CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
169
STARTING PROCEDURE
FOR PETROL VERSIONS
IMPORTANTIt is important never to
press the accelerator before the engine has
started.
1) Make sure the handbrake is engaged.
2) Move the gear lever to neutral.
3) Fully depress the clutch pedal, so that
the starter motor is not forced to crank the
gears.
4) Ensure that the electric systems and de-
vices, especially if they absorb high quanti-
ties of energy (e.g. heated rearscreen), are
switched off.
5) Turn the ignition key to the AV Vpo-
sition and release it as soon as the engine
starts.
6) If the engine does not start, return the
key to STOP, then repeat the procedure.
IMPORTANTIf it is difficult to start the
engine do not insist with extended attempts
which may damage the catalyst, but con-
tact Alfa Romeo Authorised Services. The ignition switch is fitted with a safety
device which obliges the driver to return the
key to the STOPposition before repeat-
ing the starting operation if the engine does
not start immediately.
Similarly, when the engine is running, the
device prevents the key being moved from
theMARto the AV Vposition.
STARTING
THE ENGINE
IMPORTANTThe car is fitted with an
electronic engine lock device. If the engine
fails to start, see the “Alfa Romeo CODE sys-
tem”.
C C
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F F
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R R
We recommend that dur-
ing the initial period you do
not drive to full car perfor-
mance (for example excessive ac-
celeration, long journeys at top
speed, hard braking etc.).
Running the engine in con-
fined areas is extremely
dangerous. The engine con-
sumes oxygen and produces carbon
monoxide which is a highly toxic
and lethal gas.
When the engine is
switched off never leave
the ignition key in the MAR
position to prevent pointless cur-
rent absorption from draining the
battery.
CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
170
STARTING PROCEDURE
FOR JTD VERSIONS
1) Make sure the handbrake is engaged.
2) Set the gearshift lever to neutral.
3) Turn the ignition key to MAR. The re-
configurable multifunction display will show
the
mwarning light.
4) Wait for the
mto turn off, which
takes place sooner, the warmer the engine.
With the engine very warm the light might
stay on for such a short time as to pass un-
noticed.
5) Fully depress the clutch pedal.
6) Turn the ignition key to AV Vas soon
as the
mwarning light has gone out.
Waiting too long, makes the warming work
of the glow plugs useless.IMPORTANTThe electric devices that
absorb a high amount of energy (climate
control, rearscreen heating, etc.) are cut off
automatically during starting.
If the engine does not start at the first at-
tempt, move the ignition key to STOPbe-
fore repeating starting.
If starting is difficult (with the Alfa Romeo
CODE system working properly), do not in-
sist with prolonged attempts.
Only use an auxiliary battery if the cause
is due to low battery charge. Never use a
battery charger to start the engine.
WARMING THE ENGINE
– Drive off slowly, at medium revs with-
out accelerating abruptly.
– Do not drive at full performance for the
initial kilometres of the journey. Wait until
the engine coolant temperature reaches 50-
60 °C.
CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
171
Never push, tow or coast
start the car. This could
cause fuel to flow into the
catalyst damaging it irreversibly.
Remember that the en-
gine brake and power
steering are not opera-
tional until the engine is started,
therefore, much greater effort than
usual is needed on the brake ped-
al and steering wheel. For cars with turbocharg-
er in particular, but for all
cars in general, sharp ac-
celerating should be avoided before
switching the engine off.
A “kick” on the accelerator
serves no purpose, consumes fuel
pointlessly and may cause serious
damage to the turbocharger im-
peller bearings.
EMERGENCY STARTING
If the Alfa Romeo CODE system does not
recognise the code transmitted by the igni-
tion key (warning light
Yon the instru-
ment cluster glowing on steadily) emer-
gency starting may be carried out using the
code of the CODE card.
For the correct procedure see the chapter
“In an emergency”.
IMPORTANTIf the engine turns off with
the car on the move, the next time it is start-
ed, the Alfa Romeo CODE warning light may
turn on(
Y). In this case, check that switch-
ing off and starting the engine again with
the car stationary, the warning light stays
off. If not, contact Alfa Romeo Authorised
Services.
ENGINE 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.
IMPORTANTAfter a tiring journey it is
advisable to let the engine “get its breath
back” allowing it to idle a while to lower the
temperature in the engine compartment.
CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
173
CONDITIONS OF USE
Cold starting
Short journeys and frequent cold starts do
not allow the engine to reach optimum op-
erating temperature. This results in a sig-
nificant increase in consumption levels (from
+15 to +30% on the urban cycle) and emis-
sion of harmful substances.
Traffic situations and road
conditions
Rather high consumption levels are tied to
situations with heavy traffic, for example
in queues with frequent use of the lower
gears or in cities with many traffic lights. Al-
so winding mounting roads and rough road
surfaces adversely affect consumption.
Stopping in the traffic
During prolonged stops (e.g. level cross-
ings) it is advisable to switch the engine off.
DRIVING STYLE
Starting
Do not warm the engine with the car at a
standstill or at idle or high speed: under
these conditions the engine warms up much
more slowly, increasing electrical consump-
tion and emissions. It is therefore advisable
to move off immediately, slowly, avoiding
high speeds. This way the engine will warm
faster.
Pointless manoeuvres
Avoid accelerating when waiting at traffic
lights or before switching off the engine. This
and also double declutching is absolutely
pointless on modern cars and also increase
consumption and pollution.
Gearshifting
As soon as the conditions of the traffic and
road allow, use a higher gear.
Using a low gear to obtain brilliant per-
formance increases consumption.
In the same way improper use of a high
gear increases consumption, emissions and
engine wear.Top speed
Fuel consumption considerably increases
with speed. Maintain an even as possible
speed, avoiding superfluous braking and ac-
celerating, which cost in terms of both fuel
and emissions.
Acceleration
Accelerating heavily taking the engine to
a high speed has a considerably adverse ef-
fect on consumption and emission levels;
it is wise to accelerate gradually and not ex-
ceed the maximum torque.
IN AN EMERGENCY
179
3) Fully depress the accelerator pedal and
keep it pressed. The
Uwarning light will
come on for eight seconds and then go off,
now release the accelerator pedal.
4) The
Uwarning light begins to flash:
after it has flashed the same number of
times as the first digit on the CODE card,
press the accelerator pedal and keep it
pressed until the
Uwarning light turns on
(for four seconds) and then goes off; now
release the accelerator pedal.
5) The
Uwarning light starts to flash: af-
ter the number of flashes corresponding to
the second digit on the CODE card, press the
accelerator pedal and keep it pressed.
6) Repeat this procedure for the remain-
ing digits on the CODE card.
7) After entering the last figure, keep the
accelerator pedal pressed. The
Uwarning
light turns on (for four seconds) and then
goes off; now release the accelerator pedal. 8) A quick flash of the
Uwarning light
(for about four seconds) confirms that the
operation has been carried out correctly.
9) Start the engine turning the ignition key
fromMARtoAV Vwithout returning the
key to the STOPposition.
Conversely, if the
Uwarning light stays
on, turn the key to STOPand repeat the
procedure starting from point 1).
IMPORTANTAfter emergency starting
it is advisable to contact Alfa Romeo Au-
thorised Services, because the emergency
procedure must be repeated each time the
engine is started.
EMERGENCY
STARTING
If it is not possible to deactivate the engine
inhibitor with the Alfa Romeo CODE system,
the
YandUwarning lights stay on and
the engine will not start. Emergency start-
ing is needed to start the engine.
IMPORTANTYou are advised to care-
fully read the entire procedure before carry-
ing it out. If a mistake is made during the
emergency procedure, the ignition key should
be turned to STOPand the operations must
be repeated from the start (point 1).
1) Read the 5-figure electronic code on the
CODE card.
2) Turn the ignition key to MAR.
I I
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M M
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G G
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C C
Y Y
IN AN EMERGENCY
190
– after driving for about 10 minutes stop
and check again the tyre pressure; pull up
the handbrake;
fig. 18
A0A1101b
fig. 19
A0A1102b
If the pressure falls below
1.8 bars, do not drive any
further: the quick tyre re-
pair kit Fix & Go automatic cannot
guarantee proper hold because the
tyre is too much damaged. Contact
Alfa Romeo Authorized Services.
– drive with the utmost care to the near-
est Alfa Romeo Authorized Service.
It is of vital importance to
communicate that the tyre
has been repaired using the
quick tyre repair kit. Hand the in-
struction brochure to the personnel
charged with treating the tyre re-
paired with the kit.FOR CHECKING AND
RESTORING PRESSURE ONLY
The compressor can be also used just for
restoring pressure. Disconnect the quick con-
nectionA-fig. 18and connect it directly
to the tyre valve fig. 19; in this way the
cylinder is not connected to compressor and
the sealing fluid will not flow into the tyre.
– if at least 1.8 bar pressure is read, re-
store proper pressure (with engine running
and handbrake on) and restart;
IN AN EMERGENCY
213
IF THE CAR IS TO BE TOWED
The tow ring supplied with the car is
housed in the tool box under the boot mat.
To install the tow ring, proceed as follows:
– Take the tow ring from the tool box.
– Remove the cover (A) snap-fitted on
the front (fig. 55) or rear (fig. 56)
bumper. To do this, using the flat-bladed
screwdriver provided, protect the tip with a
soft cloth to avoid damaging the car.– Firmly screw the ring in its housing.
fig. 55 - front
A0A0650b
fig. 56 - rear
A0A0670b
Before tightening the ring
carefully clean the thread-
ed housing. Before begin-
ning to tow the car, make sure that
the ring is firmly tightened in its
threaded housing.
Before starting to tow,
turn the ignition key to
MAR and back to STOP,
again without removing it. Re-
moving the key automatically en-
gages the steering lock resulting in
the impossibility to steer the
wheels. When towing remember
that without the help of the engine
brake and power steering greater
effort is required on the pedal and
steering wheel. Do not use flexible
cables for towing and avoid jerks.
During towing operations make
sure that fastening the joint to the
car does not damage the compo-
nents in contact with it. When tow-
ing the car, it is compulsory to fol-
low specific traffic regulations con-
cerning both the towing device and
behaviour on the road.
CAR MAINTENANCE
232
Proceed as follows with doors closed:
1.open completely the driver’s window
keeping the button pressedfor at
least 3 seconds after full opening;
2.close completely the driver’s window
keeping the button pressedfor at
least 3 seconds after full closing;
3.proceed as described in points 1 and
2 also for the passenger’s side;
4.check for proper initialisation by oper-
ating the windows in automatic.
USEFUL HINTS TO EXTEND
THE LIFE OF YOUR BATTERY
To avoid rapidly draining the battery and
ensure that it continues to work correctly,
the following should be noted:
– The terminals must always be firmly
tightened.
– As far as possible, avoid keeping ser-
vices on for a long time with the engine
stopped (radio, hazard lights, parking lights,
etc.). IMPORTANTIf the battery is kept with
a charge of below 50% it is damaged by sul-
phation, its starting capability is reduced and
it is also more subject to the possibility of
freezing (this may occur already at -10 °C).
In the event of a prolonged inactivity, refer
to the paragraph “car inactivity”, in the
chapter “Correct use of the car”.
CHANGING
THE BATTERY
When changing the battery it should be re-
placed with another original one with the
same characteristics. If it is replaced by a
battery with different characteristics, the
maintenance intervals given in the Sched-
uled Maintenance Programme in this chap-
ter are no longer valid and for maintenance
it will be necessary to follow the battery
Manufacturer’s instructions.
IMPORTANTLacking power to control
units (e.g. battery change/disconnection
and replacement of power window control
unit protection fuses), window automatism
must be reset.– When leaving the car parked in a
garage, make sure that the doors, bonnet,
boot and interior lids are properly shut to
prevent lights from staying on.
– Before carrying out any work on the
electric system, disconnect the negative ca-
ble from the battery.
– If after buying the car, you wish to in-
stall electric accessories which require a per-
manent electric supply (alarm, voice feature,
radionavigator with satellite antitheft func-
tion etc.) or accessories that burden the elec-
tric system, contact Alfa Romeo Authorised
Services whose qualified personnel, in ad-
dition to suggesting the most suitable de-
vices belonging to Lineaccessori Alfa Romeo,
will evaluate the overall electric absorption,
checking whether the car’s electric system
is capable of withstanding the load required,
or whether it should be integrated with a
more powerful battery. In fact, as some of
these devices continue absorbing energy
even when the ignition key is off (car sta-
tionary, engine off), they gradually drain the
battery.