2005 Alfa Romeo 159 engine

152
SAFETY
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WARNING
LIGHTS AND
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CORRECT USE
OF THE CARTo engage reverse Rfrom neutral, raise
ringA-fig. 3under the knob and at
the same time move the gearshift lever
leftwards and then forward. After en-
gaging reverse release the ring. To shift
from reverse to another gear it is not
necessary to raise the ring.
IMPORTANT The car can only be put
into reverse gear when it has stopped
moving completely. With the engine run-
ning, before engaging the reverse, wait
at least 3 seconds with the clutch ped-
al fully down to prevent damage and
grating of the gears.
A0E0151mfig. 3
To change gears prop-
erly you must push the
clutch pedal fully down. It is
therefore essential that there
is nothing under the pedals:
make sure mats are lying flat
and do not get in the way of
the pedals.
WARNING
Do not drive with your
hand resting on the gear
lever as the force ex-
erted, even if slight, could lead
over time to premature wear on
the gearbox internal compo-
nents.
USING THE
GEARBOX
The car is fitted with 6-gear manual
gearbox. Gear positions are shown on
the gearshift lever knob.
Always press down the clutch pedal
when shifting gears. To engage the 6
th
gear, move the gearshift lever pressing
slightly rightwards to prevent engaging
the 4
thgear accidentally.

153
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
Climate control
The air conditioner is an additional load
which greatly affects the engine leading
to higher consumption. When the tem-
perature outside the car permits it, use
the air vents where possible.
Spoilers
The use of aerodynamic optional extras
which are not certified for the specific
use on the vehicle, may reduce the aero-
dynamic penetration of the vehicle and
increase consumption. Unnecessary loads
Do not travel with too much luggage
stowed in the boot. The weight of the
car (especially when driving in town)
and its trim greatly affects consumption
and stability.
Roof rack/ski rack
Remove the roof rack or the ski rack
from the roof as soon as they are no
longer used. These accessories lower air
penetration and adversely affect con-
sumption levels. When needing to car-
ry particularly voluminous objects, prefer-
ably use a trailer.
Electric devices
Use electric devices only for the amount
of time needed. Rear heated window,
additional headlights, windscreen wipers
and heater fan need a considerable
amount of energy, therefore increasing
the requirement of current increases fu-
el consumption (up to +25% in the ur-
ban cycle).CONTAINING
RUNNING COSTS
Here are some suggestions which may
help you to keep the running costs of
your car down and lower the amount of
toxic emissions released into the at-
mosphere.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Car maintenance
Have checks and adjustments carried out
in accordance with the “Service sched-
ule”.
Tyres
Check the pressure of the tyres routine-
ly at an interval of no more than 4
weeks: if the pressure is too low, con-
sumption levels increase as resistance
to rolling is higher.

154
SAFETY
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WARNING
LIGHTS AND
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IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
Gear selection
As soon as the conditions of the traffic
and road allow, use a higher gear. Us-
ing a low gear to obtain brilliant perfor-
mance increases consumption. In the
same way improper use of a high gear
increases consumption, emissions an en-
gine wear.
Top speed
Fuel consumption considerably increas-
es with speed. Avoid superfluous brak-
ing and accelerating, which cost in terms
of both fuel and emissions.
Acceleration
Accelerating violently increasing the revs
will greatly affect consumption and emis-
sions: acceleration should be gradual and
should not exceed the maximum torque.CONDITIONS OF USE
Cold starting
Short journeys and frequent cold starts
do not allow the engine to reach opti-
mum operating temperature. This results
in a significant increase in consumption
levels (from +15 to +30% on the urban
cycle) and emission of harmful sub-
stances.
Traffic and road conditions
Rather high consumption levels are tied
to situations with heavy traffic, for ex-
ample in queues with frequent use of
the lower gears or in cities with many
traffic lights. Also winding mountain
roads and rough road surfaces adverse-
ly affect consumption.
Traffic hold-ups
During prolonged hold-ups (e.g.: level
crossings) the engine should be
switched off.
DRIVING STYLE
Starting
Do not warm the engine with the car
at a standstill or at idle or high speed:
under these conditions the engine
warms up much more slowly, increasing
electrical consumption and emissions. It
is therefore advisable to move off im-
mediately, slowly, avoiding high speeds.
This way the engine will warm faster.
Unnecessary actions
Avoid accelerating when waiting at traf-
fic lights or before switching off the en-
gine. This and also double declutching
is absolutely pointless on modern cars
and also increase consumption and pol-
lution.

160
SAFETY
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LIGHTS AND
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INDEX
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CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
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.

161
SAFETY
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IN AN
EMERGENCY
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MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
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INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
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

165
SAFETY
DEVICES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
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MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
–Car heavy duty(e.g.: towing trail-
er uphill or fully laden car): decrease
speed, if the warning light stays on, stop
the car. Wait for 2 or 3 minutes leaving
the engine on and slightly accelerated to
further activate the circulation of the
coolant fluid, then switch the engine off.
IMPORTANTUnder severe use of the
car, keep the engine on and slightly ac-
celerated for few minutes before switch-
ing it off.
Warning light Findi-
cates also warning light
¬failures. This is indicated by
intermittent flashing, over 4
seconds, of warning light
F. In
this event warning light
¬could
not indicate safety system fail-
ures. Contact Alfa Romeo Au-
thorized Services to have the
system checked immediately.
WARNINGENGINE COOLANT
HIGH TEMPERATURE
(red)
Fitting the key into the ignition device,
the warning light (set on engine coolant
gauge) turns on but it shall go off after
a few seconds.
The warning light turns on (on certain
versions a dedicated message is dis-
played) to indicate engine overheating.
If the warning light comes on, proceed
as follows:
–Normal driving conditions: stop
the car, switch off the engine and check
whether the water level in the reservoir
is not below the MINmarl. Otherwise
wait for few seconds to allow engine
cooling, then open slowly and carefully
the cap, top up coolant and check
whether its level is falling between MIN
andMAXmarks in the reservoir. Check
visually any leak. If when restarting the
warning light comes on again, contact
Alfa Romeo Authorized Services .
u
With engine hot, do not
remove the cap: risk of
burnt.
WARNING

166
SAFETY
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IN AN
EMERGENCY
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MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
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INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
ENGINE OIL
HIGH TEMPERATURE
Fitting the key into the ignition
device, the warning light (set on engine
oil temperature gauge) turns on but it
should go off after a few seconds. Warn-
ing light turning on when travelling (on
certain versions together with the mes-
sage on the display) indicates that en-
gine oil is too hot; switch the engine off
and contact Alfa Romeo Authorized Ser-
vices.
If warning light
`
starts flashing when
travelling contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services.
LOW ENGINE
OIL PRESSURE
EXHAUST OIL
(diesel versions)
Low engine oil pressure
On certain versions, fitting the key into
the ignition device, the warning light
turns on but it should go off as soon as
the engine has started.After the first indication, at each engine
starting the warning light
vwill go
on flashing for about 1 minute and then
every 2 hours until oil is changed.
LOW BATTERY
CHARGE (red)
The warning light (where pro-
vided) turns on, but it should go off as
soon as the engine has started (with the
engine running at idle speed a brief de-
lay in going out is allowed).
If the warning light (or as an alternative,
on certain versions, a symbol and a mes-
sage are displayed) stays on glowing
steadily or flashing contact immediate-
ly Alfa Romeo Authorized Services.
w
`v
If the warning light
(or as an alternative,
on certain versions, a symbol
and a message are displayed)
comes on when travelling,
stop immediately and contact
Alfa Romeo Authorized Ser-
vices.
WARNING
If warning light v
starts flashing, contact
immediately Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services to have the
engine oil changed and the in-
strument panel (or symbol
v
on the display) switched off.
Exhaust oil (diesel versions)
The warning light (where provided) with
turn on flashing (on certain versions a
message is displayed) when the system
detects that the engine oil is exhaust.

167
SAFETY
DEVICES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
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MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
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CORRECT USE
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DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
BOOT OPEN
On certain versions message
and symbol
R(red) are
displayed to indicate that boot is
open.
BONNET OPEN
(where provided)
On certain versions message
and symbol
S(red) are displayed to
indicate that bonnet is open.
INJECTION SYSTEM
FAILURE (diesel
versions - amber)
EOBD SYSTEM
FAILURE
(petrol versions -
amber)
Injection system failure
Fitting the key into the ignition device
the warning light turns on, but it should
go off when the engine has started.
The warning light stays on or it turns on
when travelling to indicate a malfunc-
tion in the injection/exhaust system
with possible lack of performance, poor
driveability and high consumption.
In these conditions it is possible to con-
tinue driving without however requiring
heavy effort or high speed from the en-
gine. In any case, contact Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services as soon as possible.EOBD system failure
Under normal conditions, fitting the elec-
tronic key into the ignition device, the
warning light turns on, but it should go
off when the engine has started. This in-
dicates proper operation of the warn-
ing light.
If the warning light stays on or turns on
when travelling:
– glowing steadily (on certain ver-
sions together with the message on the
display): means a fault in the sup-
ply/ignition system which could cause
high emissions at the exhaust, possible
lack of performance, poor handling and
high consumption levels. In these con-
ditions it is possible to continue driving
without however requiring heavy effort
or high speed from the engine. Pro-
longed use of the car with the warning
light on may cause damages. Contact
Alfa Romeo Authorized Services as soon
as possible.
The warning light goes off if the fault
disappears, but it is however stored by
the system.
INCOMPLETE DOOR
LOCKING (red)
The warning light (where pro-
vided) (or symbol on the display) turns
on when one or more doors, the boot or
the bonnet (where provided) are not
properly shut.
U´
S
R