2003 FIAT PALIO India Version Owners Manual

56
SLANT COMPENSATION
When the car is loaded, it slopes
backwards. This means that the head-
light beam rises. In this case, it is nec-
essary to return it to the correct po-
sition.
Headlight beam adjuster A-fig.
67
Position 1- medium load car.
Position
2- full load car.
Make sure both headlights are in the
same position.
Check the headlight
beam position every time
you change the load to be
carried.
FRONT FOG LIGHTS BEAM
ADJUSTMENT
Have the lights checked at a Fiat
Dealership
.
ABS
The ABS is available on 1.6 GTX SP
version, which prevents the wheels
from locking when braking, makes the
most of road grip and gives the best
control in emergency braking under
difficult road conditions.
The driver can tell the ABS system
has come into play because the brake
pedal pulsates slightly and the system
get noiser.
This should not be interpreted as a
fault in the brakes: on the contrary is
a sign that the ABS system is work-
ing: it tells the driver that the car is
travelling at the limit of its road grip
and that the speed should be altered
to fit the type of road surface.
The ABS system is an addition to the
basic braking system. If there is a mal-
function this cuts out, leaving the brak-
ing system working as a normal system
without ABS.
If a failure occurs and consequently
the anti-lock system is not working,
the car normal braking performance is
not in anyway jeopardised.
HEADLIGHTS
ADJUSTING HEADLIGHT
SLANT
IMPORTANT
The correct posi-
tioning of the headlight beams is very
important for the comfort and safety,
not only of the person driving the car,
but also all other road users. This is al-
so covered by a specific law of the
highway code. To ensure that you and
other drivers have the best visibility
conditions when travelling with the
headlights must be set properly.
For checking and adjustment go to
a
Fiat Dealership.
fig. 67
P4E02165
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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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58
The bag inflates instantly and acts as
a soft protective barrier between the
driver’s body and the structures that
could cause injury. The bag deflate im-
mediately afterwards.
A person not wearing the seat belt
may crash into the bag before it is ful-
ly inflated. In this case the protection
is considerably decreased.
As a consequence, the air bag is not
a replacement for the use of seat belts
but rather a complement. We rec-
ommend that seat belts are worn at all
times as prescribed by legislation in Eu-
rope and most other countries world-
wide.In the event of a less severe collision
(for which seat belts are sufficient pro-
tection) the airbag is not activated.
For impacts against very deformable
or mobile objects (traffic sign poles,
heaps of gravel or snow, parked vehi-
cles), side impacts, wedging under oth-
er vehicles or barriers (e.g. under a
track or guard rail), the airbag is not
necessary. In the event of frontal im-
pacts involving, for example, the mud-
guard against a guardrail, the airbags
are not triggered as they would not of-
fer additional protection with respect
to the seat belts.
Therefore, the fact that the airbag
does not inflate is not a sign of sys-
tem malfunction.AIR BAG
DESCRIPTION
AND OPERATION fig. 68
The air bag is a safety device which is
immediately triggered in the event of
a frontal impact. It is available only for
the driver.
It consists of an instantly inflatable
bag housed in a special compartment
located in the centre of the steering
wheel.
The air bag is a device designed to
protect the driver in the event of a
frontal collision of medium-high sever-
ity, by interposing the cushion be-
tween the occupant and the steering
wheel.
In a collision, an electronic control
unit processes the signals from a de-
celeration sensor and, where required,
inflates the airbag.
fig. 68
P4E02039
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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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60
Always drive with both
hands on the rim of the
steering wheel so that the
airbag is free to inflate and pro-
tect you from serious injury in a
collision. Do not drive with your
body bending toward the steer-
ing wheel, but sit in an upright po-
sition with your back resting
against the seat.
If the car has been stolen
or an attempt has been
made to steal it, or it has
been vandalised in any way, or
subjected to flooding, have the
airbag system checked at a Fiat
Dealership.The air bag does not
substitute seat belts, but
increases its efficiency.
Furthermore, since the airbag is
not inflated in frontal collisions at
low speed, side collisions, rear
end shunts or overturns, in such
cases the occupants are protect-
ed by the seat belts only and
therefore they should always be
fastened.Correct functioning of
airbag and pretensioners
is only guaranteed when
the car is not overloaded.SOUND SYSTEMRemember that airbag
can be triggered when
the ignition key is insert-
ed and set to MAR, even with the
car stationary, if another vehicle
crashes into it. On the other
hand, when the car is stationary
and the ignition key is removed,
the airbag does not trigger in the
event of an impact.
Visit the Fiat Dealership
if you want to fit a sound
system after purchasing
your car. Qualified, trained staff
will provide useful advice for safe-
guarding the battery. Excessive
intake when the engine is not
running will damage the battery
and may invalidate the battery
warranty.
Fiat recommends wide range of
music systems as Fiat acces-
sories, which are available with
Fiat dealerships.
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61
STANDARD EQUIPMENT
The system consists of:
- radio power supply cables;
- cables for speakers and tweeters on
front doors;
- cables for rear speakers on lug-
gage cover supports.
- Aerial wire;
- radio housing;
- front speaker housing (on front
doors);
- rear speaker housing (on luggage
cover supports).The radio must be mounted in the
proper housing occupied by the cov-
er A-fig. 69, which can be removed
operating the two tongues in the
points
B.
The power wires, speaker and aeri-
al connection wires can be found in
the compartment.For the front speakers, use the seats
on the object-holder pocket of the door
panel. To have access, unscrew the
screws indicated in
fig. 70.
For the tweeters, use the pressure-
fit seatings shown in
fig. 71.
The rear speakers must be posi-
tioned under the side supports of the
luggage cover
fig. 72.
fig. 69
P4E02040
fig. 70
P4E01751
fig. 71
P4E02042
fig. 72
P4E011752
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62
AT THE FILLING STATION
An inefficient catalytic
converter will allow
harmful gases to be re-
leased in the atmosphere.Never put even the tini-
est amount of leaded fu-
el into the tank, even in
an emergency; you would dam-
age the catalytic converter be-
yond repair.
The pollution prevention devices of
Fiat Palio mean only unleaded petrol
can be used.
Use petrol with a research octane
number (R.O.N.) equal to 87.
AERIAL fig. 73
To install:
1) Remove the courtesy light unit
(see “If an interior light burns out” in
the “In an emergency” chapter).
2) Loosen the retaining screws (con-
nected to the antenna cable) and re-
move the plastic cap from the roof of
the vehicle.
3) Position the aerial and secure it with
the same screw which was used to attach
the cap to the roof.
4) Mount again the ceiling light as-
sembly in its seat, with a light pressure.
fig. 73
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63
PROTECTING THE
ENVIRONMENT
Protecting the environment has been
the guiding principle in the design of the
Fiat Palio right from the start. The re-
sult is the use of materials and creation
of devices that can reduce or consid-
erably curtail harmful influences on the
environment.
The devices for curtailing emission
for petrol version are:
– a three-way catalytic converter;
– Lambda sensor;
– an anti evaporation system.
The devices for curtailing emission
for diesel version are:
– Catalytic converter;
– Exhaust gas recirculation.
As a consequence Fiat Palio is ready
to travel well ahead of the most strin-
gent international pollution control
standards.
fig. 74
P4E01945
IMPORTANT If required, replace
the fuel cap with another genuine cap
to avoid affecting the efficiency of the
fuel vapour recovery system.
NEVER go close to the
tank filler with naked
flames or lit cigarettes:
Also avoid going too close to
the fuel tank filler area, to avoid
inhaling harmful vapours.FUEL FILLER CAP
To unlock the fuel filler cap flap from
inside the car, lift the lever
A-fig. 74.
The airtight seal of the filling cap may
lead to a slight increase of pressure in
the tank. A hissing sound when the
cap is removed is therefore quite nor-
mal.
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