2013 Lancia Thema maintenance

The filter is located in the fresh air inlet
under the hood, behind a removable
panel in the cowl on the passenger side
of the vehicle, next to the windshield
wipers. When installing a new filter,
ensure its proper orientation.1.
Remove the access door in the cowl
screen by pressing the retaining clips.
2. Unsnap both ends and lift the filter
access cover. 3. Remove the used filter.
4. Install the new filter with arrows
pointing in the direction of airflow,
which is toward the rear of the vehicle
(text and arrows on the filter will in-
dicate this).
5. Close the filter access cover.
Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule”
for the proper maintenance intervals.
BODY LUBRICATION
Locks and all body pivot points, in-
cluding such items as seat tracks, door
hinge pivot points and rollers, liftgate,
tailgate, sliding doors and hood
hinges, should be lubricated periodi-
cally with a lithium based grease to
assure quiet, easy operation and to
protect against rust and wear. Prior tothe application of any lubricant, the
parts concerned should be wiped
clean to remove dust and grit; after
lubricating excess oil and grease
should be removed. Particular atten-
tion should also be given to hood
latching components to ensure proper
function. When performing other un-
derhood services, the hood latch, re-
lease mechanism and safety catch
should be cleaned and lubricated.
The external lock cylinders should be
lubricated twice a year, preferably in
the Fall and Spring. Apply a small
amount of a high quality lubricant
directly into the lock cylinder.
CAUTION!
Car maintenance should be done at
a LANCIA Dealership. For routine
and minor maintenance operations
you wish to carry out yourself, we
do recommend you have the proper
equipment, genuine LANCIA spare
parts and the necessary fluids; do
not however carry out these opera-
tions if you have no experience.
Access Door
Filter Access Cover
A/C Air Filter
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WINDSHIELD WIPER
BLADES
Clean the rubber edges of the wiper
blades and the windshield periodi-
cally with a sponge or soft cloth and a
mild nonabrasive cleaner. This will
remove accumulations of salt or road
film.
Operation of the wipers on dry glass
for long periods may cause deteriora-
tion of the wiper blades. Always use
washer fluid when using the wipers to
remove salt or dirt from a dry wind-
shield.
Avoid using the wiper blades to re-
move frost or ice from the windshield.
Keep the blade rubber out of contact
with petroleum products such as en-
gine oil, gasoline, etc.
NOTE: Life expectancy of wiper
blades varies depending on geo-
graphical area and frequency of
use. Poor performance of blades
may be present with chattering,
marks, water lines or wet spots. If
any of these conditions are pres-
ent, clean the wiper blades or re-
place as necessary.ADDING WASHER FLUID
The windshield washer and the head-
light washer share the same fluid res-
ervoir. The fluid reservoir is located in
the front of the engine compartment.
Be sure to check the fluid level in the
reservoir at regular intervals. Fill the
reservoir with windshield washer
solvent (not radiator antifreeze) and
operate the system for a few seconds
to flush out the residual water.
When refilling the washer fluid reser-
voir, apply some washer fluid to a
cloth or towel and wipe the wiper
blades clean. This will help blade per-
formance.
To prevent freeze-up of your wind-
shield washer system in cold weather,
select a solution or mixture that meets
or exceeds the temperature range of
your climate. This rating information
can be found on most washer fluid
containers.
The fluid reservoir will hold nearly
4 Liters of washer fluid when the mes-
sage “Low Washer Fluid” appears in
the Electronic Vehicle Information
Center (EVIC).
WARNING!Commercially available windshield
washer solvents are flammable. They
could ignite and burn you. Care must
be exercised when filling or working
around the washer solution.CAUTION!
Car maintenance should be done at
a LANCIA Dealership. For routine
and minor maintenance operations
you wish to carry out yourself, we
do recommend you have the proper
equipment, genuine LANCIA spare
parts and the necessary fluids; do
not however carry out these opera-
tions if you have no experience.
INTERVENTION
REGENERATION
STRATEGY –
3.0L DIESEL ENGINE
This vehicle is equipped with a state-
of-the-art engine and exhaust system
containing a diesel particulate filter.
The engine and exhaust after-
treatment system work together to
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meet the Emission standards. The
system manages engine combustion to
allow the exhaust system’s catalyst to
trap and burn Particulate Matter
(PM) pollutants with no input or in-
teraction on your part.
Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Informa-
tion Center (EVIC)” in “Understand-
ing Your Instrument Cluster” for fur-
ther information.
EXHAUST SYSTEM
The best protection against carbon
monoxide entry into the vehicle body
is a properly maintained engine ex-
haust system.
Whenever a change is noticed in the
sound of the exhaust system, when
exhaust fumes can be detected inside
the vehicle, or when the underside or
rear of the vehicle is damaged, have a
competent mechanic inspect the com-
plete exhaust system and adjacent
body areas for broken, damaged, de-
teriorated, or mispositioned parts.
Open seams or loose connections
could permit exhaust fumes to seepinto the passenger compartment. In
addition, have the exhaust system in-
spected each time the vehicle is raised
for lubrication or oil change. Replace
as required.
WARNING!
Exhaust gases can injure or kill.
They contain carbon monoxide
(CO), which is colorless and odor-
less. Breathing it can make you un-
conscious and can eventually poi-
son you. To avoid breathing CO,
refer to “Safety Tips/Exhaust Gas”
in “Things To Know Before Start-
ing Your Vehicle” for further infor-
mation.CAUTION!The catalytic converter requires the
use of unleaded fuel only. Leaded
gasoline will destroy the effective-
ness of the catalyst as an emissions
control device and may seriously re-
duce engine performance and cause
serious damage to the engine.
Under normal operating conditions,
the catalytic converter will not require
maintenance. However, it is impor-
tant to keep the engine properly tuned
to assure proper catalyst operation
and prevent possible catalyst damage.CAUTION!Damage to the catalytic converter
can result if your vehicle is not kept
in proper operating condition. In the
event of engine malfunction, par-
ticularly involving engine misfire or
other apparent loss of performance,
have your vehicle serviced promptly.
Continued operation of your vehicle
with a severe malfunction could
cause the converter to overheat, re-
sulting in possible damage to the
converter and the vehicle.NOTE: Intentional tampering
with emissions control systems can
result in civil penalties being as-
sessed against you.
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WARNING!
A hot exhaust system can start a fire
if you park over materials that can
burn. Such materials might be
grass or leaves coming into contact
with your exhaust system. Do not
park or operate your vehicle in ar-
eas where your exhaust system can
contact anything that can burn.
In unusual situations involving
grossly malfunctioning engine opera-
tion, a scorching odor may indicate
severe and abnormal catalyst over-
heating. If this should occur, safely
bring the vehicle to a complete stop,
shut the engine OFF, and allow the
vehicle to cool. Thereafter, obtain ser-
vice, including a tune-up to manufac-
turer's specifications immediately.
To minimize the possibility of catalyst
damage:
 Do not shut off the engine or inter- rupt the ignition when the trans-
mission is in gear and the vehicle is
in motion.
 Do not try to start the engine by pushing or towing the vehicle.  Do not idle the engine with any
spark plug wires disconnected or
removed, such as when diagnostic
testing, or for prolonged periods
during very rough idling or mal-
functioning operating conditions.
COOLING SYSTEM
WARNING!
 When working near the radiator cooling fan, disconnect the fan
motor lead or turn the ignition
switch to the LOCK position. The
fan is temperature controlled and
can start at anytime the ignition
switch is in the ON position.
 You or others can be badly
burned by hot engine 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 radia-
tor has had time to cool. Never try
to open a cooling system pressure
cap when the radiator is hot.
CAUTION!
Car maintenance should be done at
a LANCIA Dealership. For routine
and minor maintenance operations
you wish to carry out yourself, we
do recommend you have the proper
equipment, genuine LANCIA spare
parts and the necessary fluids; do
not however carry out these opera-
tions if you have no experience.
Coolant ChecksCheck engine coolant (antifreeze) pro-
tection every 12 months (before the
onset of freezing weather, where appli-
cable). If the engine coolant (anti-
freeze) is dirty or rusty in appearance,
the system should be drained, flushed,
and refilled with fresh coolant. Check
the front of the A/C condenser for any
accumulation of bugs, leaves, etc. If
dirty, clean by gently spraying water
from a garden hose vertically down the
face of the condenser.Check the coolant recovery bottle
tubing for brittle rubber, cracking,
tears, cuts, and tightness of the con-
nection at the bottle and radiator.
Inspect the entire system for leaks.
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With the engine at normal operating
temperature (but not running), check
the cooling system pressure cap for
proper vacuum sealing by draining a
small amount of engine coolant (anti-
freeze) from the radiator drain cock.
If the cap is sealing properly, the
engine coolant (antifreeze) will begin
to drain from the coolant recovery
bottle. DO NOT REMOVE THE
COOLANT PRESSURE CAP WHEN
THE COOLING SYSTEM IS HOT.
Cooling System – Drain, Flush,
And Refill
If the engine coolant (antifreeze) is
dirty or contains a considerable
amount of sediment, clean and flush
with a reliable cooling system cleaner.
Follow with a thorough rinsing to re-
move all deposits and chemicals.
Properly dispose of old engine coolant
(antifreeze).
Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule”
for the proper maintenance intervals.Selection Of Coolant
Use only the manufacturer's recom-
mended engine coolant (antifreeze).
Refer to “Fluids, Lubricants, and
Genuine Parts” in “Maintaining Your
Vehicle” for further information.
CAUTION!
 Mixing of engine coolant (anti-
freeze) other than specified en-
gine coolant (antifreeze), may re-
sult in engine damage and may
decrease corrosion protection. If a
non-specified engine coolant (an-
tifreeze) is introduced into the
cooling system in an emergency, it
should be replaced with the speci-
fied engine coolant (antifreeze) as
soon as possible.
 Do not use plain water alone or alcohol-based engine coolant
(antifreeze) products. Do not use
additional rust inhibitors or anti-
rust products, as they may not be
compatible with the radiator en-
gine coolant (antifreeze) and may
plug the radiator.
(Continued)
CAUTION!(Continued)
 This vehicle has not been de- signed for use with Propylene
Glycol based engine coolant (an-
tifreeze). Use of Propylene Glycol
based engine coolant (antifreeze)
is not recommended.
Adding Coolant
Your vehicle has been built with an
improved engine coolant (antifreeze)
that allows extended maintenance in-
tervals. This engine coolant (anti-
freeze) can be used up to ten years or
240 000 km before replacement. To
prevent reducing this extended main-
tenance period, it is important that
you use the same engine coolant (an-
tifreeze) throughout the life of your
vehicle.
When adding engine coolant (anti-
freeze):
Use only high purity water such as
distilled or deionized water when
mixing the water/engine coolant (an-
tifreeze) solution. The use of lower
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Points To Remember
NOTE: When the vehicle is
stopped after a few kilometers of
operation, you may observe vapor
coming from the front of the engine
compartment. This is normally a
result of moisture from rain, or
high humidity accumulating on
the radiator and being vaporized
when the thermostat opens, allow-
ing hot engine coolant (antifreeze)
to enter the radiator.
If an examination of your engine com-
partment shows no evidence of radia-
tor or hose leaks, the vehicle may be
safely driven. The vapor will soon dis-
sipate.
 Do not overfill the coolant recoverybottle.
Check engine coolant (antifreeze)
freeze point in the radiator and in
the coolant recovery bottle. If engine
coolant (antifreeze) needs to be
added, contents of coolant recovery
bottle must also be protected against
freezing.
 If frequent engine coolant (anti- freeze) additions are required, or if
the level in the coolant recovery
bottle does not drop when the en-
gine cools, the cooling system
should be pressure tested for leaks.
Maintain engine coolant (antifreeze)
concentration at 50% engine coolant
(antifreeze) (minimum) and dis-
tilled water for proper corrosion pro-
tection of your engine, which con-
tains aluminum components. Make sure that the radiator and coolant recovery bottle overflow
hoses are not kinked or obstructed.
 Keep the front of the radiator clean. If your vehicle is equipped with air
conditioning, keep the front of the
condenser clean.
 Do not change the thermostat for Summer or Winter operation. If re-
placement is ever necessary, install
ONLY the correct type thermostat.
Other designs may result in unsat-
isfactory engine coolant (anti-
freeze) performance, poor gas mile-
age, and increased emissions. BRAKE SYSTEM
In order to assure brake system per-
formance, all brake system compo-
nents should be inspected periodi-
cally. Refer to the “Maintenance
Schedule” for the proper maintenance
intervals.
WARNING!
Riding the brakes can lead to brake
failure and possibly an accident.
Driving with your foot resting or
riding on the brake pedal can result
in abnormally high brake tempera-
tures, excessive lining wear, and
possible brake damage. You would
not have your full braking capacity
in an emergency.CAUTION!
Car maintenance should be done at
a LANCIA Dealership. For routine
and minor maintenance operations
you wish to carry out yourself, we
do recommend you have the proper
equipment, genuine LANCIA spare
(Continued)
284

CAUTION!
 Using a transmission fluid otherthan the manufacturer's recom-
mended fluid may cause deterio-
ration in transmission shift qual-
ity and/or torque converter
shudder. Using a transmission
fluid other than that recom-
mended by the manufacturer,
and will require more frequent
fluid and filter changes. Refer to
“Fluids, Lubricants, and Genuine
Parts” in “Maintaining Your Ve-
hicle” for fluid specifications.
 If a transmission fluid leak oc-
curs, visit your authorized dealer
immediately. Transmission dam-
age may occur. Your authorized
dealer has the proper tools to ad-
just the fluid level accurately.
Fluid And Filter Changes
Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule”
for the proper maintenance intervals.
In addition, change the fluid and filter
if the transmission is disassembled for
any reason.
CAUTION!
Car maintenance should be done at
a LANCIA Dealership. For routine
and minor maintenance operations
you wish to carry out yourself, we
do recommend you have the proper
equipment, genuine LANCIA spare
parts and the necessary fluids; do
not however carry out these opera-
tions if you have no experience.
ALL WHEEL DRIVE (AWD)
(for versions/markets,
where provided)
The all wheel drive system consists of
a transfer case and front differential.
The exterior surface of these compo-
nents should be inspected for evi-
dence of fluid leaks. Confirmed leaks
should be repaired as soon as possible.
The transfer case fluid fill/inspection
plug is located in the middle of the
rear housing. To inspect the transfer
case fluid level, remove the fill/
inspection plug. The fluid level should
be even with the bottom of the hole.
Use this plug to add fluid as required. The front differential fill plug is lo-
cated on the outer cover near the half-
shaft attachment. To inspect the dif-
ferential fluid level, remove the fill
plug. The fluid level should be even
with or slightly below the bottom of
the hole.
REAR AXLE
For normal service, periodic fluid
level checks are not required. When
the vehicle is serviced for other rea-
sons the exterior surfaces of the axle
assembly should be inspected. If gear
oil leakage is suspected inspect the
fluid level. Refer to “Fluids, Lubri-
cants, and Genuine Parts” in “Main-
taining Your Vehicle” for further in-
formation.
Fluid Level Check
Check the fluid level by removing the
fill plug on the axle. The fluid level
should be at the bottom of the fill
hole. Add fluid, if necessary, to main-
tain the proper level. Refer to “Fluids,
Lubricants, and Genuine Parts” in
“Maintaining Your Vehicle” for fur-
ther information.
287

Change Axle Fluid
Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule”
for the proper maintenance intervals.
APPEARANCE CARE AND
PROTECTION FROM
CORROSION
Protection Of Body And Paint
From Corrosion
Vehicle body care requirements vary
according to geographic locations and
usage. Chemicals that are sprayed on
trees and road surfaces during other
seasons, are highly corrosive to the
metal in your vehicle. Outside park-
ing, which exposes your vehicle to air-
borne contaminants, road surfaces on
which the vehicle is operated, extreme
hot or cold weather and other extreme
conditions will have an adverse effect
on paint, metal trim, and underbody
protection.
The following maintenance recom-
mendations will enable you to obtain
maximum benefit from the corrosion
resistance built into your vehicle.What Causes Corrosion?
Corrosion is the result of deterioration
or removal of paint and protective
coatings from your vehicle.
The most common causes are:
 Road salt, dirt and moisture accu-
mulation.
 Stone and gravel impact.
 Insects, tree sap and tar.
 Salt in the air near seacoast localities.
 Atmospheric fallout/industrial pol- lutants.
Washing
 Wash your vehicle regularly. Al- ways wash your vehicle in the shade
using a mild car wash soap, and
rinse the panels completely with
clear water.
 Use a high quality cleaner wax to protect your paint finish. Take care
never to scratch the paint.  Avoid using abrasive compounds
and power buffing that may dimin-
ish the gloss or thin out the paint
finish.
CAUTION!
Do not use abrasive or strong clean-
ing materials such as steel wool or
scouring powder that will scratch
metal and painted surfaces.
Special Care
 If you drive on salted or dusty roads or if you drive near the ocean, hose
off the undercarriage at least once a
month.
 It is important that the drain holes in the lower edges of the doors,
rocker panels, and cargo area be
kept clear and open.
 If you detect any stone chips or scratches in the paint, touch them
up immediately. The cost of such
repairs is considered the responsi-
bility of the owner.
288