2006 FIAT DUCATO warning

127GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
In addition to these general precau-
tions, some simple measures could en-
hance driving safety, comfort and the
length of the vehicle’s life:
– distribute the load evenly over the
load floor: if you need to concentrate
it all in one point choose the part be-
tween the axles;
– remember that the lower the load
is, the lower the vehicle’s centre of
gravity will be, contributing to a safe
drive; you should therefore always po-
sition the heavier goods at the bottom;
– finally, remember that the way in
which the vehicle moves is influenced
by the weight being carried. In partic-
ular, stopping distance lengthens par-
ticularly at high speed.CHEAP RUNNING
THAT RESPECTS
THE ENVIRONMENT
Environmental protection has been
one of the guiding principles in the
production of the Ducato. It is no ac-
cident that its pollution control equip-
ment is much more effective than that
required by current legislation.
Nonetheless, the environment can-
not get by without a concerted effort
from everyone. By following a few sim-
ple rules you can avoid harming the
environment and often cut down fuel
consumption at the same time.
On this subject, a few useful tips have
been given below to supplement those
marked by symbol #at various points
of the handbook. You are asked to
read both the former and latter care-
fully.
Even if the vehicle is sta-
tionary on a steep hill or
sideways incline, goods not proper-
ly secured could fall out when the
back or side doors are opened.
WARNING
Observe the enforced rules
if you need to carry a spare
can of petrol. Only use a homolo-
gated can and secure it to the load
anchoring eyebolts. Even given
these precautions, the risk of fire in
the event of an accident is in-
creased.
WARNING

128GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
LOOKING AFTER EMISSION
CONTROL DEVICES
The correct use of pollution control
devices not only ensures respect for
the environment but also has an effect
on the vehicle’s performance.
Keeping these devices in good con-
ditions is therefore a fundamental rule
for driving that is easy on your pock-
et and on the environment too.
The first step to take is to follow the
Service Schedule to the letter.
If your vehicle has a petrol engine
with catalytic converter use only un-
leaded petrol.
if you have trouble starting, do not
keep turning the ignition key for long
periods. Be especially careful to avoid
bump starting the vehicle by pushing,
towing or rolling downhill: these are
all manoeuvres that can damage the
catalyst.
Use an auxiliary battery for start-ups
only.If the engine begins to “loose its
smoothness” when travelling, contin-
ue your journey but reduce the de-
mands you are making on the engine
and have the vehicle seen to at a Fi-
at Dealershipas soon as you can.
When the instrument panel fuel re-
serve warning light comes on, fill up as
soon as possible. A low fuel level may
cause an uneven supply of fuel to the
engine with inevitable increase in the
temperature of the exhaust gas and se-
rious damage to the catalytic con-
verter.
Never run the engine with one or
more spark plugs disconnected, even
for testing purposes.
Do not warm up the engine by let-
ting it idle for a while before moving
off unless the outside temperature is
very low and, even in this case, only
do so for less than thirty seconds.
Do not install heat shields and do not
remove those already fitted to the cat-
alytic converter and exhaust pipe.
Do not allow anything to
be sprayed onto the cat-
alytic converter, lambda sensor and
exhaust pipe.
WARNING
Ignoring the above rules
may lead to fire.
WARNING
When functioning normal-
ly the catalytic converter
reaches high temperatures. For this
reason do not park the vehicle over
inflammable material (grass, dry
leaves, pine needles, etc.): fire haz-
ard.
WARNING

129GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
TOWING A TRAILER
IMPORTANT
The vehicle must be fitted with a ho-
mologated tow hitch and suitable elec-
trical system for towing a caravan or
trailer. Have the tow hitch fitted by an
expert who will issue specific docu-
mentation for use on roads.
Fit special wing mirrors in accor-
dance with the highway code.
Remember that towing a trailer
makes it harder for the vehicle to
climb the maximum gradients speci-
fied, increases braking and overtaking
distance, proportionally to the overall
weight of the trailer.
Engage a low gear when driving
downhill rather than constantly brak-
ing.
The weight the trailer exerts on the
vehicle’s tow hitch coupling reduces
the vehicle’s payload by the same
amount.In order to be sure you are not ex-
ceeding the maximum towing weight
(shown in the log book) you have to
take into account the trailer weight ful-
ly laden including the accessories and
personal luggage.
Do not exceed the speed limits for
towing a trailer in the country you are
driving in. In any case, do not exceed
the top speed of 100 km/h.TOW HITCH INSTALLATION
The tow hitch must be fixed to the
body by an expert in accordance with
the following instructions and re-
specting the additional and/or integra-
tive information provided by the tow
hitch manufacturer.
The tow hitch to be fitted must com-
ply with the current regulations in
force, with reference to Directive
94/20/CEE and subsequent modifica-
tions.
Use a tow hitch suited for the maxi-
mum towable load of the vehicle version
on which the tow hitch is to be fitted.
Use a unified coupling for the elec-
trical connections. The coupling is gen-
erally fitted on a specific mount fas-
tened to the tow hitch.
For the electrical connections, a 7 or
13 pole 12VDC coupling must be used
(CUNA/UNI and ISO/DIN standards).
Follow the instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the vehicle and/or
the tow hitch.
For the electric connections use the
proper trailer light control unit.
Under no circumstances
modify the vehicle’s braking
system for trailer braking control.
The trailer braking system must be
completely independent from the
vehicle hydraulic system.
WARNING
Where your vehicle is
equipped with ABS, re-
member that this has no effect over
the trailer braking system. Particu-
lar care must be taken on slippery
surfaces.
WARNING

131GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
Truck and Chassis cab versions -
fig. 12
An additional tow hitch - specific for
chassis cab and truck versions is shown
in fig. 12. The structure Ømust be se-
cured to the points shown with a total
of twelve M 10 screws.
Fit the tow hitch with the light cluster
crossmember in its original position. If
the crossmember has been removed,
replace it with another crossmember
of the same size and resistance.
IMPORTANTFasten a tag in
clearly visible position at the same
height as the tow hitch. This tag is
compulsory. It must be adequately
sized, made of suitable material and
carry the following information:
MAX ADMITTED LOAD ON
HITCH 80 kg.
fig. 12
F0D0243m
Holes to boreHoles to bore
Existing holes
2 shims
Vehicle centre line
2 shims
After assembly, seal the fas-
tening screw holes to pre-
vent exhaust fumes from entering
the vehicle.
WARNING

132GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
SNOW TYRES
Use snow tyres specified in the
“Snow tyres” table in section “Tech-
nical Specifications”.
Fiat Dealershipwill be happy to
provide advice concerning the most
suitable type of tyre for the customer’s
requirements.
For the type of tyre to be used, in-
flation pressures and the specifications
of snow tyres, follow the instructions
given at paragraph “Wheels” in section
“Technical Specifications”.The winter features of these tyres
are reduced considerably when the
tread depth is below 4 mm. In this
case, they should be replaced.
Due to the snow tyre features, un-
der normal conditions of use or on
long motorway journeys, the perfor-
mance of these tyres is lower than that
of normal tyres.
It is therefore necessary to limit their
use to the purposes for which they are
certified.
IMPORTANT When snow tyres
are used with a max. speed index be-
low the one that can be reached by
the vehicle (increased by 5%), place a
notice in the passenger compartment,
plainly in the driver’s view which states
the max. permissible speed of the
snow tyres (as per EC Directive).All four tyres should be the same
(brand and track) to ensure greater
safety when driving and braking and
better driveability.
Remember that it is inappropriate to
change the direction of rotation of
tyres.
The max. speed for snow
tyres with “Q” marking is
160 km/h. The Road Traffic Code
speed limits must however be al-
ways strictly observed.
WARNING

133GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
SNOW CHAINS
The use of snow chains is regulated
by the legislation in force in the coun-
try the vehicle is driven in.
The chains may only be applied to
the drive wheel tyres (front wheels).We recommend using Lineaccessori
Fiat snow chains.
Check the tautness of the chains af-
ter driving some twenty to thirty me-
tres.With chains
mounted keep
your speed down.
Do not exceed 50 kph. Avoid
holes in the road; do not mount
steps or kerbs. Do not drive long
stretches of snow-free road with
the chains mounted, as this can
damage the vehicle and the road
surface too.
Versions
11
15
MAXI
Tyres on which
chains can be fitted
195/70 R15C
205/70 R15C
215/70 R15 Camping
205/70 R15C
215/70 R15 Camping
215/75 R16C
205/75 R16C
215/75 R16 CampingTypes of snow chains
to be used
Snow chains with
reduced size with max.
protrusion beyond the
tyre profile of 15 mm
For rim size refer to “Wheels” in section “Technical Specifications”.
Refer to the following table
for information on the
wheels where snow chains can be
fitted. Follow the prescriptions.
WARNING

135IN AN EMERGENCY
I I
N N
A A
N N
E E
M M
E E
R R
G G
E E
N N
C C
Y Y
EMERGENCY
START-UP
DIESEL VERSIONS
Emergency start-ups cannot be per-
formed on versions with a diesel en-
gine; contact aFiat Dealership.
PETROL VERSIONS
If the Fiat CODE cannot deactivate
the engine immobiliser, the Yand
Uwarning lights stay on and the en-
gine will not start. Follow the emer-
gency start-up procedure to start the
engine.
Read the whole procedure care-
fully before trying to carry it out.
If you make a mistake, you must turn
the ignition key back to STOPand re-
peat the whole operation from the be-
ginning (step 1).1) Read the 5-figure electronic code
given on the CODE card.
2) Turn the ignition key to MAR.
3)Press and hold down the accel-
erator pedal. Warning light
Uwill
come on for about 8 seconds, and
then go out. At this point release the
accelerator pedal and get ready to
count the flashes of the warning light
U.
4) Count the number of flashes that
corresponds to the first figure of the
code on the CODE card, then press
the accelerator pedal and keep it there
until the warning light
Ucomes on
for four seconds and then goes out;
release the accelerator pedal.
5) Warning light
Uwill start flash-
ing again: after it has flashed the num-
ber of times that corresponds to the
second figure on the CODE card,
press the accelerator pedal and keep
it pressed.
6) Do the same for the remaining fig-
ures on the CODE card.7) Once the final figure has been en-
tered, keep the accelerator pedal
pressed. Warning light
Uwill light up
for four seconds and then go out; re-
lease the accelerator pedal.
8)Warning light
Uwill flash rapid-
ly for about 4 seconds to indicate that
the operation has been completed
correctly.
9) Start the engine by turning the ig-
nition key from MARto AVV.
If, however, the warning light
U
stays on, turn the ignition key to
STOPan repeat the procedure from
step 1).
IMPORTANT After an emergency
start-up, you should contact a Fiat
Dealership otherwise you will have
to repeat the procedure described
each time you want to start the en-
gine.

136IN AN EMERGENCY
JUMP STARTING
If the battery is flat, you can use an-
other battery to start the engine. Its
capacity must be the same or slightly
greater than the flat battery.
Proceed as follows fig. 1:
1) connect positive terminals1and
2 (+sign near terminal) of the two
batteries with a jump lead;
2) with a second lead, connect the
negative terminal 3(– sign near the
terminal) of the auxiliary battery to an
earthing point 4(E) on the engine or
gearbox of the vehicle to be started;IMPORTANTDo not directly
connect the two negative terminals:
sparks could ignite the flammable gas
from the battery. If the other battery
is fitted in a vehicle, prevent acciden-
tal contacts between the metal parts
of the two vehicles.
3) Start the engine.
4)when the engine has been start-
ed, remove the leads reversing the or-
der above.
If the engine fails to start after a few
attempts, do not keep turning the key
but have the vehicle seen at a Fiat
Dealership.
fig. 1
F0D0203m
Under no circumstances
should a battery charger
be used to start the en-
gine: it could damage the elec-
tronic systems and in particular
the ignition and injection control
units.
Do not carry out this pro-
cedure if you lack experi-
ence; if it is not done correctly it
can cause very intense electrical
discharges and the battery might
even explode. The liquid in the bat-
tery is poisonous and corrosive.
Keep it away from the eyes and
skin. You are also advised not to put
naked flames or lighted cigarettes
near the battery and not to cause
sparks: risk of fire and explosion.
WARNING