Alfa Romeo 156 2004 Owner handbook (in English)

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
109
UPPER VENT ADJUSTMENT(fig. 95)
The vent has an opening/closing control.•
= Completely closed.
)= Completely open.
CENTRE VENT ADJUSTMENT(fig. 96)
Each vent has a lever which makes it pos-
sible to direct the flow of air towards the
passengers in an horizontal direction. To ad-
just the air flow, use the opening/closing
centre vent device.•
= Completely closed.
(= Completely open.
UPPER SIDE VENT ADJUSTMENT(fig. 97)
On the dashboard ends are adjustable vents
(A) for car interior, and fixed defrosting/
demisting vents (B) for side windows.
Air flow can be adjusted by means of the
knob (C).•
= Completely closed.
)= Completely open.
fig. 95
A0B0572m
fig. 96
A0B0573m
fig. 97
A0B0039m

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
110
REAR SWIVEL OUTLET
ADJUSTMENTFig. 98: front seats (on dashboard ends)
Fig. 99: rear seat (on the console be-
tween seats)
MANUAL CLIMATE
CONTROL SYSTEM (fig. 99a - where applicable)CONTROLS1 Air temperature adjustment knob (mix-
ing warm / cold air)
2Climate control compressor on / off but-
ton
3Inside air re-circulation on / off button
4Fan knob
5Maximum defrosting / demisting on /
off button for windscreen and front side win-
dows and wing mirror coils
6Rearscreen heating and wing mirror de-
frosting on / off button.
7Air distribution knob.
fig. 98
A0B0038m
fig. 99
A0B0289m
Air flow can be adjusted by means of vanes
(A) with press-on opening and closing.
Air flow can be directed by rotating the out-
let by means of the vanes.

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
111
HEATINGTo obtain the temperature required, pro-
ceed as follows:
– turn knob (1) as far as it will go clock-
wise
– turn knob (4) clockwise to the required
speed;
– urn knob (7) to set air distribution as
follows:Q
Z
to warm feet and to demist the
windscreen
ZE
to warm feet and to keep the face
cool (bilevel function)
Z
to direct warm air to the front and
rear lower parts of the passenger compart-
ment.
E
for summer ventilation
Q
to defrost/demist the windscreen
– turn off inside air re-circulation (if on).
fig. 99a
A0B0598m
QUICK FRONT WINDOW
DEMISTING / DEFROSTING
(MAX-DEF FUNCTION)Press button (5)
-
to quicken demisting
/ defrosting of the windscreen and front side
windows (MAX-DEFfunction).
Max. quick demisting / defrosting func-
tion will be activated.When this function is on the relevant but-
ton led will come on.
To turn this function off, press button (5)
-
again (the button led will go off) or turn
whatever knob or press any manual climate
control system button.
After demisting/defrosting, turn the
MAX-DEF function off to maintain the op-
timum conditions of vision.

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
112
Preventive demisting procedure
In cases of heavy damp and/or rain
and/or big differences in temperature be-
tween inside the car and outside, it is ad-
visable to proceed as follows to demist the
windows:
– turn off inside air re-circulation (if on)
– turn knob (1) as far as it will go clock-
wise
– turn knob (4) clockwise to an inter-
mediate speed
– turn knob (7) to
Q
or
ZQ
if the win-
dows do not mist up.
Climate control system is very useful to
speed up demisting. Set controls to demist-
ing function as described previously and
switch the climate control system on by
pressing button (2)
√
REARSCREEN AND WING
MIRROR (where applicable)
DEMISTING / DEFROSTINGPress button (6)
(
) to demist /defrost
the rearscreen and wing mirrors (where ap-
plicable).
When this function is on the relevant but-
ton led will come on.
To turn this function off, press the button
again, the button led will go off.
WARNINGDo not apply stickers on the
inside of the rearscreen over the heating fil-
aments to avoid damaging it.
FAN SPEED ADJUSTMENTTo ventilate the passenger's compartment
properly, proceed as follows:
– open completely the central and side
vents;
– turn knob (4) to the required speed;
– turn knob (7) to
E;
– - turn off inside air re-circulation (if on).

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
113
SWITCHING THE INSIDE AIR
RE-CIRCULATION FUNCTION
ONPress button (3)
v
to turn the inside air
re-circulation function on.
When this function is on the relevant but-
ton led will come on.
It is advisable to turn on the inside air re-
circulation function in queues or tunnels to
avoid admitting polluted air from outside.
The prolonged use of this function should
however be avoided, especially with several
persons on board, to avoid the possibility of
the windows misting inside.WARNINGThe inside air re-circulation
function makes it possible to reach the re-
quired "heating" or "cooling" conditions
faster.
It is however inadvisable to use it on
rainy/cold days as it would considerably in-
crease the possibility of the windows mist-
ing inside, especially if the climate control
system is off.
CLIMATE CONTROL (COOLING) Proceed as follows:
– turn knob (1) as far as it will go coun-
terclockwise (blue led next to TEMPlit);
– turn knob (4) to the required speed;
– turn knob (7) to
E;
-– press buttons (2) √
and (3)
v
the
relevant leds will go on.

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
114
Cooling adjustment
Proceed as follows:
– turn off inside air re-circulation (if on);
– turn knob (1) counterclockwise to re-
duce temperature;
– turn knob (4) counterclockwise to re-
duce the fan speed.
LOOKING AFTER THE SYSTEMDuring the winter the climate control sys-
tem must be turned on at least once a
month for about minutes.
Before summer, have the system checked
at Alfa Romeo Authorized Service.
AUTOMATIC
TWO-ZONE CLIMATE
CONTROL SYSTEMTo start the system (fig. 100):
– turn the knob rings to set the required
temperatures (driver’s side – passenger’s
side).
– press the
AUTO
button.
WARNINGThe climate control system
makes it possible to adjust the temperatures
required for the two sides with a maximum
difference of 7°C between the driver’s and
the passenger’s sides.
WARNINGThe climate control com-
pressor works only when the engine is run-
ning and the outside temperature is more
than 2°C.

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
115
For more detailed information on the sys-
tem and how to make the best use of it,
read the instructions given in the following
pages.The coolant used for the
climate control system is
R134a which meets cur-
rent regulations and does not harm
the environment in the event of ac-
cidental spillage.
Absolutely avoid the use of other
fluids which are incompatible with
the system components.fig. 100
A0B0382m
GENERALThe car is equipped with a two-zone cli-
mate control system, controlled by an elec-
tronic control unit which makes it possible
to separately adjust the air temperature on
the driver’s side and on the passenger’s side.
To obtain optimum temperature control in
the two areas of the passenger compart-
ment, the system has an outside sensor, a
passenger compartment sensor and a two-
zone sun ray sensor.
On some versions, the system is integrated
with an incipient misting sensor installed be-
hind the internal rearview mirror, which is
able to “monitor” a predefined area of the
windscreen inner surface which can auto-
matically act on the system to prevent or re-
duce misting, through a series of operations
such as: opening air recirculation, enabling
compressor, air flow to the windscreen, fan
speed sufficient for demisting; and, in case
of heavy misting, enabling the
MAX
-DEF
function.
The climate control com-
pressor cannot work when
the outside temperature is less
than 2°C. Therefore, it is recom-
mended that the internal air recir-
culation function
v
is not used
when the outside temperature is
low, as the windows could mist
over rapidly.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
116
The anti-pollution sensor
is placed in the air flow in
front of the combined par-
ticle activated carbon filter and,
therefore, must be protected
against possible compressed air
jets produced by cleaning equip-
ment. Moreover, the water col-
lected from the windscreen wipers
should not come into contact with
the sensor: otherwise, the internal
air recirculation function could be
disabled for long periods.
WARNINGThe demisting procedure is
enabled every time the ignition key is turned
to MAR, or pressing the
AUTO
button.
When this procedure is working it can be
turned off pressing one of the following but-
tons: compressor, air recirculation, air dis-
tribution, air flow. This operation inhibits the
incipient misting sensor signal until the AUTO
button is pressed again or the next time the
ignition key is turned to MAR.
On certain versions, the system is inte-
grated by an anti-pollution sensor that is able
to switch on the inside air recirculation func-
tion automatically, to reduce the unpleasant
smell of polluted air when driving in urban
areas, queues, tunnels, and when the wind-
screen wash/wiper is operated (with the
typical smell of spirits).WARNINGThe function of the anti-pol-
lution sensor is subordinate to safety con-
ditions; therefore disabling the climate con-
trol compressor or at an outside temperature
below 4°C, the sensor is disabled. In any
case, the sensor can be re-enabled press-
ing the recirculation button
v
until taking
it to the automatic mode. To ensure correct opera-
tion of the incipient misting
sensor, stickers (e.g. road
licence holder) must not be applied
in the “control” area between the
sensor and the windscreen. For this
very reason, both the sensor and
the windscreen must always be
kept clean, to avoid accumulation
of dirt or other substances.

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
117
The air quality control is also entrusted
to a combined particle and activated carbon
filter.
The climate control system automatically
controls and adjusts the following parame-
ters and functions:
– temperature of the air admitted to the
passenger compartment (for the driver’s and
passenger’s side separately)
– fan speed
– air distribution
– inside air recirculation on/off
– climate control compressor on/off en-
able.The settings of the following functions can
be modified manually:
– fan speed
– air distribution
– inside air recirculation on/off
– climate control compressor on/off en-
able
– window defrosting/demisting.
The control of the functions that have not
been modified manually will always be au-
tomatic and, in any case, the temperature
of the air flowing into the passenger com-
partment is controlled automatically de-
pending on the temperatures set on the dri-
ver’s and passenger’s displays.WARNINGManual selections prevail
over automatic ones and remain in storage
until the user decides to resume automatic
control. The settings selected manually are
stored when the engine is switched off and
resumed the next time the engine is started.

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
118
CONTROLS
(fig. 101)
1- Inside temperature adjustment knob
(driver’s side)
2- Inside temperature set display (driver’s
side)
3- Knob for adjusting the fan speed and
switching the system off
4- Fan speed set, air distribution and sys-
tem off display (OFF
)
5- Inside temperature set display (pas-
senger’s side)
6- Inside temperature adjustment knob
(passenger’s side)
7- Inside air recirculation on/off button
v
(manual/automatic)
8- Air distribution selection button
9- Rearscreen heating and wing mirror de-
frosting on/off button
(
10- Maximum defrosting/demisting
on/off button for windscreen and front side
windows, rearscreen heating and wing mir-
ror coils (function
MAX
-DEF
- -
)
11- Button for aligning the temperature
set on the passenger’s side with that on the
driver’s side
MONO
12- Climate control compressor on/off
enable button
√
13- Inside air temperature sensor
14- Button for selecting the system au-
tomatic mode
AUTO
fig. 101
A0B0056m