When you drive a Volvo, you become our partner in the work to lessen the car's impact on the environment.
To reduce your vehicle's environmental impact, you can:
· Maintain proper air pressure in your tires. Tests have shown decreased fuel economy with improperly inflated tires
· Follow the recommended maintenance schedule
· Drive at a constant speed
· See an authorized Volvo retailer as soon as possible for inspection if the check engine (malfunction indicator) lamp
illuminates, or stays on after the vehicle has started
· Properly dispose of any vehicle related waste such as used motor oil, used batteries, brake pads, etc.
· When cleaning your car, use Volvo's own car care products, all of which have systematically been adapted to the
environment.
Prem-Air®
On the surface of the radiator in the engine compartment, there is a special coating called Prem-Air®. Prem-Air®
works as a catalytic converter, converting most of the ozone passing through the radiator into oxygen, thereby reducing
harmful ground-level ozone.
For additional information regarding the environmental activities inwhich Volvo Cars of North America, Inc. and
Volvo Car Corporation are involved, visit our Internet Home Page at:
http://www.volvocars.com
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If the light comes on while driving or braking, stop immediately, open the hood and check the brake fluid level
in the reservoir. See page 118
for reservoir position and instructions.
Canadian models are equipped with this warning light:
Park
Brake
Parking brake reminder light
This light will be on when the parking brake (hand brake) is applied. The parking brake lever is situated between the
front seats.
Canadian models are equipped with this warning light:
Oil pressure warning light
If the light comes on while driving, stop the car and then stop the engine immediately and check the engine oil
level . See page 117
. If the light stays on after restart, have the car towed to the nearest authorized Volvo retailer. After
hard driving, the light may come on occasionally when the engine is idling. This is normal, provided it goes off when
the engine speed is increased.
Generator warning light
If the light comes on while the engine is running, have the charging system checked.
pg. 25 Indicator and warning lights
Rear fog light
This light indicates that the rear fog light is on.
CHECK
ENGINE
Malfunction indicator lamp
On-Board Diagnostic II (OBDII): As you drive, a computer called "OBDII" monitors your car's engine, transmission,
electrical and emission systems. The CHECK ENGINE light will light up if the computer senses a condition that
potentially may need correcting. When this happens, please have your car checked by a Volvo retailer as soon as
possible.
A CHECK ENGINE light may have many causes. Sometimes, you may not notice a change in your car's behavior.
Even so, an uncorrected condition could hurt fuel economy, emission cleanliness, and driveability. Extended driving
without correcting the cause could even damage other components in your car.
Canadian models are equipped with this warning light:
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Economical driving conserves natural resources
Better driving economy may be obtained by thinking ahead, avoiding rapid starts and stops and adjusting the speed of
your vehicle to immediate traffic conditions. Observe the following rules:
· Bring the engine to normal operating temperature as soon as possible by driving with a light foot on the accelerator
pedal for the first few minutes of operation. A cold engine uses more fuel and is subject to increased wear.
· Whenever possible, avoid using the car for driving short distances. This does not allow the engine to reach normal
operating temperature.
· Drive carefully and avoid rapid acceleration and hard braking.
· Do not exceed posted speed limits.
· Avoid carrying unnecessary items (extra load) in the car.
· Maintan correct tire pressure. Check tire pressure regularly (when tires are cold).
· Remove snow tires when threat of snow or ice has ended.
· Note that roof racks, ski racks, etc., increase air resistance and also fuel consumption.
· Avoid using automatic transmission kickdown feature unless necessary.
· However, at higher driving speeds, fuel consumption will be lower with the air conditioning on and the windows
closed than with the air conditioning off and the windows open.
· Using the onboard trip computer's fuel consumption modes can help you learn how to drive more economically.
Other factors which decrease gas mileage are:
· Worn or dirty spark plugs
· Incorrect spark plug gap
· Dirty air cleaner
· Dirty engine oil and clogged oil filter
· Dragging brakes
· Incorrect front end alignment
Some of the above mentioned items and others are checked at the standard Maintenance Service intervals.
NOTE: Vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions should use (D)rive as often as possible and avoid using
"kickdown" to help improve fuel economy.
Cooling system
The risk for engine overheating is greatest, especially in hot weather, when:
· Towing a trailer up steep inclines for prolonged periods at wide open throttle and low engine rpm.
· Stopping the engine suddenly after high speed driving (so-called "after-boiling" can occur).
· To avoid overheating, the following rules should be followed: Do not drive for prolonged periods at engine speeds
above 4500 rpm if you are towing a trailer in hilly terrain.
· Reduce speed when towing a trailer up long, steep inclines. The risk of overheat -ing can be reduced by switching off
the air conditioning system for a short time.
· Do not let the engine idle unnecessarily for prolonged periods.
· Do not mount auxiliary lamps in front of the grill. When the risk of overheating is imminent, or in the event of
overheating (the temperature gauge goes repeatedly into, or stays continual-ly in, the red section), the following
precau-tions should be taken:
· Switch off the air conditioning system.
· Pull off the road, away from traffic, stop the car and put the gear selector into Park. Do not stop the engine!
· Switch the heater to full (maximum) position. Increase the engine speed to approx. 2000 rpm (twice idling speed)
until the temperature begins to drop.
· If the warning light in the center of the instrument panel is red, and the message "Coolant level lo stop engine" is
displayed, switch off the engine as soon as possible.
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the vehicle and others sharing the roadway. Avoiding distractions is part of that responsibility.
The following should be checked regularly: *
1 Washer fluid reservoir should be filled with water and solvent (wintertime: windshield washer anti-freeze). See
page 114.
2 Power steering - When cold, the level must not be above the COLD mark and when hot it must not be above the
HOT mark. Top up if the level drops to the ADD mark with ATF fluid. See page 118.
3 Coolant level should be between the expansion tank marks. Mixture: 50% anti-freeze and 50% water. See page 112.
4 Engine oil level should be between the dipstick marks. The distance between the marks represents approx.
1.6 US qts (1.5 liters). See page 117.
5 Brake fluid - check, without removing the cap, that the level is above the MIN mark. Use brake fluid DOT 4+. See
page 118.
* Engine oil should be checked each time the car is refuelled.
Octane rating, see page 66.
Tire pressure, see label located on the rear edge of the right front door.
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