ABS Lancia Thesis 2008 Owner handbook (in English)

259
DRIVING ON SNOW AND ICE
– Here are some tips for driving in
these conditions:
– Keep your speed down.
– Use winter tyres or snow chains
for driving on snow covered roads;
see the respective paragraphs in this
chapter.
– Prevalently use the engine brake
and avoid sudden braking.
– Do not accelerate suddenly and
avoid swerving.
– In winter, even apparently dry
roads may have icy patches. Be care-
ful therefore when driving over
stretches that do not get much expo-
sure to the sun or are lined with trees
or rocks where ice might not have
melted.
– Keep a good distance from the
vehicles in front.DRIVING WITH ABS
The ABS is a braking system that
essentially offers two advantages:
1) It prevents wheel lock and con-
sequent skidding in emergency
stops, particularly when the road
does not offer much grip.
2) It makes possible to brake and
steer at the same time so you can
avoid unexpected obstacles and
direct the car where you want while
braking.
To get the most out of ABS:
– During emergency stops or when
grip conditions are very poor, you
will feel a slight pulsation on the
brake pedal. This is the sign that the
ABS is working. Do not release the
brake pedal but continue to press so
as not to interrupt the braking
action.– The ABS prevents the wheels
from locking, but it does not
increase actual grip conditions
between tyre and road. Therefore,
even if your car is fitted with ABS,
keep a safe distance from the car in
front of you and keep your speed
down when driving into bends.
ABS serves to increase your control
over the car, not to enable you to go
faster.

264
TOWING A
TRAILER
GENERAL NOTES
The car must be fitted with a
homologated tow hitch and suitable
electrical system for towing a cara-
van or a trailer. Have the tow hitch
fitted by an expert who will issue
specific documentation for use on
roads.
Fit special and/or additional
rearview mirrors in accordance with
the highway code.
Remember that towing a trailer
makes it harder for the car to climb
the maximum gradients specified,
increases braking and overtaking
distance, proportionally to the over-
all weight of the trailer.Engage a low gear when driving
downhill rather than constantly
braking.
The weight the trailer exerts on the
car’s tow hitch coupling reduces the
car’s loading capacity by the same
amount. In order to be sure you are
not exceeding the maximum towing
weight (as specified in the registra-
tion book), you have to take into
account the trailer’s fully laden
weight, including accessories and
personal luggage.
Do not exceed the speed limits for
towing a trailer in the country you
are driving in. In any case, do not
exceed the top speed of 100 km/h.
Trailer electrical connection shall
only be performed with ignition key
atSTOPor removed.
When trailer electrical connection
is on and you switch on the rear fog
lights, only the trailer rear fog lights
will come on.The ABS system will not
control the trailing brak-
ing system. Great care
should therefore be taken when
driving on slippery road surfaces.
Under no circumstances
modify the car’s braking
system for trailer braking
control. The trailer’s braking sys-
tem must be completely indepen-
dent of the car’s hydraulic sys-
tem.
The rear parking sensors
are automatically deacti-
vated when the plug of the
trailer’s electrical cable is insert-
ed in the car’s tow hitch socket.
The rear sensors activate auto-
matically when the trailer’s plug is
disconnected.

293
FUSE LOCATION
The main fuses of THESIS are con-
tained into four fuse boxes, to be
found on the left side of the dash-
board, in the engine compartment,
on the battery and in the right side
compartment of the boot.
GENERAL FUSES
(MIDI-FUSE and MEGA-FUSE)
The car is fitted with a set of gen-
eral fuses (MIDI-FUSE and MEGA-
FUSE) which separately protect the
various electrical system functions in
addition to the individual device
fuses.
The general fuses are located in the
left side of the boot in a fusebox direct-
ly connected to the positive battery
terminal.To reach the fuses:
1) Open the tailgate.
2) Loosen knob A(fig. 68) and
remove the battery cover B.
3) Press tabs A(fig. 69) and
remove the cover B.The systems and devices protected
by the general fuses (fig. 70) are
listed on the following pages.
fig. 68
L0A0030b
fig. 69
L0A0031b
fig. 70
L0A0142b

323
Oil consumption is ex-
tremely low. If the oil level
needs topping up again af-
ter a short period of time, have the
system checked for leakage at a
Lancia Dealership.BRAKE AND HYDRAULIC
CLUTCH FLUID (fig. 16)
Unscrew cap A: check that the fluid
level in the reservoir is at maximum.
Fluid level in the reservoir shall not
exceed the MAXmark.
If fluid has to be added, it is sug-
gested to use the brake fluid in table
"Fluids and lubricants" (see chapter
"Technical characteristics").
NOTEClean accurately the tank cap
Aand the surrounding surface.
Prevent brake fluid, which
is highly corrosive, from
coming into contact with
painted parts. Should it happen,
immediately wash with water.
Do not let the power
steering fluid come into
contact with hot engine
parts. It catches fire very easily.
fig. 16
L0A0294b
– Refit hose C.
– Refit cap Aand check for seal
proper positioning into its seat, then
secure the cap with screws B.At plug opening, pay maximum at-
tention in order to prevent any impu-
rities from entering the tank.
For topping up, always use a funnel
with integrated filter with mesh equal
to or lower than 0.12 mm.
IMPORTANT Brake fluid absorbs
moisture, for this reason, if the car is
mainly used in areas with a high de-
gree of atmospheric humidity, the
fluid should be replaced at more fre-
quent intervals than specified in the
“Service schedule”.

329
USEFUL ADVICE FOR
LENGTHENING THE LIFE OF
YOUR BATTERY
To prevent rapidly draining the
battery and ensure that it continues
to work correctly, the following
should be noted:
– Terminals must always be firmly
tightened.
– Do not keep accessories (e.g.
sound system, hazard lights, parking
lights, etc.).
– When you park the car, ensure
the doors, boot and bonnet are
closed properly. The ceiling lights
must be off.
– Before working on the electrical
system, disconnect the negative
cable from the battery.– If after buying the car, you want
to install electric accessories which
require permanent electric supply,
visit a Lancia Dealership, whose
qualified personnel, in addition to
suggesting the most suitable devices
belonging to the Lineaccessori
Lancia, will evaluate the overall
electric absorption, checking
whether the car’s electric system is
capable of withstanding the load
required, or whether it should be
integrated with a more powerful
battery. These devices in fact take
electricity also when the ignition key
is removed (car parked, engine off),
and can gradually drain the battery.
The overall intake of these devices
(standard and after-market) must
be less than 0.6 mA x Ah (of the bat-
tery), as shown in the following
table.Battery Maximum
idle intake
70 Ah 42 mA
80 Ah 48 mA
100 Ah 60 mA
It is also important to remember
that high intake devices (such as
bottle warmers, vacuum cleaners,
cellular phones, frigo bar, etc.) will
speed up battery discharging when
powered with engine off or running
idle.
– Please note that when installing
additional systems in the car, incor-
rect wiring can be dangerous espe-
cially when concerning safety sys-
tems.

333
RUBBER
TUBING
Follow the Service Schedule to the
letter as concerns braking, power
steering and fuel line rubber tubing.
Ozone, high temperatures and long
absence of fluid in the system can in
fact cause the hardening and crack-
ing of the pipes with possible loss of
fluid. A careful check is therefore
essential.
WINDSCREEN
WIPERS
BLADES
Periodically clean the rubber part
with suitable products. We recom-
mendTUTELA PROFESSIONAL
SC 35.
Change the blades if the rubber
edge is warped or worn out. You
should in any case change them
approximately once a year.
Some simple steps can reduce
potential damage to the blades:
– If the temperatures falls to below
zero, make sure the rubber blade is
not frozen to the windscreen. If nec-
essary, free it with a de-icing com-
pound.
– Remove any snow that has settled
on the glass: besides saving the
blades you will avoid straining the
electric windscreen wiper motor and
causing it to overheat.
– Do not operate the windscreen
wipers on dry glass.Travelling with worn
wiper blades is dangerous
because it reduces visibil-
ity in bad weather.
Checking the blades
Before checking, clean the wind-
screen and rubber blades carefully
with warm water and soap or with
TUTELA PROFESSIONAL SC 35
windscreen washing fluid. The
windscreen should be perfectly clean
and not greasy. If required, complete
the cleaning operation with degreas-
ing products (ammonia based) or
degreasing polishes.

340
CLEANING VELVET SEATS
AND FABRICS
– Remove dust with a soft brush
and vacuum cleaner. Use a moist
brush to clean velvet upholstery.
– Brush the seats with a damp
sponge with water and a neutral
soap.CLEANING LEATHER SEATS
– Remove the dry dirt with a
chamois leather or very slightly
moist loth without exerting too
much pressure.
– Remove liquid or grease stains
with a dry absorbent cloth without
rubbing. Then wipe with a chamois
leather or soft cloth moistened with
water and neutral soap. If the stain
does not come out, use a special
cleaning compound being particu-
larly careful to follow the instruc-
tions for use.
IMPORTANTNever use alcohol or
alcohol-based products.STEERING WHEEL/GEAR
LEVER KNOB WITH GENUINE
LEATHER COVERING
These components shall only be
cleaned with water and neutral soap.
Never use spirit or alcohol-based
products.
Before using special products for
cleaning interiors, read carefully label
instructions and indications to make
sure they are free from spirit and/or
alcohol-based substances.
If when cleaning the windscreen
with special glass products, some
drops fall on the leather covering of
the steering wheel/gear lever knob re-
move them immediately and then
clean with water and neutral soap.
IMPORTANT Take the utmost care
when engaging the steering lock to
prevent scratching the leather cover-
ing. Upholstery of your car
has been designed to with-
stand wear deriving from
common use of the car. You are
however recommended to avoid
strong and/or continuous scratch-
ing with clothing accessories such
as metallic buckles, studs, Velcro
fastenings and the like, since these
items cause circumscribed stress
of the cover fabric that could lead
to yarn breaking, and damage the
cover as a consequence.

350
2.4
Independent wheel,
5-link Multilink type,
with aluminium
wishbones, anti-roll bar,
coil springs and
telescopic shock absorbers.
Telescopic shock absorbers
with continuous damping action
variation (SKYHOOK),
where provided.
Independent wheel,
multiple links,
with lower wishbone
and 3 control rods,
anti-roll bar, coaxial
coil springs and
telescopic shock absorbers.
Telescopic shock absorbers
with continuous damping action
variation (SKYHOOK),
where provided. 2.0 TB
Independent wheel,
5-link Multilink type,
with aluminium
wishbones, anti-roll bar,
coil springs and
telescopic shock absorbers.
Telescopic shock absorbers
with continuous damping action
variation (SKYHOOK),
where provided.
Independent wheel,
multiple links,
with lower wishbone
and 3 control rods,
anti-roll bar, coaxial
coil springs and
telescopic shock absorbers.
Telescopic shock absorbers
with continuous damping action
variation (SKYHOOK),
where provided.2.4 CAE
Independent wheel,
5-link Multilink type,
with aluminium
wishbones, anti-roll bar,
coil springs and
telescopic shock absorbers.
Telescopic shock absorbers
with continuous damping action
variation (SKYHOOK),
where provided.
Independent wheel,
multiple links,
with lower wishbone
and 3 control rods,
anti-roll bar, coaxial
coil springs and
telescopic shock absorbers.
Telescopic shock absorbers
with continuous damping action
variation (SKYHOOK),
where provided.
SUSPENSIONS
Front
Rear

351
2.4
Independent wheel,
5-link Multilink type,
with aluminium
wishbones, anti-roll bar,
coil springs and
telescopic shock absorbers.
Telescopic shock absorbers
with continuous damping
action variation
(SKYHOOK),
where provided.
Independent wheel,
multiple links,
with lower wishbone
and 3 control rods,
anti-roll bar, coaxial
coil springs and
telescopic shock absorbers.
Telescopic shock absorbers
with continuous damping
action variation
(SKYHOOK),
where provided.2.4 JTD
Independent wheel,
5-link Multilink type,
with aluminium
wishbones, anti-roll bar,
coil springs and
telescopic shock absorbers.
Telescopic shock absorbers
with continuous damping
action variation
(SKYHOOK),
where provided.
Independent wheel,
multiple links,
with lower wishbone
and 3 control rods,
anti-roll bar, coaxial
coil springs and
telescopic shock absorbers.
Telescopic shock absorbers
with continuous damping
action variation
(SKYHOOK),
where provided.
Front
Rear

352
2.4
Rack-and-pinion
power steering gear.
Optional, where provided,
(VARIOSTEER)hydraulic
power steering (power
steering variable
with speed)
Energy-absorbing jointed
steering column with
manual or electric
(position memory) angular
adjustment system
Energy-absorbing
steering wheel
12.2
2.242.0 TB
Rack-and-pinion
power steering gear.
Optional, where provided,
(VARIOSTEER)hydraulic
power steering (power
steering variable
with speed)
Energy-absorbing jointed
steering column with
manual or electric
(position memory) angular
adjustment system
Energy-absorbing
steering wheel
12.2
2.242.4 CAE
Rack-and-pinion
steering gear, with
VARIOSTEER hydraulic
power steering
(power steering
variable with speed)
Energy-absorbing jointed
steering column with
manual or electric
(position memory) angular
adjustment system
Energy-absorbing
steering wheel
12.2
2.16
STEERING
Control
Steering column
Steering wheel
Minimum steering circle metres
Number of steering
wheel turns lock-to-lock