engine Alfa Romeo 159 2005 Owner handbook (in English)

154
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
Gear selection
As soon as the conditions of the traffic
and road allow, use a higher gear. Us-
ing a low gear to obtain brilliant perfor-
mance increases consumption. In the
same way improper use of a high gear
increases consumption, emissions an en-
gine wear.
Top speed
Fuel consumption considerably increas-
es with speed. Avoid superfluous brak-
ing and accelerating, which cost in terms
of both fuel and emissions.
Acceleration
Accelerating violently increasing the revs
will greatly affect consumption and emis-
sions: acceleration should be gradual and
should not exceed the maximum torque.CONDITIONS OF USE
Cold starting
Short journeys and frequent cold starts
do not allow the engine to reach opti-
mum operating temperature. This results
in a significant increase in consumption
levels (from +15 to +30% on the urban
cycle) and emission of harmful sub-
stances.
Traffic and road conditions
Rather high consumption levels are tied
to situations with heavy traffic, for ex-
ample in queues with frequent use of
the lower gears or in cities with many
traffic lights. Also winding mountain
roads and rough road surfaces adverse-
ly affect consumption.
Traffic hold-ups
During prolonged hold-ups (e.g.: level
crossings) the engine should be
switched off.
DRIVING STYLE
Starting
Do not warm the engine with the car
at a standstill or at idle or high speed:
under these conditions the engine
warms up much more slowly, increasing
electrical consumption and emissions. It
is therefore advisable to move off im-
mediately, slowly, avoiding high speeds.
This way the engine will warm faster.
Unnecessary actions
Avoid accelerating when waiting at traf-
fic lights or before switching off the en-
gine. This and also double declutching
is absolutely pointless on modern cars
and also increase consumption and pol-
lution.

160
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
CAR INACTIVITY
If the car is to be left inactive for longer
than a month, the following precautions
should be noted:
❒ park the car in covered, dry and if
possible well-ventilated premises;
❒ engage a gear;
❒check that the handbrake is not en-
gaged;
❒disconnect battery negative terminal
and check the battery charge. This
check is to be repeated every three
months when the car is left inactive.
Recharge if the optical indicator
shows a dark colour without the cen-
tral green area (see paragraph “Bat-
tery” in “Car maintenance” section);
❒clean and protect the painted parts
using protective wax;
❒clean and protect the shiny metal
parts using special compounds read-
ily available;
❒sprinkle talcum powder on the rubber
windscreen and rear window wiper
blades and lift them off the glass;
❒slightly open the windows;
❒cover the car with a cloth or perfo-
rated 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
normal specified pressure and check
it at intervals;
❒if you don’t disconnect the battery
from the electric system, check its
charge every month and recharge it
if the optical indicator shows a dark
colour without the central green area;
❒do not drain the engine cooling sys-
tem.
IMPORTANTIf the car is fitted with
alarm system, switch off the alarm with
the remote control.

161
SAFETY
DEVICES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
W W
A A
R R
N N
I I
N N
G G
L L
I I
G G
H H
T T
S S
A A
N N
D D
M M
E E
S S
S S
A A
G G
E E
S S
LOW BRAKE FLUID/HANDBRAKE ON ..................... 163
BRAKE PAD WEAR ............................................. 163
SEAT BELTS NOT FASTENED ................................. 163
AIR BAG FAILURE................................................ 164
FRONT AIR BAGS DEACTIVATED ............................ 164
ENGINE COOLANT
HIGH TEMPERATURE ........................................... 165
ENGINE OIL HIGH TEMPERATURE .......................... 166
LOW ENGINE OIL PRESSURE/
EXHAUST OIL..................................................... 166
LOW BATTERY CHARGE ....................................... 166
INCOMPLETE DOOR LOCKING ............................... 167
BONNET OPEN ................................................... 167
BOOT OPEN....................................................... 167
INJECTION SYSTEM FAILURE/
EOBD SYSTEM FAILURE....................................... 167
CAR PROTECTION SYSTEM FAILURE/
STEERING LOCK INHIBITION................................. 168
ALARM FAILURE/BREAK-IN ATTEMPT
ELECTRONIC KEY NOT RECOGNIZED ...................... 169
POSSIBLE PRESENCE OF ICE ON THE ROAD............ 169
PRE-HEATING GLOW PLUGS/
PRE-HEATING GLOW PLUG FAILURE ....................... 169
WATER IN DIESEL FUEL FILTER ............................. 170
INERTIAL FUEL CUT-OFF
SWITCHED ON .................................................. 170
ABS SYSTEM FAILURE......................................... 171
EBD SYSTEM FAILURE......................................... 171
VDC SYSTEM .................................................... 171HILL HOLDER FAILURE ........................................ 172
ASR SYSTEM (WHEEL ANTISKID SYSTEM) ............. 172
EXTERNAL LIGHTS FAILURE .................................. 172
BRAKE LIGHTS FAILURE ....................................... 173
REAR FOGLIGHTS ............................................... 173
FRONT FOG LIGHTS ............................................ 173
SIDE/TAILLIGHTS/FOLLOW ME HOME .................. 173
DIPPED BEAM HEADLIGHTS.................................. 173
MAIN BEAM HEADLIGHTS .................................... 173
LEFT-HAND DIRECTION INDICATOR ........................ 173
RIGHT-HAND DIRECTION INDICATOR ...................... 173
LIGHT SENSOR FAILURE........................................ 174
RAIN SENSOR FAILURE......................................... 174
PARKING SENSORS FAILURE ................................ 174
FUEL RESERVE – LIMITED CRUISING RANGE .......... 174
CRUISE CONTROL .............................................. 174
DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTER CLOGGED .................. 174
ANTIPINCH SYSTEM FAILURE ............................... 175
WINDSCREEN WASHER FLUID LOW LEVEL ............. 175
SPEED LIMIT EXCEEDED ..................................... 175
T.P.M.S. SYSTEM FAILURE ................................... 175
CHECK TYRE PRESSURE ...................................... 175
LOW INFLATION PRESSURE ................................. 176
TYRE PRESSURE UNSUITABLE FOR SPEED ............. 176

165
SAFETY
DEVICES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
–Car heavy duty(e.g.: towing trail-
er uphill or fully laden car): decrease
speed, if the warning light stays on, stop
the car. Wait for 2 or 3 minutes leaving
the engine on and slightly accelerated to
further activate the circulation of the
coolant fluid, then switch the engine off.
IMPORTANTUnder severe use of the
car, keep the engine on and slightly ac-
celerated for few minutes before switch-
ing it off.
Warning light Findi-
cates also warning light
¬failures. This is indicated by
intermittent flashing, over 4
seconds, of warning light
F. In
this event warning light
¬could
not indicate safety system fail-
ures. Contact Alfa Romeo Au-
thorized Services to have the
system checked immediately.
WARNINGENGINE COOLANT
HIGH TEMPERATURE
(red)
Fitting the key into the ignition device,
the warning light (set on engine coolant
gauge) turns on but it shall go off after
a few seconds.
The warning light turns on (on certain
versions a dedicated message is dis-
played) to indicate engine overheating.
If the warning light comes on, proceed
as follows:
–Normal driving conditions: stop
the car, switch off the engine and check
whether the water level in the reservoir
is not below the MINmarl. Otherwise
wait for few seconds to allow engine
cooling, then open slowly and carefully
the cap, top up coolant and check
whether its level is falling between MIN
andMAXmarks in the reservoir. Check
visually any leak. If when restarting the
warning light comes on again, contact
Alfa Romeo Authorized Services .
u
With engine hot, do not
remove the cap: risk of
burnt.
WARNING

166
SAFETY
DEVICES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
ENGINE OIL
HIGH TEMPERATURE
Fitting the key into the ignition
device, the warning light (set on engine
oil temperature gauge) turns on but it
should go off after a few seconds. Warn-
ing light turning on when travelling (on
certain versions together with the mes-
sage on the display) indicates that en-
gine oil is too hot; switch the engine off
and contact Alfa Romeo Authorized Ser-
vices.
If warning light
`
starts flashing when
travelling contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services.
LOW ENGINE
OIL PRESSURE
EXHAUST OIL
(diesel versions)
Low engine oil pressure
On certain versions, fitting the key into
the ignition device, the warning light
turns on but it should go off as soon as
the engine has started.After the first indication, at each engine
starting the warning light
vwill go
on flashing for about 1 minute and then
every 2 hours until oil is changed.
LOW BATTERY
CHARGE (red)
The warning light (where pro-
vided) turns on, but it should go off as
soon as the engine has started (with the
engine running at idle speed a brief de-
lay in going out is allowed).
If the warning light (or as an alternative,
on certain versions, a symbol and a mes-
sage are displayed) stays on glowing
steadily or flashing contact immediate-
ly Alfa Romeo Authorized Services.
w
`v
If the warning light
(or as an alternative,
on certain versions, a symbol
and a message are displayed)
comes on when travelling,
stop immediately and contact
Alfa Romeo Authorized Ser-
vices.
WARNING
If warning light v
starts flashing, contact
immediately Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services to have the
engine oil changed and the in-
strument panel (or symbol
v
on the display) switched off.
Exhaust oil (diesel versions)
The warning light (where provided) with
turn on flashing (on certain versions a
message is displayed) when the system
detects that the engine oil is exhaust.

167
SAFETY
DEVICES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
BOOT OPEN
On certain versions message
and symbol
R(red) are
displayed to indicate that boot is
open.
BONNET OPEN
(where provided)
On certain versions message
and symbol
S(red) are displayed to
indicate that bonnet is open.
INJECTION SYSTEM
FAILURE (diesel
versions - amber)
EOBD SYSTEM
FAILURE
(petrol versions -
amber)
Injection system failure
Fitting the key into the ignition device
the warning light turns on, but it should
go off when the engine has started.
The warning light stays on or it turns on
when travelling to indicate a malfunc-
tion in the injection/exhaust system
with possible lack of performance, poor
driveability and high consumption.
In these conditions it is possible to con-
tinue driving without however requiring
heavy effort or high speed from the en-
gine. In any case, contact Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services as soon as possible.EOBD system failure
Under normal conditions, fitting the elec-
tronic key into the ignition device, the
warning light turns on, but it should go
off when the engine has started. This in-
dicates proper operation of the warn-
ing light.
If the warning light stays on or turns on
when travelling:
– glowing steadily (on certain ver-
sions together with the message on the
display): means a fault in the sup-
ply/ignition system which could cause
high emissions at the exhaust, possible
lack of performance, poor handling and
high consumption levels. In these con-
ditions it is possible to continue driving
without however requiring heavy effort
or high speed from the engine. Pro-
longed use of the car with the warning
light on may cause damages. Contact
Alfa Romeo Authorized Services as soon
as possible.
The warning light goes off if the fault
disappears, but it is however stored by
the system.
INCOMPLETE DOOR
LOCKING (red)
The warning light (where pro-
vided) (or symbol on the display) turns
on when one or more doors, the boot or
the bonnet (where provided) are not
properly shut.
U´
S
R

168
SAFETY
DEVICES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
CAR PROTECTION
SYSTEM FAILURE
(amber)
STEERING LOCK
INHIBITION
(amber)
Car protection system failure
Warning light (where provided) coming
on (on certain versions a message is dis-
played) indicates car protecting system
failure: in this event contact Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services as soon as possible.
Steering lock inhibition
Warning light (where provided) turns on
(on certain versions a message is dis-
played) when removing the electronic
key from the ignition device when the
car has turned off while travelling.
ALARM FAILURE
(where provided)
(amber)
BREAK-IN ATTEMPT
(amber)
ELECTRONIC KEY
NOT RECOGNIZED
(amber)
Alarm failure
The turning on of the warning light (where
provided) (on certain versions a message
is displayed) indicates that there is a fail-
ure in the alarm system. Contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services as soon as
possible.
Break-in attempt
The turning on of the warning light (where
provided) (on certain versions a message
is displayed) indicates an attempt of
break-in. Contact Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services as soon as possible.
Electronic key not recognized
The turning on of the warning light (where
provided) (on certain versions a message
is displayed) indicates that the electronic
key being used is not enabled. – flashing: indicates the possibility of
damage to the catalyst (see “EOBD sys-
tem” in section “Dashboard and con-
trols”). If the light flashes, it is neces-
sary to release the accelerator pedal to
lower the speed of the engine until the
warning light stops flashing; continue
the journey at moderate speed, trying
to avoid driving conditions that may
cause further flashing and contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services as soon as
possible.
If when fitting the key in-
to the ignition device, the
warning light
Udoes
not turn on or if turns on with
fixed light or flashing when the
car is travelling, contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services as
soon as possible. Warning light
Uoperation can by checked by
traffic agents by proper equip-
ment therefore, comply with
laws and regulations in force in
the country where you are dri-
ving.
>Y

169
SAFETY
DEVICES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
This cycle is performed only once when
the outside temperature read is lower
than or equal to 3°C and it can be re-
peated only when outside temperature
exceeds
6 °C and then falls down to 3 °C or be-
low.
IMPORTANTIn the event of outside
temperature sensor failure, the display
will show dashes instead of the value.PRE-HEATING
GLOW PLUGS
(diesel versions -
amber)
PRE-HEATING
GLOW PLUGS
FAILURE
(diesel
versions - amber)
Pre-heating glow plugs
Fitting the key into the ignition device
the warning light turns on and it will turn
off when glow plugs reach the preset
temperature. Start the engine immedi-
ately after warning light switching off.
IMPORTANTWith mild or hot ambi-
ent temperature, warning light stays on
for very short time.
m
POSSIBLE PRESENCE OF ICE
ON THE ROAD
When the outside temperature reaches
or falls below 3°C, the display will show
a warning message, symbol
√, and a
buzzer will sound to warn the driver of
the possible presence of ice on the road.
On certain versions, once the above
warning indication cycle is over or when
pressing briefly the button MENU:
– the displayed message goes off and
previously active screen is displayed
again;
– temperature indication stops flashing;
– symbol
√stays displayed at the bot-
tom right of the screen (until outside
temperature is lower than or equal to
6°C).

170
SAFETY
DEVICES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
INERTIAL FUEL CUT-
OFF SWITCHED ON
On certain versions, the inter-
vention of the inertial fuel cut-off switch
is indicated by a message + symbol
(amber) on the display. Pre-heating glow plugs failure
The warning light (on certain versions
together with the message on the dis-
play) will flash to indicate a failure in
the pre-heating glow plugs system. Con-
tact Alfa Romeo Authorized Services as
soon as possible to have the failure elim-
inated.
WATER IN
FUEL FILTER
(diesel versions -
amber)
The warning light turns on glowing
steadily when travelling (on certain ver-
sions together with the message on the
display) to indicate that there is water
in the diesel fuel filter.
c
The presence of water in
the fuel circuit may
cause serious damage to
the entire injection system and
cause irregular engine opera-
tion. If the warning light
con
the dial turns on (on certain ver-
sions together with the mes-
sage on the display) contact Al-
fa Romeo Authorized Services
as soon as possible to have the
system relieved. If the above
indications come on immediate-
ly after refuelling, water has
probably been poured into the
tank: turn the engine off imme-
diately and contact Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services.
If, after a crash, you
smell fuel or see leaks
from the fuel system, do not
reset the switch to avoid fire
risk.
WARNING
s

171
SAFETY
DEVICES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
EBD SYSTEM
FAILURE
(red)
(amber)
With the engine running the
turning on at the same time of
the
>andxwarning lights (on cer-
tain versions together with the message
on the display) indicates that the EBD
system is inefficient; in this case heavy
braking may cause the rear wheels to
lock before time, with the possibility of
skidding.
Drive with the utmost care to the near-
est Alfa Romeo Authorized Service to
have the system checked.
VDC SYSTEM
(where provided)
(amber)
Fitting the key into the ignition device
the warning light turns on, but it should
go off after few seconds.
The warning light flashes when the VDC
cuts in, to alert the driver that the sys-
tem is adapting to the road surface grip
conditions.
VDC deactivation
When the VDC is deactivated manually
(pressing the ASR/VDC button for 2 sec-
onds) (see paragraph “VDC system” in
section “Dashboard and controls”) the
instrument panel warning light turns on
(on certain versions a message is dis-
played).
VDC failure
In case of failure, the VDC system will
deactivate automatically and the in-
strument panel warning light
áwill turn
on glowing steadily (on certain versions
a message will also be displayed). In
this case contact Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services as soon as possible.
ABS SYSTEM
FAILURE (amber)
Fitting the key into the ignition
device the warning light turns on, but
it should go off after few seconds.
The warning light turns on (on certain
versions a dedicated message is dis-
played) when the system is inefficient.
In this case the braking system keeps
its effectiveness unchanged, but without
the potential offered by the ABS system.
Drive carefully and contact Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services as soon as possible.
>
>
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