2005 FIAT DUCATO 244 instruction

116GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
BUMP STARTING
Starting by pushing or towing the ve-
hicle is not possible. In the event of an
emergency, when the battery is flat,
start the vehicle with a suitable emer-
gency battery, following the instruc-
tions given in section “In an emer-
gency” at paragraph “Jump starting”.
TOWING THE VEHICLE
IMPORTANTFor towing the ve-
hicle comply with current local regu-
lations and follow the instructions giv-
en in section “In an emergency” at
paragraph “Towing the vehicle”.If the vehicle is to be towed, adhere
to the following recommendations:
– if possible, carry the vehicle on the
floor of a rescue vehicle;
– if this is not possible, tow the ve-
hicle raising the driving wheels (front)
from the ground;
– if this, too, is not possible, the ve-
hicle should not be towed for more
than 200 km at a speed of no more
than 50 km/h.
When towing, the gearshift lever
should be at N.
Do not start the engine
while the vehicle is being
towed.
The failure to comply
with these instructions
may cause serious dam-
age to the automatic gearbox.
When travelling with the
gearbox faulty, drive with
the utmost care in consideration of
the limited performance (in terms
of acceleration and speed) that the
vehicle can offer.
WARNING
When travelling with the
gearbox faulty, the revers-
ing gear lock might not be active:
absolutely never move the lever to
the R position with the vehicle on
the move.
WARNING– Warning light flashing= auto-
matic gearbox fault.
Warning light flashing at starting or
when travelling indicates a fault in the
automatic gearbox.
The automatic control system sets
an “emergency programme” engaging
the 3
rdgear.
Switching the engine off and then on
again, the self-test system could ex-
clude the fault and therefore turn off
the warning light. The failure is how-
ever stored and the automatic gear-
box shall be checked at a Fiat Deal-
ership.

129GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
TOWING A TRAILER
IMPORTANT
The vehicle must be fitted with a ho-
mologated tow hitch and suitable elec-
trical system for towing a caravan or
trailer. Have the tow hitch fitted by an
expert who will issue specific docu-
mentation for use on roads.
Fit special wing mirrors in accor-
dance with the highway code.
Remember that towing a trailer
makes it harder for the vehicle to
climb the maximum gradients speci-
fied, increases braking and overtaking
distance, proportionally to the overall
weight of the trailer.
Engage a low gear when driving
downhill rather than constantly brak-
ing.
The weight the trailer exerts on the
vehicle’s tow hitch coupling reduces
the vehicle’s payload by the same
amount.In order to be sure you are not ex-
ceeding the maximum towing weight
(shown in the log book) you have to
take into account the trailer weight ful-
ly laden including the accessories and
personal luggage.
Do not exceed the speed limits for
towing a trailer in the country you are
driving in. In any case, do not exceed
the top speed of 100 km/h.TOW HITCH INSTALLATION
The tow hitch must be fixed to the
body by an expert in accordance with
the following instructions and re-
specting the additional and/or integra-
tive information provided by the tow
hitch manufacturer.
The tow hitch to be fitted must com-
ply with the current regulations in
force, with reference to Directive
94/20/CEE and subsequent modifica-
tions.
Use a tow hitch suited for the maxi-
mum towable load of the vehicle version
on which the tow hitch is to be fitted.
Use a unified coupling for the elec-
trical connections. The coupling is gen-
erally fitted on a specific mount fas-
tened to the tow hitch.
For the electrical connections, a 7 or
13 pole 12VDC coupling must be used
(CUNA/UNI and ISO/DIN standards).
Follow the instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the vehicle and/or
the tow hitch.
For the electric connections use the
proper trailer light control unit.
Under no circumstances
modify the vehicle’s braking
system for trailer braking control.
The trailer braking system must be
completely independent from the
vehicle hydraulic system.
WARNING
Where your vehicle is
equipped with ABS, re-
member that this has no effect over
the trailer braking system. Particu-
lar care must be taken on slippery
surfaces.
WARNING

132GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
SNOW TYRES
Use snow tyres specified in the
“Snow tyres” table in section “Tech-
nical Specifications”.
Fiat Dealershipwill be happy to
provide advice concerning the most
suitable type of tyre for the customer’s
requirements.
For the type of tyre to be used, in-
flation pressures and the specifications
of snow tyres, follow the instructions
given at paragraph “Wheels” in section
“Technical Specifications”.The winter features of these tyres
are reduced considerably when the
tread depth is below 4 mm. In this
case, they should be replaced.
Due to the snow tyre features, un-
der normal conditions of use or on
long motorway journeys, the perfor-
mance 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.
IMPORTANT When snow tyres
are used with a max. speed index be-
low the one that can be reached by
the vehicle (increased by 5%), place a
notice in the passenger compartment,
plainly in the driver’s view which states
the max. permissible 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 driveability.
Remember that it is inappropriate to
change the direction of rotation of
tyres.
The max. speed for snow
tyres with “Q” marking is
160 km/h. The Road Traffic Code
speed limits must however be al-
ways strictly observed.
WARNING

137IN AN EMERGENCY
BUMP STARTING IF A TYRE IS
PUNCTURED
General instructions
Observe the instruc-
tions on this and the fol-
lowing pages to use the
jack and spare wheel correctly.Catalysed vehicles must
not be bump started
(pushed, towed or
coasted downhill) as this could
cause fuel to flow into the cat-
alytic exhaust system and dam-
age it beyond repair.
Never start the engine
when the vehicle is jacked
up.
WARNING
Remember that until the
engine has started the
brake booster and power steering
systems will not work and a greater
effort will therefore be required to
depress the brake pedal or turn the
steering wheel.
WARNING
If you are towing a trailer,
remove the trailer before
jacking up the vehicle.
WARNING
The jack should only be
used to changed a wheel on
the vehicle for which it was de-
signed. It should not be put to oth-
er uses or employed to raise other
models. Under no circumstances
should it be used when carrying out
repairs under the vehicle. An incor-
rectly positioned jack may cause
the vehicle to fall. Do not use the
jack to lift loads exceeding that in-
dicated on the label attached to the
to the jack itself.
WARNING

141IN AN EMERGENCY
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
When a light is not working, check
that it has not fused before changing
the bulb.
For the location of the fuses, refer to
“If a fuse blows” in this section.
Before replacing a bulb that does not
work, check that the contacts are not
oxidised.
Burnt-out bulbs must be replaced
with ones of the same type. Light from
bulbs with insufficient power is dim
while those which are too powerful
use too much electricity. Always check
the height of the headlight beam after
changing a bulb. Only touch the metal
part when handling halo-
gen bulbs. If the transpar-
ent bulb is touched it reduces the
intensity of the light emitted and
can also reduce the life of the
bulb. If you touch the bulb acci-
dentally, rub it with a cloth
moistened with alcohol and leave
it to dry.IF A BULB
BURNS OUT
Modifications or repairs to
the electrical system car-
ried out incorrectly and without
bearing the features of the system
in mind can cause malfunctions
with the risk of fire.
WARNING
You should have the bulbs
replaced at a Fiat Dealer-
ship, if possible. Correct operation
and proper beam height are essen-
tial for safe driving and compliance
with law requirements.
WARNING
Halogen bulbs contain
pressurised gas which, if
broken, may cause small fragments
of glass to be projected outwards.
WARNING
IMPORTANTOn the inside sur-
face of the headlight there could ap-
pear a slight coat of fogging; this does
not show a defect, since it is a natur-
al occurrence due to low temperature
and to the degree of humidity in the
air; it will disappear as soon as the
lights are turned on. The presence of
drops inside the headlight shows wa-
ter seepage, contact Fiat Dealership.

174VEHICLE MAINTENANCE
REPLACING THE BATTERY
If required, replace the battery with
a genuine spare part presenting the
same specifications. If a battery with
different specifications is fitted, the fre-
quencies shown in the “Service Sched-
ule” will no longer be valid. Refer to
the instructions provided by the bat-
tery manufacturer.
Batteries contain sub-
stances that are very
harmful for the environ-
ment. You are advised to have the
battery changed at a Fiat Dealer-
ship. It is properly equipped for
disposing of used batteries in an
environmentally-friendly way that
complies with the law.
Incorrect fitting of elec-
trical and electronic ac-
cessories can seriously
damage the vehicle. If you want
to add accessories after buying
the vehicle antitheft system, ra-
dio, free-hand phone kit, etc.) vis-
it a Fiat Dealership. They can sug-
gest the most suitable acces-
sories to get and check whether
the electric system can support
the required load or whether a
higher capacity battery is re-
quired.
The liquid in the battery is
poisonous and corrosive.
Do not let it touch the skin or eyes.
Do not bring naked flames or pos-
sible sources or sparks near the bat-
tery: risk of fire and explosion.
WARNING
fig. 15
F0D0244m
BATTERY
Fiat Ducato battery is of the “Limit-
ed maintenance” and is fitted with in-
dicator A-fig. 15to check the elec-
trolyte level and the charge.
Under normal conditions of use it
does not require topping up with dis-
tilled water. However, check it peri-
odically through the control optical in-
dicator that is placed on the battery
cover and must be dark with a cen-
tral green area.
If the indicator is a bright colour, or
dark without the green central area,
contact a Fiat Dealership.

177VEHICLE MAINTENANCE
ELECTRONIC
CONTROL UNIT
When the vehicle is being used nor-
mally, special measures are not nec-
essary.
The following instructions must be
followed very carefully however, if
you work on the electrical system or
in cases where emergency starting is
necessary:
– never disconnect the battery from
the electric system while the engine is
running;
– disconnect the battery from the
electric system if you are recharging it;
– never perform emergency starting
with a battery charger. Always use an
auxiliary battery;
– be particularly careful when con-
necting the battery to the electric sys-
tem. Make sure that the polarity is
correct and that the connection is ef-
ficient;
– do not connect or disconnect the
terminals of the electronic units while
the ignition key is at MAR;
– do not check polarity through
sparking;– disconnect the electronic control
units if you are electrically welding the
vehicle body. Remove the units if tem-
peratures exceed 80 °C (special op-
erations on the bodywork, etc.).
IMPORTANTIf the sound system
or vehicle alarm systems are not in-
stalled correctly, they can interfere
with the working of the electronic
control units.
Modifications or repairs to
the electrical system car-
ried out incorrectly and without
bearing the features of the system
in mind can cause malfunctions
with the risk of fire.
WARNING
SPEED LIMITER
On certain version, the injection con-
trol unit is set to limit the vehicle
speed at a max. preset limit.
Speed limits are the following:
– for Minibus versions (M2 homolo-
gation category): 100 km/h;
– for good Transport versions (ve-
hicle dead weight: > 3.5 t) (N2 ho-
mologation category): 90 km/h;
Label (fig.16) with admitted top
speed (90 or 100 km/h according to
versions) is applied on the wind-
screen.
This limit has been established by Eu-
ropean Directive 2002/85/EC, what-
ever violation is therefore punishable
by law.
IMPORTANTWhen the device
comes into action, the speed value
displayed on the instrument panel
could be approx. 10% higher than the
actual one.
fig. 16
F0D0299m