2008 Lancia Thesis Owner handbook (in English)

328
CHARGING THE BATTERY
IMPORTANTThe battery charg-
ing procedure is described only for
information purposes since this
operation must be carried out by a
Lancia Dealership.
Charging should be slow at a low
amp rating for about 24 hours.
Charging for a longer period of time
may damage the battery.
Before reloading care-
fully read and comply with
instructions contained in
the paragraph “If battery is to be
disconnected” in the chapter “In
an emergency”.
To charge the battery proceed as
follows:
– Disconnect battery negative ter-
minal (–).
– Connect the battery charger wires
to the battery terminals and check
for proper bias.
– Turn the battery charger on.– After charging, turn the battery
charger off before disconnecting it
from the battery.
– Reconnect the battery negative
terminal (–).
The liquid in the battery
is poisonous and corrosive.
Do not let it touch the skin
or eyes. Recharging the battery
should be done in a well-venti-
lated area and away from naked
flames or possible sources of
sparks: explosion and fire risk.
Never attempt to charge
a frozen battery: it must
be thawed first, otherwise
it may explode. If freezing has
took place, the battery should be
checked before charging by spe-
cialised personnel, to make sure
that the internal elements are not
damaged and that the body is not
cracked, with the risk of leaking
poisonous and corrosive acid.IMPORTANTA battery which is
kept at a charge of less than 50% for
any length of time will be damaged
by sulphation leading to a reduction
in cranking power and a higher risk
of the battery electrolyte freezing
(this may even occur at –10 °C). If
the car is inactive for a long period
of time, refer to “Storing the car”, in
chapter “Driving your car”.
REPLACING THE
BATTERY
If required, replace the battery
with a genuine spare part presenting
the same specifications. If a battery
with different specifications is fitted,
the frequencies shown in the Service
Schedule in this chapter will no
longer apply. Refer to the instruc-
tions provided by the battery
Manufacturer.
IMPORTANTBefore opening the
luggage compartment bonnet to dis-
connect the battery, carefully read
and comply with instructions con-
tained in the paragraph “If battery is
to be disconnected” in the chapter
“In an emergency”.

329
USEFUL ADVICE FOR
LENGTHENING THE LIFE OF
YOUR BATTERY
To prevent rapidly draining the
battery and ensure that it continues
to work correctly, the following
should be noted:
– Terminals must always be firmly
tightened.
– Do not keep accessories (e.g.
sound system, hazard lights, parking
lights, etc.).
– When you park the car, ensure
the doors, boot and bonnet are
closed properly. The ceiling lights
must be off.
– Before working on the electrical
system, disconnect the negative
cable from the battery.– If after buying the car, you want
to install electric accessories which
require permanent electric supply,
visit a Lancia Dealership, whose
qualified personnel, in addition to
suggesting the most suitable devices
belonging to the Lineaccessori
Lancia, will evaluate the overall
electric absorption, checking
whether the car’s electric system is
capable of withstanding the load
required, or whether it should be
integrated with a more powerful
battery. These devices in fact take
electricity also when the ignition key
is removed (car parked, engine off),
and can gradually drain the battery.
The overall intake of these devices
(standard and after-market) must
be less than 0.6 mA x Ah (of the bat-
tery), as shown in the following
table.Battery Maximum
idle intake
70 Ah 42 mA
80 Ah 48 mA
100 Ah 60 mA
It is also important to remember
that high intake devices (such as
bottle warmers, vacuum cleaners,
cellular phones, frigo bar, etc.) will
speed up battery discharging when
powered with engine off or running
idle.
– Please note that when installing
additional systems in the car, incor-
rect wiring can be dangerous espe-
cially when concerning safety sys-
tems.

330
SPARK PLUGS
The cleanness and soundness of the
spark plugs are very important for
keeping the engine efficient and pol-
luting emissions down.
The appearance of the spark plug,
if examined by expert eyes, is a good
way of pinpointing a problem even if
it has nothing to do with the ignition
system. Therefore, if the engine has
problems, it is important to have the
spark plugs checked at a Lancia
Dealership.
The spark plugs must be
changed at the times
specified in the Service
Schedule. Only use the type of
plugs indicated. If the heat ratio
is less than required or the life
specified is not guaranteed, prob-
lems can arise.
ELECTRONIC
CONTROL UNITS
When the car is being used normal-
ly, special measures are not neces-
sary.
The following instructions must be
followed very carefully, however, if
you work on the electrical system or
in cases where emergency starting is
necessary:
– never disconnect the battery from
the electrical system while the
engine is running
– disconnect the battery from the
electrical system if you are recharg-
ing it. The modern battery chargers
can discharge voltage up to 20V
– never perform emergency start-
ups with a battery charger. Always
use an auxiliary battery
– be particularly careful when con-
necting the battery to the electrical
system. Make sure that the polarity
is correct and that the connection is
efficient– do not connect or disconnect the
terminals of the electronic control
unit while the ignition key is at MAR
– do not check polarity through
sparking
– disconnect the electronic control
units if you are electrically welding
the car body. Remove the units if
temperatures exceed 80°C (special
operations on the bodywork, etc.).
Modifications or repairs
to the electrical system
carried out incorrectly
and without bearing the features
of the system in mind can cause
malfunctions with the risk of fire.

331
WHEELS
AND TYRES
TYRE PRESSURE
Check the pressure of each tyre,
including the spare, every two weeks
and before long journeys.
The pressure should be checked
with the tyre rested and cold.
It is normal for the pressure to rise
when you are driving. If you have to
check or restore the pressure when
the tyres are warm, remember that
the pressure value must be 0.3 bar
above the specified value.
For proper tyre inflation pressure,
see “Wheels” in chapter “Technical
Specifications”.Tyre pressure must be
correct to ensure good
road holding.
Wrong pressure causes uneven
wear of the tyres (fig. 19):
A- Correct pressure: tyre wears
evenly.
B- Under inflated tyre: shoulder
tread wear.
C- Over inflated tyre: centre tread
wear.If the pressure is too low
the tyre overheats and
this can cause it serious
damage.
Tyres must be replaced when the
tread wears down to 1.6 mm. In any
case, comply with the laws in the
country where the car is being dri-
ven.
fig. 19
L0A0161b

332
If you replace a tyre it is a good
idea to change the inflation valve,
too.
To ensure the front and rear tyres
all wear evenly, you are advised to
change the tyres over every 10-15
thousand kilometres, keeping them
on the same side of the car so as to
not reverse the direction of rotation.
Do not change the tyres
over in criss-cross fash-
ion by moving a tyre from
the left hand side of the car to the
right and vice versa.GENERAL NOTES
As far as possible, avoid sharp
braking and screech starts, etc.
Be careful not to hit the kerb, pot-
holes or other obstacles hard.
Driving for long stretches over
bumpy roads can damage the tyres.
Periodically check that the tyres
have no cuts in the sidewalls, abnor-
mal swelling or irregular tyre wear.
If any of these occur, have the car
seen to at a Lancia Dealership.
Avoid overloading your car: this
can seriously damage wheels and
tyres.If you get a flat tyre, stop immedi-
ately and change it so as not to dam-
age the tyre, the wheel, the suspen-
sion and the steering. Tyres age even
if they are not used very much.
Cracking of the tread rubber and the
sidewalls are a sign of this ageing. In
any case, if the tyres have been fitted
for more than six years they should
be examined by an expert who can
judge whether they are still fit for
use. Remember to check the spare
tyre particularly carefully too
If a replacement is necessary,
always use new tyres and avoid
using ones the origin of which you
are not certain about.
Lancia THESIS fits tubeless tyres.
Under no circumstances use an inner
tube with these tyres.

333
RUBBER
TUBING
Follow the Service Schedule to the
letter as concerns braking, power
steering and fuel line rubber tubing.
Ozone, high temperatures and long
absence of fluid in the system can in
fact cause the hardening and crack-
ing of the pipes with possible loss of
fluid. A careful check is therefore
essential.
WINDSCREEN
WIPERS
BLADES
Periodically clean the rubber part
with suitable products. We recom-
mendTUTELA PROFESSIONAL
SC 35.
Change the blades if the rubber
edge is warped or worn out. You
should in any case change them
approximately once a year.
Some simple steps can reduce
potential damage to the blades:
– If the temperatures falls to below
zero, make sure the rubber blade is
not frozen to the windscreen. If nec-
essary, free it with a de-icing com-
pound.
– Remove any snow that has settled
on the glass: besides saving the
blades you will avoid straining the
electric windscreen wiper motor and
causing it to overheat.
– Do not operate the windscreen
wipers on dry glass.Travelling with worn
wiper blades is dangerous
because it reduces visibil-
ity in bad weather.
Checking the blades
Before checking, clean the wind-
screen and rubber blades carefully
with warm water and soap or with
TUTELA PROFESSIONAL SC 35
windscreen washing fluid. The
windscreen should be perfectly clean
and not greasy. If required, complete
the cleaning operation with degreas-
ing products (ammonia based) or
degreasing polishes.

334
SPRAY NOZZLES (fig. 21)
If there is no jet of liquid, first
make sure that there is liquid in the
reservoir. Then make sure that the
holes in the nozzles are not clogged
up. Use a pin for this if necessary.
The windscreen washer jets can be
directed through screw A. Direct the
spray so that it reaches the highest
point reached by the blades.
fig. 21
L0A0163b
The blades must also be perfectly
clean before starting the check. If
required, clean the corners with
warm water and soap.
1) Check the blades carefully. They
should not be broken or damaged in
any part. Replace both the blades if
they are broken or damaged.
2) If the blades are intact, continue
by checking the operation. Operate
the windscreen washer and the
wiper. If the blades clean the wind-
screen perfectly they can be kept. If
not, replace them both.Replacing the blades
(fig. 20)
To replace the windscreen wiper
blades:
1) Lift the windscreen wiper arm.
2) Press the lock spring tab and
remove the blade Afrom arm B.
3) Insert the new blade in the
windscreen wiper arm until the lock
spring clicks.
IMPORTANTAfter replacing,
make sure that the blades are cor-
rectly fastened to the windscreen
wiper arm.
fig. 20
L0A0162b

335
HEADLIGHT
WASHERS
Regularly check that the nozzles
(fig. 22) are intact and clean.
The headlight washers are auto-
matically switched on when the
windscreen washer is operated and
the headlights are on.
CLIMATE
CONTROL SYSTEM
During the winter, the climate con-
trol system must be turned on at
least once a month for about ten
minutes.
Before summer, have the system
checked at a Lancia Dealership.INITIALISING THE AIR
CONDITIONING CONTROL UNIT
Whenever the battery is electrically
connected again or it is reloaded after
being completely flat or after replac-
ing one of the protection fuses, to re-
store the correct operation of the air
conditioning, of the door locking and
of the ESP system. It is necessary to
perform the initialisation operations
contained in the paragraph “If battery
is to be disconnected” in the chapter
“In an emergency”.
fig. 22
L0A0122b
The system is filled with
R134a refrigerant which
will not pollute the envi-
ronment in the event of leakage.
Under no circumstances should
R12 fluid be used as it is incom-
patible with the system compo-
nents and contains CFC.