112GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
IMPORTANTRemoving the igni-
tion key is only allowed with the
gearshift lever in position Pand for a
maximum time of 30 seconds from
when the engine is turned off P, when
the door is opened a buzzer will sound
for about 15 seconds to alert the dri-
ver.
In an emergency (flat battery) it is
possible to move the gearshift lever
from position P, pressing the clamp-
ing device fig. 7set under the gearshift
lever cap.R - Reverse
Move the gearshift lever to Rwith
the vehicle stationary, the engine idling
and the brake pedal pressed.
To prevent accidental movements,
the lever can only be moved to this
position with the button C-fig. 4
pressed.
With the lever in position Rthe re-
verse lights turn on and a buzzer
sounds for about 4 seconds to warn
the driver.
IMPORTANTWith the lever in
position R, reverse gear is not engaged
if the vehicle speed exceeds the es-
tablished limit (approx. 12 km/h).
When the speed falls below this value,
reverse gear engages and stays en-
gaged even if the limit is exceeded.
fig. 7
F0D0240m
Before moving the lever,
press the brake pedal: the
vehicle must be stationary.
WARNING
Move the gearshift lever to position
Pwith the vehicle stationary and the
engine idling before switching off.
For safety reasons the ignition key
can only be removed with the gearshift
lever in this position.
IMPORTANTMovement of the
lever from position P is only allowed
pressing the button C-fig. 4with the
brake pedal pressed.
Move the gearshift lever to
position P when getting out
of the vehicle leaving the engine
running.
WARNING
Before moving the lever
from position P, press the
brake pedal: the vehicle must be
stationary.
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
134GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
VEHICLE STORAGE
The following precautions should be
taken if the vehicle will not be used for
several months:
– park the vehicle in covered, dry and
if possible well-ventilated premises;
– engage a gear;
– remove the cables from the battery
(first remove the cable to the negative
terminal) and check the battery
charge. If the vehicle is to be stored
for long periods the charge of the bat-
tery should be checked every month
and recharged if it falls below 12.5 V;– make sure the handbrake is not en-
gaged;
– clean and protect the painted parts
using protective wax;
– clean and protect the shiny metal
parts using special compounds readi-
ly available;
– sprinkle talcum powder on the rub-
ber windscreen and rear window
wiper blades and lift them off the glass;
– slightly open the windows;
– cover the vehicle with a cloth or
perforated plastic sheet. Do not use
sheets of non-perforated plastic as
they do not allow moisture on the ve-
hicle body to evaporate;– inflate the tyres to 0.5 bar above
the normal specified pressure and
check it at intervals;
– do not drain the engine cooling sys-
tem.
IMPORTANTWhere relevant,
switch off the electronic vehicle alarm
with the remote control and deacti-
vate the system by turning the emer-
gency key to OFF (see “Electronic
alarm” in section “Getting to know
your vehicle”).
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
166VEHICLE MAINTENANCE
IMPORTANT - Pollen filter
If the vehicle is often used in dusty
or extremely polluted environments,
you should change the filter element
more frequently. It should be changed
especially if the amount of air intro-
duced into the passenger compart-
ment has decreased.
IMPORTANT - Diesel filter
Refuelling with diesel fuel not com-
plying with the grade of purity pre-
scribed by European Specification
EN590 might make it necessary to re-
place the filter more frequently than
indicated in the Service Schedule.
IMPORTANT - Battery
The charge in your battery should be
checked, where possible at the start
of the winter, to limit the risk of the
battery electrolyte freezing.
This check should be carried out
more frequently if the vehicle is mainly
used for short trips or if it is fitted
with accessories that permanently
take in electricity even when the igni-
tion key is removed, especially in the
case of after market accessories.You should check the battery fluid
(electrolyte) level more frequently
than shown in the Service Schedule if
the vehicle is used in hot climates or
particularly demanding conditions.
IMPORTANTAs concerns Camp-
ing Car versions, due to high electric
absorption, observe indications rele-
vant to battery contained in para-
graphs "Vehicle storage" (section
"Getting the best out of your vehicle")
and "Battery – Checking the charge"
(section "Vehicle maintenance").
Maintenance of your ve-
hicle should be entrusted
to a Fiat Dealership. For
ordinary routine maintenance
operations which you are able to
carry out yourself, ensure that
you have the necessary tools and
original Fiat spare parts and flu-
ids available. Do not carry out
servicing operations if you have
no experience.IMPORTANT - Engine oil
Change the engine oil more fre-
quently than shown in the Service
Schedule if the vehicle is normally dri-
ven in one of the following particular-
ly severe conditions:
– towing a trailer
– on dusty roads
– short distances (less than 7-8 km)
repeated and with external tempera-
tures below zero.
– frequently idling engines or long
distance low speed driving (e. g. taxis
or door-to-door deliveries) or in case
of a long term inactivity replace engine
oil more frequently than required on
Scheduled Maintenance Plan.
IMPORTANT - Air cleaner
Replace the air cleaner more fre-
quently if the vehicle is used on dusty
roads.
If you are in doubt about how often
the engine oil or the air cleaner should
be changed in relation to how you use
the vehicle, contact a Fiat Dealer-
ship.
176VEHICLE MAINTENANCE
Furthermore, remember that high in-
take electric devices (such as baby bot-
tle warmers, vacuum cleaners, cellular
phones, mini-fridges, etc.) powered
when the engine is offcan deploy
the battery.
IMPORTANTWhen installing ad-
ditional systems on the vehicle, bear
in mind that improper branches on
connections of the vehicle wiring are
dangerous, particularly if safety devices
are involved.
Battery
60 Ah
88 Ah
100 Ah
The total intake of these systems
(factory and after-market) must be
less than 0.6 mA x Ah (of the bat-
tery) as shown in the following table:
Maximum
admitted stand-by
intake
36 mA
52.8 mA
60 mA
If the vehicle is inactive for a long pe-
riod of time, refer to the “Vehicle stor-
age” paragraph in section “Getting the
best out of you vehicle”.
Before performing any operation on
the electrical system, disconnect the
battery negative cable.
Battery terminals shall always be
perfectly separated.
If you want to add accessories after
buying the vehicle (antitheft system,
free-hand phone kit, radio navigator,
etc.) visit a Fiat Dealership. They
can suggest the most suitable acces-
sories to get and check whether the
electric system can support the
required load or whether a higher
capacity battery is required.
These devices will, in fact, run off
the battery even when the key is not
inserted (vehicle parked, engine off).
177VEHICLE MAINTENANCE
ELECTRONIC
CONTROL UNIT
When the vehicle is being used nor-
mally, special measures are not nec-
essary.
The following instructions must be
followed very carefully however, if
you work on the electrical system or
in cases where emergency starting is
necessary:
– never disconnect the battery from
the electric system while the engine is
running;
– disconnect the battery from the
electric system if you are recharging it;
– never perform emergency starting
with a battery charger. Always use an
auxiliary battery;
– be particularly careful when con-
necting the battery to the electric sys-
tem. Make sure that the polarity is
correct and that the connection is ef-
ficient;
– do not connect or disconnect the
terminals of the electronic units while
the ignition key is at MAR;
– do not check polarity through
sparking;– disconnect the electronic control
units if you are electrically welding the
vehicle body. Remove the units if tem-
peratures exceed 80 °C (special op-
erations on the bodywork, etc.).
IMPORTANTIf the sound system
or vehicle alarm systems are not in-
stalled correctly, they can interfere
with the working of the electronic
control units.
Modifications or repairs to
the electrical system car-
ried out incorrectly and without
bearing the features of the system
in mind can cause malfunctions
with the risk of fire.
WARNING
SPEED LIMITER
On certain version, the injection con-
trol unit is set to limit the vehicle
speed at a max. preset limit.
Speed limits are the following:
– for Minibus versions (M2 homolo-
gation category): 100 km/h;
– for good Transport versions (ve-
hicle dead weight: > 3.5 t) (N2 ho-
mologation category): 90 km/h;
Label (fig.16) with admitted top
speed (90 or 100 km/h according to
versions) is applied on the wind-
screen.
This limit has been established by Eu-
ropean Directive 2002/85/EC, what-
ever violation is therefore punishable
by law.
IMPORTANTWhen the device
comes into action, the speed value
displayed on the instrument panel
could be approx. 10% higher than the
actual one.
fig. 16
F0D0299m
249INDEX
Glove compartment/oddment
compartment ............................. 73
Headlight washer ...................... 181
Headlights
- beam adjustment .................... 86
Head restraints ............................ 50
Heat flange .................................... 106
Heating .......................................... 56
Heating and ventilation .............. 54
Identification data ...................... 185
If a bulb burns out ...................... 141
If an accident occurs .................. 160
If anyone is injured
(during accidents) ..................... 161
If an exterior light burns out ... 143
If an interior light burns out .... 148
Ignition switch ............................. 28
In an emergency..................... 135
Individual settings ........................ 42
Instrument panel ......................... 29Instruments .................................. 30
Interior equipment ..................... 73
Interiors ........................................ 184
Jacking the vehicle .................... 158
Jump starting ........................... 136-157
Keys ............................................ 7
Load recommendations .......... 126
Main beam headlights ............ 65
- bulb replacement ................... 143
Manual gearbox ........................... 109
Mobile foot board ....................... 80
Model plate ................................... 185
Multimeter .................................... 78
Number plate light
replacement ............................... 147
Object holder/
food box ..................................... 75
Oddment compartments............ 73
Odometer ...................................... 31
Paintwork .................................... 182
Parking ............................................ 108
Parking sensors ............................. 67
Performance .................................. 226
Pollen filter .................................... 173
Power steering fluid level ........... 171
Pretensioners ................................ 18
Protecting the environment ...... 104
Radio transmitters
and cellular phones .................. 101
Reading/writing desk .................. 74
Rear fog light replacement ....... 145
Rearview camera ........................ 67
Rearview mirrors ................ 51-52
Recharging the battery .............. 157
Remote control ........................... 9