2017 FIAT 500C clutch

area unobstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot slip out of position and interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle in other
ways.
WARNING!
An improperly attached, damaged, folded, or
stacked floor mat, or damaged floor mat fasteners
may cause your floor mat to interfere with the
accelerator, brake, or clutch pedals and cause a loss
of vehicle control. To prevent SERIOUS INJURY or
DEATH:
•ALWAYS securely attach
your floor mat using
the floor mat fasteners. DO NOT install your
floor mat upside down or turn your floor mat
over. Lightly pull to confirm mat is secured
using the floor mat fasteners on a regular basis.
• ALWAYS REMOVE THE EXISTING FLOOR
MAT FROM THE VEHICLE
before installing
any other floor mat. NEVER install or stack an
additional floor mat on top of an existing floor
mat.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•ONLY install floor mats designed to fit your
vehicle. NEVER install a floor mat that cannot be
properly attached and secured to your vehicle. If a
floor mat needs to be replaced, only use a FCA
approved floor mat for the specific make, model,
and year of your vehicle.
• ONLY use the driver ’s side floor mat on the
driver ’s side floor area. To check for interference,
with the vehicle properly parked with the engine
off, fully depress the accelerator, the brake, and
the clutch pedal (if present) to check for interfer-
ence. If your floor mat interferes with the opera-
tion of any pedal, or is not secure to the floor,
remove the floor mat from the vehicle and place
the floor mat in your trunk.
• ONLY use the passenger ’s side floor mat on the
passenger ’s side floor area.
• ALWAYS make sure objects cannot fall or slide
into the driver ’s side floor area when the vehicle
is moving. Objects can become trapped under
accelerator, brake, or clutch pedals and could
cause a loss of vehicle control.
(Continued)
62 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!(Continued)
•NEVER place any objects under the floor mat
(e.g., towels, keys, etc.). These objects could
change the position of the floor mat and may
cause interference with the accelerator, brake, or
clutch pedals.
• If the vehicle carpet has been removed and re-
installed, always properly attach carpet to the
floor and check the floor mat fasteners are secure
to the vehicle carpet. Fully depress each pedal to
check for interference with the accelerator, brake,
or clutch pedals then re-install the floor mats.
• It is recommended to only use mild soap and
water to clean your floor mats. After cleaning,
always check your floor mat has been properly
installed and is secured to your vehicle using the
floor mat fasteners by lightly pulling mat.
Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make
Outside The Vehicle
Tires
Examine tires for excessive tread wear and uneven wear
patterns. Check for stones, nails, glass, or other objects
lodged in the tread or sidewall. Inspect the tread for cuts and cracks. Inspect sidewalls for cuts, cracks and
bulges. Check the wheel bolts for tightness. Check the
tires (including spare) for proper cold inflation pres-
sure.
Lights
Have someone observe the operation of brake lights
and exterior lights while you work the controls. Check
turn signal and high beam indicator lights on the
instrument panel.
Door Latches
Check for proper closing, latching, and locking.
Fluid Leaks
Check area under vehicle after overnight parking for
fuel, engine coolant, oil, or other fluid leaks. Also, if
gasoline fumes are detected or if fuel, power steering
fluid (if equipped), or brake fluid leaks are suspected.
The cause should be located and corrected immediately.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 63

STARTING PROCEDURES
Before starting your vehicle, adjust your seat, adjust
both inside and outside mirrors, and fasten your seat
belts.
WARNING!
•Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle.
• Allowing children to be in a vehicle unattended is
dangerous for a number of reasons. A child or
others could be seriously or fatally injured. Chil-
dren should be warned not to touch the parking
brake, brake pedal or the transmission gear selec-
tor.
• Do not leave the key fob in or near the vehicle (or
in a location accessible to children). A child could
operate power windows, other controls, or move
the vehicle.
Manual Transmission — If Equipped
Apply the parking brake, place the gear selector in
NEUTRAL, and press the clutch pedal before starting the vehicle. This vehicle is equipped with a clutch
interlocking ignition system. It will not start unless the
clutch pedal is pressed to the floor.
Automatic Transmission — If Equipped
The gear selector must be in the PARK or NEUTRAL
position before you can start the engine. Press the brake
pedal before shifting to any driving gear.
NOTE:
You must press the brake pedal before shifting
out of PARK.
Normal Starting
NOTE: Normal starting of either a cold or a warm
engine is obtained without pumping or pressing the
accelerator pedal.
Turn the ignition switch to the AVV/ACC (START)
position and release it when the engine starts. If the
engine fails to start within 10 seconds, turn the ignition
switch to the STOP (OFF/LOCK) position, wait 10 to
15 seconds, then repeat the “Normal Starting” proce-
dure.
184 STARTING AND OPERATING

Fully press the clutch pedal before you shift gears. As
you release the clutch pedal, lightly press the accelera-
tor pedal.
NOTE:To shift into REVERSE from NEUTRAL, lift the
ring under the knob and, at the same time move the
gear selector to the right and then backward.
Use each gear in numerical order; do not skip a gear. Be
sure the transmission is in first gear, not third, when
starting from a standing position. Damage to the clutch
can result from starting in third gear.
For most city driving, you will find it easier to use only
the lower gears. For steady highway driving with light
accelerations, fifth gear is recommended.
Never drive with your foot resting on the clutch pedal,
and never try to hold the vehicle on a hill with the
clutch pedal partially engaged. This will cause abnor-
mal wear on the clutch. REVERSE gear is not synchronized and the vehicle
must be at a complete stop to shift into REVERSE gear.
When selecting REVERSE gear, the driver should pause
(approximately 2 seconds) after pushing in the clutch
pedal and prior to shifting into REVERSE which allows
gears to stop spinning. Should an unwanted clash noise
be produced, the pause length should be increased.
NOTE:
•
Clashing REVERSE gear, especially if vehicle is mov-
ing, can result in transmission damage.
• During cold weather, until the transmission lubricant
is warm, you may experience slightly higher shift
efforts. This is normal and not harmful to the trans-
mission.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 187

Downshifting
Proper downshifting will improve fuel economy and
prolong engine life.
CAUTION!
If you skip a gear while downshifting or downshift
at too high of a vehicle speed, these conditions may
cause the engine to overspeed if too low of a gear is
selected and the clutch pedal is released. Damage to
the clutch and the transmission can result from
skipping a gear while downshifting or downshift-
ing at too high of a vehicle speed even if the clutch
pedal is held pressed (i.e., not released).
To maintain a safe speed and prolong brake life, shift
down to second or first gear when descending a steep
grade.
When turning a corner or driving up a steep grade,
downshift early so that the engine will not be overbur-
dened.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION — IF EQUIPPED
WARNING!
• It is dangerous to shift out of PARK or NEUTRAL
if the engine speed is higher than idle speed. If
your foot is not firmly pressing the brake pedal,
the vehicle could accelerate quickly forward or in
reverse. You could lose control of the vehicle and
hit someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and your foot
is firmly pressing the brake pedal.
• Unintended movement of a vehicle could injure
those in or near the vehicle. As with all vehicles,
you should never exit a vehicle while the engine
is running. Before exiting a vehicle always apply
the parking brake, shift the transmission into
PARK, turn the engine OFF, and remove the
ignition key. Once the key is removed, the trans-
mission is locked in PARK, securing the vehicle
against unwanted movement.
• When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
ignition key from the vehicle and lock the vehicle.
(Continued)
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 189

If the transmission temperature exceeds normal operat-
ing limits, the transmission controller will expand the
range of torque converter clutch engagement. This is
done to prevent transmission damage due to overheat-
ing.
During cold temperatures, transmission operation may
be modified depending on engine coolant temperature.
Normal operation will resume once the engine tempera-
ture has risen to a suitable level.
Transmission Limp Home Mode
Transmission function is monitored electronically for
abnormal conditions. If a condition is detected that
could result in transmission damage, Transmission
Limp Home Mode is activated. In this mode, the
transmission remains in third gear regardless of which
forward gear is selected. PARK, REVERSE, and NEU-
TRAL will continue to operate. The Malfunction Indi-
cator Light (MIL) may be illuminated. Limp Home
Mode allows the vehicle to be driven to an authorized
dealer for service without damaging the transmission.In the event of a momentary problem, the transmission
can be reset to regain all forward gears by performing
the following steps:
1. Stop the vehicle.
2. Shift the transmission into PARK.
3. Turn the ignition to the OFF position.
4. Wait approximately 10 seconds.
5. Restart the engine.
6. Shift into the desired gear range. If the problem is no
longer detected, the transmission will return to nor-
mal operation.
NOTE: Even if the transmission can be reset, we rec-
ommend that you visit your authorized dealer at your
earliest possible convenience. Your authorized dealer
has diagnostic equipment to determine if the problem
could recur.
If the transmission cannot be reset, authorized dealer
service is required.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 195

CAUTION!(Continued)
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: Push the ESC Off switch, to place the Elec-
tronic Stability Control (ESC) system in Partial Off
mode, before rocking the vehicle. Refer to “Electronic
Brake Control” in “Starting And Operating” for further
information. Once the vehicle has been freed, push the
ESC Off switch again to restore ESC Onmode.
WARNING!
Fast spinning tires can be dangerous. Forces gener-
ated by excessive wheel speeds may cause damage,
or even failure, of the axle and tires. A tire could
explode and injure someone. Do not spin your
vehicle’s wheels faster than 30 mph (48 km/h) or for
longer than 30 seconds continuously without stop-
ping when you are stuck and do not let anyone near
a spinning wheel, no matter what the speed.
CAUTION!
•When “rocking” a stuck vehicle by shifting be-
tween DRIVE/2nd 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 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).
GEAR SELECTOR OVERRIDE
If a malfunction occurs and the gear selector cannot be
moved out of the PARK position, you can use the
following procedure to temporarily move the gear
selector:
1. Turn the engine OFF.
2. Firmly apply the parking brake.
272 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

NOTE:If your vehicle is equipped with a manual
transmission, the brake fluid reservoir supplies fluid to
both the brake system and the clutch release system.
The two systems are separated in the reservoir, and a
leak in one system will not affect the other system. The
manual transmission clutch release system should not
require fluid replacement during the life of the vehicle.
If the brake fluid reservoir is low and the brake system
does not indicate any leaks or other problems, it may be
a result of a leak in the hydraulic clutch release system.
See your local authorized dealer for service.
Use only manufacturer’s recommended brake fluid.
Refer to “Fluids, Lubricants, And Genuine Parts” in
“Maintaining Your Vehicle” for further information.
WARNING!
• Use only manufacturer’s recommended brake
fluid. Refer to “Fluids, Lubricants, And Genuine
Parts” in “Maintaining Your Vehicle” for further
information. Using the wrong type of brake fluid
can severely damage your brake system and/or
impair its performance. The proper type of brake
fluid for your vehicle is also identified on the
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
original factory installed hydraulic master cylin-
der reservoir.
• To avoid contamination from foreign matter or
moisture, use only new brake fluid or fluid that
has been in a tightly closed container. Keep the
master cylinder reservoir cap secured at all times.
Brake fluid in a open container absorbs moisture
from the air resulting in a lower boiling point.
This may cause it to boil unexpectedly during
hard or prolonged braking, resulting in sudden
brake failure. This could result in a collision.
• Overfilling the brake fluid reservoir can result in
spilling brake fluid on hot engine parts, causing
the brake fluid to catch fire. Brake fluid can also
damage painted and vinyl surfaces, care should
be taken to avoid its contact with these surfaces.
• Do not allow petroleum-based fluid to contami-
nate the brake fluid. Brake seal components could
be damaged, causing partial or complete brake
failure. This could result in a collision.
7
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE 301