FIAT DUCATO 244 2005 3.G Owners Manual

110GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
STARTING
After starting the engine, with the en-
gine idling and keeping the brake ped-
al pressed, move the gearshift lever to
position D. Release the brake pedal
and gradually press the accelerator
pedal.
IMPORTANT Movement of the
lever from position Pis allowed only
with the ignition key at MARand the
button on the lever and the brake ped-
al pressed. STOPPING THE VEHICLE
To stop the vehicle, simply press the
brake pedal regardless of the position
of the gearshift lever.
IMPORTANTRemoving the igni-
tion key is only allowed with the
gearshift lever in position Pand for a
maximum time of 30 seconds from
when the engine is turned off P, when
the door is opened a buzzer will sound
for about 15 seconds to alert the dri-
ver.
In the case of an emergency (faults,
flat battery, etc.) the ignition key can
be removed from the switch fitting a
screwdriver in hole infig. 3set under
the ignition switch and pressing up-
wards Do not attempt to ob-
tain peak performance
until the engine has
reached normal operating tem-
perature.
fig. 3
F0D0236m
With the engine idling, also
on a level surface, and the
gearshift lever in position D or R,
the vehicle tends to move if the
brake pedal is not kept pressed.
WARNING
ELECTRONIC
AUTOMATIC
GEARBOX
(2.8 JTD versions
only)
The automatic gearbox fitted on Fi-
at Ducato features four speeds plus
reverse with self-adapting control (i.e.
capable of adapting to the driver’s dri-
ving style), which transmits power
continuously and with very fast elec-
tro-hydraulic gear engagement times.
STARTING THE ENGINE
The engine can be started only with
the gearshift lever in the P or Nposi-
tion.
For safety reasons, it is advisable to
start the engine with the brake pedal
pressed.
IMPORTANTWhen moving off af-
ter starting the engine, do not press
the accelerator pedal before and dur-
ing the movement of the gearshift
lever. This is particularly important
when the engine is cold.

111GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
SELECTING AUTOMATIC/
SEQUENTIAL MANUAL
OPERATION
The main feature of this gearbox is
the possibility of being used in the au-
tomatic or sequential manual mode.
The operating mode is chosen posi-
tioning the gearshift lever in the right
sector A-fig. 4(automatic gearshift-
ing) or left sector B(sequential man-
ual gearshifting).
fig. 4
F0D0237m
Sector A of the lever: automatic
operation.
The display fig. 5will show lever po-
sitions: P - R - N - D.
Sector B of the lever: sequential
manual mode.
The display fig. 6will show the dif-
ferent engaged ratios: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4.AUTOMATIC OPERATION
For automatic operation move the
gearshift lever to the right sector A-
fig. 4in one of the four positions:
P= parking
R= reverse
N= neutral
D= forward gear.
P - Parking
To prevent accidental movements, the
lever can only be moved to position P
with the button C-fig. 4pressed.
When the vehicle is parked, always set
the lever to this position. A device in
the gearbox locks the driving wheels.
fig. 6
F0D0239m
fig. 5
F0D0247m
Always pull the handbrake
completely before leaving
the vehicle.
WARNING

112GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
IMPORTANTRemoving the igni-
tion key is only allowed with the
gearshift lever in position Pand for a
maximum time of 30 seconds from
when the engine is turned off P, when
the door is opened a buzzer will sound
for about 15 seconds to alert the dri-
ver.
In an emergency (flat battery) it is
possible to move the gearshift lever
from position P, pressing the clamp-
ing device fig. 7set under the gearshift
lever cap.R - Reverse
Move the gearshift lever to Rwith
the vehicle stationary, the engine idling
and the brake pedal pressed.
To prevent accidental movements,
the lever can only be moved to this
position with the button C-fig. 4
pressed.
With the lever in position Rthe re-
verse lights turn on and a buzzer
sounds for about 4 seconds to warn
the driver.
IMPORTANTWith the lever in
position R, reverse gear is not engaged
if the vehicle speed exceeds the es-
tablished limit (approx. 12 km/h).
When the speed falls below this value,
reverse gear engages and stays en-
gaged even if the limit is exceeded.
fig. 7
F0D0240m
Before moving the lever,
press the brake pedal: the
vehicle must be stationary.
WARNING
Move the gearshift lever to position
Pwith the vehicle stationary and the
engine idling before switching off.
For safety reasons the ignition key
can only be removed with the gearshift
lever in this position.
IMPORTANTMovement of the
lever from position P is only allowed
pressing the button C-fig. 4with the
brake pedal pressed.
Move the gearshift lever to
position P when getting out
of the vehicle leaving the engine
running.
WARNING
Before moving the lever
from position P, press the
brake pedal: the vehicle must be
stationary.
WARNING

113GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
N - Neutral
This corresponds to the neutral po-
sition of a standard manual gearbox.
This position is to be used if the ve-
hicle is to be pushed or towed.
With the engine idling and
the gearshift lever at N the
vehicle tends to move by inertia if
it is not on a level surface: keep the
brake pedal pressed when the lever
is at N.
WARNING
D - Forward gear
This is the position to be used when
driving forward normally. The elec-
tronic control unit controls automat-
ic engagement of the 4 gears depend-
ing on the position of the accelerator,
driving speed, engine rpm, longitudinal
and transversal acceleration and the
type of road.
The electronic gearbox can chose
between different operating pro-
grammes, which range between com-
fortable economy driving and sporty
driving coming into operation between
the lowest and the highest speed.
Pressing the accelerator pedal quick-
ly the gearbox will immediately select
the sportier programme to meet the
request for increased performance. To
disengage the function release the ac-
celerator by at least 1/4 of the stroke. In the same way, during braking a
lower gear is engaged to better exploit
the braking action of the engine. If
there is another bend the new ratio
will be engaged already when slowing
down before the bend, this way at the
end of the bend the gearbox will not
have to shift gear to cope with accel-
eration.
Kickdown
To obtain optimum acceleration, for
example when overtaking, the gearbox
will kickdown by two gears simply by
quickly pressing fully home the accel-
erator pedal (in 1/10 of a second).
Engagement of the next longer ratio
will take place when the maximum
rpm limit is reached.
With the engine at idle
speed and the gearshift
lever at D, the vehicle tends to move
also on a level surface: keep the
brake pedal pressed until moving off.
WARNING

114GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
SEQUENTIAL MANUAL
OPERATION
For the sequential manual operation
mode, move the lever to the left sec-
tor B-fig. 4with two positions:
(+) = engagement of the higher ra-
tio;
(–) = engagement of the lower ratio.
Moving the gearshift lever to the
manual sector is only possible from
position D: the ratio selected by the
automatic gearbox when the lever is
moved will remain engaged.
When the sequential manual mode is
selected, the display shows the en-
gaged gear fig. 6.
To select the higher ratio move the
lever in the (+) direction and to shift
down move the lever to (–).IMPORTANTIf the request to
downshift would cause engine
overevving, this is eliminated by the
electronic control unit. Moreover, if
the manually engaged gear causes en-
gine overevving, the electronic control
unit will shift gear automatically to the
most appropriate one (AUTO-UP).
When the sequential man-
ual mode has been set and
a high gear is engaged, to acceler-
ate rapidly, for example to over-
take, it is necessary to downshift
by hand: the kickdown feature
cannot be engaged!
WARNING
Engaging the automatic
WINTER programme
(only with lever in “D”)
Press button A-fig. 8to engage the
automatic WINTERprogramme that
makes the vehicle starting in 2
ndgear.
This mode is recommended under
poor grip conditions (snow, ice, mud,
etc.).
Use this function only when required
in poor grip road conditions then con-
tinue driving with the WINTERfunc-
tion off.
The WINTERfunction shall always
be off on slopes.
fig. 8
F0D0241m

115GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
Moving the lever back to position D
the gearbox instantly resumes the au-
tomatic mode selecting the ratio ac-
cording to the driving characteristics.
IMPORTANTThe electronic con-
trol unit is programmed to change
gear one at a time, therefore repeat-
ed fast actuations will not result in re-
peated engagements of the gears. The
higher or lower gear is engaged mov-
ing the lever to the (+) or (–) position
when the previous request has been
performed.
In the event of a fault to the sequen-
tial manual system, the system will se-
lect the automatic mode.FAILURE INDICATIONS
Automatic gearbox faults are indi-
cated by the warning light A-fig. 9 on
the instrument panel.
Turning the ignition key to MARthe
warning light should turn on and go
out after about 4 seconds. If the warn-
ing light stays on or if turns on when
travelling, this indicates a gearbox fault
(flashing light) or gearbox oil over-
heating (steadily glowing light).– Warning light glowing steadi-
ly= automatic gearbox oil maximum
temperature.
If the warning light turns on and
glows steadily when travelling, this in-
dicates that the gearbox oil has
reached the maximum temperature.
You are therefore advised to stop the
vehicle with the engine at idle speed
and gearshift lever in “N” or “P” (in
this case engine cooling fans are on),
until the warning light goes out and re-
sume your journey without pushing
the engine to peak performance.
If the warning light turns on again, it
is necessary to stop again with the en-
gine idling until it goes out.
If there are less than 15 minutes be-
tween one turning on of the warning
light and the next, you are advised to
stop the vehicle, do not switch off the
engine but allow the engine-gearbox
unit to cool down completely (both
engine cooling fans off).
fig. 9
F0D0192m

116GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
BUMP STARTING
Starting by pushing or towing the ve-
hicle is not possible. In the event of an
emergency, when the battery is flat,
start the vehicle with a suitable emer-
gency battery, following the instruc-
tions given in section “In an emer-
gency” at paragraph “Jump starting”.
TOWING THE VEHICLE
IMPORTANTFor towing the ve-
hicle comply with current local regu-
lations and follow the instructions giv-
en in section “In an emergency” at
paragraph “Towing the vehicle”.If the vehicle is to be towed, adhere
to the following recommendations:
– if possible, carry the vehicle on the
floor of a rescue vehicle;
– if this is not possible, tow the ve-
hicle raising the driving wheels (front)
from the ground;
– if this, too, is not possible, the ve-
hicle should not be towed for more
than 200 km at a speed of no more
than 50 km/h.
When towing, the gearshift lever
should be at N.
Do not start the engine
while the vehicle is being
towed.
The failure to comply
with these instructions
may cause serious dam-
age to the automatic gearbox.
When travelling with the
gearbox faulty, drive with
the utmost care in consideration of
the limited performance (in terms
of acceleration and speed) that the
vehicle can offer.
WARNING
When travelling with the
gearbox faulty, the revers-
ing gear lock might not be active:
absolutely never move the lever to
the R position with the vehicle on
the move.
WARNING– Warning light flashing= auto-
matic gearbox fault.
Warning light flashing at starting or
when travelling indicates a fault in the
automatic gearbox.
The automatic control system sets
an “emergency programme” engaging
the 3
rdgear.
Switching the engine off and then on
again, the self-test system could ex-
clude the fault and therefore turn off
the warning light. The failure is how-
ever stored and the automatic gear-
box shall be checked at a Fiat Deal-
ership.

117GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
CONSTRUCTION FEATURES
DUCATO automatic gearbox is con-
trolled electronically with four for-
ward gears and reverse.
It is controlled by an electronic con-
trol unit which handles:
– the torque distributor;
– gearshifting;
– specific programmes.
The gearbox is coupled with a flow
power torque distributor with piloted
antislip device which makes it possible
to obtain demultiplication ratios.
The characteristic of this gearbox
which works without idle gear enables:
– higher compactness and weight re-
duction;
– improved output due to less fric-
tion;
– lower stress of transmission com-
ponents.GENERAL FEATURES
Electronic gearbox control makes it
possible to obtain gearshifting suited
to momentary engine characteristics
with a certain elasticity.
The electronic control unit has the
following task:
– adapting the oil pressure for
gearshifting to the engine torque;
– activating safety functions;
– defining the manual gearshifting
programme;
– system diagnostics.
For controlling these operating log-
ics the control unit uses the follow-
ing signals:
– engine rpm;
– engine temperature;
– engine torque;
– vehicle speed;
– gearbox oil temperature;– gearshift lever position;
– accelerator pedal position;
– brake pedal position.
The control unit also communicates
with the injection system electronic
control unit.
Conditions of use analysed by
the control unit
The control unit analyses each single
condition of use of the vehicle, dis-
criminating it on the basis of the sig-
nals received from the various sensors.
Analysed conditions are the follow-
ing:
– starting (position/accelerator ped-
al changing speed);
– acceleration (accelerator pedal
completely pushing down speed);
– full load (number of engine full load
kickdown signals or position mainte-
nance time);

118GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
– braking (accelerator pedal release
time and braking system operation);
– type of programme (gearshift se-
lector lever position);
– winter driving (driving wheel
torque reduction);
– driving with trailer or uphill (vehi-
cle speed in relation to transmitted
torque)
– driving downhill (vehicle accelera-
tion in relation to the position of the
accelerator pedal);
– driving in towns or queues (accel-
erator pedal position and vehicle
speed);
– gear required by the driver
(gearshift lever position);
– cold starting (engine temperature).Gearshift programme control
To optimise vehicle handling the
electronic control unit has the fol-
lowing memorised programmes:
– automatic operation;
– manual operation;
– winter driving (to be selected
through buttonWINTER);
– engine warming up;
– protection against excessive gear-
box oil temperature .Automatic programme
This comprises 16 gearshifting pro-
grammes.
In relation to the vehicle speed and
torque transmitted, the control unit
detects the slope of the road surface
and depending on the sporty features
chosen, it autonomously chooses the
programme most suited to the situa-
tion.
During gearshifting, the gearbox con-
trol unit asks the injection control unit
to momentarily reduce the torque.
The duration of torque reduction
varies depending on the travelling con-
ditions.

119GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE
Manual sequential programme
This function enables manual se-
quential use of the gearbox merely
moving the selector lever to the left.
Each time the lever is pressed only
one gear is shifted: more than one shift
cannot be obtained.
To avoid overevving or excessively
low engine rpm, the control unit in-
hibits requests for gearshifting that
would cause such situations.
Winter driving programme
This programme is engaged by press-
ing button WINTERnear the
gearshift lever,
in case of driving wheel skidding and
it changes to specific gears.
Starting is possible only in 2
ndgear.
On snowy roads use however snow
chains and/or tyres.
The WINTERfunction shall always
be off on slopes.Engine warming up programme
This programme allows the engine to
reach normal operating temperature
in the shortest time possible (de-
pending on the outside temperature)
highering the gearshifting points, in re-
lation to engine temperature.
The programme engages automati-
cally after starting, if the engine tem-
perature is below 30 °C and it remains
active up to 34 °C.
Excessive gearbox oil
temperature programme
This is activated when the gearbox
oil temperature reaches 120 °C and it
remains active down to 117 °C.
To facilitate oil cooling, this pro-
gramme inhibits gearshifting, either up
or down. It is however possible to use
the manual programme.
SAFE DRIVING
In designing Ducato, Fiat has made
every effort to come up with a vehicle
able to provide driver and passengers
with top-class levels of safety. Never-
theless it is always the behaviour of the
person at the wheel that determines
road safety.
In the following pages you will find
some simple tips to help you travel in
safety under different conditions. You
will no doubt be familiar with many of
them already but it will be useful to
read them all carefully.