2006 Lancia Thesis ABS

251
HOW TO START PETROL
VERSIONS
IMPORTANTNever press the
accelerator before the engine has
started.
1) Ensure that the electric parking
brake is on (instrument panel warn-
ing light xon).
2) Ensure that electrical systems
and devices, especially high absorp-
tion ones (e.g. heated rear window),
are off.
3) On versions with manual gear-
box, set the gear lever to neutral and
press the clutch pedal fully down to
avoid the starter dragging the gears.4) On versions with electronic
automatic gearbox, ensure that the
selector is at Pand keep the brake
pedal pressed.
5) Turn the ignition key to AVV
and release it as soon as the engine
starts.
6) If the engine fails to start, return
the key to STOPand repeat the pro-
cedure.
IMPORTANTIf the engine does
not start at the first attempt, do not
keep turning the ignition key to
avoid damaging the catalyst.
Contact a Lancia Dealership.HOW TO START JTD VERSIONS
1) Ensure that the electric parking
brake is on (instrument panel warn-
ing light xon).
2) Put the gear lever to neutral.
3) Turn the ignition key to MAR.
4) Wait until the mwarning light
is off: the hotter the engine is, the
quicker this will happen.
When the engine is particularly hot
the warning light may come on so
quickly that it is impossible to notice
it.
5)Press the clutch pedal down to
the floor.
6) Turn the ignition key to AVV
immediately after the mwarning
light goes out. If you wait too long,
you will lose the benefit of the work
done by the glow plugs.

252
IMPORTANTEnergy-absorbing
devices (climate control system,
heated rear window etc.) are auto-
matically disconnected at starting.
If the engine does not start at the
first attempt, return the ignition key
to STOPbefore trying to start the
engine again.
If starting is particularly diffi-
cult,(with the Lancia CODE system
working properly) do not keep try-
ing too many times.
Use an auxiliary battery only if the
battery has insufficient charge.
Never use a battery charger to start
the engine. ENGINE WARMING UP
– Begin to move forward slowly let-
ting the engine turn at medium revs.
Do not accelerate abruptly.
– Do not push the engine to its limit
for the first few kilometers. You are
recommended to wait until the
coolant temperature has reached 50
to 60 °C.STOPPING THE ENGINE
– Release the accelerator pedal and
wait until the engine is idling.
– Turn the ignition key to STOP
and turn the engine off. For versions
with electronic automatic gearbox,
put the selector to Pbefore turning
the engine off.
IMPORTANTAfter a taxing drive
you should allow the engine to
“catch its breath” before turning it
off by letting it idle to allow the tem-
perature in the engine compartment
to fall.

253
Remember that until the
engine has started, the
brake booster and power
steering systems will not work
and a greater effort will therefore
be required to press the brake
pedal and turn the steering
wheel. For cars equipped with
turbosupercharger in
particular, but generally
for any kind of cars, avoid abrupt
accelerations immediately before
turning the engine off. A quick
burst on the accelerator serves
absolutely no practical purpose,
wastes fuel and may damage seri-
ously the turbosupercharger
rotor bearings.EMERGENCY START-UP
If the Lancia CODE system fails to
recognise that code transmitted by
the ignition key (symbol Ytogeth-
er with message “VEHICLE PRO-
TECTION SYSTEM FAULT” on the
multifunction display) the emer-
gency start-up can be performed by
using the CODE card code.
For the correct procedure see chap-
ter “In an emergency”.
Before opening the lug-
gage compartment bonnet
to reload the battery or to
connect an auxiliary battery,
carefully read and comply with
the instructions contained in the
paragraph “If battery is to be dis-
connected” in the chapter “In an
emergency”. Never bump start the
engine (by pushing, tow-
ing or coasting downhill)
as this could cause fuel to flow
into the catalytic exhaust system
and damage it beyond repair.
IMPORTANTIf the engine turns
off while the car is running, the
Lancia CODE symbol Yand the
message “VEHICLE PROTECTION
SYSTEM FAULT” may appear on
the multifunction display when the
engine starts again. In this case
check that the warning light switch-
es off when turning the engine off
and on again with the car stationary.
Otherwise contact aLancia
Dealership.

258
DRIVING IN FOG
If the fog is thick, do not start out
on a journey unless you absolutely
have to. If driving in mist, blanket
fog or when there is danger of fog
patches:
– Keep your speed down.
– Turn on the dipped headlights,
rear fog lights and front fog lights
even during the day. Do not drive
with your headlights at main beam.
IMPORTANTOn stretches of road
with good visibility, switch off your
rear fog lights; the brightness of
these lights could annoy the people
travelling in the cars behind.
– Remember that fog also means
the tarmac is very wet and therefore
manoeuvres of all kinds are more
difficult and stopping distances are
longer.
– Keep a good distance from the
cars in front of you.
– As far as possible, avoid spurts of
speed or sudden decelerations. – Do not overtake other vehicles if
you can help it.
– If you are forced to stop your car
(breakdown, limited visibility etc.),
try to stop off the road. Turn on the
hazard lights and, if possible, the
dipped beam headlights.
Rhythmically sound the horn if you
realise another car is coming. DRIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS
– When driving downhill use the
engine braking effect by engaging a
low gear so as not to overheat the
brakes.
– Under no circumstances should
you drive downhill with the engine
off or with the gear in neutral, let
alone with the ignition key out.
– Drive at a moderate speed with-
out cutting corners.
– Remember that overtaking while
going uphill is slower and therefore
requires more free road. If you are
being overtaken while driving
uphill, make it easier for the other
vehicle to pass.

259
DRIVING ON SNOW AND ICE
– Here are some tips for driving in
these conditions:
– Keep your speed down.
– Use winter tyres or snow chains
for driving on snow covered roads;
see the respective paragraphs in this
chapter.
– Prevalently use the engine brake
and avoid sudden braking.
– Do not accelerate suddenly and
avoid swerving.
– In winter, even apparently dry
roads may have icy patches. Be care-
ful therefore when driving over
stretches that do not get much expo-
sure to the sun or are lined with trees
or rocks where ice might not have
melted.
– Keep a good distance from the
vehicles in front.DRIVING WITH ABS
The ABS is a braking system that
essentially offers two advantages:
1) It prevents wheel lock and con-
sequent skidding in emergency
stops, particularly when the road
does not offer much grip.
2) It makes possible to brake and
steer at the same time so you can
avoid unexpected obstacles and
direct the car where you want while
braking.
To get the most out of ABS:
– During emergency stops or when
grip conditions are very poor, you
will feel a slight pulsation on the
brake pedal. This is the sign that the
ABS is working. Do not release the
brake pedal but continue to press so
as not to interrupt the braking
action.– The ABS prevents the wheels
from locking, but it does not
increase actual grip conditions
between tyre and road. Therefore,
even if your car is fitted with ABS,
keep a safe distance from the car in
front of you and keep your speed
down when driving into bends.
ABS serves to increase your control
over the car, not to enable you to go
faster.

264
TOWING A
TRAILER
GENERAL NOTES
The car must be fitted with a
homologated tow hitch and suitable
electrical system for towing a cara-
van or a trailer. Have the tow hitch
fitted by an expert who will issue
specific documentation for use on
roads.
Fit special and/or additional
rearview mirrors in accordance with
the highway code.
Remember that towing a trailer
makes it harder for the car to climb
the maximum gradients specified,
increases braking and overtaking
distance, proportionally to the over-
all weight of the trailer.Engage a low gear when driving
downhill rather than constantly
braking.
The weight the trailer exerts on the
car’s tow hitch coupling reduces the
car’s loading capacity by the same
amount. In order to be sure you are
not exceeding the maximum towing
weight (as specified in the registra-
tion book), you have to take into
account the trailer’s fully laden
weight, including 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.
Trailer electrical connection shall
only be performed with ignition key
at STOPor removed.
When trailer electrical connection
is on and you switch on the rear fog
lights, only the trailer rear fog lights
will come on.The ABS system will not
control the trailing brak-
ing system. Great care
should therefore be taken when
driving on slippery road surfaces.
Under no circumstances
modify the car’s braking
system for trailer braking
control. The trailer’s braking sys-
tem must be completely indepen-
dent of the car’s hydraulic sys-
tem.
The rear parking sensors
are automatically deacti-
vated when the plug of the
trailer’s electrical cable is insert-
ed in the car’s tow hitch socket.
The rear sensors activate auto-
matically when the trailer’s plug is
disconnected.

293
FUSE LOCATION
The main fuses of THESIS are con-
tained into four fuse boxes, to be
found on the left side of the dash-
board, in the engine compartment,
on the battery and in the right side
compartment of the boot.
GENERAL FUSES
(MIDI-FUSE and MEGA-FUSE)
The car is fitted with a set of gen-
eral fuses (MIDI-FUSE and MEGA-
FUSE) which separately protect the
various electrical system functions in
addition to the individual device
fuses.
The general fuses are located in the
left side of the boot in a fusebox direct-
ly connected to the positive battery
terminal.To reach the fuses:
1) Open the tailgate.
2) Loosen knob A(fig. 68) and
remove the battery cover B.
3) Press tabs A(fig. 69) and
remove the cover B.The systems and devices protected
by the general fuses (fig. 70) are
listed on the following pages.
fig. 68
L0A0030b
fig. 69
L0A0031b
fig. 70
L0A0142b

323
Oil consumption is ex-
tremely low. If the oil level
needs topping up again af-
ter a short period of time, have the
system checked for leakage at a
Lancia Dealership.BRAKE AND HYDRAULIC
CLUTCH FLUID (fig. 16)
Unscrew cap A: check that the fluid
level in the reservoir is at maximum.
Fluid level in the reservoir shall not
exceed the MAXmark.
If fluid has to be added, it is sug-
gested to use the brake fluid in table
"Fluids and lubricants" (see chapter
"Technical characteristics").
NOTEClean accurately the tank cap
Aand the surrounding surface.
Prevent brake fluid, which
is highly corrosive, from
coming into contact with
painted parts. Should it happen,
immediately wash with water.
Do not let the power
steering fluid come into
contact with hot engine
parts. It catches fire very easily.
fig. 16
L0A0294b
– Refit hose C.
– Refit cap Aand check for seal
proper positioning into its seat, then
secure the cap with screws B.At plug opening, pay maximum at-
tention in order to prevent any impu-
rities from entering the tank.
For topping up, always use a funnel
with integrated filter with mesh equal
to or lower than 0.12 mm.
IMPORTANT Brake fluid absorbs
moisture, for this reason, if the car is
mainly used in areas with a high de-
gree of atmospheric humidity, the
fluid should be replaced at more fre-
quent intervals than specified in the
“Service schedule”.