Page 62 of 146
61GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
ELECTRICAL POWER
STEERING SYSTEM
IMPORTANT The electrical
power steering system only works
when the ignition key is at MAR.
A new electrically controlled power
steering system called EPAS (Electri-
cal Power Assisted Steering) is fitted
in the Fiat 600.
The EPAS system is operated by an
electric motor and consists of only
two parts: a steering column with
built-in electric motor and an elec-
tronic control unit.
The control unit processes the data
from the various sensors located in
the car and converts the signals into
commands for the power steering
motor to reduce the effect on the
steering wheel both when parking and
when cornering.
P4Q00503
fig. 82
1)Electronic power assisted steering control unit;
2)Car speed sensor;
3)Injection control unit;
4)Electric power steering motor;
5)Electrical power steering unit.
001-069 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:50 Pagina 61
Page 71 of 146

70DRIVING YOUR CAR
STARTING
THE ENGINE1)Ensure that the handbrake is up.
2)Put the gear lever into neutral.
3)Press the clutch pedal fully down,
without pressing the accelerator.
4) Turn the ignition key to AVV and
let it go the moment the engine starts.
If warning lights ¢stay on when the
key is turned to MARturn the key to
STOPand then back to MAR. If the
light does not go off, try with the
other keys.If you are still unable to start the en-
gine, perform the emergency start-up
procedure (see
IN AN EMERGENCY) and
call your Fiat Dealership.
IMPORTANTDo not leave the ig-
nition key at MARwhen the engine is
off.
HOW TO WARM UP
THE ENGINE AFTER IT
HAS JUST STARTED
– 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 kilometres.
D D
R R
I I
V V
I I
N N
G G
Y Y
O O
U U
R R
C C
A A
R R
It is dangerous to let the
engine run in a garage or
other closed area. The
engine consumes oxygen and
gives off carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide and other poisonous
fumes.
Do not touch the high
voltage cables (spark plug
leads) when the engine is
running.
IMPORTANT Do not press down
the accelerator before starting the en-
gine.
070-082 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:50 Pagina 70
Page 72 of 146

71DRIVING YOUR CAR
EMERGENCY START-UP
If the Fiat CODE system fails to
recognise that code transmitted by
the ignition key (instrument panel
warning light ¢on) the emergency
start-up can be performed by using
the CODE card code.
See the
IN AN EMERGENCY. A quick burst on the ac-
celerator before turning
off the engine serves ab-
solutely no practical purpose and
wastes fuel.
IMPORTANTAfter a taxing drive
it is better to allow the engine to
“catch its breath” before turning it off,
by letting it idle to allow the temper-
ature in the engine compartment to
fall.
PARKING
Switch off the engine, pull up the
handbrake and put the car in 1st gear
if the car is pointing uphill, reverse if
downhill.
If the car is parked on a steep gradi-
ent it is a good idea to use a stone or
wedge to block the wheels.
Do not leave the ignition key at
MARbecause it drains the battery.
Always remove the key when you
leave the car. Bump starting by push-
ing, towing or rolling
downhill must be avoided
at all costs. This way of starting
could cause a rush of fuel into the
catalytic exhaust pipe and dam-
age it beyond repair.
Remember that as long
as the engine is not run-
ning, the power brakes
and power steering do not work.
You therefore have to use con-
siderably more effort on both the
brake pedal and the steering
wheel. SWITCHING OFF
THE ENGINE
Turn the key to STOPwhile the
engine is idling.
Never leave unsuper-
vised children in the car.
070-082 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:50 Pagina 71
Page 73 of 146

72DRIVING YOUR CAR
HANDBRAKE
The handbrake lever is between the
front seats.
Pull the handbrake lever upwards
until the car cannot be moved. Four
or five clicks are generally enough
when the car is on level ground while
nine or ten may be required if the car
is on a steep slope or laden. IMPORTANTIf this is not the
case, go to a Fiat Dealership to
have the handbrake adjusted.
Instrument panel warning light x
will come on when the handbrake
lever is pulled up and the ignition key
is at MAR.
To release the handbrake:
1)Slightly lift the hand brake and
press release button A-fig. 1;
2)keep the button pressed in and
lower the lever. Warning light xwill
go out;
3)to prevent accidental movement
of the car, this procedure should be
carried out with the brake pedal
pressed down.
STEERING LOCK LEVER
Use the brake pedal to lock the bot-
tom end. HOW TO USE
THE GEARS
The lever positions for the different
gears are shown in fig. 2(this diagram
is also on the gear knob).
Press the clutch fully.
To put the car in reverse (R), wait
until the car has stopped and, from
neutral: move the lever to the right
and back.
fig. 1
P4Q00078
fig. 2
P4Q00079
070-082 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:50 Pagina 72
Page 77 of 146

76DRIVING YOUR CAR
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 car’s performance. Keeping
these devices in good condition is
therefore a fundamental rule for dri-
ving that is easy on your pocket and
on the environment too.
The first step to take is to follow the
Service Schedule to the letter.
If your car has a petrol engine use
only unleaded petrol.
If you have trouble starting, do not
keep turning the ignition key for long
periods. Be especially careful to avoid
bump starting the car by pushing, tow-
ing or rolling down hill: these are all
manoeuvres that can damage the cat-
alytic exhaust. For emergency starts
use only an auxiliary battery.If the engine begins to “lose its
smoothness” when travelling, con-
tinue your journey but reduce the de-
mands you are making on the engine
and go to a Fiat Dealershipas soon
as you can.
When the instrument panel fuel re-
serve warning light comes on, fill up as
soon as possible. A low level of fuel
can cause an uneven supply of fuel to
the engine with the inevitable increase
in the temperature of the exhaust gas
and serious damage to the catalytic
converter.
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 30 seconds.Do not install other heat shields
and do not remove those already fit-
ted to the catalytic converter and
exhaust pipe.
When functioning nor-
mally the catalytic con-
verter reaches high tem-
peratures. For this reason do not
park the car over flammable ma-
terial (grass, dry leaves, pine nee-
dles etc.): fire hazard.
Ignoring the above rules
may lead to fire.
Do not allow anything to
be sprayed onto the cat-
alytic converter, Lambda
sensor or exhaust pipe.
070-082 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:50 Pagina 76
Page 84 of 146

83IN AN EMERGENCY
I I
N N
A A
N N
E E
M M
E E
R R
G G
E E
N N
C C
Y Y
EMERGENCY
START-UP
If the Fiat CODE cannot deactivate
the engine immobilising system, the
¢and
Uwarning lights stay on and
the engine will not start. Follow the
emergency start-up procedure to
start the engine.
Read the whole procedure care-
fully before trying to carry it out.
If you make a mistake, you must turn
the ignition key back to STOPand
repeat the whole operation from the
beginning (step 1).
1)Read the 5-figure electronic code
given on the CODE card.
2)Turn the ignition key to MAR.3)Press and hold down the acceler-
ator pedal. The injection system warn-
ing light
Uwill come on for about 8
seconds, and then go out. At this
point release the accelerator pedal
and get ready to count the flashes of
warning light
U.
4) Count the number of flashes that
corresponds to the first figure of the
code on the CODE card, then press
the accelerator pedal and keep it there
until the
Uwarning light comes on
for four seconds and then goes out;
release the accelerator pedal.
5) The
Uwarning light will start
flashing again: after it has flashed the
number of times that corresponds to
the second figure on the CODE card,
press the accelerator pedal to the
floor and keep it there.
6) Do the same for the remaining
figures on the CODE card. 7) Once the final figure has been en-
tered, keep the accelerator pedal
pressed. The injection warning light
Uwill light up for four seconds and
then go out; release the accelerator
pedal.
8)The
Uwarning light will flash
rapidly for about 4 seconds to indicate
that the operation has been com-
pleted correctly.
9) Start the engine by turning the ig-
nition key from MARto AVV.
If, however, the
Uwarning light
stays on, turn the ignition key to
STOPand repeat the procedure
from step 1.
IMPORTANTAfter an emergency
start, you should contact a Fiat Deal-
ership, otherwise you will have to re-
peat the procedure described each
time you want to start the engine.
083-104 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:50 Pagina 83
Page 99 of 146
98IN AN EMERGENCY
Never change a fuse
with another amperage:
fire risk !To locate the fuse, refer to the table
on the following pages. Do not attempt to re-
pair a blown maxi fuse.
Go to a Fiat Dealership.
If the fuse blows again,
have the car inspected at
a Fiat Dealership.
fig. 38
P4Q00121
fig. 39
P4Q01030
Remove the blown use with the
tongs Cwhich can be found in the
fusebox.
Never replace a broken
fuse with anything other
than a new fuse. Always
use a fuse of the same colour.
Before changing a fuse,
check the ignition key has
been removed and that
all the other electric devices have
been turned off/disabled. FUSE LOCATION
The fusebox is located to the left of
the steering wheel. To reach the fuse-
box, loosen the screw B-fig. 38 fas-
tening the cover A.
The numbers indicating the devices
corresponding to the fuses are shown
on the back of the cover fig. 39.
083-104 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:50 Pagina 98
Page 104 of 146

103IN AN EMERGENCY
Before starting to tow,
turn the ignition key to
MAR and then to STOP.
Do not remove the key. If the
key is removed, the steering lock
engages automatically which pre-
vents the wheels being turned.
While the car is being
towed with the engine
off, remember that the
brake pedal and steering will re-
quire more effort as you no
longer have the benefit of the
power brakes and power steer-
ing. Do not use flexible cables to
tow. Avoid jerking. Whilst tow-
ing, ensure that the coupling to
the vehicle does not damage the
surrounding components.
The car can be lifted
from the side providing
the hydraulic jack arm is
fitted with a special bracket in
the plate housing.
WITH AN ARM HOIST
Jack up the car by arranging the ends
of the arms in the areas shown in
fig. 45.
IF THE CAR NEEDS
TO BE TOWED
A tow hitch is provided with the car.
To fasten the tow hitch:
1)Take the tow eye from the spare
wheel in the boot.
When towing the car,
you must comply with
the specific traffic regula-
tions regarding the tow hitch and
how to tow on the road.
fig. 45
P4Q00138
From the side
083-104 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:50 Pagina 103