2009 Alfa Romeo 8C charging

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INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLS
Right-hand direction indicators
It illuminates when the right-hand
direction indicators or the hazard
lights are turned on.
Left-hand direction indicators
It illuminates when the left-hand
direction indicators or the hazard
lights are turned on.
Cruise Control
It indicates that the constant speed
regulator, Cruise Control, is active.
(*) Viewed on the display as wellWARNING LIGHTS ON
THE DISPLAY
Inertia switch, fuel cut-off
enabled
It illuminates when a collision
activates the inertia switch, thus cutting off the
fuel supply.
CAUTION
After an impact, if you smell
fuel or note leakages from the fuel
system do not re-activate the switch in
order to prevent the risk of fire.
Windscreen washer fluid
It indicates a low level of washer
fluid in the windscreen washer tank.
Alternator failure
If there is a fault in the recharging
system. When the battery is
insufficiently charged or overcharged. Lighting system failure
It illuminates in the case of a system
failure or if the position, direction
indicator, rear fog and number plate lights are
blown.
Stop light failure
It illuminates in the case of a system
failure or if the stop light is blown.
Twilight sensor failure
It illuminates on in the case of a
failure of the twilight sensor.
Engine oil temperature
It illuminates when the temperature
reaches high values. In this case,
reduce the engine RPM until the warning light
goes out.

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If the symbol
remains on, there is a system
failure. This condition is also indicated by a beep
when the key is turned to position MAR.
WARNING: Contact an Authorised Service
Centre of the Manufacturer’s Network to have
the malfunction corrected.
OPERATION WITH THE
ENGINE OFF
After completing the “system start-up” stage,
the gear currently engaged will appear on the
display:
- N (Neutral)
- R (Reverse)
- D(1
st).
If the indication flashes (may also occur with N)
it means that the gear is not properly engaged or
is disengaged; therefore, request neutral (N) and
then the desired gear.CAUTION
If a horizontal dash appears on
the display, there is a system failure.
When the engine is off, 1st gear, reverse (R) and
neutral (N) can be engaged. Keeping the brake
pedal pressed during the request, you must
proceed as follows:
- N (Neutral): pull both paddles found behind
the steering wheel.
- R (Reverse): press button
C.
- Engaging 1
st gear: pull the UP paddle
towards the steering wheel.
CAUTION
To engage reverse gear, hold
the button C down until the letter R is
displayed.
WARNING: Immediately release the paddles
UP, DOWN and the button R after the gearshift
request. A prolonged manoeuvre may cause
the failure warning light
and the buzzer
to activate. Do not operate the system with the
engine off, to prevent discharging the battery.
Avoid useless gearshifting with the engine off, to
prevent overheating of the pump.

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B
C
A
IF THE BATTERY IS
FLAT First of all, we recommend that you read
the precautions contained in the section
”Maintenance“ to prevent the battery from
running flat and to help ensure its long life.
STARTING WITH THE
AUXILIARY BATTERY
See the chapter ”Starting the engine“ on page
114 in the section ”Using the vehicle”.WARNING: Under no circumstance should a
battery be used for an emergency start-up: This
could damage the electronic systems, particularly
the control units managing the ignition and fuel
supply functions.
RECHARGING THE
BATTERY
You are advised to recharge the battery slowly
and at a low amperage for about 24 hours.
Proceed as follows:
1) Deactivate the electronic alarm using the
radio control.
2) Lift the rear shelf
A and the box cover
B
and release the hooks
C.
WARNING: First disconnect the negative pole
terminal (–) then the positive pole one (+).3) Connect the battery charger cables to the
battery poles.WARNING: The battery is housed in a metal box, therefore, be extremely careful not to let the
battery charger clips come into contact with it.
4) Turn on the battery charger.
5) When the battery is recharged, turn off the
battery charger before disconnecting it from
the battery.
6) Reconnect the terminals to the battery
poles, observing the polarity.WARNING: First reconnect the positive pole
terminal (+) and then the negative pole one
(–).
WARNING: Before reconnecting the battery
terminals, check that the key has been removed
from the ignition or at least that it is in the STOP
position.

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IN AN EMERGENCY
CAUTION
The fluid contained in the
battery is poisonous and corrosive.
Avoid contact with the skin and eyes.
The battery recharging procedure
must be carried out in a ventilated
environment away from open flames
or possible sources of sparks: risk of
explosion and fire!
IF YOU HAVE
TO JACK UP THE
VEHICLE
If you need to jack up the vehicle, position the
rubber bushings in correspondence to the arrows.

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MAINTENANCE
WARNING: If the battery charge remains
below 50% for a long period of time, it will be
damaged due to sulphating: this will reduce its
performance and starting power and the battery
will be more subject to freezing (this can happen
even at -10°C).We recommend that you have the battery charge
condition checked, preferably at the beginning of
the cold season, to prevent the electrolyte from
freezing.
This check should be performed more frequently
if the vehicle is used mainly for short trips or if it
is equipped with power absorbing devices that
remain permanently on even if when the ignition
key is removed. This applies above all if these
devices have been fitted “after market”.
If the vehicle is not used for long periods of time,
please refer to chapter “If the vehicle is laid up
for long periods”, in this section.WARNING: If additional systems have to be
fitted in the vehicle, there is the risk of creating
dangerous branches on the electric wiring, in
particular if the safety devices are involved.
ELECTRONIC
CONTROL UNITSNo special precautions are required for the
normal use of the vehicle.
In the event of repairs to the electrical system
or in an emergency starting, the following
instructions must be strictly followed:
- Never disconnect the battery from the
electrical system when the engine is
running.
- Disconnect the battery from the electrical
system when recharging it (see page 168
“If the battery is fl at”). WARNING: When the battery is disconnected,
you must first detach the negative pole terminal
(–) and then the positive pole one (+).
WARNING: The battery is secured inside the
vehicle by means of a metal box, therefore, be
extremely careful not to let the battery charger
clips come into contact with it.WARNING: When the battery is reconnected,
you must first attach the positive pole (+),
remembering to cover it with the cap provided,
and then the negative one (–).
- Never perform the emergency starting
procedure using a battery charger: always
use an auxiliary battery.
- Take special care when connecting the
battery to the electrical system, checking
both that polarity is correct and that the
connection is properly working.
- Do not connect or disconnect the terminals
of the ECUs when the ignition key is at
MAR.
- Do not check the electric polarities through
sparking.
- Disconnect the ECUs in the event of
electrical welding on the vehicle body.
Remove them if the temperature is
over 80°C (special interventions on the
bodywork, etc.).

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System activation ......................................... 117
Operation with the engine off ......................... 118
Driving the vehicle ........................................ 119
Upshifting (UP) ............................................ 120
UPshift for engine overrevving ....................... 120
Downshifting (DOWN) .................................. 120
DOWNshift for engine underrevving ................ 120
Requesting neutral (N) ................................. 121
Stopping the vehicle ..................................... 121
Turning off the engine and deactivating
the system ............................................... 121
Other system functions .................................. 122
Push start ................................................... 124
Using the brakes ..............................................124
Using the engine ..............................................125
Breaking-in .................................................. 125
Engine and transmission ................................ 125
While driving ............................................... 125
Constant speed regulator (Cruise Control) .........126
General ....................................................... 126
Controls ..................................................... 127
Storing a speed ............................................ 127
Restoring the speed stored in the memory ....... 128
Increasing the speed stored in the memory ...... 128
Reducing the speed stored in the memory ........ 128
Resetting the speed stored in the memory ....... 129
Headlights .......................................................130
Bi-xenon headlights ..................................... 130Driving conditions ............................................130
Before a trip ................................................ 130
Capacities ................................................... 131
Safe driving ................................................. 131
Before you drive .......................................... 131
Travelling .................................................... 132
Driving at night ............................................ 132
Driving in the rain ......................................... 133
Driving in fog ............................................... 133
Driving in the mountains ................................ 134
Driving on snow or ice ................................... 134
Anti-pollution devices ......................................135
Other advice ................................................ 136
Parking ...........................................................136
Electric parking brake .................................... 137
Tyres ...............................................................141
Tyre infl ation pressure when cold ................... 141
Winter tyres ................................................ 141
Snow chains ................................................ 142
Useful accessories to keep in the vehicle ...........142
In an emergency ..................................... 145
Emergency starting ..........................................146
Toolkit ........................................................ 147
If a tyre gets a puncture ..................................147
Precautions in the event of a puncture ............. 147
If an exterior light goes out ..............................149Headlight clusters ......................................... 150
Taillight clusters ........................................... 150
Direction indicator lights ................................ 151
Third stop light ............................................. 152
Number plate lights ...................................... 152
If an interior light goes out ..............................153
Front dome light ......................................... 153
Rear pillar lights ........................................... 154
Glove compartment light ............................... 154
Courtesy lights under the door and
the dashboard ........................................... 155
If a fuse blows ............................................. 156
Position of fuses/relays ................................ 157
Fuse colours ................................................ 157
Maxi Fuse colours ........................................ 157
Fuses and relays in the engine compartment .... 158
Fuses and relays in the passenger
compartment, to the left of the steering
wheel ...................................................... 162
Relay/fuse boxes inside the luggage
compartment ............................................ 165
If the battery is at ........................................168
Starting with the auxiliary battery ................... 168
Recharging the battery .................................. 168
If you have to jack up the vehicle ....................169
If you have to tow the vehicle .........................170
In the event of an accident ..............................171