warning lights Alfa Romeo 147 2011 Owner handbook (in English)

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
178
SAFE DRIVING
In designing your Alfa 147 GTA, Al-
fa Romeo has worked thoroughly to achieve
a vehicle able to offer top levels of safety to
its passengers. However, the behaviour of
the driver is still a decisive factor for road
safety.
Below you will find a few simple rules for
travelling safely under different conditions.
You are certainly familiar with many of them
but it is still helpful to read them all care-
fully.
BEFORE DRIVING OFF
– Make sure the lights and headlights are
working properly.
– Adjust the seat, steering wheel and rear-
view mirrors, in order to obtain a correct po-
sition for driving.
– Carefully adjust the headrests so that
the head and not the neck rests on them.
Check that nothing (mats etc.) can get un-
der the foot pedals.– Make sure that any child restraint sys-
tems (seats, cradles, etc.) are correctly fas-
tened on the rear seat.
– Place any objects in the boot with care
to prevent abrupt braking from throwing
them forwards.
– Avoid heavy meals before a journey. A
light meal will help to keep reflexes ready.
Above all avoid alcohol.
Routinely remember to check:
– tyre pressure and conditions;
– engine oil level;
– engine coolant fluid level and system
conditions;
– brake fluid level;
– power steering oil level;
– windscreen washer fluid level.
WHEN TRAVELLING
– The first rule for safe driving is care.
– Care also means being able to predict
the actions of other road users.
– Strictly respect the traffic regulations in
all countries, especially the speed limits.
– Ensure that both yourself and your pas-
sengers are wearing their seat belts, that
children are carried with the appropriate
seats and that any animals are in appropri-
ate compartments.
– Long distances should be tackled in good
health.
Driving under the influence
of drugs and/or some
medicines is highly dangerous for
oneself and for others.
WARNING

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
179
– Do not drive for long periods without a
break. During breaks get out of the vehicle
and move around a bit to shake off the
drowsiness.
– Make sure the air in the passenger com-
partment is changed constantly.
– Never coast the vehicle downhill with
the engine switched off: this eliminates the
engine braking and power steering effect
thus requiring a greater effort on the pedal
and steering wheel.
NIGHT DRIVING
Here are some suggestions for night dri-
ving.
– Drive with particular care: night driving
involves a greater degree of concentration.
– Reduce speed, especially on unlit roads.
– At the first signs of drowsiness stop the
car: continuing the journey is dangerous for
yourself and others. Continue driving only
after sufficient rest.
– Maintain a greater distance from the ve-
hicle in front than in the day: it is more dif-
ficult to judge the speed of a vehicle when
only the lights can be seen.
– Ensure that the headlights are correctly
aimed: if they are too low, visibility is re-
duced and eyesight is tired. If they are too
high they may cause disturbance to other
road users.
– Use the main beams only outside built-
up areas and only when you are certain that
other drivers are not disturbed by their use.
– When meeting oncoming vehicles,
switch off the main beams and drive with
the dipped-beam headlights on.
– Keep the headlights and light units
clean.
– Outside built-up areas take care of ani-
mal crossings.Always fasten the front and
rear seat belts including
those of any children’s seat. Trav-
elling without seat belts increases
the risks of serious injury or even
death in the event of an accident.
WARNING
Take car when fitting addi-
tional spoilers, alloy wheels
and wheel caps: they might reduce
ventilation of the brakes, thus their
efficiency, during abrupt and re-
peated braking, or long downhill
slopes.
WARNING
Never drive with objects
on the floor in front of the
driver’s seat: they might get stuck
under the pedals making it impos-
sible to accelerate or brake.
WARNING
Make sure any mats are
appropriate in size: even a
slight inconvenience to the braking
system may require a higher ped-
al stroke than normal.
WARNING
Water, ice and salt on the
roads may deposit on the
brake disks, reducing the effec-
tiveness of the brakes the first
time they are used.
WARNING

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
180
DRIVING WITH RAIN
Rain and wet roads can be dangerous.
If the road is wet, the traction between
wheel and asphalt is greatly reduced, thus
increasing the stopping distance and de-
creasing road holding.
Here are a few suggestions in the case of
rain:
– Reduce speed and keep further back
from the vehicle in front.
– Heavy rain also reduces visibility. In
these cases, turn on the headlights even dur-
ing the day to make yourself more visible
to others.
– Do not drive over puddles at high speed
and hold the steering wheel firmly: you may
lose control of the car (aquaplaning).
– Position the ventilation controls for
demisting (as described in the chapter (“Get-
ting to know your car”), to prevent visibili-
ty from worsening.
– Routinely check the conditions of the
windscreen wiper blades.
DRIVING IN FOG
– If fog is very thick, avoid travelling
where possible. If travelling with mist,
ground fog or the possibility of fog banks:
– Drive at moderate speed.
– Also in the day turn on the dipped-beam
headlights, rear fog guards and front fog
lights. Do not use the main-beam headlights.
IMPORTANTIf visibility in some parts
improves, switch off the rear fog guards; the
intense light disturbs the occupants of ve-
hicles behind.
– Remember that fog also involves wet
asphalt, thus greater difficulty in all types of
manoeuvres and longer stopping distances.
– Keep well away from the vehicle in
front.
– Where possible avoid sudden changes
in speed.
– Possibly avoid overtaking other vehicles.
– If the vehicle is forced to stop (faults,
impossibility to continue due to poor visi-
bility, etc.), firstly try to pull off the road.
Then turn on the hazard warning lights and,
if possible the dipped-beam headlights.
Rhythmically sound the horn if you note an-
other car coming.
MOUNTAIN DRIVING
– When travelling down hill use the en-
gine braking by engaging lower gears to pre-
vent the brakes from overheating.
– Never coast down hill with the engine
off or in neutral and especially not with the
ignition key removed.
– Drive at a moderate speed and avoid
cutting corners.
– Remember that overtaking up hill is
slower and therefore requires a greater
length of clear road. If you are being over-
taken on a hill, move over to enable the oth-
er vehicle to pass in safety.

IN AN EMERGENCY
188
3) Fully depress the accelerator pedal and
keep it pressed. The
Uwarning light will
come on for eight seconds and then go off,
now release the accelerator pedal.
4) The
Uwarning light begins to flash:
after it has flashed the same number of
times as the first digit on the CODE card,
press the accelerator pedal and keep it
pressed until the
Uwarning light turns on
(for four seconds) and then goes off, now
release the accelerator pedal.
5) The
Uwarning light starts to flash: af-
ter the number of flashes corresponding to
the second digit on the CODE card, press the
accelerator pedal and keep it pressed.
6) Repeat this procedure for the remain-
ing digits on the CODE card.
7) After entering the last figure, keep the
accelerator pedal pressed. The
Uwarn-
ing light turns on (for four seconds) and
then goes off; now release the accelera-
tor pedal.8) A quick flash of the
Uwarning light
(for about 4 seconds) confirms that the op-
eration has been carried out correctly.
9) Start the engine turning the ignition key
fromMARtoAV Vwithout returning the
key to the STOPposition.
Conversely, if the
Uwarning light stays
on, turn the key to STOPand repeat the
procedure starting from point 1).
IMPORTANTAfter emergency starting
it is advisable to contact an Alfa Romeo Au-
thorised Service, because the emergency
procedure must be repeated each time the
engine is started.
EMERGENCY
STARTING
If it is not possible to deactivate the engine
inhibitor with the Alfa Romeo CODE system,
the
YandUwarning lights stay on and
the engine will not start. Emergency start-
ing is needed to start the engine.
IMPORTANTYou are advised to care-
fully read the entire procedure before car-
rying it out.
If a mistake is made during the emergency
procedure, the ignition key should be turned
toSTOPand the operations must be re-
peated from the start (point 1).
1) Read the 5-figure electronic code on the
CODE card.
2) Turn the ignition key to MAR.
I I
N N
A A
N N
E E
M M
E E
R R
G G
E E
N N
C C
Y Y

IN AN EMERGENCY
190
IMPORTANTThe car is equipped with
“Kit for tyre quick repair Fix&Go“, see the
instructions contained in the following chap-
ter.
STARTING BY INERTIAIN THE EVENT OF A PUNCTURE
Never push, tow or coast
start the vehicle. This could
cause fuel to flow into the
catalyst damaging it irreversibly.
Remember that the engine
brake and power steering
are not operational until the engine
is started, therefore, much greater
effort than usual is needed on the
brake pedal and steering wheel.
WARNING
Signal the presence of the
stationary vehicle according
to the current regulations: hazard
warning lights, reflecting triangle,
etc. Any passengersshould leave
the car.
WARNING
Should the type of wheels
used be changed (alloy
rims instead of steel), it is also nec-
essary to replace the complete kit
of fastening bolts with others of
suitable size.
WARNING

IN AN EMERGENCY
191
FIX&GO KIT FOR
QUICK TYRE
REPAIRING
The car is equipped with a tyre quick re-
pairing kit called FIX&GO.
fig. 11
A0A0374m
fig. 12
A0A0375m
fig. 13
A0A0376m
The quick repairing kit is placed in the boot
inside the appropriate container (A-fig. 11).
The quick repairing kit includes (fig. 12):
–a tool (A) to remove the valve body;
–a compressor (B) with pressure gauge
and fittings;
–a bottle (C) containing sealer and fit-
ted with a filling pipe;
–a “spout” (D) to be connected to the
filling pipe;
–a sticker bearing the notice “max 80
km/h”, to be placed in a position visible
to the driver (on the instrument panel) af-
ter fixing the tyre.IMPORTANTIn the event of a puncture
caused by foreign bodies, it is possible to fix
tyres having cracks with maximum diame-
ter up to 4 mm.
In (fig. 13) it is possible to identify:
A- tyre area which can be fixed (holes
or cracks with diameter of max 4 mm);
B- areas which CANNOT be fixed.
Signal the presence of the
stationary vehicle accord-
ing to the current regulations: haz-
ard warning lights, reflecting tri-
angle, etc.
WARNING

IN AN EMERGENCY
195
Drive carefully to the nearest Alfa Romeo
Authorized Service to check the tyre condi-
tions, then have it fixed or replaced.
It is absolutely necessary to communicate
that the tyre has been fixed with the quick
repairing kit.
WHEN NEEDING TO CHANGE A BULB
fig. 20
A0A0491m
Tyres fixed with the quick
repairing kit must be used
only temporarily.
WARNING
Halogen bulbs contain pres-
surised gas, in the case of
breakage they may burst.
WARNING
Alterations or repairs to
the electric system not car-
ried out correctly and without tak-
ing account of the system specifi-
cations may cause failures and the
risk of fire.
WARNING
Where possible, it is ad-
visable to have bulbs
changed c/o Alfa Romeo Autho-
rised Services. The correct opera-
tion and aiming of the outer lights
are vital to the safety of the ve-
hicle and its passengers and the
subject of specific laws.
WARNING
Halogen bulbs must be
handled touching only the
metallic part. If the transparent
bulb is touched with the fingers, its
lighting intensity is reduced and the
life of the bulb may be compro-
mised. If touched accidentally, rub
the bulb with a cloth moistened
with methylated spirit and allow
to dry.
WARNING

IN AN EMERGENCY
198
The front light units contain the front side-
light, dipped beam, main beam and fog
light bulbs.
The bulbs are arranged inside the light unit
as follows (fig. 22a):
(A) Main beam headlights
(B) Sidelights
(C) Xenon dipped beam headlights
(D) Fog lights.
Hereafter you will find, as information on-
ly, the description of the correct procedure
to replace a Xenon light.
To change the bulbs of the sidelights,
dipped beams and main beams it is nec-
essary to remove the cover (A-fig. 22b)
releasing the locking screws (B).
To change the fog lights, remove the cov-
er (C) turning it counter-clockwise.
After replacement, refit
the covers correctly check-
ing that they are properly
secured.
IF AN EXTERIOR
LIGHT GOES OUT
XENON LIGHTS
Xenon lights have a very long life, there-
fore breakdowns are unlikely.
fig. 22a
A0A0504m
fig. 22b
A0A0498m
If necessary, have the sys-
tem checked and repaired
only by Alfa Romeo Authorised
Services.
WARNING
Any operation regarding
the front light units shall be
carried out with the lights turned
off and the ignition key removed
from the ignition switch: risk of
electric discharges.
WARNING

IN AN EMERGENCY
200
Main beam headlights
(fig. 24b)
To change the bulb, proceed as follows:
– Remove the protective cover releasing
the locking screws.
– Disconnect the electric connector (A).
– Release the bulb catch (B).
– Remove the bulb and replace it.
– Fit a new bulb making the tabs of the
metallic part coincide with the grooves on
the reflector, then hook the bulb holder
catch (B).
– Reconnect the electric connector (A).
– Refit the protective cover correctly.
HALOGEN LIGHTSThe front light units contain the dipped
beam, main beam and fog light bulbs.
The bulbs are arranged inside
the light unit
as follows (fig. 25a):
(A) Fog lights.
(B) Dipped beam headlights
(C) Sidelights.
(D) Main beam headlights
To change the bulbs of the sidelights, low
beams and main beams it is necessary to
remove the cover (A-fig. 25b) releasing
the catches (B).
To change the fog lights, remove the cov-
er (C) turning counter-clockwise.
IMPORTANTSee the previous chap-
ter “When needing to change a bulb” for
the type of bulb and power rating.
fig. 25a
A0A0159m
fig. 25b
A0A0160m
fig. 24b
A0A0502m
Alterations or repairs to
the electric system not car-
ried out correctly and without tak-
ing account of the system specifi-
cations may cause failures and the
risk of fire.
WARNING

IN AN EMERGENCY
212
Hazard warning light
Right dipped-beam headlight
Left dipped-beam headlight
Main-beam headlight
Foglight
Braking light
Reversing light
+30 direction indicators10
10
10
15
15
10
7.5
10 F53
F12
F13
F2
F30
F37
F35
F53 52
52
52
53
53
52
52
52
LIGHTS FIGURE FUSE AMPERES
FUSE SUMMARY TABLE
30
30
10
7.5
15
7.5
7.5 IGN (MAXI-FUSE)
F13
F31
F39
F1
F31 54
54
52
52
52
53
52
SERVICES FIGURE FUSE AMPERES
Selespeed transmission pump
Ignition switch
Headlight aiming device
Climate control system
Climate control system
Climate control compressor
Heater unit relay coils