technical specifications Abarth Punto 2014 Owner handbook (in English)

133
STOPPING THE ENGINE
Turn the ignition key to STOP while the engine is idling.
IMPORTANT After a taxing drive, you should allow the
engine to “catch its breath” before turning it off by
letting it idle to allow the temperature in the engine
compartment to fall.
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A quick burst on the accelerator before
turning off the engine serves absolutely
no practical purpose, it wastes fuel and is
damaging especially to turbocharged engines.
F0U124Abfig. 124
PARKING THE VEHICLE
Proceed as follows:
❒Stop the engine and engage the handbrake;
❒Engage a gear (on a slope, engage first gear if the
vehicle is faced uphill or reverse if it is facing
downhill) and leave the wheels steered.
Block the wheels with a wedge or a stone if the car is
parked on a steep slope. Do not leave the key in the
ignition switch to prevent draining the battery. Always
remove the key when you leave the vehicle.
Never leave children unattended in the
car. Always remove the ignition key
when leaving the car and take it with you.
WARNING
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134
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F0U125Abfig. 125
USING THE MANUAL GEARBOX
To engage the gears, press the clutch pedal fully and put
the gear lever into one of the required positions (the
diagram is shown on the knob fig. 125).
To engage 6
thgear, operate the lever by pressing it
towards the right in order to avoid engaging 4thgear by
mistake. The same applies to the shift from 6thto 5th
gear.
IMPORTANT The car can only be put into reverse gear
when it has stopped moving completely.
To engage reverse R from neutral, proceed as follows:
raise sliding ring A-fig. 125 under the knob and at the
same time move the gear lever to the left and then
forwards. HANDBRAKE fig. 124
The handbrake lever is located to the left of the driver’s
seat. Pull the handbrake lever upwards until the car
cannot be moved. Four or five clicks are generally
enough when the car is on level ground while nine or
ten may be required if the car is on a steep slope and
laden.
IMPORTANT If this is not the case, contact an Abarth
Dealership to have the handbrake adjusted.
When the handbrake is engaged and the ignition key is
in
MARposition, the warning light xon the instrument
panel will turn on.
Proceed as follows to release the handbrake:
❒slightly lift the handbrake and press the release
button
A;
❒keep button Apressed and lower the lever. The
warning light
xon the instrument panel will turn off.
Press the brake pedal when carrying out this operation
to prevent the car from moving accidentally.
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135
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Press the clutch pedal fully to change
gears correctly. For this reason, there
must be no obstacles on the floor under the
pedals: ensure that rubber mats (if any) are
lying flat and do not interfere with the pedals.
WARNING
Do not drive with your hand resting on
the shifting lever, because this pressure,
even if light, over time can wear out the
gearbox internal components.
MPORTANT Use of the clutch pedal must be limited
solely to gear changes. Do not drive with your foot
resting on the clutch pedal, however slightly. For
versions/markets where provided, the electronic clutch
control can intervene if it interprets incorrect driving
style as a fault.CONTAINING RUNNING COSTS
Here are some suggestions which may help you to keep
the running costs of your vehicle down and lower the
amount of toxic emissions released into the
atmosphere.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Car maintenance
Have checks and adjustments carried out in accordance
with the “Scheduled Servicing Plan”.
Tyres
Check the pressure of the tyres routinely at an interval
of no more than 4 weeks: if the pressure is too low,
consumption levels increase as resistance to rolling is
higher.
Unnecessary loads
Do not travel with an overloaded boot. The weight of
the car (especially when driving in town) and the way in
which it is laden greatly affect fuel consumption and
stability.
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136
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DRIVING STYLE
Starting
Do not warm up the engine at low or high revs when
the car is stationary; this causes the engine to warm up
more slowly, thereby increasing fuel consumption and
emissions. It is therefore advisable to move off
immediately, slowly, avoiding high speeds: in this way the
engine will warm up more quickly.
Unnecessary actions
Avoid accelerating when stopped at traffic lights or
before switching off the engine. The latter action, like
double-clutching, is unnecessary and causes increase of
consumption and pollution.
Gear selection
As soon as the conditions of the traffic and road allow,
use a higher gear. Using a low gear for faster
acceleration will increase consumption. In the same way
improper use of a high gear increases consumption,
emissions and engine wear. Roof rack/ski rack
Remove the roof rack or the ski rack from the roof
after use. These accessories lower air penetration and
adversely affect consumption levels. When transporting
particularly large objects, use a trailer if possible.
Electrical devices
Use electrical devices only for the amount of time
needed. Rear heated window, additional headlights,
windscreen wipers and heater fan need a considerable
amount of energy, therefore increasing the requirement
of current increases fuel consumption (up to +25% in
the urban cycle).
Climate control system
The climate control system is an additional load which
greatly affects the engine leading to higher consumption
(on average up to +20%). When the temperature
outside the car permits it, use the air vents where
possible.
Devices for aerodynamic control
The use of non-certified devices for aerodynamic
control may adversely affect air drag and consumption
levels.
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137
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Top speed
Fuel consumption considerably increases with speed.
Maintain a constant speed, avoiding unnecessary braking
and acceleration, which cost in terms of both fuel and
emissions.
Acceleration
Accelerating violently severely affects consumption and
emissions: acceleration should be gradual and should not
exceed the maximum torque.CONDITIONS OF USE
Cold starting
Short journeys and frequent cold starts will prevent the
engine from reaching optimal running temperature.
Consequently, both consumption (from +15 to +30% on
urban cycle ) and emissions will increase.
Traffic and road conditions
Rather high consumption levels are linked to situations
with heavy traffic, for instance when travelling in queues
with frequent use of the lower gears or in cities with
many traffic lights. Winding mountain roads and rough
road surfaces also adversely affect consumption.
Stops in traffic
During prolonged stops (e.g. level crossings) the engine
should be switched off.
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138
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SNOW TYRES
Use snow tyres of the same size as the normal tyres
provided with the car.
Winter tyres 205/45 R17”- 88Q (M+S) are available at
Abarth Dealerships to be used if the car is mainly driven
on snow-covered roads.
For the type of tyre to be used, inflation pressures and
the specifications of snow tyres, follow the instructions
given in paragraph “Wheels” in section “Technical
specifications”.
The performance of these tyres is considerably reduced
when the tread depth is less than 4 mm. Replace them
in this case.
Due to snow tyre features, under normal conditions of
use or on long motorway journeys, the performance of
these tyres is much lower than that of standard tyres.
Limit performance according to the use for which they
were certified.
The max. speed of snow tyres with “Q”
marking is 160 km/h. The Highway Code
speed limits must however always be complied
with.
WARNING
IMPORTANT When snow tyres are used with a
maximum speed index below the one that can be
reached by the car (increased by 5%), place a notice in
the passenger compartment, plainly in view, which states
the maximum permissible speed of the snow tyres (as
per an EC Directive).
All four tyres should be the same (brand and track) to
ensure greater safety when driving and braking and
better driveability.
Remember that it is inadvisable to change the rotation
direction of tyres.
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139
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SNOW CHAINS
The use of snow chains should be in compliance with
local regulations. The snow chains may be applied only
onto the front wheel tyres (drive wheels). Use of
Lineaccessori Abarth snow chains is recommended.
Check the tension of the snow chains after the first few
metres have been driven.
IMPORTANT With snow chains, use the accelerator
with extreme care to prevent or to limit as much as
possible slipping of the driving wheels that could cause
chain breakage resulting in damage to the car body or
mechanical components.
IMPORTANT Use compact 7 mm snow chains.215/45 R17”-91Y tyres cannot be fitted
with snow chains.
WARNING
Keep your speed down when snow chains
are fitted. Do not exceed 50 km/h. Avoid
potholes, steps and pavements and also
avoid driving for long distances on roads
not covered with snow to prevent
damaging the car and the roadbed.
WARNING
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140
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❒slightly open the windows;
❒cover the car with a cloth or perforated plastic
sheet. Do not use sheets of non-perforated plastic
as they do not allow moisture on the car body to
evaporate;
❒inflate tyres to +0.5 bar above the standard
specified pressure and check it periodically;
❒if you don’t disconnect the battery from the
electrical system, check its charge every month and
recharge it if the indicator shows a dark colour
without the central green area;
❒do not drain the engine cooling system.
IMPORTANT Where relevant, switch off the car alarm
with the remote control.
CAR INACTIVITY
If the car is to be left inactive for longer than a month,
the following precautions should be followed:
❒park the car in covered, dry and if possible well-
ventilated premises;
❒engage a gear;
❒check that the handbrake is not engaged;
❒disconnect the negative battery terminal and check
battery charge. Repeat this check once every three
months during storage. Recharge if the optical
indicator shows a dark colour without the central
green area;
❒clean and protect the painted parts using protective
wax;
❒clean and protect the shiny metal parts using special
compounds commercially available;
❒sprinkle talcum powder on the rubber windscreen
and rear window wiper blades and lift them off the
glass;
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141
WARNING LIGHTS AND MESSAGES
GENERAL WARNINGS
Switching on of some warning lights/symbols is
associated to a specific message and/or warning buzzer.
These indications are indicative and precautionary and
as such must not be considered as exhaustive and/or
alternative to the information contained in the Owner
Handbook, which you are recommended to read
carefully in all cases. Always refer to the information in
this chapter in the event of a failure indication.
IMPORTANT The fault indicators appearing on the
reconfigurable multifunction display are divided into two
categories: very serious and less serious faults.
Very serious faults prompt a prolonged cycle of signals.
Less serious faults prompt a shorter cycle of signals.
Press MENU ESC to stop the warning cycle in both
cases.
The instrument panel warning lights will stay on until the
causes of the fault are eliminated.
KNOWING
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WARNING LIGHTS AND MESSAGES
If the warning light xturns on when
travelling (with the message on the
display) stop the car immediately and contact
an Abarth Dealership.
WARNING
BRAKE FLUID
LOW (red)
HANDBRAKE ENGAGED (red)
When the key is turned to the MAR position the
warning light comes on but should go out after a few
seconds.
Low brake fluid level
The warning light comes on when the level of the brake
fluid in the reservoir falls below the minimum level due
to a possible leak in the circuit.
The display will show a dedicated message.
x
Handbrake on
The warning light turns on when the handbrake is
engaged.
On some versions there is also an associated warning
buzzer if the car is moving.
IMPORTANT If the warning light turns on when
travelling, check that the handbrake is not engaged.
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142
KNOWING
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ABS SYSTEM FAILURE (amber)
Turning the key to the MAR position illuminates
the warning light, but it should switch off after a
few seconds.
The warning light will light up when the system is either
not working or not available. Under these circumstances
the braking system will work as normal without the extra
performance offered by the ABS system. Drive carefully
and contact an Abarth Dealership as soon as possible.
The display will show a dedicated message.
>
EBD FAULT
(red/amber)
Warning lights
xand >lit at the
same time with the engine running
indicate an EBD system failure or that the system is not
available. This may cause premature locking of the rear
wheels in the event of violent braking, causing the car to
swerve. Drive very carefully to an Abarth Dealership to
have the system inspected immediately.
The display will show a dedicated message.> x
ESP SYSTEM FAILURE
(amber)
When the key is turned to the MAR position
the warning light comes on but should go out
after a few seconds.
ESP-ASR system failure
If the warning light does not go out or remains on while
driving, it indicates a fault in the ESP-ASR system. In this
case, contact an Abarth Dealership as soon as possible.
The display shows the dedicated message.
Note Warning light flashing when driving indicates that
the ESP system has intervened.
Hill Holder system fault
(for versions/markets, where provided)
The warning light will turn on when the Hill Holder
system is faulty. In this case, contact an Abarth
Dealership as soon as possible.
The display shows the dedicated message.
á
AIRBAG FAILURE (red)
When the key is turned to the MAR position
the warning light comes on but should go out
after a few seconds.
The warning light stays on constantly if there is a fault in
the air bag system.
The display shows the dedicated message.
¬
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