2006 Alfa Romeo 147 check engine

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
114
MOVING 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) and/or
reverse (R).
To shift gears, keep the brake pedal
pressed and use only the lever on the cen-
tre console since the stalks on the steering
wheel can be only operated if the car speed
exceeds 10 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 reconfigurable
multifunction display on the instrument clus-
ter 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
automatically engages second gear (2).
This is not to be considered as a fault as it
is part of the operating logic. For the same
reason, in the case of sticking on reverse
gear, the system partially closes the clutch
to allowgear engagement; in this case the
engagement of reverse gear (R) will not be
as smooth as usual.Moving off of 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.
When the ASR system is off (through the
relevant ASR OFF button) max pickup is ob-
tained (“sprint" starting)
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
reconfigurable multifunction display
on the cluster has gone out.
WARNING
After a request to shift
gear with the car station-
ary, before pressing the accelera-
tor pedal to make the car move,
the driver must always check the
display to see that the gear en-
gaged is the one required.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
118
BUZZER WARNINGS
The buzzer is activated when:
– reverse gear is engaged (R);
– the car is parked with the gearbox in
neutral (N); signal that can be noted turn-
ing the ignition key to STOP;
– clutch overheating occurs when moving
off;
– the car moves in the opposite direction
to the gear engaged (e.g.: the car moves
downwards with reverse gear engaged);
– in the event of gearbox failure;
– the system has shifted automatically
to neutral (N) when:
•an attempt is made to start the engine
with a gear engaged and the brake ped-
al is not pressed completely;
•no action is made on the accelerator
and/or brake pedal for at least 3 min-
utes;
•the brake is pressed for over 10 min-
utes;
•the driver’s door is opened and no ac-
tion is made on the accelerator and
brake for at least 1 second;
•a gearbox failure has been detected.
PARKING THE CAR
To park the car safely it is absolutely
necessaryto engage first gear (1) or re-
verse (R) and also the hand brake if the
road is on a slope.
Turning off the engine with the car on an
uphill slope and a gear engaged, it is ab-
solutely necessaryto wait for the re-
configurable multifunction display showing
the gear engaged to go off before releasing
the brake pedal, so that the clutch is com-
pletely inserted.
If the gearbox is in neutral (N) and want-
ing to engage a parking gear, the system
should be activated and with the foot on the
brake pedal it is necessary to engage 1st
gear (1) or (R).
TOWING THE CAR
IMPORTANTFor towing the car follow
local regulations. Make sure that the gear-
box is in neutral (N) (checking that the car
moves if pushed) and tow as for a car with
normal mechanical gearbox following the in-
structions given in the chapter “In an emer-
gency”.
Should it be impossible to set to neutral,
do not tow the vehicle but contact Alfa
Romeo Authorised Services.
While towing the car do
not start the engine.
WARNING
In the event of a gearbox
fault to any component,
contact Alfa Romeo Authorised
Services as soon as possible to
have the system checked over.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
130fig. 132
A0A0437m
BONNET
The bonnet opening lever is under the left
end of the dashboard.
To open:
– pull the lever (A-fig. 131) until the
bonnet clicks open.
– press the safety lever (A-fig. 132)
upwards.
– raise the bonnet.
IMPORTANTBonnet raising is aided by
two gas springs. Do not tamper with these
springs and accompany the bonnet while
raising it.
fig. 131
A0A0436m
A heavy load that has not
been secured may cause
serious harm to passengers.
WARNING
Do not load the boot above
the permitted maximum
(see “Technical specifications”). Al-
so make sure that the objects con-
tained in the boot are well secured
to prevent them from being thrown
forward,causing harm to the pas-
sangers.
WARNING
If you want to carry re-
serve fuel in a can, follow
legal regulations, only using a cer-
tified can, suitably fastened to the
load securing eyelets. Even in this
way the risk of fire is increased in
the case of an accident.
WARNING
Do this only with the car
stationary.
WARNING
DANGER-SERIOUS INJURY.
When carrying out checks
or maintenance operations in the
engine compartment, take special
care not to bump the head on the
raised bonnet.
WARNING
If checks are needed in the
engine compartment, when
it is still hot, do not approach the
fan: it might start working also
with the ignition key removed.
Wait for the engine to cool down.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
131
To close:
– lower the bonnet until approx. 20 cm
from the engine compartment and then let
it drop, ensuring that it is fully closed and
not just held in position by the safety catch.
If the bonnet does not close properly do
not push it down but open it again and re-
peat the above procedure.
Scarves, ties and other loose
clothing might be pulled by
moving parts.
WARNING
For safety reasons the
bonnet shall always be
perfectly closed when travelling.
Always check for proper bonnet
locking. If the bonnet is left inad-
vertently open, stop the car im-
mediately and close the bonnet.
WARNING
ROOF RACK
PROVISION
The front hooks are in points (A-
fig. 133).
The rear hooks are located in the points (B)
shown by the serigraph (
▼) on the side rear
windows.
Follow the regulations in
force concerning maximum
clearances.
IMPORTANTClosely follow the assem-
bly instructions provided in the kit. Assem-
bly must be carried out by skilled personnel.
Never exceed the maxi-
mum permissible loads (see
“Technical Specifications”
chapter).
fig. 133
A0A0232m
After a few kilometres,
check that the fastening
screws are firmly tightened.
WARNING
Distribute the load evenly
and when driving, bear in
mind the increased sensitivity to
side wind.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
135
Always take due car when braking on
bends, even with the help of the ABS.
The most important advice of all, howev-
er, is this:
Following these instruction you will be in
the best braking condition under all circum-
stances.
IMPORTANTCars fitted with ABS may
only be fitted with the wheel rims, tyres and
brake linings of type and brand approved by
the Manufacturer.
The system is completed by the EBD (Elec-
tronic Brake Distributor) which distributes
the braking action through the control unit
and the ABS system sensors.IMPORTANTIf the battery is run down
the
>andxwarning lights might turn
on when starting the engine and go off af-
ter starting. This should not be considered
as a fault but as a warning that during start-
ing the ABS is not active. The turning off
of the warning lights ensures normal system
operation.
When the ABS cuts in, and
you feel the pulsing on the
pedal, do not lighten the pressure,
but keep the pedal firmly pressed
with no fear; this way you will
stop in the least space possible,
compatibly with the conditions of
the road surface.
WARNING
The car is fitted with an
electronic braking distribu-
tor (EBD). If the
>andxwarn-
ing lights turn on simultaneously
with the engine running, this indi-
cates an EBD system failure; in this
case with sharp braking the rear
wheels might lock too early, with
the possibility of skidding. Driving
extremely carefully, go to the near-
est Alfa Romeo Authorised Service
to have the system checked.
WARNING
The turning on of only the
>warning light with the
engine running normally indicates a
fault to the ABS system only. In this
case the braking system is still ef-
ficient, though without the aid of
the anti-lock device. Under these
conditions performance of the EBD
system may be reduced. In this case
too, you areadvised to go immedi-
ately to the nearest Alfa Romeo
Authorised Service to have the sys-
tem checked over, driving in such
a way as to avoid sharp braking.
WARNING
If the low brake fluid lev-
el
xwarning light turns
on, stop the car immediately and
contact the nearest Alfa Romeo
Authorised Service. Any loss of
fluid from the hydraulic system
will negatively affect the opera-
tion of the braking system be it of
the conventional type or of the
type with ABS.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
139
IMPORTANTWhen travelling on snow
with snow chains, it may be helpful to turn
the ASR device off: in fact, in these condi-
tions, slipping of the driving wheels when
moving off makes it possible to obtain bet-
ter drive.
ASR system failure warning
Should a defect arise, the ASR system is
automatically disconnected and the re-con-
figurable multifunction display informs user
about this condition by displaying a dedi-
cated message.
In the event of an ASR system operating
failure, the car behaves in the same way
as a car that is not fitted with this system:
in any case, it is advisable to contact Alfa
Romeo Authorised Services as soon as pos-
sible.
EOBD SYSTEM
The EOBD system (European On Board Di-
agnosis) installed on the car meets Directive
98/69/CE (EURO 3).
This system allows continuous diagnosis
of the components on the car correlated with
emissions; it also alerts the driver, by turn-
ing on the warning light
U(on some ver-
sions together with the message + symbol
on the reconfigurable multifunction display)
on the instrument panel when these com-
ponents are no longer in peak conditions.
The objective is:
– to keep system efficiency under control;
– warn when a fault causes emission lev-
els to increase over the threshold established
by European law;
– warn of the need to replace deteriorat-
ed components.
The system also has a diagnostic connec-
tor that can be interfaced with appropriate
tools, which makes it possible to read the
error codes stored in the control unit, to-
gether with a series of specific parameters
for engine operation and diagnosis.If, turning the ignition key
to MAR, the warning light
Udoes not turn on or if,
while travelling it turns on glow-
ing steadily or flashing together
with the message + symbol on the
reconfigurable multifunction dis-
play, contact Alfa Romeo Autho-
rised Services as soon as possible.
IMPORTANTAfter eliminating the in-
convenience, to check the system com-
pletely, Alfa Romeo Authorised Services are
obliged to run a bench test and, if necessary
road tests which may also call for a long jour-
ney.For correct operation of the
ASR system the tyres must
absolutely be of the same brand
and type on all wheels, in perfect
conditions and, above all, of the
specified type, brand and size.
WARNING

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
177
EMERGENCY STARTING
If the Alfa Romeo CODE system does not
recognise the code transmitted by the igni-
tion key (
Y)warning light on the instru-
ment cluster on glowing steadily) emer-
gency starting may be carried out using the
code of the CODE card.
For the correct procedure see the chapter
“In an emergency”.
PARKING
When the vehicle is parked, proceed as fol-
lows:
– Switch off the engine.
– Engage the handbrake.
– Engage first gear if the vehicle is fac-
ing 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. Never bump, tow, or
coast start the vehicle as
this would cause fuel to
flow into the catalyst causing irre-
versible damage.
To avoid useless con-
sumption of power and
possibly draining the bat-
tery, never leave the ignition key
in the MAR position when the en-
gine is not running.
Sharp accelerating before
switching the engine off
should be avoided. A
“kick” on the accelerator serves
no purposes and consumes fuel
pointlessly.
IMPORTANT
If the engine turns off with
the vehicle on the move, the next time it
is started, the Alfa Romeo CODE warning
light may turn on (
Y). In this case, check
that switching off and starting the engine
again with the vehicle stationary, the warn-
ing light stays off. If not, contact Alfa Romeo
Authorised Services.
Remember that the servo-
brake and power steering
are not operational until the engine
has been started, therefore much
more effort than usual is required
on the brake pedal and steering
wheel.
WARNING
Never leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle. Al-
ways remove the ignition key
when leaving the vehicle and take
it with you.
WARNING

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
178
SAFE DRIVING
In designing your Alfa 147 GTA, Al-
fa Romeo has worked thoroughly to achieve
a vehicle able to offer top levels of safety to
its passengers. However, the behaviour of
the driver is still a decisive factor for road
safety.
Below you will find a few simple rules for
travelling safely under different conditions.
You are certainly familiar with many of them
but it is still helpful to read them all care-
fully.
BEFORE DRIVING OFF
– Make sure the lights and headlights are
working properly.
– Adjust the seat, steering wheel and rear-
view mirrors, in order to obtain a correct po-
sition for driving.
– Carefully adjust the headrests so that
the head and not the neck rests on them.
Check that nothing (mats etc.) can get un-
der the foot pedals.– Make sure that any child restraint sys-
tems (seats, cradles, etc.) are correctly fas-
tened on the rear seat.
– Place any objects in the boot with care
to prevent abrupt braking from throwing
them forwards.
– Avoid heavy meals before a journey. A
light meal will help to keep reflexes ready.
Above all avoid alcohol.
Routinely remember to check:
– tyre pressure and conditions;
– engine oil level;
– engine coolant fluid level and system
conditions;
– brake fluid level;
– power steering oil level;
– windscreen washer fluid level.
WHEN TRAVELLING
– The first rule for safe driving is care.
– Care also means being able to predict
the actions of other road users.
– Strictly respect the traffic regulations in
all countries, especially the speed limits.
– Ensure that both yourself and your pas-
sengers are wearing their seat belts, that
children are carried with the appropriate
seats and that any animals are in appropri-
ate compartments.
– Long distances should be tackled in good
health.
Driving under the influence
of drugs and/or some
medicines is highly dangerous for
oneself and for others.
WARNING