2003 FIAT BARCHETTA towing

67
DRIVING YOUR CAR
To help you handle your Fiat barchetta in the best
and safest possible way, and above all use it to its
fullest potential, we have given you some hints in this
chapter on “what to do, what not to do and what to
avoid” when at the wheel of your Fiat barchetta.
Most of the time, these suggestions apply to other
cars as well. Sometimes, however, the tip may apply
to an exclusive Fiat barchetta feature. You are there-
fore strongly recommended to pay the closest atten-
tion to this section for helpful hints on optimum dri-
ving practices and usage of the car that will help you
get the most out of your Fiat barchetta. STARTING THE ENGINE ............................................... 68
PARKING ............................................................................ 70
GEAR USE .......................................................................... 71
SAFE DRIVING .................................................................. 71
CONTAINING RUNNING COSTS
AND POLLUTION .......................................................... 76
CHEAP RUNNING THAT RESPECTS
THE ENVIRONMENT ..................................................... 78
TOWING A TRAILER ..................................................... 79
SNOW CHAINS ............................................................... 80
VEHICLE STORAGE ........................................................ 81
REPEATED CHECKS AND CHECKS
BEFORE LONG TRIPS .................................................... 82
ACCESSORIES PURCHASED BY THE OWNER ..... 82
USEFUL ACCESSORIES .................................................. 82

69
HOW TO WARM UP
THE ENGINE AFTER
IT HAS JUST STARTED
– Begin to move forward slowly, let-
ting the engine turn over at medium
revs. Do not floor the accelerator.
– Do not push the engine to its lim-
it for the first few kilometres. You are
recommended to wait until the water
temperature has reached 50° to 60°C.
EMERGENCY START-UP
If the Fiat CODE system fails to
recognise the code transmitted by
the ignition key (warning lamp ¢on
instrument panel lit with a fixed
light), you can start the engine by fol-
lowing the emergency procedure
using the code written on the CODE
card.
See the section “In an emergency”.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.
A quick burst on the ac-
celerator before turning
off the engine serves ab-
solutely no practical purpose and
wastes fuel.
IMPORTANT After a taxing drive it
is better to allow the engine to “catch
its breath” before turning it off by let-
ting it idle to allow the temperature in
the engine compartment to fall.STOPPING THE ENGINE
Turn the ignition key to STOP
while the engine is idling.
Remember that as long as
the engine is not running,
the power brakes and power steer-
ing do not work. You therefore have
to use considerably more effort on
both the brake pedal and the steer-
ing wheel.
WARNING

79
If the engine begins to “lose its
smoothness” when travelling, contin-
ue your journey but reduce the
demands you are making on the
engine and have the car seen to at a
Fiat Dealership.
When the instrument panel fuel
reserve warning light Kcomes on, fill
up as soon as possible. A low level of
fuel can cause an uneven supply of
fuel to the engine with the inevitable
increase in the temperature of the
exhaust gas and serious damage to
the catalytic converter.
Never run the engine with one or
more spark plugs disconnected, even
for testing purposes.
Do not warm up the engine by let-
ting it idle for a while before moving
off unless the outside temperature is
very low and, even in this case, only
do so for less than thirty seconds.TOWING
A TRAILER
IMPORTANT
The car must be fitted with a
homologated tow hitch and suitable
electrical system for towing a cara-
van or trailer. Have the tow hitch fit-
ted by an expert who will issue spe-
cific documentation for use on
roads.
Fit special and/or additional
rearview mirrors in accordance with
the highway code.
Remember that towing a trailer
makes it harder for the car to climb
the maximum gradients specified,
increases braking and overtaking dis-
tance, proportionally to the overall
weight of the trailer.
The weight the trailer exerts on
the car’s tow hitch coupling reduces
the car’s loading capacity by the
same amount. Do not install other heat shields
and do not remove those already fit-
ted to the catalytic converter and
exhaust pipe.
Do not allow anything to be
sprayed onto the catalytic converter,
lambda sensor and exhaust pipe.
When functioning normal-
ly the catalytic converter
develops high temperatures. For
this reason do not park the car
over inflammable material (grass,
dry leaves, pine needles, etc.): fire
hazard.
WARNING
Failure to heed these pre-
cautions could cause a
fire.
WARNING

80
In order to be sure you are not
exceeding the maximum towing
weight you have to take into account
the trailer’s fully laden weight,
including accessories and personal
luggage.
Do not exceed the speed limits for
towing a trailer in the country you
are driving in. In any case, do not
exceed the top speed of 100 km/h. SNOW CHAINS
Keep your speed down
when snow chains have
been fitted to the
wheels. Avoid potholes, steps
and pavements, and do not
drive for long stretches on
snow-free roads, otherwise you
risk damaging the tyres, suspen-
sion and steering.
The use of snow chains is regulated
by the legislation in force in the
country the car is driven in.
The chains may only be applied to
the drive wheel tyres (front wheels).
Check the tautness of the chains
after driving some twenty to thirty
metres.Do not use snow chains with
195/55 R15 (84V) or 195/45 R16
(80V) tyres as the chains are likely to
interfere with the plastic wheelarch-
es.
Use only low-profile chains with
185/55 R15 (81H) tyres: maximum
height off the wheel 12 mm
IMPORTANT As the spare
wheel is small, it is not possible to fit
snow chains to it. If a front tyre is
punctured, first exchange a rear
wheel with the spare tyre and then
change the flat tyre with the rear
wheel thus removed. This way there
will be two ordinary wheels at the
front and the snow chains can fitted.
The ABS system which
may be fitted to the vehi-
cle will not control the trailer
braking system. Great care should
therefore be taken when driving
on slippery road surfaces.
WARNING
Under no circumstances
modify the car's braking
system for trailer braking control.
The trailer's braking system must
be completely independent of the
car's hydraulic system.
WARNING

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

The sticker gives the follow-
ing information in four lan-
guages:
CAUTION!FOR TEMPORARY USE
ONLY
. MAX. 80 KM/H! REPLACE BY NOR-
MAL WHEEL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. DO NOT
COVER THIS LABEL IN USE
. When driving
with a space-saver spare wheel fitted
the driving performance of your car
may change. Avoid accelerating or
braking suddenly, steering abruptly or
driving fast on bends. The life span of
a space-saver spare wheel is approx-
imately 3000 km, after which it will
need to be replaced with another
spare wheel of the same type. Nev-
er fit a standard tyre on the spare-
saver spare wheel rim. Have the
wheel replaced and refitted as soon
as possible. Never use two or more
spare wheel at the same time. Do not
lubricate the bolt threads before fit-
ting them back: they could come
loose. The jack should only be used
to change a wheel on the car for
which it was designed. It should not
be put to other uses or employed to
raise other models of car. Under no
circumstances should it be used when
carrying out repairs under the vehi-
cle.
87
WARNING
An incorrectly positioned
jack may cause the vehicle
to fall.
Do not use the jack to lift loads ex-
ceeding that indicated on the label
attached to the jack itself.
Never start the engine when the car
is jacked up.
If you are towing a trailer, release
the trailer before jacking up the car.
Do not fit snow chains on space-
saver spare wheels. If a front wheel
(drive wheel) is punctured and you
require snow chains to proceed,
take a standard wheel from the
rear axle and fit the space-saver
spare wheel in its place. Having fit-
ted two standard wheels on the dri-
ve axle, you can use snow chains,
thus solving the emergency situa-
tion.
WARNING
Torque the wheel cap cor-
rectly to prevent the wheel
from coming free in motion.
Never tamper with the inflation
valve.
Never place tools between the rim
and tyre.
Check the tyre and space-saver
spare wheel pressure regularly. Tyre
pressure is shown in the “Technical
specifications” chapter.
WARNING

108
The tow ring supplied as an outfit to-
gether with the car is housed into the
tool compartment under the luggage
compartment coating carpet.
Front tow
To fit the tow ring fully screw down
the tow ring fig. 37into the thread-
ed pin.
Rear tow
To fit the tow ring proceed as fol-
lows:
– Take the tow ring from the tool
compartment.
IF THE CAR NEEDS TO BE TOWED
fig. 37
P5S00709m
fig. 38
P5S10058m
– Remove the small pressure fitted
cover A-fig. 38on the rear bumper.
Should the outfit flat tip screwdriver
be used for this operation, it is nec-
essary to protect the flat tip with a soft
cloth, to avoid possible damage to the
car.
– Fully screw down the tow ring on
the threaded pin.
Before screwing down the
ring accurately clean the
threaded pin. Before starting car
towing, make sure whether the ring
is fully screwed down.
WARNING
Do not start the engine
when towing the car.
WARNING
Before starting to tow,
turn the ignition key to
MAR and back to STOP again
without removing it. Removing the
key automatically engages the
steering lock resulting in the im-
possibility to steer the wheels.
When towing remember thatwith-
out the help of the engine brake
and power steering greater effort
is required on the pedal and steer-
ing wheel. Do not use flexible ca-
bles for towing and avoid jerks.
During towing operations make
sure that fastening the joint to the
car does not damage the compo-
nents in contact with it. When
towing the car, it is compulsory to
follow specific traffic regulations
concerning both the towing device
and behaviour on theroad.
WARNING

116
This check should be carried out
more frequently if the vehicle is main-
ly used for short trips, or if it is fitted
with accessories that permanently ab-
sorb electricity even with the ignition
key removed, especially in the case of
after market accessories.
You should check the battery fluid
(electrolyte) level more frequently
than shown in the Service Schedule if
the car is used in hot climates or par-
ticularly demanding conditions. IMPORTANT - Engine oil
Change the engine oil more fre-
quently than specified in the Service
Schedule if the vehicle is mainly used
under one of the following particular-
ly severe conditions:
– towing a trailer or caravan
– on dirt roads
– short, repetitive trips (less than 7
or 8 kilometres) in outside tempera-
tures below zero.
– engines that are frequently left to
idle or drive slowly over long dis-
tances.
IMPORTANT - Air cleaner
If you drive your car on dirt roads
change the air cleaner more frequently
than specified in the Service Schedule.If you are in doubt about how often
the engine oil or the air cleaner should
be changed in relation to how you use
the car, contact a Fiat Dealership.
IMPORTANT - Pollen filter
If the car is often used in dusty or ex-
tremely polluted environments, you
should change the filter element more
frequently. It should be changed espe-
cially if the amount of air introduced
into the passenger compartment is re-
duced.
IMPORTANT - Battery
You should check the status of the
battery charge preferably at the be-
ginning of the cold season to avoid the
possibility of the electrolyte freezing.Maintenance of your car
should be entrusted to a
Fiat Dealership. For in-
terventions of routine mainte-
nance and small repairs you wish
to carry out yourself, make sure
you always have the proper
equipment, genuine Fiat spare
parts and fluids available. Do not,
carry out these operations if you
have no experience.