Page 54 of 291

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
52
IMPORTANTThe temperature of the en-
gine coolant may rise towards the maximum
values (red zone) when the vehicle is dri-
ven at low speeds, especially when the am-
bient air temperature is high. In this case it
is advisable to stop the vehicle and switch
off the engine for a few minutes, after which
the journey can be resumed, preferably at
a higher speed.ENGINE COOLANT FLUID
TEMPERATURE GAUGE WITH
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE
WARNING LIGHT
This shows the temperature of the engine
coolant fluid and begins when the fluid tem-
perature exceeds approx. 50°C.
Normally the pointer should be towards
the middle of the scale. If the pointer reach-
es the higher temperatures of the scale (red
area) the request for vehicle performance
should be decreased.
The turning on of the
uwarning light (on
some versions together with the message
shown on the reconfigurablemultifunction
display) indicates that the coolant fluid tem-
perature is too high; in this case, stop the
engine and contact Alfa Romeo Authorised
Services.
FUEL LEVEL GAUGE WITH
RESERVE INDICATOR
This shows the amount of fuel left in the
fuel tank.
The warning light
Kturns on to indicate that
approx. 7 litres of fuel are left in the tank.
IMPORTANTUnder certain conditions
(heavy slopes, for instance), the reading on
the gauge may differ from the actual amount
of fuel in the tank and changes in level may
be indicated late.
This condition falls within the operation log-
ics of the electronic control circuit to avoid
highly unstable readings due to swaying of
the fuel when travelling.
IMPORTANTRefuelling shall always be
performed with engine off and ignition key
toSTOP. If the engine is off but the key
is to MAR, a wrong fuel level could tem-
porarily be indicated. This is due to the in-
ternal system control logic and cannot be
considered as a system malfunctioning.
Page 175 of 291

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
173
REFUELLING
The antipollution devices
on the car oblige the use of
only four-star unleaded
petrol with an octane number
(R.O.N.) of 95 or over.
Never use leaded petrol,
as this would irreversibly
damage the exhaust gas
catalyst. If leaded fuel is added to
the fuel tank, no matter how small
the quantity, DO NOT START THE
ENGINE. Do not attempt to dilute
the fuel in the tank, completely
drain the fuel circuit and tank.
To prevent accidentally filling with leaded
petrol, the diameter of the fuel tank filler
is of such a size as not to accept the noz-
zle of this type of petrol.
An inefficient catalyst
leads to harmful emission
at the exhaust, thus envi-
ronment pollution.
FUEL CAP (fig. 145)
The fuel cap (A) is key-lockable and has a
catch to prevent misplacing it (B) that fas-
tens it to the flap (C); to gain access to it,
open the flap then use the ignition key to turn
counter-clockwise and remove the cap.
When refuelling, hook the cap to the de-
vice on the inner flap, as illustrated.
IMPORTANTThe sealing of the tank
may cause light pressurising. A little breath-
ing off, while slackening the cap is ab-
solutely normal.
fig. 145
A0A0443m
After refuelling, turn the cap clockwise un-
til one or more clicks are heard; then turn
the key clockwise to lock. Close the flap.
IMPORTANTFor your safety, before
starting the engine, also make sure that the
fuel nozzle is correctly inserted in the fuel
distributor.
In the case of need, only
replace the fuel cap with
another genuine one, or the
efficiency of the fuel vapour re-
covery system could be adversely
affected.
Do not go near the fuel
filler with naked flames or
lit cigarettes: danger of fire. Avoid
going too near the fuel filler with
your face, to avoid inhaling harm-
ful vapours.
WARNING
Page 226 of 291

VEHICLE MAINTENANCE
224
ADDITIONAL
OPERATIONS
Every 1000 kmor before long journeys,
check and if necessary top up:
– engine coolant fluid level
– brake/hydraulic clutch control fluid level
– power steering fluid level
– windscreen/rearscreen and headlamp
washer fluid level
– tyre pressure and conditions.
Every 3000 kmcheck and if necessary
top up the engine oil level.
The use of products of the FL Seleniais
recommended which have been designed
and made expressly for Alfa Romeo cars
(see “Refuelling” in the “Technical Specifi-
cations” chapter).
ANNUAL INSPECTION
PROGRAMME
For cars with an annual mileage
of below 20,000 km (for example
about 10,000 km) the following
yearly inspection programme is ad-
vised:
– Check tyre conditions/wear and if nec-
essary adjust the pressure
– Check operation of lighting system
(headlights, direction indicators, hazard
warning lights, boot, passenger compart-
ment, glovebox lights, warning lights )
– Check operation of windscreen wiper
system, spray jet adjustment
– Check position/wear of windscreen/
rearscreen wiper blades
– Check front disk brake pad conditions
and wear
– Check for bonnet and boot lock clean-
ness, lever cleanness and lubrication– Sight check for conditions of: engine,
gearbox, transmission, pipes (exhaust - fu-
el supply - brakes) rubber parts (boots -
sleeves - bushes etc..), brake and fuel sup-
ply system hoses
– Check battery charge
– Sight check for conditions of various dri-
ve belts
– Check and if necessary top up fluid lev-
els (engine coolant, brakes, windscreen
washer, battery, etc...)
– Change engine oil
– Change engine oil filter
– Change pollen filter.
Page 282 of 291

ALPHABETICAL INDEX
280
- operation................................ 46
Rearview mirrors
- external ................................. 23
- internal .................................. 22
Reducing running costs
and environment pollution .......... 181
Refuelling
- specifications .......................... 254
Remote control ............................ 7
- additional remote controls ......... 11
- alarm system .......................... 11
- battery changing ..................... 10
- door opening-closing ................ 7
- ministerial homologation........... 14
- tailgate opening ...................... 8
Restraining the load...................... 129
Rev counter................................. 51
Reversing light ............................. 203
Right hand drive.................... 259Roof rack (provision) .................... 131
Running economy ........................ 183
Safe driving ............................... 178
Safeguarding emission reduction
devices .................................... 184
Safeguarding the environment ....... 174
Scheduled maintenance
programme .............................. 222
Seat belts ................................... 25
- carrying children safety ............. 31
- front belt height adjustment ...... 27
- general instructions .................. 29
- load limiters............................ 27
- maintenance ........................... 30
- pretensioners .......................... 28
- use of belts............................. 25
Seats for children ......................... 31
Seats, front............................ 16
- adjustments....................... 17
- centre armrest......................... 18- heating .................................. 18
- rear pockets ............................ 18
- tilting the back rest .................. 17
Seats, rear .................................. 19
- boot extension ........................ 19
- centre armrest......................... 21
- headrest ................................. 21
Sidelights
- changing front bulbs................. 202
- changing rear bulbs.................. 204
- changing side bulbs.................. 203
- switching on ........................... 43
Snow chains................................ 186
Spark plugs (technical data) .......... 247
Speakers ................................... 171
Speedometer............................... 51
Spray jets
- windscreen/rearscreen ............. 239