127
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
PROTECTING
THE ENVIRONMENT
The devices for curtailing petrol engine
emissions are the following:
❒ three-way catalytic converter;
❒ Lambda sensor;
❒ fuel evaporation system.
In addition, do not let the engine run,
even for a test, with one or more spark
plugs disconnected.
The devices for curtailing diesel fuel en-
gine emissions are the following:
❒oxidising catalytic converter;
❒exhaust gas recirculation system
(E.G.R.);
❒ diesel particulate filter (DPF) (where
required).
EMERGENCY OPENING OF
THE FUEL FILLER CAP
In case of failure, the fuel filler cap can
be opened by pulling string set on the
right side of the boot fig. 110.
A0E0130mfig. 110
Do not put naked flames
or lighted cigarettes
near the fuel filler hole as there
is danger of fire. Do not bend
too close to the hole either so
as not to breathe in harmful
vapours.
WARNING
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154
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
IMPORTANTTurning the car off will
deactivate the electronic safety systems
and turn off the external lights.
IMPORTANTIn the event of engine
locking while the car is running, due to
safety reasons it will not be possible to
take the electronic key out of the igni-
tion device. To remove it, turn the in-
strument panel on and off by pressing
button START/STOPwith brake ped-
al (and clutch pedal) released and car
stopped. REMOVING THE ELECTRONIC
KEY FROM THE IGNITION
DEVICE IN AN EMERGENCY
In the event of a failure at engine switch-
ing off system or at electronic key un-
locking system proceed as follows:
❒press the unlocking button to remove
the metal insert (see paragraph
“Electronic key” in section “Dash-
board and controls”);
❒fit the metal insert B-fig. 1of the
electronic key into the slot A;
❒remove the electronic key from the
ignition device.
A quick burst on the ac-
celerator before turning
off the engine serves
absolutely no practical purpose,
it wastes fuel and is damaging
especially to turbocharged en-
gines.
IMPORTANTOnly fit the metal insert
Bof the electronic key into slot A-fig.1.
IMPORTANTStop the car before
emergency removal of the key, since re-
moving the key with the engine running
will turn both the engine and the in-
strument panel off and the steering lock
will not be engaged.
A0E0043mfig. 1
149-164 Alfa 159 GB 8-04-2009 10:51 Pagina 154
Gear selection
As soon as the conditions of the traffic
and road allow, use a higher gear. Us-
ing a low gear to obtain brilliant perfor-
mance increases consumption. In the
same way improper use of a high gear
increases consumption, emissions an en-
gine wear.
Top speed
Fuel consumption considerably increas-
es with speed. Avoid superfluous brak-
ing and accelerating, which cost in terms
of both fuel and emissions.
Acceleration
Accelerating violently increasing the revs
will greatly affect consumption and emis-
sions: acceleration should be gradual and
should not exceed the maximum torque.CONDITIONS OF USE
Cold starting
Short journeys and frequent cold starts
do not allow the engine to reach opti-
mum operating temperature. This results
in a significant increase in consumption
levels (from +15 to +30% on the urban
cycle) and emission of harmful sub-
stances.
Traffic and road conditions
Rather high consumption levels are tied
to situations with heavy traffic, for ex-
ample in queues with frequent use of
the lower gears or in cities with many
traffic lights. Also winding mountain
roads and rough road surfaces adverse-
ly affect consumption.
Traffic hold-ups
During prolonged hold-ups (e.g.: level
crossings) the engine should be
switched off.
DRIVING STYLE
Starting
Do not warm the engine with the car
at a standstill or at idle or high speed:
under these conditions the engine
warms up much more slowly, increasing
electrical consumption and emissions. It
is therefore advisable to move off im-
mediately, slowly, avoiding high speeds.
This way the engine will warm faster.
Unnecessary actions
Avoid accelerating when waiting at traf-
fic lights or before switching off the en-
gine. This and also double declutching
is absolutely pointless on modern cars
and also increase consumption and pol-
lution.
158
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
149-164 Alfa 159 GB 8-04-2009 10:51 Pagina 158
165
SAFETY
DEVICES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
W W
A A
R R
N N
I I
N N
G G
L L
I I
G G
H H
T T
S S
A A
N N
D D
M M
E E
S S
S S
A A
G G
E E
S S
LOW BRAKE FLUID/HANDBRAKE ON .................... 166
BRAKE PAD WEAR ............................................. 167
SEAT BELTS NOT FASTENED................................. 167
AIR BAG FAILURE............................................... 168
PASSANGER’S FRONT AIR BAGS DEACTIVATED ........ 168
ENGINE COOLANT HIGH TEMPERATURE ................. 169
ENGINE OIL HIGH TEMPERATURE.......................... 169
MINIMUM ENGINE OIL LEVEL .............................. 170
LOW ENGINE OIL PRESSURE/EXHAUST OIL ........... 170
LOW BATTERY CHARGE....................................... 170
INCOMPLETE DOOR LOCKING .............................. 171
BONNET OPEN.................................................. 171
BOOT OPEN..................................................... 171
INJECTION SYSTEM FAILURE/
EOBD SYSTEM FAILURE...................................... 171
CAR PROTECTION SYSTEM FAILURE/
STEERING LOCK INHIBITION ................................ 172
ALARM FAILURE/BREAK-IN ATTEMPT
ELECTRONIC KEY NOT RECOGNIZED ...................... 172
POSSIBLE PRESENCE OF ICE ON THE ROAD ........... 173
PRE-HEATING GLOW PLUGS/
PRE-HEATING GLOW PLUG FAILURE....................... 173
WATER IN DIESEL FUEL FILTER ............................. 174
INERTIAL FUEL CUT-OFF SWITCHED ON ................ 174
ABS SYSTEM FAILURE ........................................ 175
EBD SYSTEM FAILURE ........................................ 175VDC SYSTEM ................................................... 175
HILL HOLDER FAILURE ....................................... 176
ASR SYSTEM (WHEEL ANTISKID SYSTEM) ............ 176
EXTERNAL LIGHTS FAILURE ................................. 176
BRAKE LIGHTS FAILURE ...................................... 177
REAR FOGLIGHTS.............................................. 177
FRONT FOG LIGHTS........................................... 177
SIDE/TAILLIGHTS/FOLLOW ME HOME.................. 177
DIPPED BEAM HEADLIGHTS ................................. 177
MAIN BEAM HEADLIGHTS ................................... 177
LEFT-HAND DIRECTION INDICATOR ........................ 177
RIGHT-HAND DIRECTION INDICATOR ...................... 177
LIGHT SENSOR FAILURE....................................... 178
RAIN SENSOR FAILURE........................................ 178
PARKING SENSORS FAILURE................................ 178
FUEL RESERVE – LIMITED CRUISING RANGE .......... 178
CRUISE CONTROL ............................................. 178
DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTER CLOGGED .................. 178
ANTIPINCH SYSTEM FAILURE............................... 179
WINDSCREEN WASHER FLUID LOW LEVEL ............. 179
SPEED LIMIT EXCEEDED ..................................... 179
T.P.M.S. SYSTEM FAILURE................................... 179
CHECK TYRE PRESSURE...................................... 179
LOW INFLATION PRESSURE................................. 180
TYRE PRESSURE UNSUITABLE FOR SPEED ............ 180
165-180 Alfa 159 GB 3-12-2009 14:09 Pagina 165
INERTIAL FUEL CUT-
OFF SWITCHED ON
On certain versions, the inter-
vention of the inertial fuel cut-off switch
is indicated by a message + symbol
(amber) on the display. Pre-heating glow plugs failure
The warning light (on certain versions
together with the message on the dis-
play) will flash to indicate a failure in
the pre-heating glow plugs system. Con-
tact Alfa Romeo Authorized Services as
soon as possible to have the failure elim-
inated.
174
SAFETY
DEVICES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
WATER IN
FUEL FILTER
(diesel versions -
amber)
The warning light turns on glowing
steadily when travelling (on certain ver-
sions together with the message on the
display) to indicate that there is water
in the diesel fuel filter.
c
The presence of water in
the fuel circuit may
cause serious damage to
the entire injection system and
cause irregular engine opera-
tion. If the warning light
con
the dial turns on (on certain ver-
sions together with the mes-
sage on the display) contact Al-
fa Romeo Authorized Services
as soon as possible to have the
system relieved. If the above
indications come on immediate-
ly after refuelling, water has
probably been poured into the
tank: turn the engine off imme-
diately and contact Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services.
If, after a crash, you
smell fuel or see leaks
from the fuel system, do not
reset the switch to avoid fire
risk.
WARNING
s
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178
SAFETY
DEVICES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
FUEL RESERVE –
LIMITED CRUISING
RANGE (amber)
The warning light on the fuel level
gauge turns on when about 10 litres fuel are
left in the tank. On certain versions. the dis-
play will show a warning message when the
cruising range is less than 50 km (or 31 mi).
If warning light Kstarts
flashing when travelling
contact Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services.
CRUISE CONTROL
(green)
(for versions/markets, where
provided)
The warning light turns on (on certain ver-
sions a dedicated message is displayed)
when turning the the knurled ring of the
Cruise Control to
Ü.
LIGHT SENSOR
FAILURE (amber)
(for versions/markets,
where provided)
The warning light (or as an alternative, on
certain versions, a symbol and a message
are displayed) turns on to indicate a failure
at the light sensor.
PARKING SENSOR
FAILURE (amber)
(for versions/markets,
where provided)
The warning light (or as an alternative, on
certain versions, a symbol and a message
are displayed) turns on to indicate a failure
at parking sensors.
RAIN SENSOR
FAILURE (amber)
(for versions/markets,
where provided)
The warning light (where provided) turns on
(on certain versions a message is displayed)
when the rain sensor is failing.
1
u
t
K
Ü
CLEANING DPF
(PARTICULATE FILTER)
IN PROGRESS (only
Diesel versions with
DPF - amber)
When the electronic key is inserted into
the starting device
, the warning light switch-
es on but it must switch off after a few sec-
onds. The warning light comes on constantly
to notify the driver that the DPF system
h
needs to eliminate captured pollutants (par-
ticulate) by the regeneration process. The
warning light does not come on during every
DPF regeneration, but only when driving con-
ditions require notification of the driver. To
switch the warning light off, the car must
stay in motion until regeneration has been
completed. The process normally takes
about 15 minutes. The optimum conditions
to end the process are achieved by keep-
ing the car in motion up to 60 km/h with
an engine speed higher than 2,000 rpm.
This light coming on is not a car defect and
therefore the car does not need to go to the
workshop. A specific message will appear
on the display when the warning light comes
on (for versions/markets, where provided).
Always drive at a speed
appropriate to the traffic
conditions, the weather and
speed limits. The engine may be
turned off while the DPF light is
on; however, repeated interrup-
tion of the regeneration process
may result in premature exhaus-
tion of engine oil. For this reason
it is always advisable to wait for
the light to go off before turning
off the engine, following the in-
structions appearing above. It is
not advisable to complete DPF re-
generation with the vehicle sta-
tionary.
WARNING
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179
SAFETY
DEVICES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
ANTIPINCH SYSTEM
FAILURE
(amber)
The warning light (or as an alternative,
on certain versions, a symbol and a mes-
sage are displayed) turns on when a fail-
ure is detected in the antipinch system.
Contact Alfa Romeo Authorized Services.
WINDSCREEN
WASHER FLUID
LOW LEVEL (amber)
The warning light (where provided)
turns on (on certain versions a message
is displayed) when the windscreen
washer fluid level falls down the preset
min. level.
5
)
SPEED LIMIT
EXCEEDED
The display will show a warn-
ing message + symbol (red) and the
buzzer will sound when the car exceeds
the speed limit set through the “Setup
menu” (e.g.: 120 km/h) (see para-
graphs “Multifunction Display” or “Re-
configurable Multifunction Display” in
section “Dashboard and controls”).
T.P.M.S. SYSTEM
FAILURE
(for versions/markets,
where provided)
On certain versions the display will show
a warning message + symbol (amber)
when a failure is detected in the T.P.M.S.
system (Tyre Pressure Monitoring Sys-
tem). Contact Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services as soon as possible.
Should one or more wheels without sen-
sor be fitted, the display will show a
warning message until initial conditions
are restored.
CHECK TYRE
PRESSURE
(for versions/markets,
where provided)
On some versions, the display shows a
message + symbol (amber) to indicate
that the tyre pressure is below the rec-
ommended value which ensures the
long life of the tyre and optimum fuel
consumption, and/or to indicate a slow
pressure leak. If two or more tyres are
in one of the above-mentioned condi-
tions, the display will show the message
relating to each tyre in succession. In
this case, it is advisable to check and ad-
just the tyre pressures (see “Technical
Specification” section).X
n
n
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183
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
IN AN
EMERGENCY
IF A TYRE
IS PUNCTURED
For versions/markets, where provided
applicable, the car can be equipped with
the “Quick tyre repair kit Fix&Go auto-
matic“. Operations required to change
a wheel are described in the following
chapter.
As an alternative to the kit “Fix & Go
automatic”, the car can be provided (up-
on request) with space-saver spare
wheel or standard size spare wheel;
wheel changing and correct use of the
jack and space-saver spare wheel call for
some precautions as listed below.
BUMP STARTING
Never bump start the engine (by push-
ing, towing, or coasting downhill) as this
could cause fuel to flow into the catalytic
exhaust system and damage it beyond
repair.
Remember that the
brake booster and the
power steering system are not
operating until the engine is
started, a greater effort will
therefore be required to press
the brake pedal or turn the
steering wheel.
WARNING
Alert other drivers that
the car is stationary in
compliance with local regula-
tions: hazard warning lights,
warning triangle etc. Any pas-
sengers on board should leave
the car, especially if it is heav-
ily laden. Passengers should
stay away from oncoming
traffic while the wheel is be-
ing changed on. If the wheel is
being changed on a steep or
badly surfaced road, place the
wedges or other suitable ma-
terial under the wheel to stop
the car. Never start the engine
when the car is jacked up. If
you were towing a trailer, un-
couple the trailer before jack-
ing the car.
WARNING
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