2003 FIAT BARCHETTA ESP

68
If warning light ¢remains lit
together with the warning light
U
when the ignition key is at MAR,
turn the key toSTOPand then to
MAR; if the warning light still
remains lit, try with the other keys
provided with the car.
If you are still unable to start the
engine, follow the emergency startup
procedure (see “Emergency startup”
in the section “In an emergency”)
and go to the nearestFiat
Dealership immediately.
IMPORTANTDo not leave the
ignition key at MARwhen the
engine is off.
STARTING
THE ENGINE
The engine may seem noisier than
usual during the first seconds after
startup, especially after a long period
of inactivity. This phenomenon is
characteristic of hydraulic tappets,
and does not affect the functioning
and reliability of the engine: this par-
ticular timing system has been select-
ed for the Fiat barchetta engine to
reduce the number of maintenance
interventions necessary.IMPORTANT It is important that
the accelerator is never pressed until
the engine is started.
1) Make sure the handbrake is on.
2) Put the gear lever in neutral.
3) Press the clutch pedal right
down, without touching the acceler-
ator pedal.
4) Turn the ignition key to AVV
and let it go the moment the engine
starts.
If the engine does not start at the
first attempt, return the ignition key
to STOPbefore trying to start the
engine again.
It is dangerous to let the
engine run in a garage or
other closed area. The engine con-
sumes oxygen and gives off carbon
dioxide, carbon monoxide and oth-
er poisonous fumes.
WARNING
Never touch the high ten-
sion cables (spark plug
cables) when the engine is run-
ning.
WARNING

73
– Do not drive too many hours at a
time but stop at intervals to stretch
your legs and recoup your energies.
– Make sure the air in the car is be-
ing changed continuously.
– Never coast down steep slopes
with the engine off: you lose the aid of
engine brake, power brakes and pow-
er steering so that braking and steer-
ing require greater effort.
DRIVING AT NIGHT
If you are driving at night these are
the main rules to follow.
– Drive especially carefully: it is hard-
er to drive at night.
– Slow down especially if the road is
not lit.
– At the first signs of sleepiness, stop:
continuing would be a risk for yourself
and everybody else. Only start driving
again when you have had enough rest.
Driving while drunk or un-
der the influence of drugs
or certain medicines is dangerous
for both you and other road users.
WARNING
Always fasten your seat
belt and ensure your pas-
senger does the same. Travelling
with the seat belts unfastened in-
creases the risk of injury or death
if you are in a collision.
WARNING
Water, ice or salt on road
surfaces can deposit on
brake disks, reducing braking effi-
ciency on the first braking.
WARNING
Pay attention to assembly
of extra spoilers, wheels in
alloy or non standard wheel caps.
These could reduce ventilation of
the brakes and reduce their effi-
ciency under conditions of violent
or repeated braking or long down-
hill travel.
WARNING
Do not travel with objects
on the floor in front of dri-
ver’s seat: when braking they could
block the pedals making accelera-
tion or braking impossible.
WARNING
Pay attention to the mea-
surements of any carpets:
any hindrance, even slight, to the
braking system could result in a
longer than normal pedal run.
WARNING

76
Here are some suggestions which
may help you to keep the running
costs of your vehicle down and low-
er the amount of toxic emissions re-
leased into the atmosphere.
GENERAL
CONSIDERATIONS
Car maintenance
The overall state of the car is an im-
portant factor which has a marked in-
fluence over fuel consumption and dri-
ving comfort and on the life span of
your car. For this reason care should
be taken to maintain your car by car-
rying out the necessary checks and
regulations in accordance with the
specifications given in the Scheduled
Maintenance Programme (see sec-
tions... spark plugs, idle, air filter, tim-
ing).
CONTAINING RUNNING COSTS
AND POLLUTION
Tyres
Tyres should be checked at least
every four weeks: if the pressure is
too low fuel consumption increases as
the resistance to the rolling movement
of the tyre is greater. In this state, tyre
wear is increased and car handling suf-
fers which will affect safety.
Unnecessary loads
Do not travel with too much luggage
stowed in the boot. The weight of the
vehicle (especially when driving in
town) and its trim greatly affects con-
sumption and stability. To get the most out of ABS:
– During emergency stops or when
grip conditions are poor, you will feel
a slight pulsation on the brake pedal.
This is the sign that the ABS is in ac-
tion. Do not release the brake pedal
but continue to press so as not to in-
terrupt the braking action.
– ABS prevents the wheels from
locking but it does not increase actu-
al grip conditions between tyre and
road. Therefore, even if your car is fit-
ted with ABS, respect the safety dis-
tance from the car in front of you and
keep your speed down when driving
into bends.
– ABS serves to increase the con-
trollability of the car, not to enable you
to go faster.

78
CONDITIONS OF USE
Cold starting
Frequent cold starting will not enable
the engine to reach optimal running
temperature. It follows therefore that
consumption will be higher (from
+15% to +30% in towns) as will the
production of toxic emissions.
Traffic and road conditions
Heavy traffic and higher consumption
are synonymous; for example, when
driving slowly with frequent use of the
lower gears or in large towns where
there are numerous traffic lights.
Winding roads, mountain roads and
bumpy roads also have a negative ef-
fect on consumption.
Enforced halts
During prolonged hold-ups (traffic
lights, level crossings) the engine
should be switched off.CHEAP RUNNING THAT RESPECTS
THE ENVIRONMENT
LOOKING AFTER EMISSION
CONTROL DEVICES
The correct use of pollution control
devices not only ensures respect for
the environment but also has an effect
on the car’s performance.
Keeping these devices in good con-
dition is therefore a fundamental rule
for driving that is easy on your pock-
et and on the environment too.
The first step to take is to follow the
Service Schedule to the letter.
Use only unleaded petrol in petrol
engines.
If you have trouble starting, do not
keep turning the ignition key for long
periods. Be especially careful to avoid
bump starting the car by pushing, tow-
ing or rolling down hill: these are all
manoeuvres that can damage the cat-
alytic exhaust. For emergency starts
use only an auxiliary battery. Environmental protection has been
one of the guiding principles in the
production of the Fiat barchetta. It is
no accident that its pollution control
equipment is much more effective than
that required by current legislation.
Nonetheless, the environment can-
not get by without a concerted effort
from everyone.
By following a few simple rules you
can avoid harming the environment
and often cut down fuel consumption
at the same time.
On this subject, a few useful tips have
been given below to supplement those
marked by symbol #, at various points
of the handbook.
You are asked to read both the for-
mer and latter carefully.

84
EMERGENCY
START-UP
If the Fiat CODE system cannot de-
activate the engine immobiliser, the
warning lights ¢and
Uwill remain
lit and the engine will not start. To
start your car, follow the emergency
startup procedure.
Read the whole procedure care-
fully before trying to carry it out.
If you make a mistake in the emer-
gency procedure you must turn the ig-
nition key back toSTOPand repeat
the whole operation from the begin-
ning, step 1).
1)Read the 5-figure electronic code
given on the CODE card.
2) Turn the ignition key to MAR.
3)Press the accelerator pedal to the
floor and keep it there. The injection
warning lamp
Uwill light up for about
8 seconds, and then go out. At this
point release the accelerator pedal and
get ready to count the flashes of warn-
ing lamp
U.4) Count the number of flashes that
corresponds to the first figure of the
code on the CODE card, then press
the accelerator pedal and keep it there
until the warning lamp
Ulights up for
four seconds and then goes out again.
Release the accelerator pedal.
5)The warning lamp
Uwill start
flashing again: when the lamp has
flashed the number of times that cor-
responds to the second figure on the
CODE card, press the accelerator
pedal to the floor and keep it there.
6) Do the same for the remaining fig-
ures on the CODE card.
7) Once the final figure has been en-
tered, keep the accelerator pedal
pressed. The warning lamp
Uwill
light up for 4 seconds and then go out.
Release the accelerator pedal.
8) The warning lamp
Uwill flash
rapidly for about 4 seconds to indicate
that the operation has been complet-
ed correctly.9)Turn on the engine by turning the
ignition key from the MARto the
AVVposition.
If however indicator light
Ustays
on, turn the ignition key to STOPand
repeat the procedure starting from
point 1).
IMPORTANT After emergency
starting the car you should have it seen
to at a Fiat Dealershipbecause the
emergency procedure will have to be
repeated each time you start the en-
gine otherwise.

86
Observe the instructions on this and
the following pages to use the jack and
space-saver spare wheel correctly.
BUMP STARTING IF A TYRE
IS PUNCTURED
General instructions
Do not bump start by
pushing, towing or coast-
ing downhill. This way of
starting could cause a rush of fu-
el into the catalytic exhaust pipe
and damage it beyond repair.
Signal the presence of the
stopped vehicle according
to the laws in force (e.g. hazard
lights, reflecting triangle, etc.).
Any passengers on board should
leave the vehicle, especially if it is
heavily laden. Passengers should
stay away from oncoming traffic
while the wheel is being changed.
If the wheel is being changed on a
steep or badly surfaced road, place
wedges or other suitable material
under the wheels to stop the vehi-
cle.
WARNING
Remember that if the en-
gine is not running, the
brake booster will not work. You
therefore have to use considerably
more effort on the brake pedal.
WARNING
The space-saver spare
wheel is vehicle-specific.
Never use the wheel on other mod-
els. Never use other model spare
wheels on your vehicle.
If you change the type of wheels
(alloy rims instead of steel rims) you
will have to change the entire set of
fastening bolts with another set of
suitably sized bolts.
Only use the spare-saver wheel for
emergencies.
With the spare wheel do not exceed
80 kph.
An orange sticker is attached to the
spare wheel giving the main in-
structions for its use and limitations.
The sticker must never be re-
moved or covered.
Do not fit the hub cap to the
spare wheel.
WARNING

98
IF AN INTERIOR
LIGHT BURNS
OUT
CEILING LIGHT UNIT
To change 12V-10W tubular bulb A:
pry off the ceiling light unit with a
screwdriver at the points indicated in
fig. 26.GLOVE COMPARTMENT
LIGHT fig. 27
To replace the tubular 12V-5W bulb:
remove the lens by pressing it on its
two short sides and pulling it down-
wards.
IF A FUSE
BLOWS
GENERAL fig. 28
If an electrical device is not working,
check whether the respective fuse is
blown. The conductor Cshould not
be broken. If it is, replace it with an-
other with the same amperage (same
colour).
A- Undamaged fuse
B- Fuse with broken filament.
fig. 26
P5S00689m
fig. 27
P5S00704m
fig. 28
P5S00742m

99
POSITION OF THE FUSES
Fuses in the fuse box fig. 30
The fuse box is situated under the
dashboard to the left of the steering
wheel.
To get at the fuses:
1)undo the fixing screws;
2)remove guard A-fig. 29. When
you replace the guard, make sure it fits
properly under the door weather-
stripping.
The symbols identifying the main
electrical elements corresponding to
each fuse are shown on the inside of
the guard.
fig. 29
P5S00741m
Never replace a broken
fuse with anything other
than a new fuse. Always
use a fuse of the same colour.
To locate the fuse, refer to the table
on the following pages.
Never, under any circum-
stances, replace a fuse with
one of a higher amperage, this is
FIRE HAZARD!
WARNING
Before changing a fuse,
check the ignition key has
been removed and that all the oth-
er electrical devices have been
turned off/disabled.
WARNING
If a general protection fuse
(MAXI-FUSE) blows, do not
carry out any repairs. Take the ve-
hicle to a Fiat Dealership.
WARNING
If the fuse blows again, con-
tact a Fiat Dealership.
WARNING