85
Under no circumstances
should a battery charger
be used to start the en-
gine: it could damage the elec-
tronic systems and in particular
the control units governing igni-
tion and fuel feed.
JUMP STARTING
If the battery is flat, you can use an-
other battery to start the engine. Its
capacity must be the same or slightly
greater than the flat battery (see the
chapter “Technical specifications”).
This is what to do fig. 1:
1)Connect positive terminals (signal
+in proximity of the terminal) of the
two batteries with a jump lead.
2)With a second lead, connect the
negative terminal (–) of the auxiliary
battery to an earth point Eon the en-
gine or transmission of the vehicle to
be started.IMPORTANTDo not connect the
two negative terminals directly: sparks
could ignite the explosive gas output
from the battery. If the other battery
is fitted in a vehicle, prevent acciden-
tal contacts between the metal parts
of the two vehicles.
3)Start the engine.
4)When the engine has been start-
ed, remove the leads in the reverse
order.
If the engine fails to start after a few
attempts, do not keep turning the key
but have the car seen to at a Fiat
Dealership.
fig. 1
P5S00677m
Do not carry out this pro-
cedure if you lack experi-
ence; if it is not done correctly it
can cause very intense electrical
discharges. Furthermore, the fluid
in the battery is poisonous and cor-
rosive, avoid contact with your skin
and eyes.
Do not put naked flames or light-
ed cigarettes near the battery and
do not cause sparks.
WARNING
105
JUMP STARTING
See “Jump starting” in this chapter. 2)Connect the battery terminals to
the charger.
3)Turn on the charger.
4)When you have finished, turn the
charger off before disconnecting the
battery.
5) Reconnect the cables to the bat-
tery posts. Make sure the polarity is
correct.IF THE BATTERY
IS FLAT
First of all, read the “Car mainte-
nance” chapter for the steps to be tak-
en to avoid the battery running down
and to ensure it has a long life.
RECHARGING THE BATTERY
You are advised to recharge the bat-
tery slowly for a period of approxi-
mately 24 hours at a very low amper-
age. Charging for too long could result
in the battery being damaged.
Proceed as follows:
1) Disconnect the electrical system
terminals from the battery posts.
IMPORTANTIf the car is fitted
with an electronic car alarm, use the
remote control to turn the alarm off
with the remote control and deacti-
vate the system by turning the emer-
gency key to “OFF” (see the “Elec-
tronic alarm” in the “Getting to know
your car” section).
The liquid in the battery is
poisonous and corrosive.
Do not let it touch the skin or eyes.
Recharging the battery should be
done in a well-ventilated area and
away from naked flames or possi-
ble sources of sparks: explosion and
fire risk.
WARNING
Do not attempt to recharge
a frozen battery. Thaw it
first otherwise it could explode. If
the battery froze, make sure the in-
ternal elements are not broken
(short-circuit risk) and that the cas-
ing is not cracked (risk of spilling
the poisonous and corrosive fluid).
WARNING
