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
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
135
With the accelerator pedal pressed to over
60% of its stroke and an engine speed
above 5000 rpm, gearshifting becomes
quicker. In the MANUALoperating mode
there are certain automatic/security devices
which simplify driving:
– At slowing down the clutch is disen-
gaged and the automatic reduction of the
gearbox ratio is carried out to be ready for
the possible gear recovery; on the contrary,
when the vehicle stops the gearbox will au-
tomatically engage the first gear (1);
– requests to change gear that would take
the engine to above maximum speed or be-
low minimum speed are not accepted;AUTOMATIC OPERATION (CITY)
The automatic operating mode CITYis se-
lected pressing button (A-fig. 128), at
the base of the gearshift lever or activating
the Cruise Control system (where fitted).
In addition to the gear, the display shows
the word CITY.
The system decides directly when gearshift-
ing according to the engine running speed
and the driving style.
Releasing the accelerator pedal quickly, the
system does not engage a higher gear in or-
der to maintain an adequate level of engine
brake.
fig. 128
A0A0701b
– if jamming occurs during gear engage-
ment, the system firstly tries to engage the
gear required again and, if it is still not pos-
sible, it automatically engages the imme-
diately higher one to avoid leaving the car
in neutral.
IMPORTANTIt is advisable to wait for
the end of a gear shifting operation before
requesting another one, to avoid multiple
requests in rapid succession.
In the event of a gearbox
fault to any component,
contact Alfa Romeo Autho-
rised Services as soon as possible
to have the system checked over.In the case of a fault to the gearshift con-
trol lever, the system automatically engages
the automatic operating mode CITYto
make it possible to reach the nearest Alfa
Romeo Authorised Service to have the fault
eliminated.
In the case of a fault to the other gear-
box components, the system only allows the
engagement of certain gears: first gear (1),
second gear (2) and reverse (R).
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
136
FAILURE WARNING
Failures of the Selespeed gearbox are
shown on the display by the warning light
t(fig. 129) associated with a mes-
sage and a buzzer. If warning light
tand
the message appear on the
display, contact Alfa
Romeo Authorised Services as soon
as possible to have the fault elim-
inated.
fig. 129
A0A9081g
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
158
IMPORTANTDo not use the protective
sheets for CD in commerce or discs with sta-
bilisers, etc. as they might get stuck in the
internal mechanism and damage the disc.
IMPORTANT In case CDs protected by
copy are used, it is possible to wait for a few
seconds before the system starts playing
them.
New discs may be rough around the edges.
When these discs are used, the player
might not work or the sound might skip.
To remove the roughness from the edge of
the disc use a ball-point etc.
The radio is installed in a user-friendly po-
sition for the driver and the passenger and
the graphics on the front panel make loca-
tion of the controls quick, facilitating use
use.
The CD Changer for 10 discs, if present,
is housed in the left-hand side of the boot.
Below you will find the instructions for use,
which you are advised to read through care-
fully. GENERAL
The set possesses the following functions:
Radio section
– PLL tuning with FM/MW/LW frequen-
cy bands
– RDS (Radio Data System) with TA (traf-
fic information) - PTY (Program Type) - EON
(Enhanced Other Network) - REG (Regional
Programmes) functions
– Alternative frequency search selection in
RDS mode (AF function)
– Emergency alarm reception provision
– Automatic/manual station tuning
– Manual storage of 30 stations: 18 in
the FM band (6 in FM1, 6 in FM2, 6 in
FMT), 6 in the MW band and 6 in the LW
band
– Automatic storage (Autostore function)
of 6 stations in FMT band
– SENS DX/LO function (sensitivity ad-
justing in searching radio stations)
– Scan function (scanning stored stations)
– Automatic Stereo/Mono switching.Compact Disc section
– Disc select (disc n)
– Track select (forward/backward)
– Fast forward/backward
– Repeat function (repetition of last piece)
– Scan function (scanning the tracks on
the Compact Disc)
– Mix function (random playing)
– TPM function (storing CD track playing
sequence)
– CLR function (clearing CD track storage).
For installation and con-
nection of the CD-Changer
apply only to Alfa Romeo
Authorised Services.
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
160
Entering the secret code
Entry of the secret code is required to al-
low the radio to work after the first con-
nection to the vehicle electric system or to
a different Body Computer than the original
one.
Connecting the radio to the car supply, the
display will show the wording “CODE” for
about 2 seconds, followed by four dashes
“- - - -”.
The secret code comprises four figures from
1 to 6, each corresponding to one of the
dashes.
To enter the first digit of the code, press
the corresponding key of the preset stations
(from 1 to 6). Enter the other code digits in
the same way.
If the four figures are not entered within
20 seconds, the display shows the word
“CODE” for 2 seconds and then four dash-
es “- - - -”. This is not to be considered
as in incorrect code entry.
After entering the fourth digit (within 20
seconds), the radio starts to work.If a wrong code is entered, the radio
sounds a “beep”, the display shows the
word “CODE” for 2 seconds and then four
dashes “- - - -” to inform it is necessary
to enter the correct code.
Every time the user enters a wrong code,
the waiting time increases gradually (1 min,
2 min, 4 min, 8 min, 16 min, 30 min, 1h,
2h, 4h, 8h, 16h, 24h) until reaching a max-
imum of 24 hours.
The waiting time will be shown on the dis-
play with the word “WAIT”. When this
goes off it is possible to start the new code
entry procedure.
Code Card
This is the document that certifies posses-
sion of the radio. The Code Card contains
the radio model, serial number and secret
code.
IMPORTANTKeep the Code Card care-
fully to be able to give the related data to
the competent authorities in the event of
theft.GLOSSARY
AF (Alternative Frequency)
Function that allows the radio to stay tuned
on the FM station selected also passing
through areas served by transmitters with
different frequencies.
In fact the RDS system keeps the intensi-
ty and quality of the signal received under
control, automatically switching tuning on
the frequency of the transmitter that is send-
ing the strongest signal.
Autostore/Travelstore
Function with which it is possible to auto-
matically store radio stations.
Balance (Channel balancing)
Function with which it is possible to ap-
propriately adjust the sound from the right
or left speakers.
Bass
This function adjusts the bass tones.
CD-Changer
Multiple Compact Disc player.