2013 FIAT 500E Owners Manual

MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES
WARNING!
Your vehicle has both a high voltage DC and AC
system as well as a 12 Volt system. DC and AC high
voltage are both extremely dangerous and can cause
severe burns, electric shock, serious injury or even
death. In order to avoid personal injuries:
•DO NOT TOUCH THE HIGH VOLTAGE CABLES
(ORANGE COLORED) AND/OR THE CONNEC-
TORS.
• Follow all Caution and Warning labels attached to
the High Voltage components.
• Do not remove or replace any of the 500e System
components. All replacement or repairs of 500e
System components should be performed by a
factory-trained technician at an authorized studio. The pages that follow contain the
requiredmaintenance
services determined by the engineers who designed your
vehicle.
Besides those maintenance items specified in the fixed
maintenance schedule, there are other components which
may require servicing or replacement in the future.
CAUTION!
• Failure to properly maintain your vehicle or per-
form repairs and service when necessary could
result in more costly repairs, damage to other
components or negatively impact vehicle perfor-
mance. Immediately have potential malfunctions
examined by an authorized studio or qualified
repair center.
(Continued)
7
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE 287

CAUTION!(Continued)
•Your vehicle has been built with improved fluids
that protect the performance and durability of your
vehicle and also allow extended maintenance inter-
vals. Do not use chemical flushes in these compo-
nents as the chemicals can damage them. Such
damage is not covered by the New Vehicle Limited
Warranty. If a flush is needed because of compo-
nent malfunction, use only the specified fluid for
the flushing procedure.
Power Electronics And Battery Thermal
Management Systems
The Power Electronics and Battery Thermal Management
Systems are completely separate and designed to regu-
late temperature for the high voltage battery and the
electric components.
Power Electronics and Battery Thermal
Management Systems — Coolant Level Check
The coolant expansion bottles provides a quick visual
method for determining that the coolant level is ad-
equate. With the vehicle off and coolant at ambient
temperature, the level of the coolant (antifreeze) in the
bottles should be between the bottom and top lines
marked “MIN-MAX FILL RANGE”.
288 MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE

As long as the vehicle operating temperature is satisfac-
tory, the coolant bottles need only be checked once a
month.
When additional coolant (antifreeze) is needed to main-
tain the proper level, it should be added to the coolant
bottles. Do not overfill.Check the Power Electronics and Battery Thermal Man-
agement Systems coolant (antifreeze) protection every 12
months (before the onset of freezing weather, where
applicable).
Maintain coolant (antifreeze) concentration at a mini-
mum of 50% MOPAR® Antifreeze/Coolant 10 Year/
150,000 Mile Formula OAT (Organic Additive Technol-
ogy) and distilled/deionized water for proper corrosion
protection.
Check the coolant bottles tubing for brittle rubber, crack-
ing, tears, cuts and tightness of the connection at the
bottles and radiator. Inspect the entire system for leaks.
Check the front of the A/C condenser for any accumu-
lation of bugs, leaves, etc. If dirty, clean by gently
spraying water from a garden hose vertically down the
face of the condenser.
Coolant MIN/MAX
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MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE 289

NOTE:DO NOT REMOVE THE COOLANT PRESSURE
CAP WHEN THE COOLING SYSTEM IS HOT.WARNING!
You or others can be badly burned by hot coolant
(antifreeze) or steam from your radiator. If you see or
hear steam coming from under the hood, do not open
the hood until the radiator has had time to cool.
Never try to open a cooling system pressure cap
when the radiator is hot.
Power Electronics and Battery Thermal
Management Systems — Cooling Pressure Caps
The caps must be fully tightened to prevent loss of
coolant (antifreeze).
The caps should be inspected and cleaned if there is any
accumulation of foreign material on the sealing surfaces.
290 MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE

NOTE:
•The pressure caps on the reservoirs are unique and
rated at 5 PSI caps.
• Use only Mopar® replacement parts.
WARNING!
•The warning words “DO NOT OPEN HOT” on the
cooling system pressure cap are a safety precaution.
Never add coolant (antifreeze) when the cooling
system is overheated. Do not loosen or remove the
cap to cool an overheated cooling system. Heat
causes pressure to build up in the cooling system.
To prevent scalding or injury, do not remove the
pressure cap while the system is hot or under
pressure.
• Do not use a pressure cap other than the one
specified for your vehicle. Personal injury or ve-
hicle damage may result.
Selection Of Coolant
Refer to “Fluids, Lubricants, and Genuine Parts” in
“Maintaining Your Vehicle” for further information.
CAUTION!
• Mixing of coolant (antifreeze) other than specified
Organic Additive Technology (OAT) coolant (anti-
freeze), may result in cooling system damage and
may decrease corrosion protection. Organic Addi-
tive Technology (OAT) coolant is different and
should not be mixed with Hybrid Organic Additive
Technology (HOAT) coolant (antifreeze). If a non-
OAT coolant (antifreeze) is introduced into the
cooling system in an emergency, it should be re-
placed with the specified coolant (antifreeze) as
soon as possible.
(Continued)
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MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE 291

CAUTION!(Continued)
•Do not use water alone or alcohol-based coolant
(antifreeze) products. Do not use additional rust
inhibitors or antirust products, as they may not be
compatible with the radiator coolant and may plug
the radiator.
• This vehicle has not been designed for use with
propylene glycol-based coolant (antifreeze). Use of
propylene glycol-based coolant (antifreeze) is not
recommended.
Adding Coolant
Your vehicle has been built with cooling systems that
allow extended maintenance intervals. This coolant (an-
tifreeze) can be used up to ten years or 150,000 miles
(240,000 km) before replacement. To prevent reducing this extended maintenance period, it is important that
you use the same coolant (antifreeze) throughout the life
of your vehicle.
Please review these recommendations for using Organic
Additive Technology (OAT) coolant (antifreeze).
When adding coolant (antifreeze):
•
The manufacturer recommends using MOPAR®
Antifreeze/Coolant 10 Year/150,000 Mile Formula
OAT (Organic Additive Technology).
• Mix a minimum solution of 50% OAT coolant (anti-
freeze) and distilled water. Use higher concentrations
(not to exceed 70%) if temperatures below -34ºF (-37ºC)
are anticipated.
292 MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE

•Use only high purity water such as distilled or deion-
ized water when mixing the water and coolant (anti-
freeze) solution. The use of lower quality water will
reduce the amount of corrosion protection in the
cooling systems.
Please note that it is the owner ’s responsibility to main-
tain the proper level of protection against freezing ac-
cording to the temperatures occurring in the area where
the vehicle is operated.
NOTE: Mixing coolant (antifreeze) types will decrease
the life of the Power Electronics and Battery Thermal
Management Systems coolant (antifreeze) and will re-
quire more frequent coolant (antifreeze) changes.Power Electronics and Battery Thermal
Management Systems — Drain, Flush And Refill
Refer to “Maintenance Schedules” in Section 7 of this
supplement for the proper maintenance intervals.
If the coolant (antifreeze) is dirty or contains a consider-
able amount of sediment, clean and flush with a reliable
cooling system cleaner. Follow with a thorough rinsing to
remove all deposits and chemicals. Properly dispose of
old coolant (antifreeze) solution.
CAUTION!
It is recommended to have the cooling systems ser-
viced at your authorized studio. Failure to do so
could result in poor cooling system performance
and/or vehicle damage.7
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE 293

Disposal Of Used Power Electronics and Battery
Thermal Management Systems Coolant
Used antifreeze is a regulated substance requiring proper
disposal. Check with your local authorities to determine
the disposal rules for your community. To prevent inges-
tion by animals or children, do not store antifreeze in
open containers or allow it to remain in puddles on the
ground. If ingested by a child, contact a physician
immediately. Clean up any ground spills immediately.
Points To Remember
If an examination of your underhood compartment
shows no evidence of cooler or hose leaks, the vehicle
may be safely driven.
•Do not overfill the coolant recovery bottles. •
Check coolant (antifreeze) freeze point in the coolant
recovery bottles. If coolant (antifreeze) needs to be
added, contents of coolant recovery bottles must also
be protected against freezing.
• If frequent coolant (antifreeze) additions are required,
or if the level in the coolant recovery bottles does not
drop when the engine cools, the cooling system should
be pressure tested for leaks.
• Maintain coolant (antifreeze) concentration at 50%
OAT coolant (antifreeze) (minimum) and distilled/
deionized water for proper corrosion protection of
your engine which contains aluminum components.
• Make sure that the coolant control systems recovery
bottles overflow hoses are not kinked or obstructed.
• Keep the front of the coolant control systems clean. If
your vehicle is equipped with air conditioning, keep
the front of the condenser clean.
294 MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE