2005 Alfa Romeo GT Owner handbook (in English)

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
127
To release the hand brake:
– slightly lift the lever (A) and press the
release button (B);
– keeping the button pressed lower the
lever, the warning light
xon the instru-
ment cluster will go out.
To prevent the car from moving acciden-
tally, keep the brake pedal pressed when
engaging the hand brake.
IMPORTANTThe hand brake lever (A)
is fitted with a safety device which prevents
the brake from being released when, with
the lever pulled, button (B) is pressed.
Therefore, to release the brake, in addition
to pressing button (B), it is also necessary
to pull lever (A) further upwards to release
the safety device, then lower the lever com-
pletely.
IMPORTANTOn certain versions a
buzzer sounds to alert the driver if the car
is moved with the hand brake engaged.
GEARSHIFT LEVER (fig. 118)
The position of the single gears is shown
by the pictogram on the gearshift lever
knob.
When shifting gear, always fully depress
the clutch pedal. Before engaging reverse
gear (R) wait for the car to be stationary.
Certain versions are fitted with 6-gear gear-
box.
IMPORTANTReverse gear may only be
engaged with the car completely at a stand-
still. With the engine running, before en-
gaging reverse gear it is necessary to wait
for at least 3 seconds with the clutch pedal
fully depressed to prevent clashing and the
possibility of damaging the gears. The wheels should be
locked after a few clicks of
the hand brake. If it does
not occur contact Alfa Romeo Au-
thorised Services to have the hand
brake adjusted.To change gear smoothly,
the clutch pedal must be
fully depressed. Therefore,
there should be no obstacles on the
floor under the pedal unit: make
sure that any mats are well laid
and do not interfere with the ped-
als.
fig. 118
A0A0684b

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
128
The gearbox can work in two operating
modes:
– the first is semiautomatic(then called
MANUAL), in which the driver directly re-
quests gearshifting through the lever on the
centre console or pressing the buttons at the
steering wheel;
– the second is automatic, calledCITY
(mode selectable with the specific button
B-fig. 119, the CITYsign appears on the
displayfig. 121), in which the system de-
cides directly when to shift gear.SELESPEED
TRANSMISSION
(on request for versions/markets
where applicable)
IMPORTANTTo be able to use the Se-
lespeed correctly, this chapter should be read
in full to understand the correct, permissible
operations to be carried out right from the
start.
This device comprises a conventional me-
chanical gearbox to which an electronical-
ly-operated electro-hydraulic device has been
added which automatically controls the
clutch and gear engagement.
The clutch pedal has been eliminated and
the vehicle moves off using only the accel-
erator pedal.Gearshifting takes place through the con-
trol lever (A-fig. 119) which is of the
floating type with a “single central stable
position”. Using the lever it is possible to re-
quest an increase/decrease of the gear ra-
tio engaged and/or reverse gear engage-
ment (R) or neutral (N).
There are also two buttons on the steering
wheel spokes (fig. 120) through which,
only with the car on the move (with speed
above 0.5 km/h), it is possible to shift gear
up or down.
fig. 119
A0A0697b
fig. 120
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GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
129
SYSTEM ACTIVATION
IMPORTANTWhen the driver’s door is
opened the Selespeed starts the hydraulic
part of the system to prepare it for when the
engine is started. This function (noted by
the turning of the electric pump) is deacti-
vated after 10 door openings/closings not
followed by actual system activation turning
the ignition key.
Turning the ignition key to MAR, all the
segments on the display turn on (fig.
121) together with the gearbox failure
warning light (fig. 122) and the word
CITY. After about a second, the display
shows the gear engaged (N, 1, 2, 3, 4,
5, R); from this moment onwards, the Se-
lespeed system accepts gearshift com-
mands.
IMPORTANTIf after 10 seconds the dis-
play segments do not show the gear en-
gaged or the warning light stays on, turn the
ignition key to STOPand wait for the dis-
play to turn off, then repeat system switch
on. If the fault persists, contact Alfa Romeo
Authorised Services. With the gearbox in the CITYmode it is
still possible to carry out manual gearshift-
ing, both using the gear lever and the steer-
ing wheel controls. The gearbox remains in
theCITYmode.
The gear engaged (fig. 121) is always
signalled on the display regardless of the se-
lected mode.
N= neutral;
1= first gear;
2= second gear;
3= third gear;
4= fourth gear;
5= fifth gear;
R= reverse.During operation in the CITYorSPORT
mode, the selected mode is shown as well.
IMPORTANTTheSPORTmode can be
engaged only after disengaging the CITY
mode.
Failures of the Selespeed gearbox are sig-
nalled to the driver through a warning light
connected with the associated failure mes-
sage (fig. 122) and accompanied by an
acoustic signal.
The Selespeed considerably simplifies use
of the car, reducing the fatigue of city dri-
ving or when frequent gearshifting is re-
quired, at the same time offering brilliant
performance.
fig. 121
A0A9017g
fig. 122
A0A9081g

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
130
IMPORTANTOnce a gear has been
changed it is necessary to immediately re-
lease the gearshift control lever after mak-
ing the request. A manoeuvre prolonged
(over 10 seconds) makes the system au-
tomatically switch to CITYmode; every-
thing stops releasing the gearshift lever.
IMPORTANTWhen parking the vehicle
on a sloping road and engaging a gear to
keep it braked, always check that the dis-
play shows the new gear engaged and wait
for one or two seconds before releasing the
brake pedal to allow complete engagement
of the clutch .
fig. 125
A0A0700b
OPERATION WITH ENGINE OFF
IMPORTANTBefore using the gearshift
control lever, always check the gear en-
gaged on the display (N, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
R).
With the engine off and the vehicle sta-
tionary it is possible to engage all the gears.
With the vehicle stopped and the brake
pedal pressed, requests to change gear are
accepted only through the control lever on
the centre console.
To request gearshifting, in addition to keep-
ing the brake pedal pressed:
– to shift upwards (+) (fig. 123) push
the lever “forwards” (if the car is in first gear
it shifts to second, if in second it shifts to third
and so on up to fifth). If the system is in neu-tral (N) or reverse (R) moving the lever for-
wards causes the engagement of first gear
(1).
– to shift downwards (–) (fig. 123)
push the lever backwards (if the car is in
fifth gear it shifts to fourth, if in fourth it
shifts to third and so on down to first gear).
To allow setting the transmission to neu-
tral (N), starting from the condition with
the vehicle stationary and brake pedal
pressed, move the gearshift lever to the right
(fig. 124).
From any gear (N, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and
with the vehicle stationary, it is possible to
request the engagement of reverse gear
pushing the lever to the right and then back-
wards (fig. 125). If the car is moving, the
request is not accepted. Wait for the car to
stop and then request gear engagement
again.
fig. 123
A0A0698b
fig. 124
A0A0699b

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
131
Never remove the ignition
key when the car is mov-
ing. In addition to the fact
that the Selespeed system would
not work properly up to stopping
the car, the steering wheel would
lock automatically the first time it
is turned.
STARTING THE ENGINE
The engine can be started either with a
gear engaged or in neutral (N), provided
that the brake pedal is fully depressed.
IMPORTANTKeep the pedal fully de-
pressed during starting. Since the brake ped-
al becomes hard if it is pressed repeatedly
with the engine off, in this situation it is nec-
essary to increase the pressure on the ped-
al itself to start the engine.
After starting, the gearbox sets to neutral
automatically, the display shows the letter
(N) and the system selects the operating
mode memorised before switching off.
If the engine fails to start
with the gear engaged, the
driver is informed of the
potentially dangerous situation due
to the fact that the gearbox is in
neutral by the buzzer and by the
display.
SWITCHING OFF THE ENGINE
AND SYSTEM DEACTIVATION
Turning the ignition key to STOPthe en-
gine turns off but the Selespeed system is
still active waiting for the car to stop com-
pletely. After about 2-4 seconds from when
the key has been turned to STOP, the hy-
draulic part is deactivated and immediately
after the gear sign on the display disappears.
Now the Selespeed system is deactivated.
The gear selected before switching off the
engine remains engaged.
If the engine is stopped with the gearbox
in neutral (N), the buzzer calls the driver’s
attention so that the car can be put in safe-
ty conditions engaging first gear (1) or re-
verse (R). In this case, the ignition key
should be turned to MARand with the
brake pedal pressed, engage first gear (1)
or reverse (R).
NEVER leave the car with
the gears in neutral (N).
It is absolutely necessary
to turn off the engine and
then turn off the Selespeed
system keeping the brake pedal
pressed: ONLY release the pedal
when the display has gone out.

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
132
This should not be considered a failure be-
cause it is part of the operating logic. For
the same reason, if sticking occurs on re-
verse gear, the system controls partial clutch
closing so that the gear can be engaged;
in this case the engagement of reverse gear
(R) will not be as smooth as usual.
Moving off the car is obtained:
1) releasing the brake pedal;
2) gradually pressing the accelerator pedal.
The more the accelerator is pressed the
higher the pickup torque.
After a request to shift
gear with the car station-
ary, before pressing the ac-
celerator pedal to make the car
move, the driver must always
check the display to see that the
gear engaged is the one required.MOVING OFF THE CAR
With the engine on and the car stationary,
the gears that can be engaged for moving
off are only first (1), second (2) or reverse
(R).
To engage them, keep the brake pedal de-
pressed and operate only the control lever
on the central console, as the steering wheel
levers make it possible to engage the gears
only at speed over 0.5 km/h.
IMPORTANTReverse gear (R) can be
engaged from any of the following other ra-
tios: neutral (N), first (1) or second (2).
If the car is moving, the request is not ac-
cepted, it is necessary to wait for the car
to stop completely and request the en-
gagement of reverse again (R).
The driver is informed of the reverse gear
engaged condition by the display and by the
intermittent sound of a buzzer.
IMPORTANTIf when shifting from re-
verse (R)/first (1) or neutral (N)/first (1)
sticking occurs on first gear, the system au-
tomatically engages second gear (2).IMPORTANTS
– With the car stopped and a gear en-
gaged always keep the brake pedal pressed
until deciding to move off;
– during prolonged halts with the engine
running it is advisable to keep the gearbox
in neutral;
– when the car is parked facing uphill, do
not use the moving off manoeuvre to keep
the car still; use the brake pedal and press
the accelerator pedal only when deciding to
move off;
– use second gear only when more con-
trol is needed for moving off manoeuvres at
low speed;
– if, in reverse gear, first gear is engaged
or vice versa, shift gear only when the car
is stopped completely and with the brake
pedal pressed.
Though highly unadvisable, if when trav-
elling downhill for some unexpected reason
the car is set to neutral (N), when the en-
gagement of a gear is requested the system
automatically engages the best gear in re-
lation to the speed of the car to allow the
correct transmission of torque to the wheels.

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
133
OPERATION
The gearbox can work in two operating
modes:
– the first is semiautomatic (MANUAL),
in which the driver directly decides when to
shift gear; this mode is based on two logics:
1) normal: comfortable driving;
2) sports (mode selectable with button B-
fig. 126): sports driving.
The sports mode can be selected by press-
ing the specific button SPORT(B-fig.
126) on the gearbox lever knob; when this
mode is selected, the SPORTsign appears
on the display.
– the second is completely automatic
(CITY), in which the system decides di-
rectly when to shift gear according to the
type of driving.
TheCITYmode can be selected by press-
ing the specific button CITYon the gearbox
lever knob; when this mode is selected, the
CITY sign appears on the display. When travelling downhill with a gear en-
gaged and the accelerator released (if the
vehicle is moving), beyond a pre-established
speed, the system engages the clutch au-
tomatically to give the car adequate engine
braking.
For safety reasons the Selespeed system
activates the buzzer when:
– clutch overheating occurs while the ve-
hicle is being started; in this case it is nec-
essary to “force” starting avoiding hesita-
tion or, if the car is on a slope, release the
accelerator and use the brake pedal to stop
the car;
– the car moves in the opposite direction
to the gear engaged, (e.g.: it moves for-
wards with reverse gear engaged); in this
situation it is necessary to stop the car and
engage the correct gear, keeping the brake
pedal pressed.
Still due to safety reasons, with the car sta-
tionary, the engine running and gear (1),
(2) or (R) engaged, the system activates
the buzzer and automatically shifts to neu-
tral (N) when:
– no action is made on the accelerator
and/or brake pedals for at least 3 minutes;
– the brake is pressed for over 10 min-
utes;– the driver’s door is opened and the ac-
celerator and brake are not touched for at
least 1 second.
STOPPING THE CAR
To stop the car, simply release the accel-
erator pedal and, if necessary, press the
brake pedal.
Regardless of the gear engaged and the
operating mode activated (MANUALor
CITY) the system automatically disengages
the clutch and shifts to a lower gear.
If deciding to move off again without hav-
ing stopped the car completely, the most
suitable ratio will be available for accelera-
tor again.
Stopping the car the system automatical-
ly engages first gear (1).

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
134
SEMIAUTOMATIC OPERATION
(MANUAL)
In the MANUAL operating mode, the dis-
play shows the gear engaged.
In this operating mode, the decision to
change gear is left to the driver who decides
the most appropriate moment.The requests to change gear may take
place through:
– the control lever on the centre console
(A-fig. 126);
– the buttons on the steering wheel
(fig. 127), which can be operated only
when the car speed exceeds 0.5 km/h.
TheMANUALoperating mode is set
when, with the CITYmode selected, the
CITYbutton(A-fig. 128) is pressed
again, excluding the previously selected
mode.When changing gear it is not necessary
to release the accelerator pedal because the
Selespeed system directly controls the en-
gine in such a way as to:
– reduce and then increase engine torque;
– adapt the engine speed to the latest
gear engaged.
When downshifting, the engine is accel-
erated automatically to bring it to the speed
necessary with the new gear ratio.
The neutral command (N) is accepted un-
til the vehicle speed exceeds 20 km/h.
The reverse gear engagement command
(R) is accepted only if the vehicle is sta-
tionary.
fig. 127
A0A0669b
fig. 126
A0A0702b