2008 Alfa Romeo 166 maintenance

4
ACCESSORY ELECTRICAL DEVICES
If after purchasing the car you wish to install accessories that need an electrical supply (with the risk of gradually draining
the battery), contact Alfa Romeo Authorised Services who will assess the overall electrical absorption and check whether the
car system is able to withstand the load required.

CODE CARD
Keep it in a safe place, not in the car. It is advisable to always keep the electronic code on the CODE card with you in case
emergency starting is necessary.
SCHEDULED SERVICING
Correct maintenance makes it possible to preserve vehicle peformance levels and safety, respect for the environment and
low running costs unaltered over the course of time.
THE OWNER HANDBOOK...
…you will find important information, advice and warnings for correct use, driving safety and vehicle maintenance over
time. Pay particular attention to the symbols
"(personal safety) #(protecting the environment) â(vehicle safety).
RESPECTING THE ENVIRONMENT
The vehicle is fitted with a system that allows continuous diagnosis of the components correlated with emissions to ensure
better respect for the environment.

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR CAR
IN AN EMERGENCY
CAR MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
RIGHT HAND DRIVE VERSION
INDEX
CONTENTS
9

42
PRETENSIONERS
To increase the efficiency of the front
seat belts, the Alfa 166is fitted with
pretensioners.
These devices “feel”, through a sensor,
that a violent crash is in progress and
rewind the seat belts a few centimetres.
In this way they ensure that the seat belt
adheres perfectly to the wearer before
the restraining action begins.
The seat belt locks to indicate that the
device has intervened; the seat belt can-
not be drawn back up even when guiding
it manually.
IMPORTANTTo obtain the highest
degree of protection from the action of
the pretensioning device, wear the seat
belt keeping it firmly close to the chest
and pelvis.
A small amount of smoke may be pro-
duced. This smoke is in no way toxic and
presents no fire hazard.The pretensioner does not require any
maintenance or greasing. Anything that
modifies its original conditions invalidates
its efficiency. If due to unusual natural
events (floods, sea storm, etc.) the de-
vice has been affected by water and
mud, it must necessarily be replaced.
After adjustment, always
check that the slider is
anchored in one of the positions
provided. To do this, with the but-
ton (A-fig. 52) released, exert a
further pressure to allow the an-
chor device to catch if release did
not take place at one of the preset
positions.
WARNING
The pretensioner can only
be used once. After a col-
lision that has triggered it, have it
replaced at an Alfa Romeo Autho-
rized Services. The validity of the
device is 10 years starting from
the date of production, the preten-
sioners should be replaced at an
Alfa Romeo Authorized Services as
this date approaches.
WARNING
This precaution could greatly reduce the
risk of injury in case of collision.
Correct adjustment is obtained when the
belt passes half way between the end of
the shoulder and the neck.
4 different adjustments in height are
provided.
To adjust the attachment raise or lower
the grip (A-fig. 52) and ring (B-
fig. 52) to one of the set positions.

92
The temperature near
the heater should never
exceed 120°C (e.g. dur-
ing body painting operations in
the workshop oven). Higher tem-
perature could damage the elec-
tronic control unit components.
For maintenance and repairs con-
tact only Authorized Alfa Romeo
Services and only use original
spare parts.
The burner exhaust gas
is released in the centre
floor area: therefore never park
the car with the engine running
over inflammable surfaces, fire
hazard!
WARNING
IMPORTANT When the heater is
working with the vehicle stationery and
the engine running, standing outside the
car near the rear wheel arch a low noise
caused by normal operation of the heater
can be heard.MAINTENANCE
Have the additional heater checked at
regular intervals by Authorized Alfa
Romeo Services. This will ensure safe,
cost-effective working of the heater and
also long life.

109
BONNET
The lever used to open the bonnet is lo-
cated under the left end of the dash-
board.
To open:
– Pull the lever (A-fig. 141) until the
bonnet clicks open.
357PGSm
fig. 141
Do this only with the car
stationary.
WARNING
– Raise the safety lever upwards (B-
fig. 142).
– Raise the bonnet.
IMPORTANT Bonnet raising is aided
by two gas springs. Do not tamper with
these springs and always accompany the
bonnet while raising it.
A0D0033m
fig. 142
DANGER-SERIOUS IN-
JURY. When carrying out
checks or maintenance operations
in the engine compartment, take
special care not to bump the head
on the raised bonnet.
WARNING

148ECONOMY AND
ENVIRONMENT-
FRIENDLY DRIVING
How you use and how you drive your
vehicle directly influence fuel consump-
tion and environmental impact.
By following a few simple guidelines
and without incising on the “liveliness”
of the vehicle, it is possible to avoid dam-
aging the environment and often, at the
same time, to limit fuel consumption.
The following helpful suggestions will al-
low you to save in running costs and re-
duce harmful emissions.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Vehicle maintenance
The conditions of the vehicle are an im-
portant factor which affects fuel consump-
tion as well as driving tranquillity and the
life of the car itself. For this reason, care
should be given to maintenance, having
the checks and adjustments given in the
scheduled maintenance programme car-
ried out (see ... spark plugs, idle speed,
air/fuel oil filter, timing).
Tyres
Check the tyre pressure at least every 4
weeks: if the pressure is too low, consump-
tion increases as resistance to rolling is
higher. It should also be underlined that in
these conditions, tyre wear increases re-
sulting in poor handling and lower safety. Drive at a moderate
speed when snow chains
have been fitted to the
wheels. Avoid potholes, steps and
pavements, and do not drive for
long stretches on snow-free roads,
otherwise you risk damaging the
tyres, suspension and steering.
Snow chains can be fit-
ted only on wheels with
6.5J x 16” rims and
215/55 R16 tyres or 7.5J x 17”
rims and 225/45 R17 tyres.
(*) Pour versions/marchè lorsqu’il
est prèvu pneus 205/55 R16.

150
CONDITIONS OF USE
Cold starting
Brief and frequent cold starts do not al-
low the engine to reach the optimum op-
erating temperature. This leads to a sig-
nificant increase in consumption (from
+15% up to +30% in the urban cycle)
and in the emission of pollutants.
Traffic situations and road
conditions
Rather high consumption levels are
linked with heavy traffic situations, for ex-
ample in slow-moving queues with the
frequent use of low gears or in big towns
with many traffic lights.
Also winding mountain roads and rough
roads adversely affect consumption lev-
els.
Halts in the traffic
During prolonged halts (e.g. level cross-
ings) it is advisable to switch the engine
off.
PROTECTING EMISSION
REDUCING DEVICES
The correct operation of the anti-pollu-
tion devices not only guarantees respect
for the environment but also has a great
influence on vehicle performance.
These devices should be kept in good
condition to permit economical and eco-
logical use of your vehicle.
The programmed Maintenance Schedule
should be carefully followed.
For petrol engines, only unleaded fuel
should be used.
If starting is difficult,
do not insist with pro-
longed attempts. Do not
push, tow or coast start the ve-
hicle: these may all damage the
catalysts. Top speed
Fuel consumption increases considerably
with the speed of the car: it is helpful to
observe that passing from 90 to 120
km/h consumption increases by + 30%.
Also maintain the most uniform possible
speed, avoiding superfluous braking and
accelerating which cost fuel while increas-
ing emission levels. You are therefore ad-
vised to adopt a “smooth” driving style.
trying to anticipate manoeuvres to avoid
imminent danger and respect safety dis-
tances to avoid having to slow down
abruptly.
Acceleration
Violent accelerating bringing the engine
to high rpm has a considerable adverse
effect on consumption and emission lev-
els; it is wise to accelerate gradually with-
out exceeding the maximum permissible
torque.

201
The best way to preserve the performance and safety characteris-
tics of your vehicle is to have it periodically inspected and main-
tained.
It may often be necessary to perform the maintenance op-
erations marked with the symbol illustrated previously in order to
avoid invalidation of the warranty cover.
The following pages contain the Programmed Maintenance Sched-
ule and describe the most common checks and inspections which
are fundamental to a correct maintenance schedule.
These operations should be carried out at the intervals indicated in
the Programmed Maintenance Schedule.PROGRAMMED MAINTENANCE..............................................................page 202
PROGRAMMED MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
....................................................204
ANNUAL INSPECTION PLAN
..............................................................................206
CHECKING LEVELS
................................................................................................209
AIR CLEANER
...........................................................................................................218
DIESEL FILTER
.........................................................................................................219
DUST/POLLEN FILTER
...........................................................................................219
BATTERY
....................................................................................................................219
ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNITS
............................................................................223
SPARK PLUGS
..........................................................................................................224
WINDSCREEN WIPER BLADES
............................................................................224
SPRAY JETS
..............................................................................................................225
BODYWORK
.............................................................................................................225
INTERIOR FITTINGS
...............................................................................................228
CAR MAINTENANCE