2005 Alfa Romeo 159 technical specifications

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fig. 4A0E0260m
SECTION A - A
REAR AXLE
Existing
M10 screw
Existing
M10 screw
Existing M10 nut Existing M10 nut
Standard tow ball
full load

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Due to the snow tyre features, under
normal conditions of use or on long mo-
torway journeys, the performance of
these tyres is lower than that of normal
tyres. It is therefore necessary to limit
their use to the purposes for which they
are certified.
IMPORTANTWhen snow tyres are
used with a max speed index below the
one that can be reached by the car (in-
creased by 5%), place a notice in the
passenger compartment, plainly in the
driver’s view which states the max per-
missible speed of the snow tyres (as per
EC Directive).
All four tyres should be the same (brand
and track) to ensure greater safety
when driving and braking and better dri-
veability.
Remember that it is inappropriate to
change the direction of rotation of tyres.SNOW TYRES
Use snow tyres of the same size as the
normal tyres provided with the car.
Alfa Romeo Authorized Services will be
glad to provide advice concerning the
most suitable type of tyre for the cus-
tomer’s requirements.
For the type of tyre to be used, inflation
pressures and the specifications of snow
tyres, follow the instructions given in para-
graph “Wheels” in section “Technical
specifications”.
The winter features of these tyres are re-
duced considerably when the tread
depth is below 4 mm. In this case, they
should be replaced.
The max speed for
snow tyres with “Q”
marking is 160 km/h; 190
km/h for tyres with “T”
marking and 210 km/h for
tyres with H marking. The
Road Traffic Code speed lim-
its must however be always
strictly observed.
WARNING

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IMPORTANTSnow chains cannot be
fitted to the space-saver spare wheel.
So, if a front (drive) wheel is punctured
and chains are needed, a rear wheel
should be fitted to the front of the car
and the spare wheel should be fitted to
the rear (adjust tyre pressure to the spec-
ified value as soon as possible). This
way with two normal drive wheels,
snow chains can be fitted to them to
solve an emergency.
Tyres 235/45 R18” can-
not be fitted with snow
chains due to interference
with the fender.SNOW CHAINS
Use of snow chains should be in compli-
ance with local regulations.
Snow chains should only be applied to
the driving wheels (front wheels).
Check the tension of the chains after the
first few metres have been driven.
Use snow chains with reduced size: for
tyres 205/55 R16” and 215/55
R16” use snow chains with reduced size
with max protrusion beyond the tyre pro-
file of 9 mm.
Traditional snow chains
may not be used on tyres
type 225/50 R17” on-
ly spider type chains can be used.
Keep your speed down
when snow chains are
fitted. Do not exceed
40 km/h. Avoid pot-
holes, steps and pave-
ments and avoid also to drive
for long distances on roads not
covered with snow to prevent
damaging the car and the
roadbed.
WARNING
When snow chains are
fitted, switch the ASR
system off. Press the
ASR/VDC button (see para-
graph “ASR system” in section
“Dashboard and controls”).

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CAR INACTIVITY
If the car is to be left inactive for longer
than a month, the following precautions
should be noted:
❒ park the car in covered, dry and if
possible well-ventilated premises;
❒ engage a gear;
❒check that the handbrake is not en-
gaged;
❒disconnect battery negative terminal
and check the battery charge. This
check is to be repeated every three
months when the car is left inactive.
Recharge if the optical indicator
shows a dark colour without the cen-
tral green area (see paragraph “Bat-
tery” in “Car maintenance” section);
❒clean and protect the painted parts
using protective wax;
❒clean and protect the shiny metal
parts using special compounds read-
ily available;
❒sprinkle talcum powder on the rubber
windscreen and rear window wiper
blades and lift them off the glass;
❒slightly open the windows;
❒cover the car with a cloth or perfo-
rated plastic sheet. Do not use sheets
of non-perforated plastic as they do
not allow moisture on the car body
to evaporate;
❒inflate tyres to +0.5 bar above the
normal specified pressure and check
it at intervals;
❒if you don’t disconnect the battery
from the electric system, check its
charge every month and recharge it
if the optical indicator shows a dark
colour without the central green area;
❒do not drain the engine cooling sys-
tem.
IMPORTANTIf the car is fitted with
alarm system, switch off the alarm with
the remote control.

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W W
A A
R R
N N
I I
N N
G G
L L
I I
G G
H H
T T
S S
A A
N N
D D
M M
E E
S S
S S
A A
G G
E E
S S
LOW BRAKE FLUID/HANDBRAKE ON ..................... 163
BRAKE PAD WEAR ............................................. 163
SEAT BELTS NOT FASTENED ................................. 163
AIR BAG FAILURE................................................ 164
FRONT AIR BAGS DEACTIVATED ............................ 164
ENGINE COOLANT
HIGH TEMPERATURE ........................................... 165
ENGINE OIL HIGH TEMPERATURE .......................... 166
LOW ENGINE OIL PRESSURE/
EXHAUST OIL..................................................... 166
LOW BATTERY CHARGE ....................................... 166
INCOMPLETE DOOR LOCKING ............................... 167
BONNET OPEN ................................................... 167
BOOT OPEN....................................................... 167
INJECTION SYSTEM FAILURE/
EOBD SYSTEM FAILURE....................................... 167
CAR PROTECTION SYSTEM FAILURE/
STEERING LOCK INHIBITION................................. 168
ALARM FAILURE/BREAK-IN ATTEMPT
ELECTRONIC KEY NOT RECOGNIZED ...................... 169
POSSIBLE PRESENCE OF ICE ON THE ROAD............ 169
PRE-HEATING GLOW PLUGS/
PRE-HEATING GLOW PLUG FAILURE ....................... 169
WATER IN DIESEL FUEL FILTER ............................. 170
INERTIAL FUEL CUT-OFF
SWITCHED ON .................................................. 170
ABS SYSTEM FAILURE......................................... 171
EBD SYSTEM FAILURE......................................... 171
VDC SYSTEM .................................................... 171HILL HOLDER FAILURE ........................................ 172
ASR SYSTEM (WHEEL ANTISKID SYSTEM) ............. 172
EXTERNAL LIGHTS FAILURE .................................. 172
BRAKE LIGHTS FAILURE ....................................... 173
REAR FOGLIGHTS ............................................... 173
FRONT FOG LIGHTS ............................................ 173
SIDE/TAILLIGHTS/FOLLOW ME HOME .................. 173
DIPPED BEAM HEADLIGHTS.................................. 173
MAIN BEAM HEADLIGHTS .................................... 173
LEFT-HAND DIRECTION INDICATOR ........................ 173
RIGHT-HAND DIRECTION INDICATOR ...................... 173
LIGHT SENSOR FAILURE........................................ 174
RAIN SENSOR FAILURE......................................... 174
PARKING SENSORS FAILURE ................................ 174
FUEL RESERVE – LIMITED CRUISING RANGE .......... 174
CRUISE CONTROL .............................................. 174
DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTER CLOGGED .................. 174
ANTIPINCH SYSTEM FAILURE ............................... 175
WINDSCREEN WASHER FLUID LOW LEVEL ............. 175
SPEED LIMIT EXCEEDED ..................................... 175
T.P.M.S. SYSTEM FAILURE ................................... 175
CHECK TYRE PRESSURE ...................................... 175
LOW INFLATION PRESSURE ................................. 176
TYRE PRESSURE UNSUITABLE FOR SPEED ............. 176

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Very serious failures
These failures are repeated on the display
indefinitely and stop any previous indi-
cation on the display. These failures are
repeated each time the key is fitted into
the ignition device until the cause of mal-
functioning is removed. To stop this “cy-
cle” press buttonMENU: in this case
the failure symbol stays on the display at
the bottom of the screen until the cause
of malfunctioning is removed.WARNING LIGHTS
AND MESSAGES
GENERAL WARNINGS
Failure indications shown on the display
are divided into two categories: very se-
rious and less serious failures.
Every failure indication is accompanied
by the turning on of the relevant warn-
ing light (where provided) and by ded-
icated warning messages, if any.
In certain cases, failure indications can
be accompanied by the sound of a
buzzer (adjustable).
These indications are concise and cau-
tionary and are aimed to suggest the
prompt action the driver must adopt
when a car malfunctioning appears.
These indications, however, shall not be
considered as exhaustive and/or as an
alternative to the specifications con-
tained in this “Owner’s Manual”, which
shall always be read through carefully
and thoroughly.
In case of failure indication always refer
to the specifications contained in this
section.Serious failures
These failures are repeated on the display
for about 20 seconds and then they go
off. These failures are repeated each time
the key is fitted into the ignition device.
At the end of the displaying cycle (ap-
prox. 20 seconds), or when pressing but-
tonMENU, the failure symbol will stay
on the display at the bottom of the screen
until the cause of malfunctioning is re-
moved.

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SEAT BELTS NOT
FASTENED (red)
The warning light (set on the
front ceiling light panel) turns on glowing
steadily when:
❒the driver's seat belt is not fastened
correctly;
❒the passenger's seat belt is not fas-
tened correctly, heavy objects are
placed on the passenger's seat;
❒unfastening the driver's or the pas-
senger's seat belt.
With car moving the warning light will
turn on flashing together with the buzzer
for a short time.
The warning light will then stay on glow-
ing steadily.
The buzzer can be muted temporarily by
the following procedure:
❒fasten the front seat belts;
❒fit the electronic key into the ignition de-
vice;
❒wait for over 20 seconds but less than
1 minute and then unfasten one of the
front seat belts.
BRAKE PAD WEAR
(amber)
The warning light (where pro-
vided) turn on (on certain versions to-
gether with the message on the display)
if the front brake pads are worn; in this
case have them changed as soon as pos-
sible.
IMPORTANTSince the car is fitted
with wear sensors for the front brake
pads, when changing them, check also
the rear brake pads.
d
turns on when travel-
ling, check that the handbrake
is not engaged. If the warning
light stays on with handbrake
disengaged, stop the car im-
mediately and contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services.
WARNINGLOW BRAKE
FLUID
(red)
HANDBRAKE ON
(red)
Fitting the key into the ignition device
the warning light turns on, but it should
go off after few seconds.
Low brake fluid level
The warning light turns on (on certain
versions a dedicated message is dis-
played) when the level of the brake flu-
id in the reservoir falls below the mini-
mum level, due to possible leak in the
circuit.
Handbrake on
The warning light turns on when the
handbrake is on.
x

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AIR BAG FAILURE
(red)
Fitting the key into the ignition
device the warning light turns on, but
it should go off after few seconds.
The warning light stays on glowing
steadily (on certain versions together
with the message on the display) to in-
dicate a failure in the air bag system.
¬
If the warning light
does not turn on when
fitting the key into the ignition
device, or if stays on when
travelling (on certain versions
together with the message on
the display), this could indicate
a failure in safety retaining
system; under this condition
air bags or pretensioners could
not trigger in the event of col-
lision or, in a restricted num-
ber of cases, they could trig-
ger accidentally. Before
restarting contact Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services. The fail-
ure of the
¬warning light
(warning light off) is also in-
dicated by the flashing for
more than the normal seconds
of the passenger’s front air
bag deactivated warning light
F.
WARNINGPASSENGER’S
FRONT AIR BAGS
DEACTIVATED
(amber)
The warning light (set on the front ceil-
ing light panel) turns on when passen-
ger’s front air bags, passenger’s knees
air bag (where provided) and passen-
ger’s front side bag are deactivated
through the relevant key switch (for ver-
sions/markets where applicable).
With passenger's air bags active, when
fitting the electronic key into the ignition
device the warning light will turn on for
about 4 seconds, will flash for the next
4 seconds and then it will turn off.
F
This procedure will stand valid till next en-
gine switching off.
For permanent deactivation, contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services. The S.B.R.
system can only be reset through the set-
up menu (see paragraph “Reconfigurable
multifunction display“ in section “Dash-
board and controls”).