Traction and Temper- ature Grades Treadwear Tr a c t i o n
TemperatureTire inflation pressures
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Tires 9-14 Vehicle care and maintenance
9
 Safety Too little pressure increases flexing in thetire and can cause tire failure. Too much pressure can cause a tire to lose its ability to cushion shock. Objects on the road andpotholes could then cause tire damage that may result in tire failure.  Economy The wrong tire pressure can cause uneven wear patterns in the tire tread. These abnormal wear patterns will reduce the tread life, and the tire will have to be replaced sooner.Too little pressure also makes it harder for the tire to roll, and this uses up more power. Ride comfort and vehicle stability The superior riding
experience built into
your vehicle partly depends on the correcttire pressure. Too mu
ch pressure gives an
uncomfortable and ja
rring ride. Too little
pressure feels as if your vehicle is slow torespond. Unequal tire pressures can make steering your vehicle uneven and unpredictable.
The correct tire pressure for your vehicle is listed on the placard attached to the sill of the driver’s door. (Refer to “Tire and loading information plac-ard” on page 11-3.)
The recommended inflation pressures should be used for the tires listed below. Tire pressures should be checked, and adjusted if necessary, at least once a month. Pressures should be checked more often whenever weather temperatures changeseverely, becaus
e tire pressures change with
outdoor temperatures. The pressures listed on the placard are always
“cold inflation pres-
sure”. Cold inflation pressure is measured after the vehicle has been parked
for at least three
hours or is driven less than 1 mile (1.6 km) after having been parked for three hours. Cold inflation pressure must not go above themaximum values molded into the tire side- wall. After driving se
veral miles, your tire
inflation pressure may increase 14 to 41 KPA,2 to 6 PSI from the cold inflation pressure. Do not let air out of the tires to get back to the specified cold pressure, or your tire pressurewill be too low. You should also take the following safety pre- cautions:
 Keep your tires inflated to the recom- mended pressures. (See the tire and load-ing information placard attached to the sill of the driver’s door.)  Stay within the recommended load limits.  Make sure that the weight of any load in your vehicle is evenly distributed.  Drive at safe speeds.  After filling your tires to the correct pres- sure, check them for damage and air leaks. Be sure to reinstall the caps on the valve stems.
N00939600427
Tire size
Front
Rear
145/65R15
72H
250 KPA, 36 PSI
—
175/60R15
81H
—
250 KPA, 36 PSI
Replacing tires and wheels
CAUTION Avoid using different size tires and wheels from the ones listed, and avoid the combined use of different types
of tires and wheels.
Using different size or
type tires and wheels
may affect driving safety. Refer to “Tires and wheels” on page 11-5. Even if a wheel has the same rim size and offset as the specifie
d type of wheel, its
shape may prevent it
from being fitted cor-
rectly. Consult a certified i-MiEV dealer before
using wheels that you
have.
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Tires
Vehicle care and maintenance 9-15
9
N00939700170
The following maintenance steps are recom- mended:  Check tire pressures regularly.  Have regular maintenance done on the wheel balance and front
and rear suspen-
sion alignment.
N00939800214
Tread wear indicators are built into the origi-nal equipment tires on your vehicle to helpyou know when your tires should be replaced. Many states have la
ws requiring that you
replace your tires at this point.These indicators are molded into the bottom of the tread grooves and will appear when the tire tread is worn down to 1/16 inch(1.6 mm). When the bands appear next to one another in two or more places,
replace your tires.
N00939900518
Because the front and
rear tires and wheels
are not the same size, do not rotate the front and rear tires.
N00940000359
In some areas of the country, snow tires arerequired for winter driving. If snow tires arerequired in your area, you must choose snow tires of the same size
and type as the original
tires provided with your
vehicle. Snow tires
should also be
installed on all four wheels.
Otherwise your safety
and vehicle handling
can be reduced.Even where laws may permit it, snow tires should not be operated
at sustained speeds
over 75 mph (120 km/h).
 Only Mitsubishi Motors genuine wheels should be used, beca
use your vehicle is
equipped with a tire pr
essure monitoring sys-
tem. Use of another type of wheel risks air leaks and sensor damage, as it
will not be possible
to install the tire pressure sensor properly.
Tire maintenance
CAUTION
Tread wear indicators 1- Location of the tread wear indicator 2- Tread wear indicator
NOTE
 Tire wear indicators ca
n have different marks
and locations depending on the tire manufac- turer.
Tire rotation
WA R N I N G Rotating tires would compromise the sta- bility and drivabilit
y of the vehicle and
could lead to a
serious accident.
Snow tires
CAUTIONIf flange nuts are used on your vehicle, change to tapered nuts
when using snow tires
with steel wheels.
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Brake pedal free play 9-16 Vehicle care and maintenance
9
N00940100129 N00940300310
To check the brake pedal free play (A), turn off the electric motor unit and press the brakepedal several times
with your foot. Then
press the pedal down wi
th your fingers until
you first feel resistance. Brake pedal free play: .1 to .3 inch (3 to 8 mm)
If the free play is not within these limits, take your vehicle to a certified i-MiEV dealer for adjustment.
N00940400236
Check the parking brake lever travel occa- sionally. To check this, pull the lever upslowly and count the number of clicks of the ratchet. Parking brake lever stroke: 6 to 7 notches Also check to see if the lever stays gripped by the ratchet after pulling.
N00940701210
Check the wiper blades occasionally. Cleanthem regularly to remove
deposits of salt and
road film. Use a sponge or cloth and a mild detergent or non-abrasive
cleaner to clean the
blades and glass areas. Replace the blades if th
ey continue to streak
or smear.
 Only Mitsubishi Motors genuine wheels should be used, beca
use your vehicle is
equipped with a tire pr
essure monitoring sys-
tem. Use of another type of
wheel risks air leaks
and sensor damage, as
it will not be possible
to install the tire pressure sensor properly.
Tire chains
CAUTION Tire chains cannot be used on your vehicle. The clearance between
the chains and the
body is not sufficient to allow proper clear- ance, and the vehicle body might be dam- aged.
Brake pedal free play
CAUTION
Parking brake lever stroke
WA R N I N G Continued operation
of the vehicle with
the parking brake leve
r out of adjustment
may result in the
vehicle moving when
unattended.
Wiper blades
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