key Alfa Romeo 166 2006 Owner handbook (in English)

222
– Before doing any work on the electric
system, disconnect the battery negative
terminal.
If after purchasing the car, you wish to
install electrical accessories which need a
permanent electrical supply (alarm,
hands-free phone, radio-navigator with
satellite anti-theft function, etc.) contact
Authorised Alfa Romeo Services whose
qualified personnel, in addition to sug-
gesting the most suitable devices from
Lineaccessori will be able to evaluate the
total electrical absorption, checking
whether the car’s electric system is able
to support the load required or whether a
battery with higher capacity is necessary.
In fact, these devices continue to absorb
current with the ignition key off (car
parked, engine off) and may gradually
drain the battery. IMPORTANT A battery kept at below
50% of its capacity is damaged by sul-
phation, the capacity is reduced and start-
ing is difficult, there is also more possibili-
ty of freezing (this can occur at –10°C).
In the event of a prolonged stop, refer to
“Vehicle inactivity”.
USEFUL HINTS TO EXTEND
THE LIFE OF YOUR BATTERY
To avoid quickly draining the battery
and to preserve its operating conditions
over the course of time, carefully follow
the instructions below.
– The terminals must always be tight-
ened.
– As far as possible avoid keeping ser-
vices on for a long time with the engine
stopped (radio, hazard warning lights,
parking lights, etc.).
– When leaving the vehicle parked in a
garage, make sure that the doors, bon-
net, boot and interior lids are properly
shut to prevent lights from staying on.
The fluid contained in the
battery is poisonous and
corrosive. Avoid contact with the
skin or eyes. The battery should be
charged in a ventilated place away
from naked flames or possible
sources of sparks: danger of ex-
plosion and fire.
WARNING
Never attempt to charge
a frozen battery before
thawing it, the danger of explosion
exists. If it has frozen, always
check that the inside elements are
not broken (risk of short circuit)
and that the body is not cracked,
with the risk of acid coming out
which is poisonous and corrosive.
WARNING

223
– If electrical welding is to be carried
out on the body of the vehicle the elec-
tronic control units must be disconnected
or removed if the work involves the pro-
duction of high temperatures.The total absorption of these accessories
(standard and installed later) must be
0.6 mA x Ah (of the battery), as shown
in the table below:
BatteryMaximum permissible loadless absorption
100 Ah 60 mA
You are also reminded that services with
high current absorption activated by the
user, such as bottle warmers, vacuum
cleaners, cellular telephone, mini refriger-
ator, etc. accelerate the battery drainage
process if they are powered with the en-
gine not running.
IMPORTANT It should also be noted
that improper branches on connectors of
the electric wiring for installing additional
equipment is dangerous, particularly if
safety devices are involved.
ELECTRONIC
CONTROL UNITS
With normal use of the vehicle no par-
ticular precautions need to be taken.
If interventions are to be carried out on
the electrical system or emergency start-
ing the following must be heeded:
– Always switch off the engine before
disconnecting the battery from the electri-
cal system.
– If battery charging is necessary dis-
connect it from the electric system.
– When starting in an emergency only
an auxiliary battery must be used and not
a battery charger.
– Check that the polarity is correct and
that the connections between the battery
and the electrical system are sound.
– Before connecting or disconnecting
the terminals of the electronic units en-
sure that the ignition key is not in the
MARposition.
– Do not check for current in the cables
by short-circuiting the ends.
If additional systems are
to be installed on the ve-
hicle the danger of incorrectly tak-
ing branches from the electrical
wires cannot be emphasized too
strongly especially if devices es-
sential to the safety of the vehi-
cle and its occupants are involved
(ignition, injection, ABS ...). The in-
correct installation of radio sys-
tems, electronic theft alarms, ra-
diotelephones etc. can interfere
with the electronic control units and
compromises the warranty cover.
For these interventions we re-com-
mend that you contact Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services.The loadless
absorption of all the accessories in-
stalled in the after market must
not exceed 20 mA (reading with
the vehicle stationary).
WARNING

227
IMPORTANT The vehicle should be
washed with the engine cold and the igni-
tion key turned to STOP. After washing
make sure that the various protections
(e.g. rubber caps and recess covers) have
not been damaged or removed. When drying off take particular care to
cover the less visible parts like the bonnet
and boot lids and around the headlights
where water may stagnate. The vehicle
should not be taken to an enclosed area
immediately but left in the open so that
the residual water can evaporate. Do not
wash the vehicle after it has been left in
the sun or when the bonnet is hot as this
may alter the shine of the paintwork.
Plastic parts must be cleaned in the same
way as the rest of the vehicle. Specific
products need only be used when dirt is
particularly resistant.
IMPORTANT Bird droppings must be
washed off immediately as the acid con-
tained in them is particularly aggressive.
To better protect the paint, occasionally
polish with special products (silicone
wax) which leave a protective layer on
the body.WINDOWS
Use specific products to clean the win-
dows. Clean cloths should be used to
avoid scratching or altering the trans-
parency of the glass.
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
At the end of the winter the engine
compartment should be carefully washed.
Contact a specialised workshop to have
this done.The inside of the rear
windscreen should be
wiped gently with a
cloth in the direction of the fila-
ments to avoid damaging the
heating device.
Detergents cause water
pollution. The car should
therefore be washed in
areas equipped for the collection
and purification of the liquid used
in the washing processes.
For washing the engine
compartment, you are
recommended to use
“FULCRON” available in Alfa
Romeo Lineaccessori. In any
case, only use soda-free deter-
gent solutions preferably alka-
lined with metasilicates.After
washing the engine compartment
it must be accurately rinsed with
a specific operation and dried. In
fact the normal passage of the
body washing tunnel is unable to
rinse the engine compartment
adequately.

251
International
Homologation
automobile Country
number
code
H Hungary
I Italy DGPGF/4/2/03/339999/
F0/0004562/02/06/99
IRL Ireland
IS Iceland
L Luxembourg
N Norway
NL Holland CEPT LPD F
P Portugal ICP 026TC99
S Sweden
SLO Slovenia
For markets in which transmitter marking is required, the homologation number has been reproduced directly on the key grip.

257
A -Speedometer
B -Mileage recorder with double meter
display (total and trip)
C -Check panel
D -Rev. counter
E -Fuel gauge and reserve warning light
F -Engine coolant temperature gauge
and maximum temperature warning
light
G -Warning lights
H -Electronic automatic gearbox display
IMPORTANT Depending on the trim
levels, the dial of the instruments may be
either light grey or black, with green or
red light.CONTROLS
LIGHTS SWITCH (fig. 3)
The device and services controlled by
the levers on the steering wheel can only
be activated when the ignition key is in
theMARposition (except the parking
lights which can always be switched on).Lights switched off
When the pointer on the knurled ring
(A) is opposite the symbol O, the exter-
nal lights are switched off.
Sidelights
The sidelights are switched on by turn-
ing the knurled ring (A) from Oto
6.
The
3warning light on the instru-
ment panel will come on at the same
time.
Dipped-beam headlights
These are switched on by turning the
knurled ring (A) from
6to2.
Parking lights
When the pointer of the switch (A) cor-
responds with the
Fsymbol, the side
lights stay on regardless of the position of
the ignition key.
fig. 3
A0D0148m

259
707PGSm
fig. 6
DEACTIVATING THE FRONT
PASSENGER’S AIR BAG
(fig. 6)
Should it be absolutely necessary to car-
ry a child on the front seat, the passen-
ger’s Air bag on the vehicle must be deac-
tivated.
Deactivation takes place using the car
ignition key to operate the special switch
on the left hand side of the dashboard.
Access to the switch is gained only with
the door open.The key-operated switch has two posi-
tions:
1) Passenger’s Air bag activated. (ON
position
P) warning light on instrument
cluster off; it is absolutely prohibited to
carry a child on the front seat.
2) Passenger’s Air bag deactivated
(OFFposition
F) warning light on in-
strument cluster on; it is possible to carry
a child protected by special restraint sys-
tem on the front seat.
The warning light
Fon the cluster s-
tays on permanently until the passenger’s
Air bag is reactivated.
When the door is open, the key can be
inserted and removed in both positions.
Deactivation of the passenger’s front Air
bag inhibits too the left-hand side Air bag
(if present).
Operate the switch only
when the engine is not
running and the ignition key is re-
moved.
WARNING
Deactivation/reactivation takes place
with ignition key at STOPand operating
it in the special key switch on the right-
hand side of the dashboard (fig. 6).
You can reach the switch only if the
door is opened.

264
Engine starting ..............................134
EOBD (system) ..............................113
First aid kit ..................................199
Fluids and lubricants ......................243
Fog lamps ......................................93
"Follow me home" device ................60
Front roof lamp..............................100
Fuel consumption ..........................240
Fuel flap ........................................94
Fuel oil filter ..................................219
Fuel reserve ....................................73
Fuel tank cap ................................127
Fuses and relays ............................186
Gear shift ......................................95
Getting to know your car........11
Glovebox ........................................98
Handbrake ....................................95
Hazard warning lights ......................93Headlamps ....................................110
Headrests........................................33
High beam headlamps ......................58
Identification data..................232
In an emergency ............................157
In the event of an accident ..............198
Inside rear-view mirror ......................36
Installation of electric/
electronic devices ......................156
Instrument cluster ............................12
Instrument light dimmer ....................94
Interior equipment ............................96
Interior maintenance ......................228
Keys............................................ 16
Level checking ..............................209
Light switch ....................................57
Low beam headlamps ......................58
Luggage compartment ....................110
Maintenance
- Additional operations ................206
- Annual Inspection Programme ....206
- Maintenance programme ..........204
- Scheduled Maintenance ............202
Mileage recorder ..............................70
Number plate lights ......................179
Oddments compartments........103-104
Oddment compartment light ............183
Parking ......................................138
Parking lights ..................................58
Parking sensors................................67
Performance ..................................239
Pollen/dust filter ......................90-219
Position lights ..................................58
Power steering ..............................142
Power windows ..............................38