ENGINE STARTING
The car is provided with an electronic en-
gine lock device: refer to “The Fiat CODE
system” paragraph in “Dashboard and
controls” if you cannot start the engine.
The engine may be noisier during the first
seconds of operation, particularly after a
long period of inactivity. This is charac-
teristic of hydraulic tappets, the timing sys-
tem chosen to reduce the number of ser-
vicing interventions and does effects nei-
ther functionality nor reliability.
It is advisable not to demand
maximum performance from
your car (e.g. excessive accel-
erations, long distances at top
rpm, excessive intense braking, etc.) as
soon as the engine is started.
Do not leave the key in the ig-
nition switch with the engine
off to avoid unnecessary con-
sumption of electricity which
could drain the battery. It is dangerous
to run the engin e in clo sed environ-
ments.
Running the engine in con-
fined areas is extremely dan-
gerous. The engine consumes oxygen
and produces carbo n monoxide
which is a highly toxic and lethal gas.
WARNING
Remember that the brake
booster and power steering
are not operational until the engine
has been started, therefore much ef-
for t than usual is required on the
brake pedal and steering wheel.
WARNING
STARTING PROCEDURE FOR
PETROL VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
ensure that the handbrake is up;
put the gear lever into neutral;
press the clutch pedal down to the
floor without touching the accelerator;
turn the ignition key to AV Vand let
it go the moment the engine starts.
If the engine does not start at the first at-
tempt,
return the ignition key to STOP
before repeating starting.
93
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
IN AN
CAR
TECHNICAL
INDEX
DASHBOARD
SAFETY
LIGHTS AND
EMERGENCY
MAINTENANCE
SPECIFICATIONS
AND CONTROLS
DEVICES
MESSAGES
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If, when the ignition key is at MAR, the in-
strument panel warning light remains
lit together with warning light turn the
key to STOPand then back to MAR; r e -
main on, try with the other keys provid-
ed with the car.
IMPORTANT if on the instrument
panel remains on and steady,
go to a Fiat
Dealership immediately.
IMPORTANT
Never leave the ignition key
to MARwhen the engine is off.STARTING PROCEDURE FOR
DIESEL VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
ensure that the handbrake is up;
put the gear lever into neutral;
turn the ignition key to MAR; instru-
ment panel warning lights and
will light up;
wait for the warning light e to
turn off. The hotter the engine is, the
quicker this will happen;
press the clutch pedal down to the
floor without touching the accelerator;
turn the ignition key to AV Vas soon
as warning light goes out. Waiting
too long will waste the work done by
the glow plugs. Release the key as soon
as the engine starts.If the engine does not start at the first at-
tempt, return the ignition key to STOP
before repeating starting.
If, when the ignition key is at MAR, the
instrument panel warning light re-
mains lit together with warning light
turn the key to STOPand then back to
MAR; if the warning lights remain on, try
with the other keys provided with the car.
IMPORTANT If the instrument panel
warning light
stays on glowing
steadily, contact immediately Fiat
Dealership.
IMPORTANT Never leave the ignition key
to MARwhen the engine is off.
Warning light will blink
for 60 seconds after starting
or during prolonged cranking
to indicate a fault to the glow
plug heating system.
Use the car nor-
mally if the engine starts and go to a
Fiat Dealership as soon as possible.
94
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
AND CONTROLS
DEVICES
EMERGENCY
MAINTENANCE
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
MESSAGES
DASHBOARD
SAFETY
LIGHTS AND
IN AN
CAR
TECHNICAL
WARNING
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STOPPING THE ENGINE
Turn the ignition to STOPwhile the en-
gine is idling.
IMPORTANT After a taxing drive, you
should allow the engine to “catch its
breath” before turning it off by letting it
idle to allow the temperature in the en-
gine compartment to fall.
A quick burst on the acceler-
ator before turning off the en-
gine serves absolutely no
practic al purpose , it waste s
fuel and is damaging especially to tur-
bocharged engines.HOW TO WARM UP THE
ENGINE AFTER IT HAS JUST
STARTED
(petrol and diesel engines)
Proceed as follows:
drive off slowly, letting the engine turn
at medium revs. Do not accelerate
abruptly;
do not demand too high performance
for the first few kilometres. Wait until
the engine coolant gauge starts moving.
Remember that the brake
booster and power steering
are not operational until the
engine has been star ted,
therefore much effort than usual is re-
quired on the brake pedal and steering
wheel.Never jump start the engine
by pushing, towing or driving
downhill. This could cause a
flow of fuel into the catalyt-
ic converter and damage it beyond re-
pair.
95
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
IN AN
CAR
TECHNICAL
INDEX
DASHBOARD
SAFETY
LIGHTS AND
EMERGENCY
MAINTENANCE
SPECIFICATIONS
AND CONTROLS
DEVICES
MESSAGES
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HANDBRAKE fig. 1
The handbrake lever is located between
the two front seats.
Pull the lever upwards to operate the
handbrake. Four or five notches are nor-
mally sufficient to lock the car on flat ter-
rain, while nine or ten may be necessary
on a steep slope with the car loaded.
IMPORTANT If this is not the case, con-
tact Fiat Dealership to have the hand-
brake adjusted.
When the handbrake lever is pulled up
and the ignition key is atMAR, the in-
strument panel warning light will turn
on.
PARKING THE CAR
Proceed as follows:
stop the engine and engage the hand-
brake;
engage a gear (on a slope, engage first
gear if the car is faced uphill or reverse
if it is faced downhill) and leave the
wheels steered.
If the car is parked on a steep slope, it is
further advisable to block the wheels with
a wedge or stone. Do not leave the key in
the ignition switch to prevent draining the
battery. Always remove the key when you
leave the car.
Never leave children unat-
tended in the car. Always re-
move the ignition key when leaving
the car and take it out with you.
WARNING
fig. 1F0R0103m
Proceed as followed to release the hand-
brake:
slightly lift the handbrake and press re-
lease button A;
hold button Apressed and lower the
lever. Warning light on the instru-
ment panel will go out.
Press the brake pedal when carrying out
this operation to prevent the car from
moving accidentally.
96
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
AND CONTROLS
DEVICES
EMERGENCY
MAINTENANCE
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
MESSAGES
DASHBOARD
SAFETY
LIGHTS AND
IN AN
CAR
TECHNICAL
WARNING
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WARNING LIGHTS
AND MESSAGES
GENERAL WARNINGS
Lighting of a warning light is associated to
a specific message and/or buzzer when ap-
plicable. These indications are brief and
precautionary and as such must not be
considered as exhaustive and/or alterna-
tive to the information contained in
the
Owner’s Handbook, which you are rec-
ommended to read carefully in all
cases.
Refer to the information in this chap-
ter in the event of a failure indication.
IMPORTANT Failure indications
on the
display fall into either of two categories:
seriousfaults and less seriousfaults.
Very seriousfailures are indicated by a
repeated and prolonged warning
“cycle”.
Less seriousfailures are indicated by a lim-
ited warning “cycle”.
Press MENU ESCto stop the warning
cycle in both cases. The warning light on
the instrument panel will stay on until the
cause of the fault is eliminated.LOW BRAKE FLUID
LEVEL (red)
HANDBRAKE ON (red)
Turning the ignition key to MARthe
warning light turns on, but it should go off
after few seconds.
Low brake fluid level
The warning light turns on when the lev-
el of the brake fluid in the reservoir falls
below the minim um level, due to possi-
ble leak in the circuit.
On certain versions the dedicated message
is displayed.
If the warning light turns
on when travelling (on cer-
tain versions together with the mes-
sage on the display) stop the car im-
mediately and contact Fiat Dealer-
ship.
WARNING
Handbrake on
The warning light turns on when the hand-
brake is on.
IMPORTANT If the warning light turns on
when travelling, check that the handbrake
is not engaged.
102
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
AND CONTROLS
DEVICES
EMERGENCY
MAINTENANCE
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
DASHBOARD
SAFETY
CAR
IN AN
TECHNICAL
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LOW ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE (red)
Turning the ignition key to
MARthe warning light turns on, but it
should go out as soon as the engine is
started.
On certain versions the dedicated message
is displayed.
If the warning light
turns on when the car is trav-
elling (on cer tain versions together
with the message on the display) stop
the engine immediately and contact
a Fiat Dealership.
WARNING
In the case of demanding use (e.g.
towing traile rs uphill or car at full
load): slow down and stop the car if
the warning light stays on. Stand for
2 or 3 minutes with the engine running
and slightly accelerated to promote a
better circulation of coolant.
Then
stop the engine. Check correct liquid
level as described above.
IMPORTANT Under severe use of the
car, keep the engine on and slightly accel-
erated for few minutes before switching it
off.
On certain versions the dedicated message
is displayed.LOW BATTERY
CHARGE (red)
Turning the igni tion key to
MARthe warning light turns on, but it
should go out as soon as the engine is
started (with the engine running at idle
speed a brief delay in going out is allowed).
Go to a Fiat Dealership immediately
if the warning light stays on either ste-
ady or blinking.
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
104
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106
Go to a Fiat Dealership
as soon as possible if warning
light either does not light
up when the key is turned to
MAR to if while travelling the warning
lights comes on either steady or blink-
ing (along with a message on the dis-
play).
If the light flashes, release the accelerator
pedal to lower the speed of the engine un-
til the warning light stops flashing; contin-
ue the journey at moderate speed, trying
to avoid driving conditions that may cause
further flashing and contact Fiat
Dealership as soon as possible. EOBD ENGINE CONTROL
SYSTEM FAILURE
Under normal conditions, turning the ig-
nition key to MAR, the warning light turns
on
but it should go off after engine starting.
This indicates that the warning light is
working correctly. If the warning light
ei-
ther stays on or comes on while travelling:
steady light: a fault in the supply/ignition
system which could cause high emis-
sions at the exhaust, possible lack of
performance, poor handling and high
consumption levels.
On certain versions the dedicated mes-
sage is displayed.
In these conditions, you may continue
travelling at moderate speed without de-
manding excessive effort from the engine.
Prolonged use of the car with the warn-
ing light on may cause damage.
Go to a
Fiat Dealership as soon as possible.
if warning light will go out after the
fault goes away but it will be stored in the
system.
blinking: indicates the possibility of
damage to the catalyser (see “EOBD
system” in section “Dashboard
and
controls”). INJECTION SYSTEM
FA I L U R E
(Multijet versions -
amber)
EOBD SYSTEM
FAILURE (petrol
versions - amber)
Injection system failure
Under normal conditions, turning the
ig-
nition key to MAR, the warning light turns
on but it should go off after engine start-
ing.
If the warning light stays on or turns
on
when travelling, means a fault in the sup-
ply/ignition system which could cause high
emissions at the exhaust, possible lack of
performance, poor handling and high
con-
sumption levels.
On certain versions the dedicated message
is displayed.
In these conditions, you may continue
travelling at moderate speed without
de-
manding excessive effort from the engine.
Go to a Fiat Dealersh ip as so on as
possible.
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
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107
FUEL RESERVE (amber)
Turning the ignitio n key
to
MARthe warning light turns on, but it
should go off after few seconds.
The warning light turns
on when about 7
litres fuel are left in the tank.
IMPORTANT The warning light will
blink
to indicate a system failure. Go to a Fiat
Dealership to have the system che-
cked. ABS SYSTEM FAILURE
(amber)
Turning the ignition key to
MARthe warning light turns on, but it
should go off after few seconds.
The warning light will light up when the
system is either not working or not avail-
able. In the case, the braking system will
work as normal without the extra poten-
tials offered by the ABS system. Drive
carefully and go to a Fiat Dealership
as soon as possible.
On certain
versions the dedicated message
is displayed.
FRONT PASSENGER
AIRBAG
DEACTIVATED
(amber)
Warning light comes on when front
passenger’s airbag is deactivated.
With front passenger’s airbag on, turning
the ignition key to MAR, warning light
comes on steadily for about 4 sec-
onds, it flashes for other 4 seconds and
then it shall go off.
Warning light indicates
failure of warning light .
This condition is indicated by inter-
mittent blinking of warning light
for longer than 4 seconds. In this case,
warning light may not indicate
fault to the system. Contact Fiat
Dealership immediately to have
the system checked before driving off.
WARNING
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
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