ESP FIAT PALIO 2003 178 / 1.G India Version Owners Manual

WELCOME ABOARD FIAT PALIO
Fiat Palio is a car presenting an original bodyline, designed to offer great driving satisfaction with full safety and
with maximum respect of the environment. Everything, from its new multivalve engine to its safety devices, from
its improved comfort for driver and passengers alike to its practical solutions, with the possibility of a large load-
ing volume contributes to make you appreciate the personality of your new Fiat Palio.
And you will realise it later when you discover that its driving style and performance goes hand in hand with
new manufacturing processes that help cut running costs.
For instance, Fiat Palio only needs you to take it for its first servising
2
*Replace the engine oil every 7,500 kms or every 18 months.
Moving to the Max
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27
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
FOR THE USE OF THE SEAT
BELTS
The driver is obliged to respect (and
check that the car occupants respect)
all local traffic laws regarding the use
of seat belts.
Always fasten seat belt.
To travel with seat belts
unfastened increases the
risk of serious injury or death in
the event of a crash.
fig. 13
P4E02064
If the seat belt is sub-
jected to high stress, for
example after a collision,
it must be replaced completely
together with the anchors, an-
chor fixing screws and the pre-
tensioner, if the car is equipped
with, in fact, even if the seat belt
does not seem damaged, the seat
belt could have lost its resistance
proprieties.
The belt webbing must
not be twisted, make sure
that it is well stretched
out and fits close to the passen-
ger’s body. The upper section
must pass over the shoulder and
cross the chest diagonally. The
lower section must fit close
across the passenger’s hips and
not the abdomen to prevent
them sliding forward fig. 13. Do
not use devices (clips, fasteners
etc.) to prevent the belt adhering
to the passenger’s body.
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29
TRANSPORTING
CHILDREN
IN SAFETY
For optimal protection in the event
of a crash, all passengers must be seat-
ed and wearing adequate restraint sys-
tems.
This is especially relevant for chil-
dren.
A child’s head is larger and heavier
than an adult’s head with respect to
their body weight. Moreover, a child’s
muscular and bone structure is not ful-
ly developed. For these reasons, chil-
dren require specific restraint systems,
different from those required by adult
passengers.
Child’s restraint systems are classi-
fied into the following four weight
groups,
fig. 16:
Group 0 weight 0-10 kg
Group 0 weight 9-18 kg
Group 0 weight 15-25 kg
Group 3 22-36 weight kg.
The groups partially overlap. This is
because there are systems which cov-
er more than one weight group.
Children weighing more than 36 kg
or taller than 1.5 m are, with reference
to restraint systems, considered adults
and can wear normal seat belts.
fig. 16
P4E00197
The seat shown in fig. 16 is suitable
for children weighing between 18-36
kgs.
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The figure is only an ex-
ample. Follow the in-
structions for fastening
the specific child restraint system
you are using.
31
GROUP 2
Children from 15 kg can be secured
directly with the car seat belts. The
child seat has the purpose of posi-
tioning the child correctly with respect
to the seat belt, so that the diagonal
section crosses the child’s chest and
never the throat, and that the hori-
zontal section fits snugly on the child’s
hips and not to the abdomen
fig. 19.
fig. 19
P4E00200
5) Always check the seat belts do
not fit around the child’s throat.
6) While travelling, do not let the
child sit incorrectly or release the
belts.
7) Passengers should never carry
children on their laps. No-one, how-
ever strong they are, can hold a child
in the event of a crash.
8)Replace the child restraint system
after an accident.
A summary of safety precau-
tions to follow when transport-
ing children.
1)
Child restraint systems should be
installed on the rear seat as this is the
most protected area in the car in the
event of a crash.
2)Adhere to the instructions for fas-
tening the specific child restraint which
you are using. These instructions must
be provided by the manufacturer.
Keep the child restraint system instal-
lation instructions with the car docu-
ments and this Handbook. Never use
a child restraint system without in-
stallation instructions.
3) Always check the seat belt is well
fastened by pulling the webbing.
4)Only one child is to be strapped
to each restraint system.
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34
If the gauge reaches the
red section, stop the en-
gine immediately and go
to a Fiat Dealership.Do not travel with the fuel tank al-
most empty: as gaps in fuel delivery
could damage the catalyser.
ENGINE COOLANT TEMPER-
ATURE GAUGE fig. 23-24
Under normal conditions, the needle
may hover around the scale according
to the car use and engine cooling sys-
tem management that the system self-
adjusts continually, but it should always
remain out of the red (danger) section.
REV COUNTER fig. 25
The needle in correspondence with
the red marks indicates over-revving
that can damage the engine. So it has
to be avoided.
IMPORTANT The electronic in-
jection control system will progres-
sively cut off the flow of fuel when the
engine is over-revving and the engine
will consequently loose power.
fig. 24
P4E01383
fig. 25
P4E01841
DIGITAL CLOCK fig. 26
The clock displays time in a 24 hour
format.
To set hour: press the button
A.
To set minute: press the button
B.
Each time the button is pressed, the
number will change of a unit.
Keeping the button press for a few
seconds, you will have the automatic
quick advancement.
As you near the desired hour, re-
lease the button and complete the set-
ting with individual pressures.
fig. 26
P4E02277
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35
WARNING
LIGHTS
The warning lights come on in the
following circumstances:
BATTERY NOT
CHARGING PROPER-
LY (red)
When there is
a fault in the current gen-
erating system.
Go to a
Fiat Dealershipand pre-
vent deploying the battery.
When the key is turned to
MAR the
light comes on but should go out the
moment the engine is started.
LOW ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE (red)
When
the engine oil pressure
drops under the normal
value.
When the key is turned to
MARthe
light comes on but should go out the
moment the engine is started.
A delay in the light going out is ac-
ceptable only when the engine is idling.
If the engine has been heavily taxed,
the light may flash when the engine re-
turns to idle. The light should howev-
er go out when you accelerate slight-
ly.
v
w
If the vwarning light
comes on while the car is
moving, stop the engine
immediately and contact a Fiat
Dealership.
INJECTION SYSTEM
FAILURE (red) (petrol
version)
When there is a
fault in the injection system.
When the ignition key is turned to
the
MAR position, the light comes on
but should go out after a few seconds.
The warning light will stay on or
come on when travelling to indicate
imperfect operation of the injection
system with possible loss of perfor-
mance, poor handling and higher con-
sumption.
g
In these conditions, you can contin-
ue driving but you should avoid de-
manding efforts from the engine or
high speeds. Contact a
Fiat Dealer-
ship
as soon as possible.
Using the car for long periods when
the warning light is on may cause dam-
age especially when the engine is run-
ning irregularly or misfiring. The car
should only be used for short periods
at low speeds.
Occasional and brief lighting of the
warning light is meaningless.
HANDBRAKE EN-
GAGED / LOW
BRAKE FLUID (red)
In
two cases:
1.When the handbrake is applied.
2. when the brake fluid level falls be-
low the minimum level.
x
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40
RAPID DEMISTING/DEFROST-
ING
The climate system is very useful for
accelerating the demisting, because it
dehumidifies the air. It is sufficient to
adjust the controls for the demisting
operation and activate the climate
control system, pressing the button √
.
Windscreen and side windows
1)
Air temperature knob: pointer in
the red sector (fully turned to the
right) on cold days or in the blue sec-
tor (fully turned to the left) on hot
days.
2)Fan knob: pointer at maximum
speed.
3)Air distribution knob: pointer at
-.
4)Air recirculation switched off,
pointer at -
U.
When the windscreen and the win-
dows have been demisted adjust the
controls to keep the windows as clear
as possible.
Rear window
Press the button
(.
As soon as the rear window is
demisted, we suggest switching off the
device.
VENTILATION
1)
Central and side vents: fully open.
2) Air temperature knob: pointer in
the blue sector.
3) Fan knob: pointer set at the speed
required.
4) Air distribution knob: pointer at
O.
5)Air recirculation pointer: at -
U, equal to air intake from outside.
RECIRCULATION
When the pointer is at T, only in-
ternal air recirculation is activated.
IMPORTANTIn conditions of very
high external air temperature, the re-
circulation operation accelerates the
air cooling. Then, this function is par-
ticularly useful when the outside air
is heavily polluted (in a traffic jam, tun-
nel, etc.). You are advised against us-
ing this function for long periods how-
ever, especially if there are a lot of
people in the car.
IMPORTANTDo not use the re-
circulation function during cold/wet
weather as this will increase the like-
lihood of the windows misting up.
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44
fig. 41
P4E02029
fig. 40
P4E02287
CONTROLS
fig. 40
The buttons located above the cen-
tral air vents.
The controls can only be operated
when the ignition key is at
MAR.
When a function is activated the LED
on the respective button will light up.
Press the button again to switch the
control off.
Heated rear window
Button A: to switch on /off the ther-
mal rear window.
Rear fog light
Button B: These lights can only be
switched on when the dipped beam
headlights or the front foglights are
switched on.
Fog lights
ButtonB: These lights can only be
switched on when the parking lights
are on.
Climate control system
Button C: to switch on/off the air
conditioner.
FUEL CUT-OFF SWITCH
fig. 41
This is a safety cut-off switch which
comes into operation in the case of an
accident to block the supply of fuel
thereby stopping the engine.
If, after an accident, you
can smell petrol or see
that the fuel feed system
is leaking, to avoid the risk of fire,
do not reset the switch.
If you cannot see any fuel leaks and
the car is in a fit state to continue its
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58
The bag inflates instantly and acts as
a soft protective barrier between the
driver’s body and the structures that
could cause injury. The bag deflate im-
mediately afterwards.
A person not wearing the seat belt
may crash into the bag before it is ful-
ly inflated. In this case the protection
is considerably decreased.
As a consequence, the air bag is not
a replacement for the use of seat belts
but rather a complement. We rec-
ommend that seat belts are worn at all
times as prescribed by legislation in Eu-
rope and most other countries world-
wide.In the event of a less severe collision
(for which seat belts are sufficient pro-
tection) the airbag is not activated.
For impacts against very deformable
or mobile objects (traffic sign poles,
heaps of gravel or snow, parked vehi-
cles), side impacts, wedging under oth-
er vehicles or barriers (e.g. under a
track or guard rail), the airbag is not
necessary. In the event of frontal im-
pacts involving, for example, the mud-
guard against a guardrail, the airbags
are not triggered as they would not of-
fer additional protection with respect
to the seat belts.
Therefore, the fact that the airbag
does not inflate is not a sign of sys-
tem malfunction.AIR BAG
DESCRIPTION
AND OPERATION fig. 68
The air bag is a safety device which is
immediately triggered in the event of
a frontal impact. It is available only for
the driver.
It consists of an instantly inflatable
bag housed in a special compartment
located in the centre of the steering
wheel.
The air bag is a device designed to
protect the driver in the event of a
frontal collision of medium-high sever-
ity, by interposing the cushion be-
tween the occupant and the steering
wheel.
In a collision, an electronic control
unit processes the signals from a de-
celeration sensor and, where required,
inflates the airbag.
fig. 68
P4E02039
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DRIVING YOUR CAR
To help you handle your Fiat Palio in the best and
safest possible way, and above all use it to its fullest
potential, we have given you some hints in this chap-
ter on “what to do, what not to do and what to
avoid” when at the wheel of your Fiat Palio.
In most cases, these behaviours are valid also on
other cars. In other cases, they are related to opera-
tional particularities exclusive to Fiat Palio. It is nec-
essary to pay utmost attention while reading this
chapter, to know the use and driving behaviours
allowing you to derive the maximum from your Fiat
Palio.STARTING THE ENGINE ...................................... PAGE 65
PARKING .................................................................... PAGE 67
USING THE GEARBOX ......................................... PAGE 68
SAFE DRIVING .......................................................... PAGE 68
ECONOMICAL RUNNING THAT RESPECTS
THE ENVIRONMENT .............................................. PAGE 73
CONTAINING RUNNING COST AND
POLLUTION .............................................................. PAGE 75
SNOW CHAINS ....................................................... PAGE 77
STORING THE CAR ................................................ PAGE 78
RECURRENT CHECKS
AND BEFORE LONG DISTANCE TRIPS ......... PAGE 78
ACCESSORIES PURCHASED
BY THE OWNER ..................................................... PAGE 79
USEFUL ACCESSORIES ........................................... PAGE 79
64
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