2005 Alfa Romeo GT battery

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
201
STARTING PROCEDURE
FOR JTD VERSIONS
1) Make sure the handbrake is
engaged.
2) Set the gearshift lever to neutral.
3) Turn the ignition key to MAR.The
reconfigurable multifunction display will
show the
mwarning light.
4) Wait for the
mto turn off, which
takes place sooner, the warmer the
engine. With the engine very warm the
light might stay on for such a short time
as to pass unnoticed.
5) Fully depress the clutch pedal.
6) Turn the ignition key to AV Vas
soon as the
mwarning light has gone
out. Waiting too long, makes the warming
work of the glow plugs useless .IMPORTANTThe electric devices
that absorb a high amount of energy (cli-
mate control, rearscreen heating, etc.) are
cut off automatically during starting.
If the engine does not start at the first
attempt, move the ignition key to STOP
before repeating starting.
If starting is difficult (with the Alfa
Romeo CODE system working properly),
do not insist with prolonged attempts.
Only use an auxiliary battery if the cause
is due to low battery charge. Never use a
battery charger to start the engine.
WARMING THE ENGINE
– Drive off slowly, at medium revs with-
out accelerating abruptly.
– Do not drive at full performance for
the initial kilometres of the journey. Wait
until the engine coolant temperature
reaches 50-60 °C.

Never leave children
unattended in the vehicle.
Always remove the igni-
tion key when leaving the vehicle
and take it with you.To avoid useless con-
sumption of power and
possible draining of the
battery, never leave the ignition
key in the MAR position when
the engine is not running.
CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
203
PARKING
When the vehicle is parked, proceed as
follows:
– Switch off the engine.
– Engage the handbrake.
– Engage first gear if the vehicle is faced
uphill or reverse if the vehicle is facing
downhill.
– Turn the front wheels so that the vehi-
cle will immediately come to a halt if the
handbrake slips.
REDUCING RUNNING
COSTS AND
ENVIRONMENT
POLLUTION
By following a few simple guidelines, it
is possible to save vehicle running costs
and reduce harmful emissions.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Vehicle maintenance
To take care of the car maintenance
have the checks and adjustments carried
out in accordance with the “Scheduled
Maintenance Programme”.
Tyres
Check the pressure of the tyres routinely
at an interval of no more than 4 weeks: if
the pressure is too low consumption levels
increase as resistance to rolling is higher.
Useless loads
Never travel with an overload in the
boot. The weight of the vehicle (especial-
ly in urban traffic), and its geometry heav-
ily affect consumption levels and stability.Electric services
Use electric devices only for the amount
of time needed. Rearscreen heating, addi-
tional headlights, windscreen wipers and
heater fan need a considerable amount of
energy, therefore increasing the require-
ment of current increases fuel consump-
tion (up to +25% in the urban cycle).
Climate control system
The climate control system is a further
load bearing heavily on the engine induc-
ing higher consumption levels(up to
+20% on average). Outside temperature
permitting, preferably use the air vents.
Aerodynamic items
The use of non-certified aerodynamic
items may adversely affect air drag and
consumption levels.

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
206
For the electrical connection a 7 or 13
pole 12VDC connection must be used
(CUNA/UNI and ISO/DIN standards) fol-
lowing any reference instructions given by
the vehicle Manufacturer and/or towing
device Manufacturer.
Any electric brake should be supplied
directly by the battery through a cable
with a cross-section of no less than 2.5
mm
2. In addition to the electrical branch-
es, the vehicle electric system can only be
connected to the supply cable for an elec-
tric brake and to the cable for an internal
light, though not above 15W.INSTALLATION LAYOUT
(fig. 1)
The tow hook structure must be fas-
tened in the points shown by the
symbol Ø using 4 M8 screws and 7
M10 screws.
The inner plate (2) should have a
minimum thickness of 6 mm.
The inner plate (3) should have a
minimum thickness of 4 mm.
The inner plate (4) should have a
minimum thickness of 5 mm.
The fastening points (1) should be
fitted with 25 mm x 6 mm spacers.After assembly, the fas-
tening screw bores shall
be sealed to prevent pos-
sible exhaust gas infiltrations.
IMPORTANTIt is compulsory to fas-
ten a label (plainly visible) of suitable size
and material with the following wording:
MAX LOAD ON BALL 60 kg.

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
209
Keep your speed
down when snow
chains are fitted.
Do not exceed 50 km/h. Avoid
potholes, steps and pavements to
prevent damaging the tyres, sus-
pension and steering. Remember
that with snow chains fitted the
brake distance will increase.
VEHICLE INACTIVITY
If the vehicle is to be left inactive for
long periods, the following precautions
should be noted:
– House the vehicle under cover in a dry
and possibly ventilated place.
– Engage a gear.
– Check that the handbrake is not
engaged.
– Clean and protect the paintwork by
protective wax.
– Cover the rubber windscreen and
rearscreen wiper blades with talcum pow-
der and raise them off the glass.
– Open the windows slightly.
– Inflate the tyres to a pressure of 0.5
bars above normal. If possible rest the
tyres on wooden planks and periodically
check the pressure.
– Do not turn on the electronic alarm
system.– Disconnect the battery negative termi-
nal (–) from the battery and check the
battery charge. This check should be
repeated once a month during stowage.
Charge the battery if the loadless voltage
is below 12,5V.
– Do not empty the engine cooling sys-
tem.
– Cover the vehicle with a fabric or per-
forated plastic cover. Do not use compact
plastic covers which prevent the humidity
on the surface of the vehicle from evapo-
rating. Snow chains cannot be
fitted to the compact
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 vehicle (inflate the tyres to
the specified pressure as soon as
possible) and the spare wheel
should be fitted to the rear. This
way, with two normal drive
wheels, snow chains can be fitted
to them to solve an emergency.
With snow chains fitted
it is advisable to turn off
the ASR system. Press
the ASR-OFF button, led on but-
ton on.

IN AN EMERGENCY
211
STARTING WITH AN
AUXILIARY BATTERY
If the battery is flat (for battery with
optical hydrometer: dark colour without
green area in the centre), it is possible to
start the engine using an auxiliary battery
with the same capacity or a little higher
than the flat one.
Proceed as follows (fig. 1):
1) Remove the protective cover on the
positive battery post pressing on the open-
ing catches (front), then connect the pos-
itive terminals (+sign next to the termi-
nal) of the two batteries using a special
cable.
2) Connect the end of the second jump
lead to the negative terminal (–) of the
auxiliary battery with an earth point
Eon
the engine or gearbox of the vehicle to be
started.IMPORTANTDo not directly connect
the negative terminals of the two batter-
ies: any sparks may ignite the detonating
gas which could come out of the battery.
If the auxiliary battery is installed on
another car, avoid metal parts touching
accidentally between this car and the one
with the flat battery.
3) Start the engine.
4) When the engine has started, remove
the cables, reversing the sequence fol-
lowed for connection.
If after a few attempts the engine does
not start, do not insist but contact the near-
est Alfa Romeo Authorised Service.
fig. 1
A0A0149b
This starting procedure
must be carried out by
qualified personnel
because incorrect operations may
cause electrical discharge of con-
siderable intensity. The liquid
contained in the battery is poiso-
nous and corrosive. Avoid contact
with the skin and the eyes. Keep
naked flames and lighted ciga-
rettes away from the battery and
do not cause sparks.
Never use a battery
charger to start the
engine as this could dam-
age the electronic systems of your
vehicle, particularly the ignition
and fuel supply control units.

IN AN EMERGENCY
237
To locate the protection fuses, consulting
the summary table on the following
pages, refer to the following illustrations
fig. 52,fig. 53and54.Alfa GTfuses are located in three
fuse boxes set on the dashboard, on bat-
tery positive terminal and near the bat-
tery.
Access is gained to the control box on
the dashboard by slackening the two
retainers (A-fig. 50) and removing the
protective trim (B).
To gain access to the fuses in the fuse-
box on the battery post, remove the pro-
tective cover pressing the opening catches
(front).
Access is gained to the control box next
to the battery releasing the perimetral
catches (A-fig. 51) and removing the
protective cover (B).
fig. 50
A0A0186b
fig. 51
A0A0187b
fig. 52 - Control box on dashboard
A0A0134b

IN AN EMERGENCY
238
fig. 53 - Control box next to battery
A0A0137b
fig. 54 - Control box on battery positive pole
A0A0215b

IN AN EMERGENCY
243
IN THE EVENT OF A FLAT BATTERY
Before anything else, you are advised to
read the precautions for preventing the
battery from draining and for ensuring
long life in the “Vehicle maintenance”
chapter.
CHARGING THE BATTERY
IMPORTANTThe battery charging
procedure is described only for information
purposes. This operation should be carried
out by Alfa Romeo Authorised Services.
Charging should be slow at a low amp
rating for 24 hours. Charging for a longer
time may damage the battery.Charge the battery as follows:
– Disconnect the battery negative termi-
nal (–).
– Connect the charger cables to the bat-
tery terminal ensuring that the bias is cor-
rect.
– Turn on the charger.
– After charging, turn off the charger
before disconnecting it from the battery.
– Re-connect the battery negative termi-
nal (–).The liquid contained in
the battery is poisonous
and corrosive. Avoid con-
tact with the skin or eyes. The
battery should be charged in a
well ventilated place, away from
naked flames or possible sources
of sparks: danger of explosion
and fire.
Do not attempt to
charge a frozen battery:
it must firstly be thawed,
otherwise it may burst. If freez-
ing has occurred, the battery
should be checked by skilled per-
sonnel to make sure that the
internal elements are not dam-
aged and that the body is not
cracked, with the risk of leaking
poisonous and corrosive acid.