2016 FIAT 500L cooling

Exhaust Gas
WARNING!
Exhaust gases can injure or kill. They contain carbon
monoxide (CO), which is colorless and odorless.
Breathing it can make you unconscious and can
eventually poison you. To avoid breathing (CO),
follow these safety tips:
•Do not run the engine in a closed garage or in
confined areas any longer than needed to move
your vehicle in or out of the area.
•
If you are required to drive with the trunk/liftgate/
rear doors open, make sure that all windows are
closed and the climate control BLOWER switch is set
at high speed. DO NOT use the recirculation mode.
• If it is necessary to sit in a parked vehicle with the
engine running, adjust your heating or cooling
controls to force outside air into the vehicle. Set the
blower at high speed. The best protection against carbon monoxide entry into
the vehicle body is a properly maintained engine exhaust
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, deteriorated, or mispositioned parts. Open
seams or loose connections could permit exhaust fumes
to seep into the passenger compartment. In addition,
inspect the exhaust system each time the vehicle is raised
for lubrication or oil change. Replace as required.
82 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

1. Speedometer•Indicates vehicle speed
2. Fuel Gauge •The pointer shows the level of fuel in the fuel tank
when the ignition switch is in the ON/RUN position
3. Temperature Gauge •The temperature gauge shows engine coolant tem-
perature. Any reading within the normal range indi-
cates that the engine cooling system is operating
satisfactorily.
• The gauge pointer will likely indicate a higher tem-
perature when driving in hot weather or up moun-
tain grades. It should not be allowed to exceed the
upper limits of the normal operating range.CAUTION!
Driving with a hot engine cooling system could
damage your vehicle. If the temperature gauge reads
“H” pull over and stop the vehicle. Idle the vehicle
with the air conditioner turned off until the pointer
drops back into the normal range. If the pointer
remains on the “H”, turn the engine off immediately
and call an authorized dealer for service.
WARNING!
A hot engine cooling system is dangerous. You or
others could be badly burned by steam or boiling
coolant. You may want to call an authorized dealer
for service if your vehicle overheats. If you decide to
look under the hood yourself, see “Maintaining Your
Vehicle”. Follow the warnings under the Cooling
System Pressure Cap paragraph.
164 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

MAX A/C
For maximum cooling, use the A/C and recirculation
modes at the same time.
ECONOMY MODE
If economy mode is desired, push the A/C button to turn
OFF the indicator light and the A/C compressor. Then,
move the temperature control to the desired temperature.
5. Rear Defrost Control
Push and release the Rear Defrost Control button to turn
ON the rear window defroster and the heated outside
mirrors (if equipped). An indicator will illuminate when
the rear window defroster is ON. The rear window
defroster automatically turns OFF after 20 minutes.
6. Mode Control
Rotate this control to change the system between Modes
(Panel, Bi-Level, Floor, Mix, Defrost).•
Panel
Air is directed through the outlets in the
instrument panel. These outlets can be ad-
justed to direct airflow.
NOTE: The center instrument panel outlets can be aimed
so that they are directed toward the rear seat passengers
for maximum airflow to the rear.
•Bi-Level
Air is directed through the panel and floor
outlets.
• Floor
Air is directed through the floor outlets with a
small amount flowing through the defrost and
side window demister outlets.
• Mix
Air is directed through the floor, defrost, and
side window demister outlets. This setting
works best in cold or snowy conditions that
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UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 231

Do not use the function for a long time, particularly if
there are many passengers on board, to prevent the
windows from misting up.
NOTE:Internal air recirculation makes it possible to
reach the required heating or cooling conditions more
quickly depending on the mode selected. Do not use the
internal air recirculation function on rainy/cold days as it
would considerably increase the possibility of the win-
dows misting.
Air Distribution Selection
Rotate the Mode Control knob to manually select one of
the five possible air distribution settings in the passenger
compartment:
Air flow to the front windshield, front side win-
dow and front/rear footwell diffusers. Air flow to the front/rear footwell diffusers. This
air distribution allows the passenger compart-
ment to be heated quickly.
Air flow distributed between central and side
dashboard vents and front/rear footwell vents.
Air flow to central/side dashboard vents (passen-
ger ’s body).
Air flow to windshield and side windows.
Selecting the footwell/windshield or only windshield
distribution activates the climate control system com-
pressor (LED on A/C button on) and the air recirculation
is set to outside air (LED on Recirculation Control
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UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 233

The climate control system can recognize extremely cold
(or extremely hot) conditions in the passenger compart-
ment and consequently provide optimal management of
the system’s capabilities.
NOTE:The reference temperature is 72° F (22° C) for
optimal comfort management.
The automatically controlled parameters and functions
are:
• air temperature at the driver/front passenger side
vents
• fan speed (continuous variation of the air flow)
• compressor engagement (for cooling/dehumidifying
the air)
• air recirculation All these functions can be adjusted manually by operat-
ing the system, selecting one or more functions and
modifying their parameters.
Automatic control of the functions will be suspended: the
system will only override the settings for safety reasons.
Manual selections always take priority over automatic
ones and are stored until the AUTO button is pushed or
the system itself intervenes for specific safety reasons.
The amount of air introduced into the passenger com-
partment is not affected by car speed; it is regulated by
the fan, which is controlled electronically.
The air temperature is always automatically controlled
according to the temperature set on the display (except
for when the system is off or in certain conditions when
the compressor is not running).
238 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

During automatic operation, you can change the set
temperatures, air distribution and fan speed at any time
by using the relevant buttons or knobs: the system will
automatically change the settings to adjust to the new
requirements.
During completely automatic operation (AUTO), varying
the air flow and/or distribution (which are not dis-
played) causes the AUTO function LED to disappear and
the system to operate in MANUAL mode (displaying
both the flow and distribution requested).
When the compressor is deactivated, the AUTO opera-
tion remains active only if the system can guarantee
in-car comfort. Otherwise, the system switches to
MANUAL mode (the set temperatures will flash on the
display). The fan speed is the same in all the zones of the
passenger compartment.Adjusting The Air Temperature
Rotate the Driver Temperature Control, or the Passenger
Temperature Control, dial clockwise or anti clockwise, to
adjust the air temperature in the front left (Driver Tem-
perature Control) or right (Passenger Temperature Con-
trol) zone of the passenger compartment.
The set temperatures are shown on the displays.
Push the SYNC button to align the air temperature
between the two zones.
Turn the Passenger Temperature Control knob to return
to the separate management of air temperatures in the
two zones.
Turning the control knobs completely in one direction or
the other activates theHI(maximum heating) or LO
(maximum cooling) functions respectively.
240 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

•forced deactivation (air recirculation always off, air
intake from the outside), signalled by the LED on the
Recirculation Control button switching off
Forced activation/deactivation can be selected by push-
ing the Recirculation Control button.
When the On/Off button is pushed, the climate control
system automatically activates internal air recirculation
(LED on Recirculation Control button on).
In automatic operation, recirculation is managed auto-
matically by the system according to outside environ-
mental conditions. NOTE:
•
The engagement of the recirculation system makes it
possible to reach the required heating/cooling condi-
tions faster. It is, however, inadvisable to use it on
rainy/cold days as it would considerably increase the
possibility of the windows misting up inside (espe-
cially if the climate control system is off ). When the
outside temperature is low, recirculation is forced off
(air drawn in from the outside) to prevent the win-
dows from misting up
• It is inadvisable to use internal air recirculation when
the outside temperature is low, since the windows
could mist up rapidly
Climate Control System Compressor
Push the A/C Control button to activate/deactivate the
compressor (activation is indicated by the LED on the
button switching on).
244 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

HAZARD WARNING FLASHERS
The Hazard Warning flasher switch is located on the
instrument panel below the radio.Push the switch to turn on the Hazard Warning
flashers. When the switch is activated, all direc-
tional turn signals will flash on and off to warn oncoming
traffic of an emergency. Push the switch a second time to
turn off the Hazard Warning flashers.
Do not use this emergency warning system when the
vehicle is in motion. Use it when your vehicle is disabled
and it is creating a safety hazard for other motorists.
If it is necessary to leave the vehicle to go for service, the
Hazard Warning flashers will continue to operate with
the ignition key removed and the vehicle locked.
NOTE: With extended use, the Hazard Warning flashers
may wear down your battery.
IF YOUR ENGINE OVERHEATS
In any of the following situations, you can reduce the
potential for overheating by taking the appropriate ac-
tion.
• On the highways — slow down.
• In city traffic — while stopped, place the transmission
in NEUTRAL, but do not increase engine idle speed.
NOTE: There are steps that you can take to slow down
an impending overheat condition:
• If your air conditioner (A/C) is on, turn it off. The A/C
system adds heat to the engine cooling system and
turning the A/C off can help remove this heat.
• You can also turn the temperature control to maximum
heat, the mode control to floor and the blower control
to high. This allows the heater core to act as a
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WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 349