2005 Alfa Romeo 156 overheating

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
147
STOPPING THE CARTo stop the vehicle, simply release the ac-
celerator pedal and, if necessary, operate
the brake pedal.
Regardless of the gear engaged and of the
operating mode activated (MANUALor
CITY), the system automatically disen-
gages the clutch and downshifts gear.
If you intend to move off again without
having completely stopped the car, this way
the most suitable gear ratio for re-acceler-
ating will be available.
Stopping the vehicle, the system auto-
matically engages first gear (1). Though strongly inadvisable, if due to un-
foreseen circumstances when driving down-
hill the car is allowed to travel with the gear-
box in neutral (N), when the engagement
of a gear is requested, the system auto-
matically engages the best gear to allow
transmission of the torque to the wheels in
relation to the speed of the car.
Downhill with the gear engaged and the
accelerator released (if the vehicle is trav-
elling), if a certain pre-established speed is
exceeded, the system automatically en-
gages the clutch to provide adequate engine
braking.
Due to safety reasons, the Selespeed sys-
tem activates the buzzer when:
– clutch overheating occurs during vehicle
starting; in this case, it is necessary to
“force” moving off avoiding hesitations or
to release the accelerator and use the brake
pedal to park the vehicle if the car is on a
slope;
– the car moves in the opposite direction
to the gear engaged, (e.g.: vehicle moving
forward with reverse engaged); in this sit-
uation it is necessary to stop the vehicle and
keeping the brake pedal pressed, engage
the gear correctly.Still for safety reasons, when the vehicle
is stationary, with the engine started and
gear (1), (2) or (R) engaged, the system
activates the buzzer and shifts to neutral
(N) automatically when:
– there is no action on the accelerator
and/or brake pedal for at least 3 minutes;
– 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.

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

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
194
DRIVING IN THE RAINRain and wet roads can be dangerous.
If the road is wet, the traction between
wheel and asphalt is greatly reduced, thus
increasing the stopping distance and de-
creasing road holding.
Here are few suggestions in the case of
rain:
– Reduce speed and keep further back
from the vehicle in front.
– If it is raining particularly heavily, visi-
bility is also reduced. In these cases, switch
on the dipped headlights even if it is still day-
light so you can be seen more easily.
– Do not drive through puddles at speed
and hold on tightly to the wheel if you do: a
puddle taken at high speed might cause you
to lose control of the car (“aquaplaning”).
– Position the ventilation controls for
demisting (see chapter “Getting to know
your car”), to prevent visibility from wors-
ening.
– Routinely check the conditions of the
windscreen wiper blades.
DRIVING IN THE FOG– If fog is very thick, avoid travelling
where possible. If travelling with mist,
ground fog or the possibility of fog banks:
– Drive at moderate speed.
– Also in the day turn on the dipped-beam
headlights, rear fog guards and front fog
lights. Do not use the main beam headlights.
WARNINGOn stretches of road with
good visibility, switch off your rear foglights;
the brightness of these lights could annoy
the people travelling in the cars behind.
– Remember that fog also involves wet
asphalt, thus greater difficulty in all types of
manoeuvres and longer stopping distances.
– Keep well away from the vehicle in
front.
– Where possible avoid sudden changes
in speed.
– Possibly avoid overtaking other vehicles.
– If the vehicle is forced to stop (faults,
impossibility to continue due to poor visi-
bility, etc.), firstly try to pull off the road.
Then turn on the hazard warning lights and,
if possible the dipped beam headlights. Ry-
thmically sound the horn if you note another
car coming.
MOUNTAIN DRIVING– When driving downhill, use the engine
braking by engaging a low gear, to prevent
the brakes from overheating.
– Never coast downhill with the engine off
or in neutral and especially not with the ig-
nition key removed.
– Drive at moderate speed and avoid “cut-
ting” corners.
– Remember that overtaking up hill is
slower and therefore requires a greater
length of clear road. If you are being over-
taken on a hill, move over to enable the
other vehicle to pass in safety.

IN AN EMERGENCY
214
INFLATING PROCEDURE 1)Place the wheel in the position illus-
trated in the figure (A-fig. 13) for the op-
eration with the valve, then engage the
handbrake.
2)Screw the filling pipe (B-fig. 14) to
the bottle (C).
3)Unscrew the tyre valve plug, remove
the element inside the valve by using the
appropriate tool (D-fig. 15); be careful
not to place it on the sand or on a dirty sur-
face .
4)Introduce the filling pipe (B-fig. 16)
in the tyre valve, keep the bottle (C-fig.
16) with the pipe directed downwards, then
press it so that the whole sealer can get in-
to the tyre.5)Screw again the element inside the
valve with the tool (D-fig. 17).
6)Use the appropriate lever (E-fig. 18)
to insert and clamp the air compressor pipe
(F) to the tyre valve.
7)Start the engine, insert the plug (G-
fig. 19) in the lighter (or socket 12V) and
inflate the tyre according to the right pres-
sure value (see “Cold inflation pressures” in
the “Technical specification” chapter). You
are advised to check the tyre pressure val-
ue on the pressure gauge (H-fig. 18) with
the compressor off, in order to have a more
accurate reading.fig. 13
A0B0334m
fig. 14
A0B335m
IT IS NECESSARY TO KNOW
THAT:The sealer included in the quick repairing
kit, good for temperatures between –30°C
e +80°C, is not adequate for permanent
fixing.
The liquid inside the tyre can be easily re-
moved with water.
The sealer has no expire date.
Do not operate the com-
pressor for more than 20
minutes. Risk of overheating.
WARNING

CAR MAINTENANCE
271
WHEELS AND TYRESTYRES PRESSURECheck the pressure of each tyre, includ-
ing the compact spare wheel, every two
weeks and before a long journey.
The pressure should be checked with the
tyre rested and cold.
It is normal for the pressure to increase
when the car is in use. If you have to check
or restore the pressure when the tyres are
hot, bear in mind that the pressure should
be +0.3 bar compare with the specified rat-
ing.
For the correct tyre inflation pressure, see
“Wheels” in the “Technical specifications”
chapter.Incorrect pressure causes abnormal tyre
wear fig. 25:
A- Normal pressure: tread evenly worn.
B- Low pressure: tread particularly worn
at the edges.
C- High pressure: tread particularly worn
in the centre.
fig. 25
A0B0235m
WARNINGS
Where possible, avoid sudden braking, tyre
squealing starts, etc.
Particularly avoid violent bumps against
kerbs, potholes or obstacles of various kinds.
Prolonged driving on rough roads may dam-
age the tyres.
Routinely check the tyres for cuts on the
sides, swellings or uneven tread wear. If nec-
essary contact Alfa Romeo Authorized Ser-
vices.
Avoid overloading the vehicle when trav-
elling: this may cause serious damage to the
wheels and tyres.
If a tyre is punctured, stop immediately
and change it to avoid damage to the tyre,
the rim, suspensions and steering system.
Tyres age even if they are not used much.
Cracks in the tread rubber are a sign of ag-
ing. In any case, if the tyres have been on
the car for over 6 years, they should be
checked by specialised personnel, to see if
they can still be used. Also remember to
check the spare wheel.
Remember that car road
holding also depends on
correct tyre inflation pressure.
WARNING
Excessively low pressure
causes overheating of the
tyre with the possibility of serious
damage to it.
WARNING
Tyres should be changed when the tread
thickness is reduced to 1.6 mm. In any case
follow local regulations.

CAR MAINTENANCE
273
Proceed as follows:
– Raise the windscreen wiper arm and po-
sition the blade so that it forms an angle
of 90° with the arm.
– Press tab (B) of the coupling spring and
remove the blade to be replaced from the
arm (A).
– When the spring is released from the
curved top of the arm, move the blade to al-
low the arm to be withdrawn through the slot.
– Insert a new blade passing it through the
curved top of the arm (A) through the slot.
– Lift the blade to clamp tab (B) of the cou-
pling spring with the curved top of the arm.
– Lower the windscreen wiper arm.
WARNINGThe blades may differ ac-
cording to the versions. In any case, follow
the instructions provided in the packs avail-
able as spares from Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services. Changing the windscreen wiper
blade (fig. 27)
WARNINGThe blade on driver’s side
is fitted with a spoiler that improves adhe-
sion between the blade and the windscreen.
To prevent improper fitting, before changing
the blade, check the spoiler direction of the
blade to be replaced, then fit the new blade
following the same spoiler direction.
fig. 27
A0B0580m
WINDSCREEN/REAR
SCREEN WIPERSBLADESPeriodically clean the rubber part using spe-
cial products TUTELA PROFESSIONAL
SC 35is recommended.
If the rubber blades are bent or worn they
should be replaced. In any case they should
be changed once a year.
A few simple notions can reduce the pos-
sibility of damage to the blades:
– If the temperature falls below zero,
make sure that ice has not frozen the rub-
ber against the glass. If necessary, thaw us-
ing an antifreeze product.
– Remove any snow from the glass: in ad-
dition to protecting the blades, this prevents
effort on the motor and overheating.
– Do not operate the windscreen and rear
window wipers on dry glass.
Driving with worn wiper
blades is a serious hazard,
because visibility is reduced in bad
weather.
WARNING