102GETTING TO KNOW YOUR VEHICLE
DIESEL ENGINES
The vehicle must only
be filled with diesel fuel
for motor vehicles, in
compliance with European Spec-
ification EN590. The use of other
products or mixtures may ir-
reparably damage the engine
with invalidation of the warran-
ty due to the damage caused. In
the event of accidentally filling
with another type of fuel, do not
start the engine and empty the
tank. If the engine has been run
even for only a very short time,
in addition to the tank, it is also
necessary to drain out the whole
fuel circuit.AT THE FILLING
STATION
PETROL ENGINES
Use unleaded petrol only.
However, to avoid mistakes, the fu-
el filler is too small for the leaded
petrol pump.
Octane rating (R.O.N.) must not be
lower than 95.
fig. 151
F0D0193m
Never put even the tini-
est amount of leaded
petrol in the fuel tank of
your Ducato even in an emer-
gency. You would damage the
catalytic converter beyond re-
pair.
An inefficient catalytic
converter will allow
harmful exhaust fumes to
be emitted and thus contribute
to air pollution.
104GETTING TO KNOW YOUR VEHICLE
IMPORTANTThe airtight seal of
the cap may lead to a slight increase of
pressure in the tank. A hissing sound
when the cap is removed is therefore
quite normal.
After refuelling, screw the cap until
hearing one or more clicks, turn the
key and then remove it.. close the lid.
IMPORTANTMoreover, before
starting the engine, for the sake of
safety, check whether the refuelling
gun is properly hung onto the fuel
pump.If required, replace the
fuel cap with another gen-
uine cap to avoid affecting
the efficiency of the fuel vapour
recovery system.
fig. 153
F0D0140m
PROTECTING THE
ENVIRONMENT
Protection of the environment has
been the guiding principle in the design
of the Fiat Ducato right from the start.
The result is the use of materials and
creation of devices that can reduce or
considerably curtail harmful influences
on the environment.
The devices for curtailing petrol en-
gine emissions are:
– a three-way catalytic converter;
– a lambda sensor;
– a fuel evaporation system.
The devices for curtailing diesel en-
gine emissions are:
– an oxidising catalytic converter;
– an exhaust gas recirculation system
(E.G.R.) (for certain versions).
Consequently, the Fiat Ducato is
ready to travel well ahead of the most
stringent international pollution control
standards.
Keep naked flames or light-
ed cigarettes away from
the fuel filler hole as there is a dan-
ger of fire. Do not bend too close to
the hole either so as not to breathe
in harmful vapours.
WARNING
106GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
HOW TO START DIESEL
VERSIONS
1) Ensure that the handbrake is up.
2)Put the gear lever into neutral.
3)Press the clutch pedal down to
the floor without touching the accel-
erator.
4) Turn the ignition key to MAR. In-
strument panel warning lights mand
Ywill come on.
5)Wait for the instrument panel
warning light Yto go out.
6) Wait for the instrument panel
warning light mto go out. The hot-
ter the engine is, the quicker this will
happen.
7) Turn the key to AVVimmediate-
ly after the mwarning light goes out.
If you wait too long, you will lose the
benefit of the work done by the glow
plugs.
Release the key as soon as the engine
starts.Intake air heater (Heat Flange)
An air heating device is fitted on the
intake manifold inlet in 2.8 JTD ver-
sions to facilitate starting the engine in
cold weather.
This device will be switched on au-
tomatically when the key is turned to
MAR.
The heater is fitted in all 2.8 JTD ver-
sions with EGR system. It is optional
for other JTD versions.
The engine start-up procedure is the
same with and without the heater.GENERAL NOTES
If the engine does not start first time,
return the key to STOPbefore try-
ing to start the engine again.
If warning light Yremains lit when
the ignition key is at MAR, turn the
key to STOPand then to MAR; if the
warning light stays on, try with the
other keys provided. The warning light m
will flash (for approxi-
mately 60 seconds) at
start-up or during prolonged
cranking to signal a fault in the
glow plug heating system. You
can use the vehicle as usual if the
engine starts but you should con-
tact a Fiat Dealership as soon as
possible to have problem seen to.
SELENIA 20K (petrol en-
gines) is recommended
when the vehicle is mainly
used in relatively mild climates. If
however, the vehicle is mainly
used where the climate is partic-
ularly severe, the use of SELENIA
PERFORMER MULTIPOWER
(petrol engines) or SELENIA WR
(diesel engines) is recommended.
107GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
If you still cannot start the engine,
get in touch with a Fiat Dealership.
IMPORTANT When the outside
temperature is low, it is important to
note that the use of a more fluid oil
will facilitate starting the cold engine.
Therefore, in winter, follow the advice
in chapter “Technical specifications”,
paragraph “Fluids and lubricants”.
IMPORTANTNever leave the igni-
tion key at MARwhen the engine is off.
Minibus and School Bus versions:
press the ignition enable button lo-
cated to the left of the steering col-
umn as shown in the specific supple-
ment to this handbook.HOW TO WARM UP
THE ENGINE AFTER IT
HAS JUST STARTED
(petrol and diesel versions)
– Begin to move forward slowly let-
ting the engine turn at medium revs.
Do not accelerate abruptly.
– Do not push the engine to its lim-
it for the first few kilometres. You are
recommended to wait until the
coolant temperature indicator starts
to move.
EMERGENCY START-UP
If the Fiat CODE system fails to
recognise that code transmitted by the
ignition key (warning light Yon the
instrument panel lit) the emergency
start-up can be performed by using the
CODE card code.
See the “In an emergency” section.Catalysed vehicles must
not be bump started
(pushed, towed or coast-
ed downhill) as this could cause
fuel to flow into the catalytic ex-
haust system and damage it be-
yond repair.
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
121GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
– Do not drive too many hours at a
time but stop at intervals to stretch
your legs and recoup your energy;
– make sure the air in the passenger’s
compartment is being changed
continuously;
– never coast downhill (i.e. with the
engine off): if you do, you lose the aid
of engine braking, power brakes and
power steering so that braking re-
quires greater effort on the pedal and
steering requires greater effort on the
steering wheel.DRIVING AT NIGHT
These are the main rules to follow
when you are driving at night:
– drive especially carefully: it is hard-
er to drive at night;
– slow down especially if the road is
not lit;
– at the first signs of sleepiness, stop:
continuing would be a risk for yourself
and everybody else. Only start driving
again when you have had enough rest;
– keep a greater safety distance from
the vehicles in front of you than dur-
ing daylight hours: it is hard to judge
how fast other vehicles are going when
all you can see are their lights;
– make sure the headlights beams are
properly positioned: if they are too
low, they reduce visibility and strain
your eyes. If they are too high they can
dazzle other drivers. Adjust headlight
beam according to transported load;
– only use main beam headlights
when you are driving outside town
and when you are sure they do not an-
noy other drivers. dip your headlights
Water, ice or salt sprinkled
on the road can deposit on
the brake discs and reduce effi-
ciency of the first braking.
WARNING
Do not drive with objects
on the floor in front of the
driver’s seat: they could caught un-
der the pedals making braking or
accelerating impossible.
WARNING
Pay attention to the mats:
even a small problem to the
braking system may require in-
creased brake pedal stroke with re-
spect to normal.
WARNING
125GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
Electric devices
Use electric devices for the neces-
sary time only. The heated rear win-
dow, fog lights, windscreen wipers,
heater fan require large amounts of
electricity and increasing the request
for power will also increase fuel con-
sumption (up to +25% when driving in
towns).
Climate control system
The climate control system is an ad-
ditional load which greatly affects the
engine leading to higher consumption.
When the temperature outside the
vehicle allows it, use the air vents
where possible.
DRIVING STYLE
Starting
Do not warm the engine when the
vehicle is stationary or at high or low
speed: in this way the engine will warm
up gradually increasing consumption
and emissions. You should drive off
slowly straight away avoiding high revs
so that the engine will warm up more
quickly.Unnecessary actions
Avoid revving the engine when
stopped at traffic lights or before
switching off the engine and avoid dou-
bling the clutch as these actions have
no purpose on modern vehicles and
serve only to increase consumption
and pollution.
Gear selections
As soon as the traffic and road con-
ditions allow it, shift to a higher gear.
Using a low gear to liven up accelera-
tion greatly increases consumption. In
the same way improper use of high
gears will increase consumption, emis-
sions and engine wear.
On passenger transportation versions
fitted with 2.3, 2.8 JTD and 2.8 JTD
POWER engines, fuel consumption can
be optimised by starting (on level road)
in 2nd gear instead of 1st gear.Top speeds
Fuel consumption increases consid-
erably as speed increases. Your speed
should be kept as even as possible and
superfluous braking and acceleration
avoided as this increases both con-
sumption and emissions.
Acceleration
Accelerating violently increasing the
revs will greatly affect consumption
and emissions; acceleration should be
gradual and should not exceed the
maximum torque.
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
138IN AN EMERGENCY
1. STOP THE VEHICLE
– Stop the vehicle in a position that
is not dangerous for oncoming traffic
where you can change the wheel safe-
ly. The ground should be flat and ad-
equately firm. If you have to change
the wheel at night, choose a lit area if
possible.
– Turn the engine off and pull up the
handbrake.
– Engage first or reverse gear.
– Alert other drivers that the vehicle
is stationary in compliance with local
regulations: hazard warning lights,
warning triangle, etc.
Any passengers should get out and
wait as far away as possible from the
danger of traffic.
If the road is sloping or bumpy, place
wedges or other suitable material to
prevent the vehicle from moving, un-
der the wheels.2. TAKE OUT THE TOOLS,
JACK AND SPARE WHEEL
The tools are in the cab near the
seats.
Please note:
– the jack weights 4.2 kg;
– the jack requires no adjustments;
– the jack cannot be repaired. If it
breaks it must be replaced with a new
jack;
– no other tool, apart from the ex-
tension and the ratchet wrench shown
in this chapter can be fitted to the jack.
The spare wheel is located under the
rear part of the load bed.
Do not lubricate the bolt
threads before fitting
them back: they could come
loose.
WARNING
Check tyre pressure and
spare wheel pressure regu-
larly. Refer to section “Technical
Specifications”.
WARNING