2005 Alfa Romeo 156 emergency towing

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
151
SIGNALLING WITH THE BUZZERThe buzzer is activated when:
– reverse gear (R) is engaged;
– the vehicle is parked with the gearbox
at neutral (N); this can be seen turning the
ignition key to STOP;
– clutch overheating takes place during
pick-up;
– the car moves in the opposite direction
to the gear engaged (e.g.: the car tends to
do downhill with reverse gear engaged);
– in the event of gearbox failure;
– the system has automatically engaged
neutral (N) after:•
there is no action on the accelerator
and/or brake pedal for at least 3 min-
utes;
•
the brake pedal is pressed for over 10
minutes;
•
the driver’s door is opened and the ac-
celerator and brake pedal are not
pressed for at least 1 second;
•
detection of a gearbox fault.
PARKING THE VEHICLETo park the car safely it is absolutely
necessaryto engage first gear (1) or re-
verse (R) and, when on a sloping road, also
engage the hand-brake.
Turning the engine off with the car facing
uphill and a gear engaged, it is absolutely
necessaryto wait for the display on the
rev counter to go off before releasing the
brake pedal, so that the clutch has innested
completely.
If the gearbox is in neutral (N) and you
want to engage a parking gear, it is neces-
sary to activate the system and engage the
gear (1) or reverse (R) with your foot on
the brake pedal.
TOWING THE VEHICLEWARNINGFor towing the vehicle, ad-
here to local regulations. Make sure that the
gearbox is in neutral (N) (checking that the
car moves when pushed) and proceed as for
towing a normal car with mechanical gear-
box following the instructions given in the
chapter “In an emergency”.
Should it be impossible to set to neutral,
do not tow the vehicle; contact Alfa Romeo
Authorised Services.
Do not start the engine
when towing the vehicle.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
159
If the indicator light re-
mains flashing, contact the
Alfa Romeo Authorized
Service Centers as soon as possi-
ble to remove the fault.
If a fault is indicated when the engine is
started, this means that the gearbox control
system had detected and memorised a fault
during the journey prior to switching the en-
gine off. In this case, too, contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services to have the au-
tomatic gearbox checked over.It is possible to engage reverse gear.
ACOUSTIC WARNINGThis comes into operation for about 18 sec-
onds when:
– the driver’s door is open and/or the en-
gine is off with the selector lever in a posi-
tion other than P;
– position R(reverse) is engaged.PUSH STARTINGStarting the car by pushing or towing is not
possible. In the event of an emergency,
when the battery is flat, start the car with
a suitable emergency battery, following the
instructions given in the chapter “In an emer-
gency”.
When driving with a faulty
gearbox, drive with the ut-
most care considering the restricted
performance levels (in terms of ac-
celeration and speed) the car can
offer.
WARNING
When travelling with a
faulty gearbox, the reverse
lock might not work: absolutely
never move the lever to position
R with the car on the move.
WARNING

IN AN EMERGENCY
207
STARTING BY INERTIA
IN THE EVENT OF A
PUNCTUREWARNINGIf the car is equipped with
“Fix&Go kit for tyre quick repair”, see the
instructions contained in the following
chapter.GENERAL INSTRUCTIONSWheel changing and correct use of the jack
and compact spare wheel call for some pre-
cautions as mentioned below. Never push, tow or coast
start the vehicle. This could
cause fuel to flow into the
catalyst damaging it irreversibly.
Remember that the engine
brake and power steering
are not operational until the engine
is started, therefore, much greater
effort than usual is needed on the
brake pedal and steering wheel.
WARNING
Signal the presence of the
stationary vehicle accord-
ing to the current regulations: haz-
ard warning lights, reflecting tri-
angle, etc.
Any passengers should leave the
car and wait for the wheel to be
changed out of harm of the traffic.
If parked on a slope or uneven road
surfaces, place wedges or other
suitable devices under the wheels
to prevent the car from rolling.
Never start the engine when the
car is raised on the jack.
When towing a trailer, always
remove the trailer before lifting
the car.
WARNING

IN AN EMERGENCY
243
IF THE VEHICLE IS TO BE TOWEDThe tow ring supplied with the vehicle is
housed in the tool box under the boot mat.
To install the tow ring, proceed as follows:
– Take the tow ring from the tool box.
– Remove the cover (A) snap-fitted on the
front (fig. 77) or rear bumper (fig. 78).
If the supplied flat screwdriver is used to car-
ry out this operation, protect the tip with a
soft cloth to prevent damaging the car.– Firmly screw the ring in its housing.fig. 77
A0B0593m
fig. 78
A0B0594m
Carefully clean the thread-
ed housing before tighten-
ing the ring. Before beginning to
tow the car make sure that the
tow ring is firmly tightened in its
threaded housing.
WARNING
Before beginning to tow
the car, turn the ignition
key to MAR and then to STOP, do
not remove it. Removing the key
automatically engages the steering
lock resulting in the impossibility
to steer the wheels. When towing
remember that without the help of
the servo-brake and power steer-
ing, it is necessary to exert more
effort on the brake pedal and for
steering. Do not use flexible cables
for towing and avoid jerks. Dur-
ing towing operations make sure
that fastening the joint to the car
does not damage the components
in contact with it. When towing the
car it is compulsory to comply with
the specific traffic regulations con-
cerning both the towing device and
behaviour on the road.
WARNING

IN AN EMERGENCY
244
TOWING THE 2.0 JTS
SELESPEED VERSIONWARNINGFor version with Selespeed
gearbox, make sure that it is in neutral (N)
(checking that the car moves when pushed)
and proceed as for towing a normal car with
mechanical gearbox following the instruc-
tions given on the previous page.
Should it be impossible to set to neutral,
do not tow the vehicle; contact Alfa Romeo
Authorised Services.
TOWING THE VERSION WITH
AUTOMATIC GEARBOX
(2.5 V6 24V Q-SYSTEM)WARNINGFor towing the vehicle com-
ply with current local regulations. Also fol-
low the instructions given on the previous
page.
If the car needs to be towed, observe the
following recommendations:
– if possible, put the car on a rescue ve-
hicle;
– if this is not possible, tow the car rais-
ing the driving wheels (front) from the
ground;
– if this, too, is not possible, the car may
only be towed for 50 Km at a speed of
50 km/h.
The gearshift lever should be at position N
for towing.The failure to follow the
above instructions may
cause serious damage to
the automatic gearbox.
Cars with automatic gear-
box may be towed only for
short distances and at a
low speed: if longer towing is nec-
essary, the driving wheels must be
raised to prevent the gearbox from
being pulled into rotation during
towing.
Do not start the engine
when towing the vehicle.
WARNING
Do not start the engine
when the vehicle is being
towed.
WARNING

ALPHABETICAL INDEX
332
Roof bars/ski racks ...................... 292
Roof rack provision ....................... 174
Rubber hoses .............................. 272Safe driving ............................... 192
– before driving off ................... 192
– driving in the fog ................... 194
– driving in the rain ................... 194
– driving on snow and ice .......... 195
– driving with ABS .................... 195
– mountain driving .................... 194
– night driving .......................... 193
– when travelling ...................... 192
Safeguarding the environment ...... 187
Scheduled maintenance
programme .............................. 249
Seat belts ................................... 28
– carrying children safely ........... 35
– front and rear side belt
height adjustment .................. 31
– general instructions ................ 33
– maintenance ......................... 34
– pretensioners......................... 32
– rear central abdominal belt ..... 30
– use ...................................... 28
Seats (front and rear) ............ 21-23
Selespeed gearbox ....................... 141– automatic operation (CITY) ..... 150
– checking the oil level .............. 259
– failure signalling .................... 150
– moving off ............................ 146
– operation with the engine off ... 143
– parking the vehicle ................. 151
– semiautomatic operation
(MANUAL) ............................ 148
– signalling with the buzzer........ 151
– starting the engine ................. 145
– stopping the car ..................... 148
– system activation ................... 142
– towing the vehicle .................. 151
– turning the engine off ............. 145
– warnings .............................. 146
Side lights
– changing front bulbs ............... 226
– changing rear bulbs ............... 228
– switching on.......................... 48
Ski compartment ......................... 24
Snow chains................................ 202
Sound system ...................... 183-293
Sound system presetting
system ............................. 183
Spark plugs (technical data) .......... 305
Speedometer............................... 63
Spray jets – windscreen/rearscreen/
headlight .............................. 274
Starting the engine....................... 189
– emergency starting .......... 191-205
– ignition switch ....................... 17
– procedure for JTD versions ....... 190
– procedure for petrol versions .... 189
– switching off the engine .......... 190
– warming the engine ............... 190
Starting with an auxiliary battery ... 242
Steering system
– specifications ......................... 305
– steering wheel adjustments .... 25
Steering lock .............................. 18
Steering wheel
– adjustment............................ 25
Steering wheel levers ................... 48
Stop lights
– changing bulbs ...................... 228
Sunroof ...................................... 167
– emergency operation ............. 169
– sliding forwards/backwards..... 168
– raising to the quarterlight
position ............................... 168
Sun visors .................................. 166
Symbols .................................... 5-6