32
PRETENSIONERS
The pretensioner does not require
any maintenance or lubrication. Any
modification of its original state inval-
idates its efficiency. If, as the result of
exceptional natural occurrences
(floods, sea storms etc.) the device be-
come soaked through with water and
mud, it is essential that it be replaced.
The pretensioner will give maximum
protection when the seat belt adheres
snugly to the wearer’s chest and hips. To render the protective action of
the front seat belts even more effec-
tive, some versions of Fiat Palio are fit-
ted with pretensioners. These devices
“feel” that a violent collision is in
progress via a sensor, and pull back a
few centimeters of webbing. In this
way the pretensioner ensures that the
belt is adhering perfectly to the body
before the belt begins to hold back the
wearer.
When the pretensioner has been
triggered the retractor will lock.
The seat belt cannot be drawn back
up even when guiding it manually.
When the pretensioner is triggered
a small amount of smoke may be pro-
duced. The smoke is not harmful and
does not indicate the beginning of a
fire.
Under no circumstances
should the components of
the pretensioner be tam-
pered with or removed. Any in-
terventions should be carried out
by qualified and authorized per-
sonnel. Always contact a Fiat
Dealership
20-63 03/03/2003 06:02 PM Page 32
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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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.
20-63 03/03/2003 06:03 PM Page 63
74
If the engine begins to “lose its
smoothless” when travelling, continue
your journey but reduce the demands
you are making on the engine and go
to a
Fiat Dealership as soon as you
can.
When the instrument panel fuel re-
serve warning light comes 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 letting
it idle for a while before moving off un-
less the outside temperature is very low
and, even in this case, only do so for less
then 30 seconds.Do not install other heat shields and
do not remove those already fitted to
the catalytic converter and exhaust
pipe.
Do not allow anything to be sprayed
onto the catalytic converter, lambda
sensor and exhaust pipe.
Ignoring the above rules
may lead to fire.
The catalytic converter
develops high tempera-
ture during normal oper-
ation. Do not park the car on
grass, dry leaves, pine needles or
other flammable material: fire
hazard
LOOKING AFTER EMISSION
CONTROL DEVICES
The correct use of pollution control
devices not only ensures respect for
the environment but also has an effect
on the car’s performance.
Keeping these devices in good con-
dition is therefore a fundamental rule
for driving that is easy on your pock-
et and on the environment too.
The first step to take is to follow the
Service Schedule to the letter.
Use only unleaded petrol.
If you have trouble starting, do not
keep turning the ignition key for long
periods. Be especially careful to avoid
bump starting the car by pushing, tow-
ing or rolling downhill: these are all
manoeuvres that can damage the cat-
alytic exhaust. Use an auxiliary battery
for start-ups only (see “Starting with
auxiliary battery” in the chapter “In an
emergency”).
64-79 03/03/2003 06:45 PM Page 74
6
7
15
20
8
15
7
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
7
21
24
25
26
27
28
2960A
60A
15A
10A
10A
15A
10A
30A
30A
30A
40A
40A
40A
50A
50A
50A
60A
60A
60A
40A
40A
40A
15A
-
-
-
10A
15A
20A
30A
Componentfuse N. Ampere Location
Fig. 34 (b)
Fig. 34 (c)
Fig. 33
Fig. 33
Fig. 33
Fig. 33
Fig. 33
Fig. 34 (a)
Fig. 34 (b)
Fig. 34 (c)
Fig. 34 (a)
Fig. 34 (b)
Fig. 34 (c)
Fig. 34 (a)
Fig. 34 (b)
Fig. 34 (c)
Fig. 34 (a)
Fig. 34 (b)
Fig. 34 (c)
Fig. 34 (a)
Fig. 34 (b)
Fig. 34 (c)
Fig 35
Fig 33
Fig 33
Fig 33
Fig 33
Fig 33
Fig 33
Fig 33
97
C
ABS (1,6 16V version)
ABS (1,9 D version)
Clock (power supply under key)
Clock (power supply not under key)
Clock (illumination)
Instrument panel power supply
Control illumination
Fuel pump/injection system (1.2 version)
Fuel pump/injection system (1.6 16v version)
Fuel pump/injection system (1.9 D version)
Ignition switch (1.2 version)
Ignition switch (1.6 16v version)
Ignition switch (1.9 D version)
General power supply of the servicces (1.2 version)
General power supply of the servicces (1.6 16v version)
General power supply of the servicces (1.9 D version)
General power supply of the servicces (1.2 version)
General power supply of the servicces (1.6 16v version)
General power supply of the servicces (1.9 D version)
Engine cooling fan (1.2 version)
Engine cooling fan (1.6 16v version)
Engine cooling fan (1.9 D version)
Lambda Sensor
Available
Available
Available
Spare fuse
Spare fuse
Spare fuse
Spare fuse
80-103 03/03/2003 06:49 PM Page 97
132
FUEL SUPPLY/ IGNITION
Integrated multipoint electronic in-
jection and ignition system: only one
electronic control unit controls both
functions. It processes both the time
the injection lasts (for petrol meter-
ing) and the ignition advance angle.
Type: Multipoint.
Air cleaner: dry, with paper filtering
element.
Fuel pump: by immersion, in the tank.
Injection pressure 3 barMixture metered by electronic pro-
cessing of the data picked up by the
engine speed sensor and absolute
pressure sensor in the intake manifold.
Petrol metering system : a “Closed
Loop” (information on the combus-
tion trend transmitted by the sensor
Lambda).
Ignition order: 1-3-4-2.
Spark plugs:
Modifications or repairs
to the fuel feed system
that are not carried out
properly or do not take the sys-
tem’s technical specifications in-
to account can cause malfunc-
tions leading to the risk of fire.
LUBRICATION
Forced-feed with gear pump with
pressure relief valve incorporated.
Oil purification through full-flow car-
tridge filter.
COOLING
Cooling system with radiator, cen-
trifugal pump and expansion tank.
Thermostat on the secondary circuit
for recirculating the water from the
engine to the radiator. “By-pass con-
trolled” thermostat.
Electrical fan for cooling the radiator
with connection/disconnection, con-
trolled by a thermostatic switch lo-
cated on the radiator.
Spark plug (type)
1.2
Champion RC7BMCChampion RC8BYC
1.6NGK BKR5EZ
Champion RC10YCC
Bosch FR8DE
Other equivalent Spark plug for 1.6 engine
is Champion RC10YCC.
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134
SUSPENSIONS
FRONT
Independent wheel, MacPherson-
type with lower wishbones anchored
to an auxiliary cross bar.
Coil springs and double action shock
absorbers.
Anti-roll stabiliser bar.
REAR
Torsion axle coil spring.
Stabiliser bar and telescopic dual ef-
fect shock absorber.
BRAKES
SERVICE AND EMERGENCY
BRAKES
Front: disc-type with floating calliper.
Rear: drum and self-centering shoes.
Cross-over hydraulic circuit control.
Vacuum brake booster: 9”.
Four channel ABS system with four
sensors.
Automatic take-up of clearance due
to friction lining wear.
Brake distributor proportioning valve
working on the hydraulic cricuit of the
rear brakes.
HAND BRAKE
Controlled by a lever, it works me-
chanically on the rear brakes.
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