2006 Alfa Romeo 156 check engine

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
150
AUTOMATIC OPERATION (CITY)The CITYautomatic operating mode is se-
lected pressing the button (A-fig. 132),
at the base of the gearshift lever.
In addition to the gear, the display on the
rev counter will show the word CITY.
The system decides directly when gearshift-
ing according to the engine running speed
and the driving style.
Quickly releasing the accelerator pedal, the
system does not engage a higher gear in or-
der to maintain an adequate level of engine
brake.
FAILURE SIGNALLINGFailures to the Selespeed gearbox are in-
dicated by the
t
(A-fig. 133) warn-
ing light on the instrument cluster.
When the system is turned on (turning the
ignition key to MAR), the warning light
should turn on glowing steadily for about
4 seconds and then turn off.
If the warning light stays on it means that
a fault to the gearbox has been detected; at
the same time a buzzer sounds intermit-
tently for 4 seconds to attract the driver's
attention.In the case of a fault to the gearshift lever,
the system automatically activates the au-
tomatic CITYmode to allow the car to
reach the nearest Authorized Alfa Romeo
Services to have the fault detected elimi-
nated.
In the event of faults to other components
of the gearbox, the system only allows the
engagement of certain ratios: first gear (1),
second (2) and reverse (R).
fig. 132
A0B0269m
fig. 133
A0B0383m
If the warning light
t
comes on, contact the Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services
as soon as possible to remove the
fault.In case of transmission
fault, contact the Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services as
soon as possible to check the sys-
tem.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
151
SIGNALLING WITH THE BUZZERThe buzzer is activated when:
– reverse gear (R) is engaged;
– the vehicle is parked with the gearbox
at neutral (N); this can be seen turning the
ignition key to STOP;
– clutch overheating takes place during
pick-up;
– the car moves in the opposite direction
to the gear engaged (e.g.: the car tends to
do downhill with reverse gear engaged);
– in the event of gearbox failure;
– the system has automatically engaged
neutral (N) after:•
there is no action on the accelerator
and/or brake pedal for at least 3 min-
utes;
•
the brake pedal is pressed for over 10
minutes;
•
the driver’s door is opened and the ac-
celerator and brake pedal are not
pressed for at least 1 second;
•
detection of a gearbox fault.
PARKING THE VEHICLETo park the car safely it is absolutely
necessaryto engage first gear (1) or re-
verse (R) and, when on a sloping road, also
engage the hand-brake.
Turning the engine off with the car facing
uphill and a gear engaged, it is absolutely
necessaryto wait for the display on the
rev counter to go off before releasing the
brake pedal, so that the clutch has innested
completely.
If the gearbox is in neutral (N) and you
want to engage a parking gear, it is neces-
sary to activate the system and engage the
gear (1) or reverse (R) with your foot on
the brake pedal.
TOWING THE VEHICLEWARNINGFor towing the vehicle, ad-
here to local regulations. Make sure that the
gearbox is in neutral (N) (checking that the
car moves when pushed) and proceed as for
towing a normal car with mechanical gear-
box following the instructions given in the
chapter “In an emergency”.
Should it be impossible to set to neutral,
do not tow the vehicle; contact Alfa Romeo
Authorised Services.
Do not start the engine
when towing the vehicle.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
159
If the indicator light re-
mains flashing, contact the
Alfa Romeo Authorized
Service Centers as soon as possi-
ble to remove the fault.
If a fault is indicated when the engine is
started, this means that the gearbox control
system had detected and memorised a fault
during the journey prior to switching the en-
gine off. In this case, too, contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services to have the au-
tomatic gearbox checked over.It is possible to engage reverse gear.
ACOUSTIC WARNINGThis comes into operation for about 18 sec-
onds when:
– the driver’s door is open and/or the en-
gine is off with the selector lever in a posi-
tion other than P;
– position R(reverse) is engaged.PUSH STARTINGStarting the car by pushing or towing is not
possible. In the event of an emergency,
when the battery is flat, start the car with
a suitable emergency battery, following the
instructions given in the chapter “In an emer-
gency”.
When driving with a faulty
gearbox, drive with the ut-
most care considering the restricted
performance levels (in terms of ac-
celeration and speed) the car can
offer.
WARNING
When travelling with a
faulty gearbox, the reverse
lock might not work: absolutely
never move the lever to position
R with the car on the move.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
173
– Press the safety lever (fig. 167) up-
wards.
– Raise the bonnet.
WARNINGBonnet raising is aided by
two gas springs. Do not tamper with these
springs and accompany the bonnet while
raising it.
fig. 167
A0B0576m
Before lifting the bonnet,
make sure that the wind-
screen wiper arms are not raised
from the windscreen.
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 need to be carried
out in the engine compart-
ment when the engine is still
warm, keep away from the fan as
it could start up even when the key
is removed from the ignition. Wait
until the engine cools down.
WARNING
Scarves, ties and loose
clothing may be caught in
the moving parts.
WARNING
To close:
– lower the bonnet to approx. 20 cm from
the engine compartment, then let it drop.
Try lifting it to make sure that it is shut com-
pletely and not simply caught in the safety
position.
If the bonnet does not close properly, do
not push it down but open it again and re-
peat the above procedure.
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

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
178
Braking on corners always requires the ut-
most caution, even with the help of the ABS.
The most important piece of advice, how-
ever, is the following:Following these instructions you will be
in a condition to obtain peak braking per-
formance at all times.
WARNINGCars fitted with ABS must
only be fitted with wheel rims, tyres and
brake linings of the type and brand approved
by the Manufacturer.
The braking system is completed by the
electronic control braking distribution system
called EBD(Electronic Braking Force Dis-
tributor) which distributes the braking action
through the ABSsystem control unit and
sensors.
In the event of a system
fault, with lighting up of
the
>
warning light on the instru-
ment cluster (together with the
message + symbol shown by the
display), have the vehicle checked
immediately by Alfa Romeo Au-
thorized Services, driving slowly
to be able to regain full system
performance.
WARNING
When the ABS cuts in and
you feel the pedal pulse, do
not reduce the pressure, but keep
the brake pedal firmly pressed
with no fear; this way you will
stop in the shortest possible space,
compatibly with the conditions of
the road surface.
WARNING
The car is fitted with an
electronic brake distributor
(EBD). If the
>
and
x
warning
lights, where required, come on at
the same time (together with the
message + symbol shown by the
display) when the engine is run-
ning, there is an EBD system fault;
in this case, violent braking may
lock the rear wheels too early, with
the possibility of skidding. Drive
extremely carefully to the nearest
Alfa Romeo Authorized Services to
have the system checked over.
WARNING
In order to be able to exploit as far as pos-
sible the possibility of the antilock system
in the case of need, it is wise to follow a few
pieces of advice:
The ABS exploits the avail-
able grip in full, but it can-
not increase it; therefore, caution
is required on slippery surfaces,
without running unnecessary risks.
WARNING
If the ABS cuts in, it means
that the grip limit between
the tyres and the road surface has
been reached: it is necessary to
slow down and adapt driving to
the grip available.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
179
If the
x
low brake fluid
warning light comes on (to-
gether with the message + symbol
shown by the display), stop the car
immediately and contact the near-
est Alfa Romeo Authorized Ser-
vices. Indeed, any leak of fluid
from the hydraulic system com-
promises the effectiveness of both
the conventional brake system and
the system with antilock system.
WARNING
The turning on of the
>
warning light (together
with the message + symbol shown
by the display) with the engine
running normally indicates an ABS
system fault. In this case the brak-
ing system preserves its effec-
tiveness, without however making
use of the antilock device. Under
these circumstances, the EBD sys-
tem may fail to give top perfor-
mance. In this case, too, you are
recommended to contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services imme-
diately, driving in such a way as to
avoid abrupt braking, to have the
system checked.
WARNING
VDC AND ASR
SYSTEMS(where required)VDC SYSTEM (VEHICLE
DYNAMICS CONTROL):
GENERALThe VDC is an electronic vehicle stability
control system which, acting on the torque
and braking the wheels in a differentiated
manner, helps to bring the car back to the
correct course in the event of loss of grip.
While travelling the car is subjected to lat-
eral and longitudinal forces that may be
controlled by the driver up to when the
tyres offer adequate road-holding; when
this falls below the minimum level, the car
starts to deviate from the course required
by the driver.
Above all on rough surfaces (such as cob-
bles, or due to the presence of water, ice
or soil), changes in speed (when accelerat-
ing or braking) and/or course (bends or the
need to avoid obstacles) can cause the tyres
to lose grip.When the sensors detect the conditions
that would lead to skidding, the VDC system
acts on the engine and brakes generating
a stabilising torque.
The system performance
levels, in terms of active
safety, should not induce the dri-
ver to run pointless and unjustified
risks. Driving conduct should al-
ways be suited to the conditions of
the road surface, vision and traf-
fic. The responsibility for road
safety is always and anyway the
vehicle driver’s concern.
The VDC system helps the driver
to keep control of the car in the
event of loss of tyre grip.
The forces induced by the VDC sys-
tem to control the lack of stability
of the car always and anyway de-
pend on the grip between the tyre
and the road surface.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
182
EOBD SYSTEMThe EOBD (European On Board Diagnosis)
system fitted in the car conforms with the
98/69/EC (EURO 3) Directive and the
2001/1/EC Directive, level B (EURO4) for
2.0 JTS, 2.0 JTS Selespeed and JTD 20V
Multijet versions.
This system continuously monitors the
components of the vehicle related to emis-
sions; it also indicates, when the warning
light
U
comes on on the instrument panel
(together with the message + symbol
shown by the display) that the components
in question are in poor conditions.
The objective is the following:
– to keep under control the efficiency of
the system;
– to indicate when a malfunction causes
an increase in the emissions beyond the
threshold established by European regula-
tions;
– to indicate the need to replace the de-
teriorated components.
The system also has a diagnostic connec-
tor, which can be interfaced with adequate in-
struments, that enables the error codes stored
in the control unit to be read, together with
a series of specific parameters concerning the
operation and diagnosis of the engine.This check can also be made by the traf-
fic control agents.
If, when the ignition key
is turned to MAR, the
U
warning light does not
come on or if, when driving, it
lights up and emits a fixed light or
a flashing one (together with the
message + symbol shown by the
display), contact an Alfa Romeo
Authorized Service Station as soon
as possible. The operation of the
U
warning light can also be
checked by means of special equip-
ment available to the traffic con-
trol officers. Comply with the reg-
ulations in force in country where
you drive your car.
WARNINGAfter the problem has beel
resolved, to completely check the system,
the Alfa Romeo Authorized Services must
carry out tests on a test bench and, if nec-
essary, road tests that could be long.
WARNING LIGHT ON
INSTRUMENT PANELWhen the ignition key is turned to MAR,
the dial warning light
á
comes on but must
go out after a few seconds.
If the warning light does not go out, or if it
stays on (together with the message + sym-
bol on the display and the coming on of the
ASR button led) when the vehicle is running,
contact Alfa Romeo Authorized Services.
The flashing of the warning lamp when the
vehicle is running indicates the actuation of
the VDC system.
VDC system failure warning
In the event of a failure the VDC system
disengages automatically and the
á
warn-
ing light on the instrument cluster turns on
glowing steadily (together with the message
+ symbol shown on the display and the com-
ing on of the ASR button led).
In the event of a VDC system failure the
car behaves like a vehicle not fitted with this
system: in any case it is advisable to con-
tact Alfa Romeo Authorized Services as soon
as possible.

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
191
EMERGENCY STARTINGIf the Alfa Romeo CODE system does not
recognise the code transmitted by the igni-
tion key (Alfa Romeo CODE
Y
warning
light on the instrument cluster on glowing
steadily) emergency starting may be carried
out using the code of the CODE card.
For the correct procedure see the chapter
“In an emergency”.
PARKINGWhen the vehicle is parked, proceed as fol-
lows:
– Switch off the engine.
– Engage the handbrake.
– Engage first gear if the car is facing up-
hill or reverse if the car is facing downhill.
– Turn the front wheels so that the car will
immediately come to a half if the handbrake
slips. Starting by pushing, tow-
ing or running downhill
must absolutely be
avoided. These manoeuvres may
cause fuel to flow into the catalyst
and damage it irreparably.
To avoid useless con-
sumption of power and
possible draining the bat-
tery, never leave the ignition key
in the MAR position when the en-
gine is not running.
For vehicles equipped
with turbocharger in par-
ticular and for other vehi-
cles in general, revving the engine
before switching off should be
avoided.
Revving the engine serves no pur-
pose and consumes fuel for no rea-
son. It may also cause damage to
the bearings on the rotor of the
turbocharger.
WARNINGIf the engine turns off with
the car on the move, the next time it is
started, the Alfa Romeo CODE warning lightY
may turn on. In this case, check that
switching off and starting the engine again
with the car stationary, the warning light
stays off. If not, contact Alfa Romeo Au-
thorized Services.
Remember that the servo-
brake and power steering
are not activated until the engine
is started, therefore considerably
greater effort is required on the
brake pedal and steering wheel.
WARNING
Never leave children unat-
tended in the car. Always
remove the key from the ignition
when leaving the car and take it
with you.
WARNING