2012 FIAT 500 ABARTH Owners Manual

NOTE:There are front and rear jacking locations on
each side of the body (as indicated by the triangular lift
point symbol on the sill molding).
Do not raise the vehicle until you are sure the jack is
securely engaged.
3. Turn the jack screw to the left until the jack can be
placed under the jacking location. Once the jack is
Front Jacking Location
Rear Jacking Location6
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 263

positioned, turn the jack screw to the right until the jack
head is properly engaged with the lift area closest to the
wheel to be changed.WARNING!
Raising the vehicle higher than necessary can make
the vehicle less stable. It could slip off the jack and
hurt someone near it. Raise the vehicle only enough
to remove the tire.
4. Using the swivel wrench, raise the vehicle by turning
the jack screw to the right. Raise the vehicle only until the
tire just clears the surface and enough clearance is
obtained. Minimum tire lift provides maximum stability.
5. Remove the wheel bolts and pull the wheel off the
hub. For vehicles equipped with aluminum wheels, the
center caps must be removed to remove the wheel bolts.
Jacking Location
264 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

WARNING!
To avoid the risk of forcing the vehicle off the jack,
do not fully tighten the wheel bolts until the vehicle
has been lowered. Failure to follow this warning may
result in personal injury.
6. Install the wheel and wheel bolts with the cone shaped
end of the bolts toward the wheel. Lightly tighten the
bolts. To avoid the risk of forcing the vehicle off the jack,
do not tighten the bolts fully until the vehicle has been
lowered.
7. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack screw to the left.
8. Finish tightening the bolts. Push down on the wrench
while tightening the wheel bolts. Alternate bolts until
each bolt has been tightened twice. The correct wheel bolt
torque is 63 ft lbs (85 N·m) for steel wheels and 75 ft lbs
(100 N·m) for aluminum wheels. If you doubt that you have tightened the bolts correctly, have them checked
with a torque wrench by your authorized dealer or
service station.
9. Disassemble the jack and tools and place them in the
bag. Stow it under the driver’s seat and secure the bag to
the floor with the straps attached to the floor of the
vehicle.
WARNING!
A loose tire or jack thrown forward in a collision or
hard stop could endanger the occupants of the ve-
hicle. Always stow the jack parts in the places
provided.
10. Check the tire pressure as soon as possible. Correct
the tire pressure as required.
6
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 265

JUMP-STARTING PROCEDURE
If your vehicle has a discharged battery, it can be jump-
started using a set of jumper cables and a battery in
another vehicle or by using a portable battery booster
pack. Jump-starting can be dangerous if done improperly
so please follow the procedures in this section carefully.
NOTE:When using a portable battery booster pack,
follow the manufacturer ’s operating instructions and
precautions.
WARNING!
Do not attempt jump-starting if the battery is frozen.
It could rupture or explode and cause personal injury.
CAUTION!
Do not use a portable battery booster pack or any
other booster source with a system voltage greater
than 12 Volts or damage to the battery, starter motor,
alternator or electrical system may occur.
Preparations For Jump-Start
The battery in your vehicle is located on the left side of
the engine compartment.
266 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

WARNING!
•Take care to avoid the radiator cooling fan when-
ever the hood is raised. It can start anytime the
ignition switch is ON. You can be injured by
moving fan blades.
•Remove any metal jewelry such as watch bands or
bracelets that might make an inadvertent electrical
contact. You could be seriously injured.
•Batteries contain sulfuric acid that can burn your
skin or eyes and generate hydrogen gas which is
flammable and explosive. Keep open flames or
sparks away from the battery.
1. Set the parking brake, shift the transmission into gear
and turn the ignition to OFF/LOCK.
2. Turn off the heater, radio, and all unnecessary electri-
cal accessories.
Positive Battery Post
1 — Positive Battery Post
2 — Negative Battery Post
6
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 267

3. If using another vehicle to jump-start the battery, park
the vehicle within the jumper cables reach, set the
parking brake and make sure the ignition is OFF.
WARNING!
Do not allow vehicles to touch each other as this
could establish a ground connection and personal
injury could result.
Jump-Starting Procedure
WARNING!
Failure to follow this procedure could result in per-
sonal injury or property damage due to battery ex-
plosion.
CAUTION!
Failure to follow these procedures could result in
damage to the charging system of the booster vehicle
or the discharged vehicle.
1. Connect the positive (+)end of the jumper cable to the
positive (+)post of the discharged vehicle.
2. Connect the opposite end of the positive (+)jumper
cable to the positive (+)post of the booster battery.
3. Connect the negative end (-)of the jumper cable to the
negative (-)post of the booster battery.
4. Connect the opposite end of the negative (-)jumper
cable to a good engine ground (exposed metal part of the
discharged vehicle’s engine) away from the battery and
the fuel injection system.
268 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

WARNING!
Do not connect the cable to the negative post (-) of the
discharged battery. The resulting electrical spark
could cause the battery to explode and could result in
personal injury.
5. Start the engine in the vehicle that has the booster
battery, let the engine idle a few minutes, and then start
the engine in the vehicle with the discharged battery.
Once the engine is started, remove the jumper cables in
the reverse sequence:
6. Disconnect the negative (-)jumper cable from the
engine ground (-)of the vehicle with the discharged
battery.
7. Disconnect the negative end (-)of the jumper cable
from the negative (-)post of the booster battery. 8. Disconnect the opposite end of the positive
(+)jumper
cable from the positive (+)post of the booster battery.
9. Disconnect the positive (+)end of the jumper cable
from the positive (+)post of the discharged vehicle.
If frequent jump-starting is required to start your vehicle,
you should have the battery and charging system in-
spected at your authorized dealer.
CAUTION!
Accessories that can be plugged into the vehicle
power outlets draw power from the vehicle’s battery,
even when not in use (i.e., cellular phones, etc.).
Eventually, if plugged in long enough, the vehicle’s
battery will discharge sufficiently to degrade battery
life and/or prevent the engine from starting.6
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 269

FREEING A STUCK VEHICLE
If your vehicle becomes stuck in mud, sand or snow, it
can often be moved by a rocking motion. Turn your
steering wheel right and left to clear the area around the
front wheels. Then shift back and forth between 1st gear
and REVERSE. Using minimal accelerator pedal pressure
to maintain the rocking motion, without spinning the
wheels, is most effective.
CAUTION!
Racing the engine or spinning the wheels may lead to
transmission overheating and failure. Allow the en-
gine to idle with the shift lever in NEUTRAL for at
least one minute after every five rocking-motion
cycles. This will minimize overheating and reduce
the risk of clutch or transmission failure during
prolonged efforts to free a stuck vehicle.NOTE:
Turn the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) sys-
tem OFF before attempting to “rock” the vehicle.
CAUTION!
•When “rocking” a stuck vehicle by moving be-
tween 1st gear and REVERSE, do not spin the
wheels faster than 15 mph (24 km/h), or drivetrain
damage may result.
•Revving the engine or spinning the wheels too fast
may lead to transmission or clutch overheating
and failure. It can also damage the tires. Do not
spin the wheels above 30 mph (48 km/h) while in
gear (no transmission shifting occurring).
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