2008 FIAT GRANDE PUNTO Natural Power Manual

NATURAL POWER
FIATPUNTO
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FIAT PUNTO NATURAL POWER
The Fiat Punto Natural Power Petrol-
Methane version is dealt with in this ap-
pendix.
For anything not included in this supple-
ment, refer to the Fiat Punto Owner Man-
ual.INDEX
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 3
SYSTEM FUNCTIONAL DIAGRAM ............................................................................ 5
CANISTERS ........................................................................................................................ 6
SOLENOID VALVES/SAFETY DEVICES ...................................................................... 7
PIPING ................................................................................................................................. 8
PRESSURE REGULATOR/REDUCTION UNIT ......................................................... 8
OIL SEPARATOR FILTER................................................................................................. 8
METHANE INJECTORS .................................................................................................. 8
PETROL/METHANE SWITCH........................................................................................ 8
STARTING THE ENGINE .............................................................................................. 10
PROTECTIVE FUSES......................................................................................................... 10
FUEL CUT OFF SWITCH ............................................................................................... 11
AT THE FILLING STATION .......................................................................................... 11
IDENTIFICATION DATA .............................................................................................. 12
SCHEDULED SERVICING PLAN .................................................................................. 13
WHEELS .............................................................................................................................. 14
ENGINE ............................................................................................................................... 15
WEIGHTS ........................................................................................................................... 17
LOAD COMPARTMENT VOLUME ............................................................................. 17
TYRES .................................................................................................................................. 18
DIMENSIONS ....................................................................................................................19
CAPACITIES ....................................................................................................................... 20
ENGINE OIL........................................................................................................................ 20
CO
2EMISSIONS ............................................................................................................... 20
FUEL CONSUMPTION ................................................................................................... 21
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FIAT PUNTO NATURAL POWER
INTRODUCTION
The Fiat Punto Natural Power version fea-
tures two fuel systems, one for petrol and
one for natural gas (methane).
The two systems are independent of one
another and the methane one is the
phased, sequential, multipoint type.
The starting system runs on petrol and is
the only one.
What is natural gas?
Natural gas is a mixture of gas used as a
main source of energy.
Its main component is methane so for this
reason it is usually known as methane in
Italy but it contains small amounts of oth-
er hydrocarbons and inert gases.
It is extracted in a gaseous stage and trans-
ported to where it is used via gas pipelines;
world reserves are plentiful and evenly dis-
tributed. Methane is fuel with a low impact
on the environment because it significantly
reduces the contribution of the exhaust
gases to the greenhouse effect and creat-
ing pollution.The methane multipoint injection
system
It is an original product from Fiat’s re-
search in the field of alternative fuels that
comes from close co-operation with im-
portant suppliers in the methane sector.
By adapting the sophisticated electronic
control technology of petrol engines to
meet the specifications of methane, it has
been possible to achieve important results
in terms of driveability, exhaust emissions
and consumption.
Using the methane multipoint injection
system the engine offers the same driving
conditions as running on petrol.
It should be borne in mind that, in all dri-
ving conditions, methane operation gives
engine power and torque specifications
that are 10% lower than petrol operation.
Petrol operation is therefore rec-
ommended if a lot of power is re-
quired (e.g. driving uphill with a
laden car, setting off on a steep in-
cline).
Selecting the type of fuel supply
The Fiat Punto Natural Power version is
configured to normally run on methane.When the methane is running out and the
pressure in the canister is close to the cor-
rect operating limit, the system automat-
ically switches to petrol operation.
The engine is always started up using
petrol (to keep this fuel supply system ef-
ficient) and, if the engine was running on
petrol before being switched off, when it
is started up again switching to methane
operation will need to be requested man-
ually.
For this reason there always needs
to be petrol in the tank.
The petrol/methane switch A-Fig. 1,
amongst the controls in the dashboard,
makes it possible to select petrol opera-
tion. The system does not switch auto-
matically to methane operation if the
petrol runs out.
fig. 1F0M0450m
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FIAT PUNTO NATURAL POWER
Passive safety
The Fiat Punto Natural Power version has
the same passive safety features as the
other versions.
In particular, the location and mountings
of the canisters have been designed to
pass the impact tests in accordance with
Fiat safety standards. The flow of methane
coming out of the canisters is governed by
a solenoid valve that is only open during
methane operation.
The solenoid valve unit includes protec-
tion against excess flows (if the high pres-
sure system breaks, the flow of methane
is restricted to values that are not dan-
gerous), overheating (fuse pad that allows
the methane to drain off if the tempera-
ture exceeds 110 °C) and a pressure cal-
ibration device that intervenes if the pres-
sure goes above 300 bar ensuring the
methane escapes in a controlled manner
and as quickly as possible.
The solenoid valve is connected to the
Fire Protection System (inertia switch or
fuel cut off switch).
Active safety
The Fiat Punto Natural Power version has
the same active safety features as the oth-
er versions.
The Fiat Punto Natural Pow-
er version is equipped with a
high pressure methane system de-
signed to run at 200 bar.
It is dangerous to force the system
with higher pressures. When towing
or lifting the car, the instructions in
this booklet at the end of the chap-
ter should be followed in order to pre-
vent damage to the methane system
parts: “Towing the car”.
If there is a problem with the
methane system, only go to a Fiat
Dealer.
Do not alter the methane system con-
figuration or components; they are
designed exclusively for the Fiat Pun-
to Natural Power. The use of other
components or materials could cause
malfunctions and reduce safety.In the case of painting in an
oven, the canisters should be
removed from the vehicle and refit-
ted later by a Fiat Dealer. Although
the methane system has numerous
safety features, it is advisable to close
the manual taps for the canisters
every time the car is not in use for a
long period, transported on other ve-
hicles or moved in an emergency as a
result of a breakdown or accident.
WARNINGWARNING
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FIAT PUNTO NATURAL POWER
SYSTEM FUNCTIONAL DIAGRAM
Description of the system functional diagram Fig. 2
1 Methane canisters - 2 Methane repressurizing filler - 3 Methane piping - 4 Pressure regulator/reduction unit - 5Methane injec-
tor carrier manifold - 6Petrol tank -7Oil separator filter.
1
1
2
34
5
7
6
F0M0451mfig. 2
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FIAT PUNTO NATURAL POWER
The plates handed over by the Dealership
with the documentation contain the date
for the first inspection of the canisters.
Those responsible for the
methane supply are not autho-
rized to refill the canisters when
the inspection date has expired.
IMPORTANT If the car has been
registered in a country other
than Italy, the certification dates,
identification and inspection pro-
cedures for the methane canis-
ters should conform to the legis-
lation in that country. In any case,
it should be remembered that
the life of the canisters is 20 years
from the production date as set
out in ECE Regulation no. 110.
CANISTERS
The car has two canisters (total capacity
about 84 litres) located under the floor of
the car and protected by two special
guards. The canisters Fig. 3and Fig. 4are
the tank that contains the methane in the
compressed gaseous state (pressure 200
bar at 15 °C). The methane, stored in the
canisters at high pressure, flows through
a dedicated pipe to reach the pressure
regulator/reduction unit which supplies
the 4 methane injectors at low pressure
(about 6 bar).
fig. 3F0M0452m
fig. 4F0M0453m
Certificatin of the canisters
The methane canisters are certified in ac-
cordance with ECE Regulation no. 110
The canisters should be inspect-
ed, in accordance with ECE Reg-
ulation Procedure no. 110, every
4 years from the vehicle regis-
tration date or in accordance
with specific regulations in indi-
vidual countries (see page 12).
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FIAT PUNTO NATURAL POWER
3) Excess flow,it intervenes if the piping
is broken limiting the flow of methane to
values that are not dangerous.
The flow restricter valve is located to al-
low it to operate even if the solenoid valve
casing is broken due to an impact.
4) Manual tap,it is located upstream of
the solenoid valve.
SOLENOID VALVES/
SAFETY DEVICES
The solenoid valves Fig. 5and Fig. 6are
bolted directly onto the methane canis-
ters with the main function on interrupt-
ing the flow of methane to the supply cir-
cuit.
The solenoid valves are open when:
❒the switching button is in the methane
position;
❒the pressure in the canister is sufficient
for operation;
❒the engine is running;
❒the inertia switch has not been trig-
gered.
The solenoid valve assembly is equipped
with the following safety devices:
1) Fuse pad,in the case of overheating
(temperature above 110 °C), it totally
eliminates the danger of excess pressure
making the methane in the canister flow
out as quickly as possible in a controlled
manner.
2) Mechanical excess pressure device
(Burt Disk),in the case of excess pres-
sure (above 330 bar), it ensures that the
methane escapes as quickly as possible in
a controlled manner.It separates the canister from the methane
system to allow maintenance operations.
The taps are accessible from outside the
car and are located, in the case of the
lengthwise centre canister, at the rear of
the canister and, in the case of the trans-
verse rear canister, towards the right
wheel side.
To close the taps D-Fig. 7: turn the knob
in the direction (1) shown by the arrow
(clockwise
OFF)
To open the taps D-Fig. 7: turn the knob
in the direction (2) shown by the arrow
(anti-clockwise
ON)
5) Single-acting valve,this prevents the
methane from flowing back to the filler.
fig. 5F0M0454m
fig. 6F0M0455m
fig. 7
D
1
2
F0M0456m
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FIAT PUNTO NATURAL POWER
PIPING
The methane piping from the filler to the
pressure regulator/reduction unit is made
from galvanized steel and covered in plas-
tic (high pressure) and is located outside
the passenger compartment; the piping
from the pressure regulator/reduction
unit to the methane injectors is in stain-
less steel.
PRESSURE
REGULATOR/
REDUCTION UNIT
The pressure reduction unit Fig. 8is in-
stalled in the engine compartment.
It has the task of reducing the pressure
of the methane from the value in the can-
ister to the supply value for the methane
injectors (about 6 bar) and keeping it con-
stant in all operating conditions.
METHANE INJECTORS
There are 4 dedicated injectors for the
methane gas A-Fig. 9, fitted on the intake
manifold near the cylinder head, one for
each intake duct; they are supplied at a
constant pressure (about 6 bar) and op-
erated by the electronic control unit.
OIL SEPARATOR FILTER
The oil separator filter Fig. 10is installed
in the engine compartment.
It has the task of separating the excess oil
in the methane.
PETROL/
METHANE SWITCH
This engine normally runs on methane ex-
cept during starting when it runs on
petrol. Switching to methane takes place
automatically and is shown on the instru-
ment panel display by the Ksignal in the
display going out fig. 12.
fig. 9F0M0458m
fig. 8F0M0457m
fig. 10F0M0459m
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