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176
– Avoid “riding” the brakes.
This could cause the brakes
to overheat resulting in reduced brak-
ing efficiency. Use engine braking as
much as possible.
– Because of the added trailer weight,
your engine may overheat on hot
days when going up long or steep
hills. Pay attention to your engine
temperature gauge. If it indicates
overheating, pull off the road and
stop in a safe place. Refer to “If the
Engine Overheats” in “EMERGENCY
SERVICE” section.
WARNING
60A186
When parking your vehicle
and connected trailer, al-
ways use the following procedure:
– Apply the vehicle’s brakes firmly.
– Have another person place wheel
chocks under the wheels of the vehi-
cle and the trailer while you are hold-
ing the brakes.
– Slowly release the brakes until the
wheel chocks absorb the load.
– Fully engage the parking brake.
– Manual Transaxle – Shift into Re-
verse or first gear and turn off the en-
gine.
WARNING
When starting out after
parking:
– Depress the clutch and start the en-
gine.
– Shift into gear, release the parking
brake, and slowly pull away from the
chocks.
– Stop, apply the brakes firmly and
hold them.
– Have another person remove the
chocks.
WARNING
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177
TOWING YOUR
VEHICLE
Your vehicle may be towed behind an-
other vehicle (such as a motorhome), pro-
vided your vehicle is 2 wheel drive (2WD)
and you use the proper towing method
specified for your vehicle. The towing
method you must use depends on the
specifications of your vehicle: whether it
is a manual transaxle vehicle or an auto-
matic transaxle vehicle.
Use the towing instruction table to select
the proper towing method for your vehi-
cle, and carefully follow the correspond-
ing instructions. Be sure to use proper
towing equipment designed for recre-
ational towing and make sure that tow-
ing speed does not exceed 90 km/ h (55
mph). Maximum vertical load on trailer
hitch point
50 kg (110 lbs)
Maximum permissible overhang “a”
810 mm (31.9 in.)
When you tow your vehicle,
follow the instructions below
to avoid accidents and damage to
your vehicle. In addition, be sure to
observe government and local re-
quirements regarding vehicle lighting
and trailer hitches or tow bars.
WARNING
A safety chain should always
be used when you tow your
vehicle.
WARNING
TOWING INSTRUCTION TABLE
DRIVE TRAIN
2WD
4WDTOWING
METHOD
A B
B TRANSAXLE
M/T
M/T
79J158
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178
A: 2WD VEHICLES WITH
MANUAL TRANSAXLE
❒Secure the front wheels on a towing
dolly according to the instructions pro-
vided by the dolly manufacturer.
❒Release the parking brake.
75J019
TOWING METHOD A
FROM THE FRONT:
FRONT WHEELS ON A DOLLY
AND REAR WHEELS ON THE GROUND
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179
79J130
TOWING METHOD B
FROM THE FRONT:
FOUR WHEELS ON THE GROUND
B: 2WD VEHICLES WITH
MANUAL TRANSAXLE
❒Shift the manual transaxle lever into
neutral.
❒Turn the ignition key to the “ACC” po-
sition to unlock the steering wheel.
❒Release the parking brake.
IMPORTANT The steering column is not
strong enough to withstand shocks trans-
mitted from the front wheels during tow-
ing. Always unlock the steering wheel be-
fore towing.
B: 4WD VEHICLES WITH
MANUAL TRANSAXLE
❒Shift the 2WD/4WD switch to the
“2WD” mode.
❒Shift the manual transaxle lever into
neutral.
❒Turn the ignition key to the “ACC”
position to unlock the steering wheel.
❒Release the parking brake.
IMPORTANT The steering column is
not strong enough to withstand shocks
transmitted from the front wheels dur-
ing towing. Always unlock the steering
wheel before towing.
IMPORTANT Never use a towing truck
to tow 4WD vehicles.
79J17579J176
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180
NOTES
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181
I I
N N
S S
P P
E E
C C
T T
I I
O O
N N
A A
N N
D D
M M
A A
I I
N N
T T
E E
N N
A A
N N
C C
E E E
60G410
MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE ........................................... 183
MAINTENANCE RECOMMENDED UNDER SEVERE
DRIVING CONDITIONS .................................................... 188
DRIVE BELT .......................................................................... 189
ENGINE OIL AND FILTER ................................................ 189
GEAR OIL .............................................................................. 193
ENGINE COOLANT .......................................................... 195
WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID ...................................... 198
AIR CLEANER ...................................................................... 198
SPARK PLUGS (Petrol engine).......................................... 199
FUEL FILTER (Diesel engine)............................................. 201
BRAKES .................................................................................. 202
STEERING .............................................................................. 204
CLUTCH PEDAL ................................................................. 205
TIRES ....................................................................................... 205
BATTERY ............................................................................... 210
FUSES ...................................................................................... 211
BULB REPLACEMENT ........................................................ 217
WINDSCREEN - REAR WINDOW WASHER /
WIPERS .................................................................................. 222
AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM ....................................... 223
8
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182
60B128
You should take extreme
care when working on your
vehicle to prevent accidental injury.
Here are a few precautions that you
should be especially careful to ob-
serve:
– To prevent damage or unintended
activation of the air bag system or
seat belt pretensioner system, be sure
the battery is disconnected and the
ignition switch has been in the
“LOCK” position for at least 90 sec-
onds before performing any electrical
service work on your Fiat. Do not
touch air bag system components,
seat belt pretensioner system com-
ponents or wires.
The wires are wrapped with yellow
tape or yellow tubing, and the cou-
plers are yellow for easy identifica-
tion.
– Do not leave the engine running in
garages or other confined areas.
WARNING
– When the engine is run-
ning, keep hands, clothing,
tools, and other objects away from
the fan and drive belt. Even though
the fan may not be moving, it can au-
tomatically turn on without warning.
– When it is necessary to do service
work with the engine running, make
sure that the parking brake is set ful-
ly and the transaxle is in Neutral (for
manual transaxle vehicles) or Park
(for automatic transaxle vehicles).
– Do not touch ignition wires or oth-
er ignition system parts when starting
the engine or when the engine is run-
ning, or you could receive an electric
shock.
– Be careful not to touch a hot en-
gine, exhaust manifold and pipes,
muffler, radiator and water hoses.
– Do not allow smoking, sparks, or
flames around gasoline or the bat-
tery. Flammable fumes are present.
– Do not get under your vehicle if it is
supported only with the portable jack
provided in your vehicle.
WARNING
– Be careful not to cause ac-
cidental short circuits be-
tween the positive and negative bat-
tery terminals.
– Keep used oil, coolant, and other
fluids away from children and pets.
Dispose of used fluids properly; nev-
er pour them on the ground, into sew-
ers, etc.
WARNING
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183
IMPORTANT Whenever it becomes nec-
essary to replace parts on your vehicle,
it is recommended that you use genuine
Fiat replacement parts.
MAINTENANCE
SCHEDULE
The following table shows the times when
you should perform regular maintenance
on your vehicle. This table shows in miles,
kilometers and months when you should
perform inspections, adjustments, lubri-
cation and other services. These intervals
should be shortened if driving is usually
done under severe conditions (refer to
“Maintenance Recommended under Se-
vere Driving Conditions”).
IMPORTANT The Programmed Mainte-
nance coupons are specified by the Man-
ufacturer. The failure to have them car-
ried out may invalidate the warranty.
79J004
Vehicle maintenance should
be entrusted to Fiat Dealer-
ship. For routine and minor mainte-
nance operations you wish to carry
out yourself, always make sure you
have the proper equipment, genuine
Fiat spare parts and the necessary flu-
ids; do not however carry out these
operations if you have no experience.
WARNING
54G088
(1) Oxygen sensor
The shock absorbers are
filled with high pressure gas.
Never attempt to disassemble it or
throw it into a fire. Avoid storing it
near a heater or heating device.
When scrapping the absorber, the gas
must be released from the absorber
safely. Ask your Fiat Dealershipfor as-
sistance.
WARNING
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