2007 Alfa Romeo 156 battery

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
190
WARNINGOn the 2.0 JTS version,
keep the brake pedal pressed when starting
the engine. As the brake pedal stiffens if it
is pressed repeatedly with the engine off. In
this situation, to allow the engine to be
started, it is necessary to increase the pres-
sure exerted on the pedal itself.PROCEDURE FOR JTD VERSIONS1)Make sure the handbrake is engaged.
2)Move the gearshift lever to neutral.
3)Turn the ignition key to the MARpo-
sition. The warning light
m
on the instru-
ment cluster will turn on.
4)Wait for the
m
warning light to go
off, which will depend on how warm the en-
gine is. With the engine very hot the warn-
ing light may stay on for such a short time
that it is not noticed.
5)Fully depress the clutch pedal.
6)Turn the ignition key to AV Vas soon
as the
m
warning light goes off. Waiting
too long would make the glow plug heating
work pointless.WARNINGThe electric devices that ab-
sorb much energy (air conditioner,
rearscreen heating, etc.) are disengaged au-
tomatically during engine starting.
If the engine does not start at the first at-
tempt, move the ignition key back to the
STOPposition before repeating starting.
If starting is difficult (with the Alfa Romeo
CODE system efficient), do not insist with
prolonged attempts.
Only use an auxiliary battery if it is noted
that the cause is due to low charge of the
car’s battery. Never use a battery charger to
start the engine (see “If the battery is flat”
in the chapter “In an emergency”).
WARMING THE ENGINE– Drive off slowly, at medium revs with-
out accelerating abruptly.
– Do not drive at full performance for the
initial kilometers 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 STOPpo-
sition and switch off the engine.
WARNINGAfter a taxing drive it is bet-
ter to allow the engine to “catch its breath”
before turning it off by letting it idle to al-
low the temperature in the engine com-
partment to fall.

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
198
PROTECTING EMISSION
REDUCING DEVICESCorrect operation of the antipollution de-
vices not only guarantees respect for the en-
vironment but also influences car perfor-
mance. Keeping these devices in good con-
dition is therefore the first rule for both en-
vironment-friendly and economy driving.
The first precaution is to closely follow the
“Scheduled Maintenance Programme ”. For
petrol engines only use unleaded petrol (95
RON) (specification EN228), for diesel en-
gines only use fuel oil for motor vehicles
(specification EN590).
If difficulty with starting is experienced do
not insist with extended attempts. Especially
avoid bump, tow or coast starts: these may
all damage the catalyst. Only use an auxil-
iary battery to start the car in an emergency.If the engine is “not running smoothly”
when the vehicle is travelling, reduce the re-
quest for performance to a minimum and
contact Alfa Romeo Authorized Services 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 supply to the engine
with inevitable increase of the exhaust gas
temperature; this would result in serious
damage to the catalyst.
Never run the engine, even as a test, with
one or more spark plugs disconnected. Do
not warm the engine at idle speed before
moving off, unless the outside temperature
is very low and, in this case too, for no more
than 30 seconds.
Do not install other heat
guards and do not remove
the existing ones on the catalyst
and exhaust pipe.
WARNING
Do not spray anything on
the catalyst, lambda sen-
sor and exhaust pipe.
WARNING
The failure to follow these
rules may cause a fire
hazard.
WARNING
During normal service the
catalyst reaches high tem-
peratures. Do not therefore park
the car over inflammable materials
(grass, dry leaves, pine needles,
etc.): fire hazard.
WARNING

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
200
INSTALLATION LAYOUT
(fig. 1)
The tow hook structure must be fastened
in the points shown by the symbol
Ø
us-
ing 4 M8 screws and 7 M10 screws.
Inner plate (2) should be at least 6 mm
thick.
Inner plate (3) should be at least 4 mm
thick.
Outer plate (4) should be at least 5 mm
thick.
The fastening points (1) must be fitted
with spacers with 25 mm diameter and 6
mm thickness. For the electrical connection, a 7 pin
12VDC connection is to be used
(CUNA/UNI - 9128 Standard). Follow the
instructions provided by the car manufac-
turer and/or the tow hitch manufacturer.
An electric brake should be supplied directly
by the battery through a cable with a cross
section of no less than 2.5 mm
2. In addition
to the electrical branches, the car’s electric
system can only be connected to the supply
cable for an electric brake and to the cable
for an internal light, though not above 15W.WARNINGIt is compulsory to fasten a
label (clearly visible) of suitable size and
material at the height of the hook ball with
the wording:
MAX. LOAD ON BALL 60 kg
After assembly, the fas-
tening screw holes should
be sealed to prevent the infiltra-
tion of exhaust gas.
WARNING

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
203
Keep your speed
down when snow
chains are fitted.
Do not exceed 50 km/h. Avoid
potholes, steps and pavements and
avoid also to drive for long dis-
tances on roads not covered with
snow to prevent damaging the car
and the roadbed.
VEHICLE INACTIVITYIf the car is to be left inactive for long pe-
riods, the following precautions should be
noted:
– House the vehicle under cover in a dry
and possibly ventilated place.
– Engage a gear.
– Check that the handbrake is not en-
gaged.
– Clean and protect the painted parts us-
ing protective wax.
– Disconnect the negative terminal (–)
and check the battery charge. This check is
to be repeated every three months.
Recharge if the optical indicator shows a
dark colour without the central green area.
WARNINGWhere applicable, switch off
the electronic car alarm with the remote con-
trol.– Clean and protect the shiny metal parts
using special compounds readily available.
– Sprinkle talcum powder on the rubber
windscreen and rear window wiper blades
and lift them off the glass.
– Slightly open the windows.
– Cover the car with a cloth or perforated
plastic sheet. Do not use sheets of non-per-
forated plastic as they do not allow mois-
ture on the car body to evaporate.
– Inflate the tyres to 0.5 bar above the
normal specified pressure and check it at in-
tervals.
– If you don’t disconnect the battery from
the electric system, check its charge every
month and recharge it if the optical indica-
tor shows a dark colour without the central
green area.
– Do not drain the engine cooling system. Snow chains cannot be
fitted to the spare wheel
so, if a front (drive) tyre is
punctured and chains must be fit-
ted, the rear wheel should be fit-
ted to the front of the vehicle (in-
flate the tyres to the specified
pressure as soon as possible) and
the spare tyre should be fitted to
the rear. A snow chain can then be
safely fitted to the front wheel.

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
204
REMOVING FROM STORAGEBefore using your vehicle after a long pe-
riod of inactivity, the following operations
should first be carried out:
– Do not dust the outside of the vehicle.
– Visually check that there are no leaks
(oil, brake and clutch fluid, engine coolant,
etc.).
– Replace engine oil and filter.
– Check:
- brake-clutch fluid level
- level of engine coolant fluid.
– Check the air cleaner and replace if nec-
essary.
– Check tyre pressure and ensure that they
are not damaged, cracked or cut. If they are
they must be replaced.– Check the state of the drive belts.
– Reconnect the battery negative termi-
nal (–) after checking that the charge is ad-
equate.
– With the gear lever in neutral start the
engine and allow the engine to run for a few
seconds whilst repeatedly working the clutch
pedal.
USEFUL ACCESSORIESIn addition to the legal requirements, we
recommend keeping the following in the car
(fig. 1):
– first aid kit with non-alcoholic base dis-
infectant, steril gauzes, a roll of gauze, plas-
ters, etc.;
– torch;
– round-ended scissors;
– work gloves.fig. 1
A0B0389m
This operation must be per-
formed in the open. The
exhaust gases contain carbon
monoxide which is extremely toxic
and may also be lethal.
WARNING

IN AN EMERGENCY
206
STARTING WITH AN
AUXILIARY BATTERYIf the battery is flat (for battery with op-
tical hydrometer: dark in colour with no
green area in the centre), the engine can be
started using another battery of the same
or a little higher capacity than the flat one.
This is what you should do fig. 1:
1)Remove the protecting cover on the
battery positive pole by pressing the related
side wings (front side), then connect the
positive terminals (plus sign +next to the
terminal) of the two batteries with a special
cable.
2)Connect a second cable to the negative
terminal (–) of the auxiliary battery with
an earth point
Eon the engine or the gear-
box of the car to be started.WARNINGDo not directly connect the
negative terminals of the two batteries: any
sparks may set fire to the gas that may be
released from the battery. If the auxiliary bat-
tery in installed on another car, no metal part
shall accidentally come into contact with this
car and the one with the flat battery.
3)Start the engine.
4)When the engine is running remove the
cables in reverse order.
If after a few attempts the engine does not
start, do not insist but contact Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services.
fig. 1
A0B0181m
Never use a quick battery
charger to start the engine
in an emergency as this
could damage the electronic sys-
tems of your vehicle, particularly
the control units which manage the
starting and supply functions.
The battery terminal con-
necting and disconnecting
operations generate cur-
rent that may cause problems to
the car’s electronic systems. There-
fore, this operation should be car-
ried out by skilled personnel.This starting procedure
must be carried out by
qualified personnel as incorrect op-
erations may provoke electrical
discharge of great intensity. The
liquid contained in the battery is
toxic and corrosive. Avoid contact
with skin and eyes. Keep naked
flame and lighted cigarettes away
from the battery. Do not cause
sparks.
WARNING

IN AN EMERGENCY
235
The general protection fuses of Alfa
156are in the engine compartment, in-
side a container near the battery positive ter-
minal; to gain access to the fuses lift the two
lids (fig. 67and fig. 68).
FUSE AND RELAYS IN THE
MAIN FUSEBOX (fig. 69)The fuses for the main devices are housed
in a control unit under the dashboard, to the
left of the steering column.
To gain access to them, remove the pan-
el (A) releasing the tabs (B) in the direc-
tion of the arrow below and remove the
screw (C).A.Dipped beam light relay.
B.Relay for sunroof , seat heater, rear
window power control, seat electric adjust-
ment.
The symbols that identify the main electric
component protected by each fuse, are
shown on the label (fig. 70) on the in-
ner side of the panel (A-fig. 69).
Some spare fuses are housed at the right
of the control unit (D-fig. 69); you are ad-
vised to replenish the stock of spare fuses
when they are used.
fig. 68
A0B0579m
fig. 67
A0B0188m
fig. 69
A0B0172m
fig. 70
A0B0185m

IN AN EMERGENCY
236
FUSES ABOVE THE MAIN
FUSEBOX
(fig. 71)
The protection fuses of certain devices are
grouped together on three containers locat-
ed above the main fusebox to which access
is gained removing the panel (A-fig. 69).
FUSES AND RELAYS ACCESSIBLE
FROM THE GLOVEBOX Some fuses and relays for services supplied
on request or only for certain specific mar-
ket versions are located on a bracket behind
the glovebox.To gain access to the fuses remove (A-
fig. 72) the pressure-fitted lid.
Access to the relays is gained by removing
the glovebox: contact Alfa Romeo Autho-
rized Services.
A. Fog light relay (where required).
B. Headlamp washer timer (where re-
quired).
FUSES AND RELAYS IN ENGINE
BAYIn the engine compartment, housed on a
bracket in front of the battery and protect-
ed by a special cover, there is a variable
number of fuses and relays depending on
the versions.
WARNINGThe arrangement of the fus-
es and relays may vary depending on the
versions and markets. In the event of a sus-
pected anomaly, contact Alfa Romeo Au-
thorized Services.fig. 73
A0B0154m
fig. 71
A0B0141m
fig. 72
A0B0184m