2008 Alfa Romeo 159 battery

219
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
IN AN
EMERGENCY
IF THE BATTERY
IS FLAT
IMPORTANTThe description of the
battery charging procedure is described
only for informative purposes. This op-
eration should be carried out by Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services.
Charging should be slow at a low amp
rating for 24 hours. Charging for a
longer time may damage the battery.Charge the battery as follows:
❒disconnect battery negative terminal
(–);
❒connect the charger cables to the bat-
tery terminals, observing the poles;
❒ turn on the charger;
❒when you have finished, turn the
charger off before disconnecting the
battery;
❒reconnect battery negative terminal
(–).
The liquid in the battery
is poisonous and corro-
sive. Do not let it touch the
skin or eyes. Recharging the
battery should be done in a
well ventilated area away
from naked flames or possible
sources of sparks: explosion
and fire risk.
WARNING
Do not attempt to
recharge a frozen bat-
tery. Thaw it first, otherwise
it could explode. If the battery
froze, make sure the internal
elements are not broken and
that the casing is not cracked:
risk of spilling the poisonous
and corrosive fluid.
WARNING

223
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CAR
MAINTENANCE
C C
A A
R R
M M
A A
I I
N N
T T
E E
N N
A A
N N
C C
E E
SCHEDULED SERVICING....................................... 224
SERVICE SCHEDULE ............................................ 225
PERIODICAL CHECKS ........................................... 227
USE OF THE CAR UNDER HEAVY CONDITIONS ........ 227
CHECKING FLUID LEVELS ..................................... 228
AIR FILTER/POLLEN FILTER ................................. 236
DIESEL FUEL FILTER ........................................... 236
BATTERY ........................................................... 237
WHEELS AND TYRES........................................... 241
RUBBER HOSES ................................................. 243
WINDSCREEN WIPER ......................................... 243
BODYWORK ...................................................... 245
INTERIORS ........................................................ 247

225
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CAR
MAINTENANCE
30 60 90 120 150 180
●●●●●●
●●●●●●
●●●●●●
●●●●●●
●●●●●●
●●●
●●●●●●
●●●●●●
●●●●●●
●●●
●●
●●
●●
SERVICE SCHEDULE
Thousands of km
Check tyre conditions/wear and
adjust pressure if required
Check light system operation (headlights,
direction indicators, hazard lights, boot lights, passenger
compartment lights, glovebox lights, warning lights, etc.)
Check windscreen wiper/washer operation,
adjust nozzles if required
Check windscreen/rear window blade
position/wear
Check front disk brake pad conditions and wear
and wear indicator operation
Check rear disk brake pad conditions and wear
Sight inspect the conditions of: body external parts,
underbody protection, pipes and hoses
(exhaust - fuel - brakes), rubber parts
(boots, sleeves, bushes, etc.)
Check cleanness of locks, bonnet and boot and lever cleanness
and lubrication
Check and top up, if required, fluid levels
(brakes/hydraulic clutch, power steering, windscreen washer,
battery, engine coolant, etc.)
Check and adjust handbrake lever stroke
Sight inspect accessory drive belt conditions
Sight inspect accessory drive belt conditions (1.8 version)
Sight inspect timing belt conditions (1.8 version)

227
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CAR
MAINTENANCE
USE OF THE CAR
UNDER HEAVY
CONDITIONS
Should prevailing use of the car be un-
der one of the following specially heavy
conditions:
❒ trailer or caravan towing;
❒ dusty roads;
❒ short distances (less than 7-8 km)
and repeated with external temper-
atures below zero;
❒ frequently idling engines or long dis-
tance low speed driving (e.g.: door-
to-door deliveries) or in case of a long
term inactivity;
❒ urban routes;
carry out checks more frequently than
required on Service Schedule:
❒ check front disk brake pad conditions
and wear;
❒ check cleanness of bonnet and boot
locks and lever cleanness and lubri-
cation;
❒ sight inspect the conditions of: en-
gine, gearbox, transmission, pipes
and hoses (exhaust - fuel - brakes),
rubber parts (boots, sleeves, bushes,
etc.);
❒ check battery charge and fluid level
(electrolyte);
❒ visual check on various drive belt con-
ditions;
❒ change engine oil and oil filter, if re-
quired;
❒ check and replace pollen filter, if re-
quired;
❒ check and replace air cleaner, if re-
quired.
PERIODICAL CHECKS
Every 1,000 km or before long jour-
neys, check and top up if required:
❒engine coolant fluid level;
❒brake fluid level;
❒windscreen washer fluid level;
❒ tyre pressure and conditions.
❒ check light system operation (head-
lights, direction indicators, hazard
lights, etc.);
❒ check windscreen wiper/washer op-
eration and windscreen/rear window
blade position/wear;
Every 3,000 km check and top up if re-
quired: engine oil level.
You are recommended to use FL Se-
leniaproducts, designed and produced
specifically for Alfa Romeo cars (see
table “Capacities” in section “Techni-
cal specifications”).

228
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CAR
MAINTENANCE
CHECKING
FLUID LEVELS
For refilling amounts refer to Technical
Specifications section.
1.Engine oil - 2.Battery
3.Brake fluid - 4.Windscreen washer
fluid - 5.Engine coolant -
6.Power steering fluid
fig. 2 - 1.9 JTS - 2.2 JTS versionsA0E0161m
Never smoke while
working in the engine
compartment; gas and inflam-
mable vapours may be pre-
sent, with the risk of fire.
WARNING
When topping up take
care not to confuse the
various types of fluids:
they are all incompatible with
one another and could serious-
ly damage the car.
A0E0374mfig. 1 - 1.8 version

229
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CAR
MAINTENANCE
fig. 3 - 3.2 JTS versionA0E0038m
fig. 4 - 1.9 JTDM8v - 1.9 JTDM16v versionsA0E0162m
1.Engine oil - 2.Battery
3.Brake fluid - 4.Windscreen washer
fluid - 5.Engine coolant
6.Power steering fluid 1.Engine oil - 2.Battery
3.Brake fluid - 4.Windscreen washer
fluid - 5.Engine coolant
6.Power steering fluid

230
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CAR
MAINTENANCE
fig. 5 - 2.4 JTDMversionA0E0203m
1.Engine oil - 2.Battery
3.Brake fluid - 4.Windscreen washer
fluid - 5.Engine coolant
6.Power steering fluid

237
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CAR
MAINTENANCE
BATTERY
The battery is of the “Limited mainte-
nance” type: under normal conditions
of use the electrolyte does not need top-
ping up with distilled water.
Contact at Alfa Romeo Authorized Ser-
vices to have the battery checked/re-
placed.
CHECKING THE CHARGE
fig. 16
The battery charge may be checked
through the indicator A(where re-
quired) set on the battery cover and act-
ing according to the colour the indica-
tor shows.Should the battery be not fitted with bat-
tery charge inspection device (optical
electrolyte indicator), inspection opera-
tions shall be carried out by skilled per-
sonnel only.
Refer to the table below.
A0E0127mfig. 16
Bright white colourTop up electrolyte Contact Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services
Dark colour withoutLow charge level Charge the battery
green area in the centre(advisable to contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services)
Dark colour withElectrolyte level and charge No action
green area in the centresufficient
IMPORTANTThe charge in the bat-
tery should be checked at the start of
winter to limit the risk of electrolyte
freezing. This check should be carried
out more frequently if the car is used
mainly for short trips, or if it is fitted with
accessories that permanently absorb
electricity also with the ignition key re-
moved, especially in the case of after
market accessories.