service Alfa Romeo 166 2008 Owner handbook (in English)

27
IMPORTANTNever leave the key in
this position when the engine is station-
ary.
–AV V: starting the engine.
IMPORTANT If the engine does not
start return the ignition key to the STOP
position and repeat the sequence.
The ignition block is fitted with a safety
device preventing it from being moved to
theAVV position when the engine is al-
ready running.If the ignition device is
tampered with (for ex-
ample during an at-
tempted break-in) have it checked
over by Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services, before travelling again.
STEERING LOCK
Engaging lock:
– move the key to the STOPposition
and remove the key lightly turning the
steering wheel to facilitate the locking ac-
tion.
Releasing the lock:
– turn the key to the MARposition
and gently rock the steering wheel in
both directions.
When leaving the vehicle
always remove the key
from the ignition to prevent any
passenger in the car from inadver-
tently activating the controls.
Never leave children unattended in
a car. Remember to engage the
handbrake and if the vehicle is fac-
ing uphill, first gear and if the ve-
hicle is facing downhill, reverse.
WARNING
Never remove the key
with the car on the
move. The steering wheel would
lock automatically the first time
the steering wheel is turned. This
also occurs if the car is towed.
WARNING
It is absolutely forbidden
to carry out whatever af-
ter-market operation involving
steering system or steering column
modifications (e.g.: installation of
anti-theft Device) that could badly
affect performance and safety,
cause the lapse of warranty and
also result in non-compliance of the
car with homologation require-
ments.
WARNING

42
PRETENSIONERS
To increase the efficiency of the front
seat belts, the Alfa 166is fitted with
pretensioners.
These devices “feel”, through a sensor,
that a violent crash is in progress and
rewind the seat belts a few centimetres.
In this way they ensure that the seat belt
adheres perfectly to the wearer before
the restraining action begins.
The seat belt locks to indicate that the
device has intervened; the seat belt can-
not be drawn back up even when guiding
it manually.
IMPORTANTTo obtain the highest
degree of protection from the action of
the pretensioning device, wear the seat
belt keeping it firmly close to the chest
and pelvis.
A small amount of smoke may be pro-
duced. This smoke is in no way toxic and
presents no fire hazard.The pretensioner does not require any
maintenance or greasing. Anything that
modifies its original conditions invalidates
its efficiency. If due to unusual natural
events (floods, sea storm, etc.) the de-
vice has been affected by water and
mud, it must necessarily be replaced.
After adjustment, always
check that the slider is
anchored in one of the positions
provided. To do this, with the but-
ton (A-fig. 52) released, exert a
further pressure to allow the an-
chor device to catch if release did
not take place at one of the preset
positions.
WARNING
The pretensioner can only
be used once. After a col-
lision that has triggered it, have it
replaced at an Alfa Romeo Autho-
rized Services. The validity of the
device is 10 years starting from
the date of production, the preten-
sioners should be replaced at an
Alfa Romeo Authorized Services as
this date approaches.
WARNING
This precaution could greatly reduce the
risk of injury in case of collision.
Correct adjustment is obtained when the
belt passes half way between the end of
the shoulder and the neck.
4 different adjustments in height are
provided.
To adjust the attachment raise or lower
the grip (A-fig. 52) and ring (B-
fig. 52) to one of the set positions.

43
Operations which lead to
knocks, vibrations or lo-
calised heating (over
100°C for a maximum of 6 hours)
in the area around the pretension-
ers may cause damage or trigger
them. These devices are not af-
fected by vibrations caused by ir-
regularities of the road surface or
low obstacles such as kerbs, etc.
Contact a Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services for any assistance.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR
USING THE SEAT BELTS
The driver must comply with (and have
the vehicle occupants follow) all the local
legal regulations concerning the use of
seat belts.
Always fasten the seat belts before s-
tarting.
For maximum safety,
keep the back of your
seat upright, lean back into it and
make sure the seat belt fits closely
across your chest and hips.
Make sure that the seat belts of
the front and rear passengers are
fastened at all times! You increase
the risk of serious injury or death
in a collision if you travel with the
belts unfastened.
WARNING
The belt should not be
twisted, make sure that it
is taut and adheres to the passen-
ger’s body. The upper part should
pass over the shoulder and cross
the chest diagonally. The lower part
should adhere to the pelvis and to
the abdomen of the passenger, (fig.
53). Do not use any objects (pegs,
stoppers, etc.) to keep the belts
away from the body.
WARNING
Under no circumstances
should the components of
the seat belts and pretensioner be
tampered with or removed. Any
operation should be carried out by
qualified and authorised personnel.
Always contact Alfa Romeo Au-
thorized Services. If the belt has
been subjected to heavy stress, for
example after an accident, it
should be changed completely to-
gether with the anchors, anchor
fastening screws and the preten-
sioners. In fact, even if the belt has
no visible defects, it could have
lost its resilience.
WARNING
593PGSm
fig. 53

53
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. 65).
You can reach the switch only if the
door is opened.The key switch (fig. 65) has two posi-
tions:
1)Passenger’s front Air bag active
(ONposition
P) warning light on clus-
ter off; it is absolutely prohibited to carry
children on the front seat.
2)Passenger’s front Air bag deactivat-
ed (OFFposition
F) warning light on
cluster on; it is possible to carry children
protected by special restraint systems on
the front seat.
The
Fwarning light on the instru-
ment cluster glows steadily until the pas-
senger’s Air bag is reactivated.
Deactivation of the front passenger’s Air
bag does not inhibit operation of the side
Air bag.
With the door open the key can be in-
serted and removed in both positions.Operate the switch only
when the engine is not
running and the ignition key is re-
moved.
WARNING
Warning light Findi-
cates also warning light
¬failure. This is indicated by in-
termittent flashing, over 4 sec-
onds, of warning light
F. In this
event, warning light
¬could be
not up to indicate restraint system
failures, if any. Stop the car and
contact Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services to have the system
checked.
WARNING

55
IMPORTANTSThe triggering of air
bags releases a small amount of powder.
This powder is not harmful and does not
indicate a start of fire; also the surfaces
of the deployed bag and the car interior
may be covered with dusty residue: this
may irritate the skin and eyes. In the
event of exposure, wash with neutral
soap and water.
The air bag system has a validity of 14
years as concerns the pyrotechnic charge
and 10 years as concerns the coil contact.
Contact Alfa Romeo Authorized Services as
this date approaches.IMPORTANTIf an accident has trig-
gered the air bag, Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services must be contacted to have the de-
vices activated replaced and to have the
whole system checked.
All operations involving checking, repair-
ing and replacing components concerning
the Air bag must be carried out by Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services.
If the car is to be demolished, Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services should be contacted be-
forehand to have the system deactivated.
If the car changes ownership, the new
owner must be informed of the instructions
for use and of the above warnings and be
given this “Owner’s Manual”.
IMPORTANTThe triggering of the pre-
tensioners, front air bags and side bags is
decided by the electronic control unit in a
differentiated manner depending on the
type of crash. The failure to trigger one or
more of them does not necessarily indicate
a system malfunction.GENERAL WARNINGS
Never lean head, arms
and elbows out of the
window.
WARNING
If the ¬warning light
does not turn on when
turning the ignition key to MAR or
if it stays on when travelling, this
could indicate a failure in safety re-
taining systems; under this condi-
tion air bags or pretensioners could
not trigger in the event of collision
or, in a restricted number of cases,
they could trigger accidentally.
Stop the car and contact a Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services to
have the system checked.
WARNING
Do not cover back rest of
front seats with trims or
covers there are not set for the
use of side bags.
WARNING

56
Never travel with objects
on your lap, in front of
your chest or with a pipe, pencil,
etc. between your lips; injury may
result in the event of the air bag
being triggered.
WARNING
Always keep your hands
on the steering wheel rim
when driving, so that if the Air bag
is triggered, it can inflate without
meeting any obstacles which could
cause serious harm to you. Do not
drive with the body bent for-
wards, keep the seat back rest in
the erect position and lean your
back well against it.
WARNING
If the car has been stolen
or an attempt to steal it
has been made, if it has been sub-
jected to vandals or floods, have
the Air bag system checked by Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services.
WARNING
Do not wash the seat
back rest with pres-
surised water or steam (by hand
or at automatic seat washing sta-
tions).
WARNING
When the ignition key is
turned to the MAR posi-
tion, the warning light
F(with
passenger’s front air bag deacti-
vation switch in the ON position)
turns on and flashes for few sec-
onds to remind that passenger’s
air bag will be deployed in a crash,
after which it should go off.
WARNING
Please remember that
with the ignition key at
MAR, the air bags can be triggered
also on a stationary vehicle, if it is
bumped by another moving vehi-
cle. Therefore, even with the car
stationary, never allow children on
the front seat. On the other hand,
remember that with the car sta-
tionary and ignition key at STOP
no safety device (air bags or pre-
tensioners) will be triggered in the
event of an impact; in this case the
failure to trigger safety devices
should not be considered as a sys-
tem failure.
WARNING
Please don’t apply stickers
or other objects to the
steering wheel, to the air-bag cover
on the passenger's side or on the
side roof lining to the upholstery on
the roof side. Don’t place objects on
the dashboard passenger’s side
(such as mobile phones) because
they could tamper with the correct
opening of the passenger’s air-bag
and than cause serious injuries to
the vehicle occupants.
WARNING

57
LIGHTS SWITCH AND
STEERING WHEEL
LEVERS
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 SWITCH (fig. 66)
Lights switched off
When the pointer on the knurled ring
(A) is opposite the symbol O, the exter-
nal lights are switched off.
The front air bag is trig-
gered for shocks greater
in magnitude than the pretension-
ers. For impacts between these
two thresholds, it is therefore nor-
mal that only the pretensioners are
triggered.
WARNING
Do not hook rigid objects
to the coat hooks and to
the support handles.
WARNING
The air bag does not sub-
stitute the seat belts, but
only increases their effectiveness.
Moreover, since the front air bags
do not come into operation in the
event of front impact at low
speed, side collisions, bumps from
behind or overturning, in these cir-
cumstances the occupants would
only be protected by the seat belts
which must therefore always be
fastened.
WARNING
fig. 66
A0D0146m

66
Resetting the speed memorised
The memorised speed is automatically
reset:
– turning off the engine;
or
– moving the switch (A) to the OFF
position.
When travelling with the
cruise control engaged,
never move the gearshift lever to
neutral and do not move the au-
tomatic gearshift lever to N.
You are advised to engage the
cruise control only when the traf-
fic and road conditions permit un-
der completely safe conditions, i.e.:
straight, dry road, dual carriage-
way or motorway, flowing traffic
and smooth tarmac. Do not engage
the device in town or in heavy traf-
fic conditions.
WARNING
The Cruise Control can
only be engaged with
speed over 30 km/h and, just for
certain versions up to 180 km/h.
The device must only be engaged
in 4
th, 5thor 6thgear, depending on
the vehicle speed. On cars with
electronic automatic gearbox it
must be engaged only with the
lever at position D in the automatic
mode without then moving the
gearshift lever by hand or with 3
nd
or 4thgear engaged inthe sequen-
tial manual mode.
Moving downhill with the device
engaged, the car speed might be
slightly higher than the speed
memorised due to the change in en-
gine load.
WARNING
Should the device not be
working properly or fail
to operate, move the switch (A-fig.
78) to the OFF Position and contact
Authorized Alfa Romeo Services
after checking that the protection
fuse is intact.
The switch (A-fig. 78) may be left
constantly at ON without damag-
ing the device. You are however
advised to deactivate the device
when not in use, moving the switch
(A) to OFF, to avoid accidentally
memorising the speed.
WARNING

72
E - Fuel gauge and reserve
warning light
This shows the amount of fuel left in
the fuel tank.
0Tank empty;
1Tank full (see "Refuelling" paragraph
in this section).
This warning light comes on to indicate
that about 9 litres of fuel are left in the
tank.
IMPORTANTUnder certain condi-
tions (heavy slopes, for instance) the
reading on the gauge may differ from the
actual amount of fuel in the tank and
changes in level may be indicated late.
This is part of the operating logic of the
electronic control circuit to avoid highly
unstable readings due to swaying of the
fuel when travelling.F - Engine coolant temperature
gauge and maximum temperature
warning light (fig. 85)
This shows the temperature of the en-
gine coolant fluid and begins when the
fluid temperature exceeds about 50°C.
The pointer should normally be towards
the middle of the scale. If the pointer
reaches the higher temperature values
the request for vehicle performance
should be decreased.
The illumination of this warning light in-
dicates an excessive temperature of the
engine cooling fluid. In this case, stop the
car and contact Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services.IMPORTANT The temperature of the
engine coolant may rise towards the maxi-
mum values by obstruction or dirt on the
outer part of the engine cooling radiator.
In this case you are advised to inspect
and remove any obstructions and have
the outside of the radiator washed as
soon as possible.
fig. 85
A0D0121m

73
G - The warning lights
IMPORTANT The presence of the
warning lights may vary depending on
the type of engine and trim level.
Insufficient brake fluid
and/or handbrake on
This warning light stays on for about 15
seconds, after the end of the check,
when the level of the brake fluid falls be-
low the minimum, possibly due to a leak-
age in the system and when the hand-
brake is engaged.
When the ignition key is turned to
MARthe warning light comes on but
must go out after approx. 6 seconds.
x
Air bag malfunction
When the ignition key is turned to the
MARposition the warning light will
come on and should go out as after
about. 4 seconds.
This warning light will come on perma-
nently when an anomaly affecting the Air
bag system is detected.¬
If the ¬warning light
does not turn on when
turning the ignition key to MAR or
if it stays on when travelling, this
could indicate a failure in safety re-
taining systems; under this condi-
tion air bags or pretensioners could
not trigger in the event of collision
or, in a restricted number of cases,
they could trigger accidentally.
Stop the car and contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services to
have the system checked immedi-
ately.
WARNING
If the warning light
comes on while driving
check if the handbrake is not en-
gaged. If the warning lights stays
on with the handbrake not engaged,
stop immediately and contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services.x
WARNING