2003 FIAT PALIO warning

ABS (WHEEL AN-
TILOCKING SYS-
TEM) FAILURE (am-
ber)
When there is a fail-
ure in the ABS system.
In this case, the normal braking sys-
tem continues to work although with-
out the ABS assistance. Hence, have
the car seen to at a
Fiat Dealership
as soon as possible.
The warning light should come on
when the key is turned to
MARand
go out after approximately 2 seconds.
DIRECTION INDICA-
TORS (green) (flash-
ing)
When the direction
indicator control stalk is
operated (arrows).
PARKING LIGHTS
(green)
When the
side/tail lights are switched
on.
RE
3
MAIN BEAM HEAD-
LIGHTS (blue)
When main beam head-
lights are switched on
1
AIR BAG FAILURE
(red)
When there is an
airbag system failure.
If the xwarning light
comes on when travel-
ling, check whether the
handbrake is engaged. If the
warning light stays on and the
handbrake is not engaged, stop
immediately and contact a Fiat
Dealership.
>
Warning light >, with
the engine running, nor-
mally indicates a fault in
the ABS system only. In this case,
the braking system is still effi-
cient, though without the an-
tilocking device. You are advised
to go immediately to the nearest
Fiat Dealership, driving in a man-
ner to avoiding sharp braking and
get the system checked.
û
The warning light should
come on when the key is
turned to MAR and go
out after approximately 4 sec-
onds. If the warning light either
does not come on or comes on
when travelling, stop immedi-
ately and go to a Fiat Dealership.
The warning light should come on
when the key is turned to
MARand
go out after approximately 2 seconds.
36
INJECTION SYSTEM
FAILURE (red) (diesel
versions)
When there is a fault in the injection
system.
The warning light should come on
when the ignition key is turned to
MARand go out after a few seconds.
The warning light will stay on or
come on when travelling to indicate
imperfect operation of the injection
system with possible loss of perfor-
mance, poor handling and higher con-
sumption.
In these conditions, you can contin-
ue driving but you should avoid de-
manding efforts from the engine or
high speeds. Contact a
Fiat Dealer-
ship
as soon as possible.
Prolonged use of the car with warn-
ing light can cause damage to the en-
gine, specially in the event of misfir-
ing. The car can only be driven for a
short period of time at low ratios.
Occassional and brief lighting of the
warning light is meaningless.
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37
HEATING /CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM
1 -Windscreen defroster/demister
vents.
2 -Front side window
defroster/demister vents.
3 -Central and side directional vents.
4 -Side vents for sending air to
footwell.
P4E02020
fig. 27
WATER IN DIESEL
FUEL FILTER versions
(amber) (diesel version)
When there is water in the diesel fu-
el filter. have the condense drained
out by a Fiat Dealership.
GLOW PLUGS
(amber)
(diesel version)
When the ignition key is turned to
the
MARposition. The warning light
will go out when the glowplugs reach
the correct temperature.
The warning light has a diagnostic
function to signal pre-heating system
failures (cut-off or short-circuited
glow plugs, blown pre-heating control
unit power fuse, tripped pre-heating
control unit circuit surge and current
protections).
If the warning light flashes for 60 sec-
onds just before the engine is started,
the vehicle can still be started but a
Fiat Dealershipshould be contact-
ed as soon as possible to have the
anamoly rectified.
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42
fig. 36
P4E01686
To flash head lights fig. 34
Pull the stalk towards the steering
wheel (temporary position).
Direction indicators fig. 35
Move the stalk as follows:
downwards - to switch the right-
hand indicators on;
upwards - to switch the left-hand
indicators on.
Instrument panel warning light
y
will flash.
The direction indicators will auto-
matically be switched off when the
steering wheel is straightened.
If you want the indicator to flash
briefly to show that you are about to
change lane, move the stalk up or
down without clicking into position.
When you let it go it will return to its
original position.
LEFT-HAND STALK
This stalk groups together all the
washer/wiper controls.
Windscreen washer/wiper
fig. 36
The device will only work when the
ignition key is at
MAR.
A- Windscreen wiper off.
B- Flick wipe.
C- Slow continuous wipe.
D- Fast continuous wipe.
E- Temporary continuous wipe:
when released the stalk returns to po-
sition
Aand automatically stops the
windscreen wiper.
fig. 35
P4E02028
fig. 34
P4E02027
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Warning. The cigar lighter
gets very hot. Be careful how
you handle it and make sure
it is not used by children: Danger of
fire or burns.
46
CIGAR LIGHTER fig. 45
It works only with the ignition key at
MAR.
Press the button
Aof the cigar
lighter; it will return to the original po-
sition after approximately 15 seconds.
The cigar lighter is ready for use.
fig. 45
P4E02032
fig. 44
P4E01399
FRONT CEILING LIGHT
fig. 44
The ceiling light can achieve the fol-
lowing positions:
– ceiling light lights up on pressing
ONregardless of the doors being
open or closed;
– ceiling light automatically comes on
when a front door is opened when the
glass is an intermediate position;
– In the OFF position the light re-
mains switched off, always.
IMPORTANT Always make sure
the cigar lighter does in fact pop out
after it has been pushed in.
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57
If you have never driven a car with
ABS before, you should practice using
the system on slippery terrain, obvi-
ously with the necessary safety pre-
cautions and keeping to the Highway
code of the country you are in. It is al-
so a good idea to read the following
information carefully.
The advantage in using the ABS sys-
tem is that it continues to give you
maximum manoeuvrability even when
braking hard in conditions for poor
grip by preventing the wheels locking.
However, do not expect that with
ABS the braking distance will always
decrease: for example surfaces with
gravel or fresh snow on a slippery
road could infact increase the braking
distance.
To exploit the ABS system to the full
in the event of necessity, you should
take heed of the following advice:
If the brake fluid low
warning light x
comes on,
stop the car immediately
and contact the nearest Fiat Deal-
ership. Fluid leaks from the hy-
draulic system, in fact, can com-
promise the braking of both tradi-
tional systems and systems with
ABS.When the ABS is acti-
vated, you will feel the
brake pedal pulsating. Do
not remove your foot, but keep
it pressed. In doing so you will
stop in the shortest amount of
space possible under the current
road conditions.
If you follow these tips, you will be
able to brake better in any situation.
IMPORTANTCars fitted with ABS
are only to be fitted with wheel rims,
tyres and brake liners of the make and
model approved by the car manufac-
turer.
The ABS exploits the
tyre-road grip available to
the full, but it cannot im-
prove it; you should therefore
take every care when driving on
slippery surfaces, and not take
unnecessary risks. If the ABS sys-
tem cuts in it is a sign that the
grip between the tyre and the
road surface has reached the lim-
it: you must slow down to match
the speed to the road grip avail-
able
If there is a fault, the in-
strument panel warning
light
>will come on, at
this point, reduce speed and go to
a Fiat Dealership to have your car
checked and put it right imme-
diately.
Braking while cornering always re-
quires extreme care even when using
ABS.
The most important advice to follow
is this:
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59
When the ignition key is
turned to MAR, the indi-
cator û
comes on after
about four seconds. If the warn-
ing light does not come on, or it
remains on while travelling go
immediately to a Fiat Dealership.
Do not apply stickers or
other objects on the
steering wheel. Do not
travel with items on your lap, in
front of you or with a pipe, pencil
etc. between your lips. In a colli-
sion where the airbag is triggerd
you could seriously hurt yourself
GENERAL WARNINGS
It may happen that the air bag
inflates if the car is involved in
hard impacts or collisions in the
area of the underbody, for exam-
ple hard knocks against steps,
kerbs or raised road bumps, or if
the car drops into large pot-holes
or road dips.
When the airbag inflates it
emits a small amount of dust and
smoke. This dust and smoke is
harmless and it is not the begin-
ning of a fire.
If the warning light
ûcomes on
while travelling (indication of a
fault) go as soon as possible to a
Fiat Dealership.
The air bag system is valid for 10
years. When the expiry date is
near, contact a Fiat Dealership.
Should an accident occur in
which the airbag is activated,
take the car to a Fiat Dealership
to have the whole device re-
placed (electronic control unit,
seat belts, pretensioners) and tohave the electrical system
checked.
Any diagnostic, repair or re-
placement operations concerning
the airbag system must exclu-
sively be carried out at a Fiat
Dealership.
If you are having the car
scrapped, have the airbag system
deactivated at a Fiat Dealership.
If the car changes hands, the
new owner must be made aware
of the indications given above and
be given this Owner’s Handbook.
Pretensioners (if electronically
controlled) and air bag are trig-
gered by the electronic control
unit according to different types
of impact. Therefore, if some de-
vices do not trigger this does not
indicate a fault in the system.
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67
With handbrake engaged and igni-
tion key at
MAR, the instrument pan-
el warning light
x
comes on.
To disengage the handbrake:
1)Slightly lift the handbrake and
press release button
A.
2)Keep the button pressed in and
lower the lever. Warning light
x
will
go out.
3)To prevent accidental movement
of the car, this procedure should be
carried out with the brake pedal
pressed down.
HANDBRAKE fig. 1
The handbrake lever is situated be-
tween the two front seats.
Pull the handbrake lever upwards un-
til the car cannot be moved. Four or
five clicks are generally enough when
the car is on level ground while nine
or ten may be required if the car is
on a steep slope or loaded.
IMPORTANTIf this is not the
case, take the car to a
Fiat Dealer-
ship
to have the handbrake adjusted.
Never leave unsuper-
vised children in the car.
Always remove the key
from the ignition switch and take
it with you when you get out of
the car.
fig. 1
P4E02046
PARKING
Stop the engine, engage the hand-
brake and engage first gear if the car
is faced uphill or reverse gear if it is
faced downhill in compliance with the
national Highway Code and leave the
wheels steered towards the road bor-
ders or the kerb. Block the wheels
with a wedge or a stone if the car is
parked on a steep slope.
Do not leave the ignition key at
MARbecause it drains the battery.
Always remove the key when you
leave the car.
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69
Water, ice or salt sprin-
kled on the road can de-
posit on the brake discs
and reduce efficiency of the first
braking.
Consider that fitting ex-
tra spoilers, alloy rims or
non standard wheel caps
can reduce ventilation of the
brakes and reduce their efficien-
cy under conditions of violent or
repeated braking or long down-
hill travel.
BEFORE GETTING BEHIND
THE WHEEL
– Make sure all lights including the
headlights are working properly.
– Adjust the position of the seats, the
steering wheel and the rearview mir-
rors properly for the best driving po-
sition.
– Carefully adjust the head restraints
so the back of the head and not the
nape of the neck is supported.
– Make sure that nothing (mats etc.)
gets in the way of the pedals when
they are pushed down.
– Do not drive using the clutch ped-
al as a foot rest. Such behaviour can
cause a premature wear of the clutch.
– Make sure that any child restraint
systems (child seats, carriers, etc.) are
properly fixed preferably on the back
seat. Follow the precautions listed in
the “Transporting children in safety”
paragraph in the “Getting to know the
car” chapter.
– Arrange the load in the boot in such
a way that it cannot be thrown for-
wards in the event of an accident.– Do not place clear objects or
sheets of paper on the dashboard that
reflect on the windscreen.
– Do not eat a heavy meal before
travelling. Light eating will help keep
your reflexes prompt. Above all, do
not have anything alcoholic to drink.
The use of some medicines can reduce
the driving capability: carefully read the
relevant use warnings.
Remember to periodically carry out
the checks specified in the “Repeated
checks before long trips” paragraph
given in this section.
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