2007 FIAT SEDICI brake

170
IMPORTANT Do not continue rocking
the vehicle for more than a few minutes.
Prolonged rocking can cause engine over-
heating or transaxle damage. IF YOUR VEHICLE GETS STUCK
If your vehicle gets stuck in snow, mud, or
sand, follow the directions below:
❒Shift the transaxle back and forth be-
tween first gear and reverse. This will
create a rocking motion which may give
you enough momentum to free the ve-
hicle. Press gently on the accelerator to
keep wheel spin to a minimum.
Remove your foot from the accelera-
tor while shifting.
Do not race the engine. Excessive
wheel spin will cause the tires to dig
deeper, making it more difficult to free
the vehicle.
❒If your vehicle remains stuck after a few
minutes of rocking, get another vehicle
to pull you out.
Do not allow anyone to
stand near the vehicle when
you are rocking it, and do not spin the
wheels faster than an indicated
40 km/h (25 mph) on the speedome-
ter. Personal injury and/ or vehicle
damage may result from spinning the
wheels too fast.
WARNING
54G074S
In addition to following the
driving tips in this section, it
is important to observe the following
precautions.
Make sure your tires are in good con-
dition and always maintain the spec-
ified tire pressure. Refer to “Tires” in
the “INSPECTION AND MAINTE-
NANCE” section for details.
WARNING
Do not use tires other than
those specified by Fiat. Nev-
er use different sizes or types of tires
on the front and rear wheels. For in-
formation regarding the specified
tires, refer to the Tire Information La-
bel located on the driver’s door lock
pillar.
Never use oversized tires or special
shock absorbers and springs to raise
(jack up) your vehicle. This will
change the handling characteristics.
Oversized tires may also rub against
the fender over bumps, causing vehi-
cle damage or tire failure.
After driving through water, test the
brakes while driving at a slow speed
to see if they have maintained their
normal effectiveness. If the brakes are
less effective than normal, dry them
by repeatedly applying the brakes
while driving slowly until the brakes
have regained their normal effective-
ness.
WARNING
167-170 Fiat16 New GB 27-11-2007 11:28 Pagina 170

Never use a tow bar which
attaches to the axle or the
bumper of your vehicle.
WARNING
Never attach safety chains
to the bumper of your vehi-
cle. Secure connections so that they
can’t come loose.
WARNING
Never connect trailer lights
directly into your vehicle’s
electrical system, or electrical system
damage may occur.
WARNING
BRAKES
If trailer brakes are used, you
should follow all instructions
provided by the manufacturer. Nev-
er connect to the brake system of
your vehicle and never take an elec-
trical supply directly from the wiring
harness.
WARNING
173
SAFETY CHAINS
Always attach safety chains between your
vehicle and trailer. Cross safety chains un-
der the nose of the trailer so that the nose
will not drop to the road if the trailer be-
comes separated from the tow bar. Fol-
low the manufacturer’s recommendation
for attaching safety chains. Always leave
just enough slack to permit full turning.
Never allow safety chains to drag on the
road.TRAILER LIGHTS
Make sure your trailer is equipped with
lights which meet local requirements. Al-
ways check for the proper operation of all
trailer lights before you start to tow. IMPORTANT Trailer towing puts addi-
tional stress on the engine, drive train, and
brakes of your vehicle. Never tow a trail-
er during the first 960 km (600 miles) of
vehicle operation.
TOW BARS
Only use a tow bar that is designed to at-
tach to the chassis of your vehicle, and
a hitch that is designed to bolt to this
bracket.
171-180 Fiat16 New GB 27-11-2007 11:29 Pagina 173

175
ADDITIONAL TRAILER
TOWING WARNINGS
Never overload your trailer
or your vehicle. Gross trail-
er weight must never exceed the
“Towing capacity”. Gross vehicle
weight (sum of the weights of the ve-
hicle, all the occupants, accessories
including tow bars and a trailer hitch,
cargo and trailer nose weight) must
never exceed the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR) listed in the
“SPECIFICATIONS” section.
WARNING
Connect trailer lights and
hook up safety chains every
time you tow.
WARNING
IMPORTANT Because towing a trailer
puts additional stress on your vehicle,
more frequent maintenance will be re-
quired than under normal driving condi-
tions. Follow the schedule for “Mainte-
nance Recommended under Severe Dri-
ving Conditions”.
Your vehicle will handle dif-
ferently when towing a trail-
er. For your safety and the safety of
others, you should observe the fol-
lowing precautions:
– Practice turning, stopping, and re-
versing before you begin towing in
traffic. Do not tow in traffic until you
are confident that you can handle the
vehicle and trailer safely.
– Never exceed towing speed limits or
80 km/h (50 mph), whichever is low-
er.
– Never drive at a speed that causes
shaking or swaying of the trailer. If
you notice even the slightest sign of
shaking or swaying, slow down.
– When roads are wet, slippery or
rough, drive at a slower speed than
you would on dry, smooth roads.
Failure to slow down when road con-
ditions are bad can result in loss of
control.
– Always have someone guide you
when reversing.
– Allow adequate stopping distance.
Stopping distance is increased when
you tow a trailer. For each 16 km/h
(10 mph) of speed, allow at least one
vehicle and trailer length between
you and the vehicle ahead. Follow at
a greater distance if roads are wet or
slippery.
WARNING
– If the trailer has over-run
brakes, apply the brakes
gradually to avoid snatching caused
by the trailer wheels locking.
– Slow down before corners and
maintain a steady speed while cor-
nering. Deceleration or acceleration
while cornering can result in loss of
control. Remember that a larger than
normal turning radius is needed be-
cause the trailer wheels will be clos-
er than vehicle wheels to the inside of
the turn.
– Avoid sudden acceleration and
stopping of the vehicle. Do not make
quick maneuvers unless they are nec-
essary.
– Slow down in cross winds and be
prepared for gusts of wind from large
passing vehicles.
– Be careful when overtaking other
vehicles. Be sure to allow enough
room for your trailer before you
change lanes, and signal well in ad-
vance.
– Slow down and shift into a lower
gear before you reach long or steep
downhill grades. It is hazardous to at-
tempt downshifting while you are de-
scending a hill.
WARNING
171-180 Fiat16 New GB 27-11-2007 11:29 Pagina 175

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
171-180 Fiat16 New GB 27-11-2007 11:29 Pagina 176

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
171-180 Fiat16 New GB 27-11-2007 11:29 Pagina 178

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
171-180 Fiat16 New GB 27-11-2007 11:29 Pagina 179

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
181-224 Fiat16 New GB 27-11-2007 11:29 Pagina 181

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
181-224 Fiat16 New GB 27-11-2007 11:29 Pagina 182