2006 Alfa Romeo 159 Battery

219
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
IN AN
EMERGENCY
IF THE BATTERY
IS FLAT
IMPORTANTThe description of the
battery charging procedure is described
only for informative purposes. This op-
eration should be carried out by Alfa
Romeo Authorized 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 battery negative terminal
(–);
❒connect the charger cables to the bat-
tery terminals, observing the poles;
❒ turn on the charger;
❒when you have finished, turn the
charger off before disconnecting the
battery;
❒reconnect battery negative terminal
(–).
The liquid in the battery
is poisonous and corro-
sive. Do not let it touch the
skin or eyes. Recharging the
battery should be done in a
well ventilated area away
from naked flames or possible
sources of sparks: explosion
and fire risk.
WARNING
Do not attempt to
recharge a frozen bat-
tery. Thaw it first, otherwise
it could explode. If the battery
froze, make sure the internal
elements are not broken and
that the casing is not cracked:
risk of spilling the poisonous
and corrosive fluid.
WARNING

223
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CAR
MAINTENANCE
C C
A A
R R
M M
A A
I I
N N
T T
E E
N N
A A
N N
C C
E E
SCHEDULED SERVICING....................................... 224
SERVICE SCHEDULE ............................................ 225
PERIODICAL CHECKS ........................................... 227
USE OF THE CAR UNDER HEAVY CONDITIONS ........ 227
CHECKING FLUID LEVELS ..................................... 228
AIR FILTER/POLLEN FILTER ................................. 236
DIESEL FUEL FILTER ........................................... 236
BATTERY ........................................................... 237
WHEELS AND TYRES........................................... 241
RUBBER HOSES ................................................. 243
WINDSCREEN WIPER ......................................... 243
BODYWORK ...................................................... 245
INTERIORS ........................................................ 247

225
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CAR
MAINTENANCE
30 60 90 120 150 180
●●●●●●
●●●●●●
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●●●●●●
●●●●●●
●●●
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SERVICE SCHEDULE
Thousands of km
Check tyre conditions/wear and
adjust pressure if required
Check light system operation (headlights,
direction indicators, hazard lights, boot lights, passenger
compartment lights, glovebox lights, warning lights, etc.)
Check windscreen wiper/washer operation,
adjust nozzles if required
Check windscreen/rear window blade
position/wear
Check front disk brake pad conditions and wear
and wear indicator operation
Check rear disk brake pad conditions and wear
Sight inspect the conditions of: body external parts,
underbody protection, pipes and hoses
(exhaust - fuel - brakes), rubber parts
(boots, sleeves, bushes, etc.)
Check cleanness of locks, bonnet and boot and lever cleanness
and lubrication
Check and top up, if required, fluid levels
(brakes/hydraulic clutch, power steering, windscreen washer,
battery, engine coolant, etc.)
Check and adjust handbrake lever stroke
Sight inspect accessory drive belt conditions

227
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CAR
MAINTENANCE
USE OF THE CAR
UNDER HEAVY
CONDITIONS
Should prevailing use of the car be un-
der one of the following specially heavy
conditions:
❒ trailer or caravan towing;
❒ dusty roads;
❒ short distances (less than 7-8 km)
and repeated with external temper-
atures below zero;
❒ frequently idling engines or long dis-
tance low speed driving (e.g.: door-
to-door deliveries) or in case of a long
term inactivity;
❒ urban routes;
carry out checks more frequently than
required on Service Schedule:
❒ check front disk brake pad conditions
and wear;
❒ check cleanness of bonnet and boot
locks and lever cleanness and lubri-
cation;
❒ sight inspect the conditions of: en-
gine, gearbox, transmission, pipes
and hoses (exhaust - fuel - brakes),
rubber parts (boots, sleeves, bushes,
etc.);
❒ check battery charge and fluid level
(electrolyte);
❒ visual check on various drive belt con-
ditions;
❒ change engine oil and oil filter, if re-
quired;
❒ check and replace pollen filter, if re-
quired;
❒ check and replace air cleaner, if re-
quired.
PERIODICAL CHECKS
Every 1,000 km or before long jour-
neys, check and top up if required:
❒engine coolant fluid level;
❒brake fluid level;
❒windscreen washer fluid level;
❒ tyre pressure and conditions.
❒ check light system operation (head-
lights, direction indicators, hazard
lights, etc.);
❒ check windscreen wiper/washer op-
eration and windscreen/rear window
blade position/wear;
Every 3,000 km check and top up if re-
quired: engine oil level.
You are recommended to use FL Se-
leniaproducts, designed and produced
specifically for Alfa Romeo cars (see
table “Capacities” in section “Techni-
cal specifications”).

228
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CAR
MAINTENANCE
CHECKING
FLUID LEVELS
For refilling amounts refer to Technical
Specifications section.
1.Engine oil - 2.Battery
3.Brake fluid - 4.Windscreen washer
fluid - 5.Engine coolant -
6.Power steering fluid
fig. 1 - 1.9 JTS - 2.2 JTS versionsA0E0161m
fig. 2 - 3.2 JTS versionA0E0038m
Never smoke while
working in the engine
compartment; gas and inflam-
mable vapours may be pre-
sent, with the risk of fire.
WARNING
When topping up take
care not to confuse the
various types of fluids:
they are all incompatible with
one another and could serious-
ly damage the car.

229
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CAR
MAINTENANCE
fig. 3 - 1.9 JTDM8v - 1.9 JTDM16v versionsA0E0162m
fig. 4 - 2.4 JTDMv versionA0E0203m
1.Engine oil - 2.Battery
3.Brake fluid - 4.Windscreen washer
fluid - 5.Engine coolant
6.Power steering fluid
1.Engine oil - 2.Battery
3.Brake fluid - 4.Windscreen washer
fluid - 5.Engine coolant
6.Power steering fluid

237
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CAR
MAINTENANCE
BATTERY
The battery is of the “Limited mainte-
nance” type: under normal conditions
of use the electrolyte does not need top-
ping up with distilled water.
CHECKING THE CHARGE
The battery charge may be checked sat-
isfactorily through the indicatorA-fig.
14and acting according to the colour
the indicator shows.
Refer to the table below.
A0E0127mfig. 14
Bright white colourTop up electrolyte Contact Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services
Dark colour withoutLow charge level Charge the battery
green area in the centre(advisable to contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services)
Dark colour withElectrolyte level and charge No action
green area in the centresufficient
IMPORTANTThe charge in the bat-
tery should be checked at the start of
winter to limit the risk of electrolyte
freezing. This check should be carried
out more frequently if the car is used
mainly for short trips, or if it is fitted with
accessories that permanently absorb
electricity also with the ignition key re-
moved, especially in the case of after
market accessories.

238
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CAR
MAINTENANCE
REPLACING THE BATTERY
If required, replace the battery with a
genuine spare part having the same
specifications.
If a battery with different specifications
is fitted, the service intervals given in
the Service schedule in this section will
no longer be valid.
Refer therefore to the instructions pro-
vided by the battery manufacturer.
Incorrect fitting of elec-
trical and electronic ac-
cessories can seriously
damage the car. If after buying
the car, you want to install elec-
tric accessories which require per-
manent electric supply (alarm,
free-hand phone kit, etc.) contact
Alfa Romeo Authorized Services
whose qualified personnel, in ad-
dition to suggesting the most
suitable devices, will evaluate the
overall electric absorption, check-
ing whether the car’s electric sys-
tem is capable of withstanding
the load required, or whether it
should be integrated with a more
powerful battery.
Batteries contain sub-
stances that are very
harmful for the environ-
ment. You are advised to have
the battery changed at Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services,
which is properly equipped for
disposing of used batteries re-
specting nature and the law.
The liquid in the bat-
tery is poisonous and
corrosive. Avoid contact with
eyes and skin. Do not bring
naked flames or possible
sources of sparks near to the
battery: risk of fire and ex-
plosion.
WARNING
Running the battery
with low fluid level can
damage the battery beyond
repair and could also cause its
explosion.
WARNING
After connecting/dis-
connecting the battery,
wait for 3 minutes at
least before fitting the electronic
key into the ignition device in
order to allow the climate con-
trol system control unit to reset
the positions of the electric ac-
tuators that adjust air temper-
ature and distribution.