81
JUMP STARTING
If the battery is flat, you can use an-
other battery to start the engine. Its ca-
pacity must be the same or slightly
greater than the flat battery (see “Tech-
nical Specifications”).
Proceed as follows
fig. 1:
1)Connect positive terminals +of
the two batteries with a jump lead.
2)With a second lead, connect the
negative terminal (
–) of the auxiliary
battery and to an earth point E
on the
engine or the gearbox of the car to be
started.
IMPORTANTDo not directly
connect the negative terminals of the
two batteries: sparks could ignite the
flammable gas from the battery.
3)Start the engine.
4)When the engine has been start-
ed, remove the leads reversing the or-
der above.
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
P4E01470
This starting procedure
must be carried out by
expert personnel; if it is
not done correctly it can cause
very intense electrical discharges.
In addition, the fluid contained in
the battery is poisonous and cor-
rosive. Avoid contact with skin
and eyes. You are also advised
not to put naked flames or light-
ed cigarettes near the battery
and not to cause sparks.
Under no circumstances
should a battery charger
be used for the emer-
gency procedure: it could dam-
age the electronic systems and in
particular the ignition and injec-
tion control units.
To avoid damages to the
car electric system, care-
fully follow the instruc-
tions of the cable manufacturer.
The cables must have a sufficient
diameter and must be enough
long to allow that the cars touch
each other.
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98
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.
JUMP STARTING
See “Jump starting” in this chapter.
RECHARGING THE BATTERY
You are advised to recharge the bat-
tery slowly for a period of approxi-
mately 24 hours at a low amperage.
Charging for too long could damage
the battery.
Proceed as follows:
1) Disconnect the electrical system
from the battery terminals.
2)Connect the charger cables to the
battery terminals.
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 terminals. Make sure the polari-
ty is correct.
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 ignition and injection control
units. The liquid in the battery
is poisonous and corro-
sive. Do not let it touch
the skin or eyes. Recharging the
battery should be done in a well-
ventilated area away from naked
flames or possible sources of
sparks: explosion and fire risk.Do not attempt to
recharge a frozen bat-
tery. Thaw it first other-
wise it could explode. If the bat-
tery froze, make sure that the in-
ternal elements are not broken
(short-circuit risk) and that the
casing is not cracked (risk of
spilling the poisonous and corro-
sive fluid).
80-103 03/03/2003 06:49 PM Page 98
