2006 Alfa Romeo 166 AUX

135
IMPORTANT If it is difficult to start the
engine do not insist with extended attempts
which may damage the catalyzer but con-
tact Alfa Romeo Authorized Services.
PROCEDURE FOR DIESEL
VERSIONS
1) Engage the handbrake.
2) Set the gearshift lever to neutral and
fully depress the clutch without pressing
the accelerator.
3) Turn the ignition key to the MAR
position. the
mwarning light on the in-
strument cluster will turn on.
4) Wait for the
mwarning light to go
off, which will depend on how warm the
engine is. If the engine is very warm the
turning on of the warning light may be so
fast as to go by unobserved.
5) Turn the ignition key to AVV as
soon as the
mwarning light goes off.
Waiting too long would make the glow
plug heating work pointless.IMPORTANT The electric devices that
absorb much energy (air conditioner,
rearscreen heating, etc.) are disengaged
automatically during engine starting.
If the engine does not start at the first
attempt, move the ignition key back to
theSTOPposition before repeating s-
tarting.
If starting is difficult (with the Alfa
Romeo CODE system efficient), do not in-
sist with prolonged attempts.
Only use an auxiliary battery if it is not-
ed that the cause is due to low charge of
vehicle’s battery. Never use a battery
charger to start the engine (see ”If the
battery is flat” in the chapter “In an e-
mergency”).
WARMING THE ENGINE
– Drive off slowly, at medium revs
without accelerating abruptly.
– Do not drive at full performance for
the initial kilometres of the journey. Wait
until the engine coolant temperature is
between 50 and 60°C.
SWITCHING OFF
– Release the accelerator pedal and
wait until the engine reaches idle speed.
– Turn the ignition key to the STOP
position and switch off the engine.
IMPORTANT After a hard journey, it
is advisable to allow the engine to “get
its breath back” before switching off, run-
ning it at idle speed to allow the tempera-
ture in the engine compartment to cool
down. For versions/markets
where applicable the
warning light m flashes
for about 30 seconds after start-
ing the engine meaning that
there is a fault to the glow plug
warming system, in which case,
contact Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services.

136
EMERGENCY STARTING
Starting with an auxiliary
battery
If the engine does not start (with the Al-
fa Romeo CODE system efficient), use an
auxiliary battery as described in the chap-
ter “In an emergency”.
SAFE DRIVING
This paragraph supplies suggestions and
indications for the correct and safe use of
your vehicle in the most common situa-
tions.
In addition to this, suggestions are giv-
en concerning the main organs which en-
sure the safety of the vehicle and its pas-
sengers.
BEFORE DRIVING OFF
Before driving off, especially before a
long journey, the following procedures
should be carried out:
– Adjust the seat, steering wheel and
rear-view mirrors in order to obtain a cor-
rect position for driving.
– Check that nothing can get under the
foot pedals, especially under the brake
pedal.
– If children are present in the car ad-
here to the instructions given in the para-
graph “General instructions for the use of
the seat belts and child restraint system”
in the chapter “Getting to know your
car”. For vehicles equipped
with turbocharger in
particular and for other
vehicles in general, revving the
engine before switching off
should be avoided.
Revving the engine serves no
purpose and consumes fuel for
no reason. It may also cause
damage to the bearings on the
rotor.
Do not bump, tow or
coast start the vehicle
as this would irrepara-
bly damage the exhaust gas cat-
alyzer.

151
Use an auxiliary battery to start the ve-
hicle in an emergency.
If the engine is not “running smoothly”
when the vehicle is travelling, reduce the
request for performance to a minimum
and contact Alfa Romeo Authorized Ser-
vices as soon as possible.
When the fuel reserve warning light
comes on fill up as soon as possible. A
low fuel level may cause an irregular sup-
ply to the engine with inevitable increase
of the exhaust gas temperature.
When travelling downhill for long
stretches slightly rev the engine every
now and again. This action will extend
the life of the catalyzer.
Never run the engine, even as a test,
with one or more spark plugs disconnect-
ed.
During normal operation
the catalytic converter
reaches high temperatures. Do not
therefore park the vehicle over in-
flammable materials (grass, dry
leaves, pine needles etc.): fire haz-
ard. Do not install other heat
shields and do not remove the ex-
isting ones on the catalyst and on
the exhaust pipe.
Do not spray anything on the cat-
alyst, lambda sensor and exhaust
pipe.
WARNING
The failure to follow
these rules may cause a
fire hazard.
WARNING

194 IN THE EVENT
OF A FLAT BATTERY
STARTING WITH AN
AUXILIARY BATTERY
If the battery is flat, it is possible to start the
engine using an auxiliary battery (B-fig.
96) with the same electrical characteristics
as the original battery (A-fig. 96) (see
chapter “Technical specifications”).
The battery is housed on the left-hand
side of the boot, protected by a cover.
If the battery is low, the servocontrol
operating when the luggage compart-
ment opens from inside or by the key
does not work. However, it is always pos-
sible to open the luggage compartmentto reach the battery. Just rotate the key
wider simultaneously pressing on the bon-
net edge by the hand.
IMPORTANTApply a moderate pres-
sure only on the bonnet edge, immediate-
ly above the lock.
On versions without navigation system and
without CD player, access to the battery is
gained by slackening the knob (A-fig. 94)
and removing the battery cover.
On versions with navigation system and
/or CD player, access to the battery is
gained by slackening the knobs (A-fig.
95) and removing the cover (B).
Starting with an auxiliary battery does
not damages the Alfa Romeo CODE sys-
tem and must be carried out as follows:– Switch off all the not strictly neces-
sary electric devices.
– Connect a jump lead to the positive
terminals (1-fig. 96) of the two batter-
ies (+ sign next to the terminal).
– Connect another jump lead to the
negative terminals (2) of both batteries
(– sign next to the terminal).
– Start the engine.
– When the engine has started, remove
the cables reversing the sequence de-
scribed for connecting them.
– If after a few attempts, the engine
fails to start, do not insist pointlessly and
contact the nearest Authorized Alfa
Romeo Services.
fig. 96
A
B
fig. 94
A0D0107m3052CAm
fig. 95
341PGSm

223
– If electrical welding is to be carried
out on the body of the vehicle the elec-
tronic control units must be disconnected
or removed if the work involves the pro-
duction of high temperatures.The total absorption of these accessories
(standard and installed later) must be
0.6 mA x Ah (of the battery), as shown
in the table below:
BatteryMaximum permissible loadless absorption
100 Ah 60 mA
You are also reminded that services with
high current absorption activated by the
user, such as bottle warmers, vacuum
cleaners, cellular telephone, mini refriger-
ator, etc. accelerate the battery drainage
process if they are powered with the en-
gine not running.
IMPORTANT It should also be noted
that improper branches on connectors of
the electric wiring for installing additional
equipment is dangerous, particularly if
safety devices are involved.
ELECTRONIC
CONTROL UNITS
With normal use of the vehicle no par-
ticular precautions need to be taken.
If interventions are to be carried out on
the electrical system or emergency start-
ing the following must be heeded:
– Always switch off the engine before
disconnecting the battery from the electri-
cal system.
– If battery charging is necessary dis-
connect it from the electric system.
– When starting in an emergency only
an auxiliary battery must be used and not
a battery charger.
– Check that the polarity is correct and
that the connections between the battery
and the electrical system are sound.
– Before connecting or disconnecting
the terminals of the electronic units en-
sure that the ignition key is not in the
MARposition.
– Do not check for current in the cables
by short-circuiting the ends.
If additional systems are
to be installed on the ve-
hicle the danger of incorrectly tak-
ing branches from the electrical
wires cannot be emphasized too
strongly especially if devices es-
sential to the safety of the vehi-
cle and its occupants are involved
(ignition, injection, ABS ...). The in-
correct installation of radio sys-
tems, electronic theft alarms, ra-
diotelephones etc. can interfere
with the electronic control units and
compromises the warranty cover.
For these interventions we re-com-
mend that you contact Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services.The loadless
absorption of all the accessories in-
stalled in the after market must
not exceed 20 mA (reading with
the vehicle stationary).
WARNING