57
LIGHTS SWITCH AND
STEERING WHEEL
LEVERS
The device and services controlled by
the levers on the steering wheel can only
be activated when the ignition key is in
theMARposition (except the parking
lights which can always be switched on).
LIGHTS SWITCH (fig. 66)
Lights switched off
When the pointer on the knurled ring
(A) is opposite the symbol O, the exter-
nal lights are switched off.
The front air bag is trig-
gered for shocks greater
in magnitude than the pretension-
ers. For impacts between these
two thresholds, it is therefore nor-
mal that only the pretensioners are
triggered.
WARNING
Do not hook rigid objects
to the coat hooks and to
the support handles.
WARNING
The air bag does not sub-
stitute the seat belts, but
only increases their effectiveness.
Moreover, since the front air bags
do not come into operation in the
event of front impact at low
speed, side collisions, bumps from
behind or overturning, in these cir-
cumstances the occupants would
only be protected by the seat belts
which must therefore always be
fastened.
WARNING
fig. 66
A0D0146m
66
Resetting the speed memorised
The memorised speed is automatically
reset:
– turning off the engine;
or
– moving the switch (A) to the OFF
position.
When travelling with the
cruise control engaged,
never move the gearshift lever to
neutral and do not move the au-
tomatic gearshift lever to N.
You are advised to engage the
cruise control only when the traf-
fic and road conditions permit un-
der completely safe conditions, i.e.:
straight, dry road, dual carriage-
way or motorway, flowing traffic
and smooth tarmac. Do not engage
the device in town or in heavy traf-
fic conditions.
WARNING
The Cruise Control can
only be engaged with
speed over 30 km/h and, just for
certain versions up to 180 km/h.
The device must only be engaged
in 4
th, 5thor 6thgear, depending on
the vehicle speed. On cars with
electronic automatic gearbox it
must be engaged only with the
lever at position D in the automatic
mode without then moving the
gearshift lever by hand or with 3
nd
or 4thgear engaged inthe sequen-
tial manual mode.
Moving downhill with the device
engaged, the car speed might be
slightly higher than the speed
memorised due to the change in en-
gine load.
WARNING
Should the device not be
working properly or fail
to operate, move the switch (A-fig.
78) to the OFF Position and contact
Authorized Alfa Romeo Services
after checking that the protection
fuse is intact.
The switch (A-fig. 78) may be left
constantly at ON without damag-
ing the device. You are however
advised to deactivate the device
when not in use, moving the switch
(A) to OFF, to avoid accidentally
memorising the speed.
WARNING
72
E - Fuel gauge and reserve
warning light
This shows the amount of fuel left in
the fuel tank.
0Tank empty;
1Tank full (see "Refuelling" paragraph
in this section).
This warning light comes on to indicate
that about 9 litres of fuel are left in the
tank.
IMPORTANTUnder certain condi-
tions (heavy slopes, for instance) the
reading on the gauge may differ from the
actual amount of fuel in the tank and
changes in level may be indicated late.
This is part of the operating logic of the
electronic control circuit to avoid highly
unstable readings due to swaying of the
fuel when travelling.F - Engine coolant temperature
gauge and maximum temperature
warning light (fig. 85)
This shows the temperature of the en-
gine coolant fluid and begins when the
fluid temperature exceeds about 50°C.
The pointer should normally be towards
the middle of the scale. If the pointer
reaches the higher temperature values
the request for vehicle performance
should be decreased.
The illumination of this warning light in-
dicates an excessive temperature of the
engine cooling fluid. In this case, stop the
car and contact Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services.IMPORTANT The temperature of the
engine coolant may rise towards the maxi-
mum values by obstruction or dirt on the
outer part of the engine cooling radiator.
In this case you are advised to inspect
and remove any obstructions and have
the outside of the radiator washed as
soon as possible.
fig. 85
A0D0121m
73
G - The warning lights
IMPORTANT The presence of the
warning lights may vary depending on
the type of engine and trim level.
Insufficient brake fluid
and/or handbrake on
This warning light stays on for about 15
seconds, after the end of the check,
when the level of the brake fluid falls be-
low the minimum, possibly due to a leak-
age in the system and when the hand-
brake is engaged.
When the ignition key is turned to
MARthe warning light comes on but
must go out after approx. 6 seconds.
x
Air bag malfunction
When the ignition key is turned to the
MARposition the warning light will
come on and should go out as after
about. 4 seconds.
This warning light will come on perma-
nently when an anomaly affecting the Air
bag system is detected.¬
If the ¬warning light
does not turn on when
turning the ignition key to MAR or
if it stays on when travelling, this
could indicate a failure in safety re-
taining systems; under this condi-
tion air bags or pretensioners could
not trigger in the event of collision
or, in a restricted number of cases,
they could trigger accidentally.
Stop the car and contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services to
have the system checked immedi-
ately.
WARNING
If the warning light
comes on while driving
check if the handbrake is not en-
gaged. If the warning lights stays
on with the handbrake not engaged,
stop immediately and contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services.x
WARNING
74
If the warning light
comes on when the ve-
hicle is in movement,
switch the engine off immediate-
ly and contact Alfa Romeo Au-
thorized Services.v
Low engine oil level
This warning light stays on for approx.
15 seconds, after the check, when the
engine oil level is low.
With the ignition key at MAR, pressing
the check button, the warning light turns
on but must go out after approx. 6 sec-
onds.
The oil level is checked only pressing
the check button with the engine
stopped. If the engine is started during
the check, the check procedure is inter-
rupted.k
If the warning light
stays on after the
check, do not try to get
peak performance out of the en-
gine and top up the oil as soon
as possible.k
Insufficient oil pressure
This warning light should be out when
the engine is running.
When the ignition key is turned to the
MARposition the warning light comes
on and should go out as soon as the en-
gine is started. vLow battery charge
This warning light should be out when the
engine is running (a slight delay is permitted
when the engine is running at idle speed).
If the warning light comes on, Alfa
Romeo Authorized services should be con-
tacted immediately.
When the ignition key is moved to the
MARposition the warning light comes
on and should go out as soon as the en-
gine is started.w
76
Engine control system
(EOBD) failure
(optional for versions/
markets where applicable)
Normally, when you turn the ignition
key to MAR, the warning light must
come on but must switch off when the
engine is running. It initially lights up to
indicate that the warning light is working.
If the warning light stays on permanent-
ly or comes on when the car is moving:
1)With a fixed light- indicates
that the supply/ ignition system is mal-
functioning that could cause high exhaust
emissions, possible loss of performance,
bad driveability and high consumptions.
In these conditions, you way continue
to drive while avoiding asking a lot from
the engine or high speeds. The prolonged
use of the car when this warning light is
on could cause damage. Contact an Alfa
Romeo Authorized Service Station as
soon as possible. The warning light turns
off if the malfunction disappears, howev-
er the system stores the warning anyhow.
U
2)Flashing light - indicates that the
catalytic converter could be damaged
(see paragraph on “EOBD System” in
this chapter).
If the warning light is on and flashing,
take your foot off the accelerator and dri-
ve at low speeds until the warning light
stops flashing; continue travelling at a
moderate speed trying to avoid driving
conditions that could cause the warning
light to flash again. Contact an Alfa
Romeo Authorized Service Station as
soon as possible.
If, when turning the ig-
nition key to MAR, the
Uwarning light does
not switch on or if, when dri-
ving, the light flashes or emits a
fixed light, contact an Alfa
Romeo Authorized Service Sta-
tion as soon as possible.
Engine control system
(versions for markets where
applicable)
1) In normal conditions, turning the ig-
nition key to MAR, the dial warning
light turns on but it should go off when
the engine has started. The initial turning
on indicates that the warning light is
working properly.
2) If the warning light stays on or turns
on when travelling, it indicates a fault in
the supply /ignition system which could
cause high exhaust emissions, possible
lack of performance, poor handling and
high consumption levels.
In these conditions, it is possible to con-
tinue driving without however demanding
heavy effort or high speeds.
Prolonged use of the car with the warn-
ing light on may cause damage. Contact
an Alfa Romeo Authorized Service as
soon as possible.
The warning light turns off if the fault
disappears, but it is still stored by the sys-
tem.
U
77
Faulty ABS anti
wheel-locking
This warning light comes on when the
system is inefficient. In this case normal
braking is ensured without though, mak-
ing use of the ABS system. Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services should however be
contacted as soon as possible.
When the ignition key is turned to
MARthe warning light comes on but
must go out after approx. 4 seconds.>
Presence of water
in the fuel oil filter
(JTD 20V Multijet versions)
When the ignition key is turned to the
MARposition the warning light should
come on and must go out after approx. 4
seconds.
The warning light switches on fixed
when driving, to indicate the presence of
water in the fuel oil filter.
In case the indicator light switches on,
even if just for a few seconds, we recom-
mend to contact an Alfa Romeo Autho-
rised Service as soon as possible in order
to purge the water from the fuel oil filter
and avoid severe damages to the injec-
tion pump and to the fuel oil supply cir-
cuit as well as the engine irregular opera-
tion.
c
Glowplugs
(JTD 20V Multijet versions)
The warning light comes on
when the ignition key is turned to MAR
position. When the glowplugs have
reached the established temperature the
warning light will go out. Start the en-
gine as soon as the warning light has
gone out.
For versions/markets where applica-
ble, the warning light flashes for approx.
30 seconds after starting the engine
meaning that there is a fault to the glow
plug warning system, in which case,
contact Alfa Romeo Authorized Services.
With a high ambient temperature the
warning light may turn on imperceptibly.
m
The car is fitted with an
electronic braking device
(EDB). If the
>andxwarning
lights turn on at the same time, this
means that there is an EBD system
fault; in this case violent braking
may be accompanied by early rear
wheel locking, with the possibility
of skidding. Drive the car ex-
tremely carefully to the nearest
Authorized Alfa Romeo workshop
to have the system checked.
WARNING
79
Main-beam headlights
This warning light comes on when the
main-beam is switched on.
Cruise Control
(on request for versions/
markets where applicable)
The warning light turns on, with the
control switch in the ONposition, when
the device starts to act on the engine.
1VDC System (Vehicle
Dynamics Control)
(on request for versions/
markets where applicable)
Turning the ignition key to MAR, the
warning light on the instrument cluster
lights up and must go out after about 4
seconds.
If the warning light does not go out or s-
tays on when travelling, contact Autho-
rised Alfa Romeo Services. Although the
absence of the VDC function does not af-
fect the car safety, it is however recom-
mended to drive at moderate speed.
Flashing of the warning light when travel-
ling means that the VDC system has cut in.
áPassenger’s Air bag
deactivated
This warning light turns on when the
passenger’s Air bag is deactivated.
Warning light Findi-
cates also warning light
¬failure. This is indicated by in-
termittent flashing, over 4 sec-
onds, of warning light F. In this
event, warning light ¬could be
not up to indicate restraint system
failures, if any. Stop the car and
contact Authorized Alfa Romeo
Services have the system checked.
WARNING