Get DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE Guide for Fiat Doblo Van 2000-2009

DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE

3) Press the clutch pedal fully down,

HOW TO START DIESEL

VERSIONS

ENGINE

without pressing the accelerator.

STARTING

4) Turn the ignition key to AVV

and let it go the moment the engine

starts.

1) Ensure that the handbrake is up.

2) Put the gear lever into neutral.

It is dangerous to let the

3) Turn the ignition key to MAR. In-

strument panel warning lights U, m

and ¢ (Y) will come on.

If the engine does not start at the

first attempt, return the ignition key

to STOP before trying to start the

engine again.

engine run in a garage or

other closed area. The

engine consumes oxygen and

gives off carbon dioxide, carbon

monoxide and other poisonous

fumes.

4) Wait for warning lights U and ¢

(Y) to turn off.

If the warning lights ¢ (Y) and U

stay on when the ignition key is at

MAR, turn the key to STOP and

then to MAR again; if the warning light

stays on, try with the other keys pro-

vided.

5) Wait for the instrument panel

warning light m to go out. The hot-

ter the engine is, the quicker this will

happen.

Do not touch the high

voltage cables (spark plug

leads) when the engine is

running.

6) Press the clutch pedal down to

the floor without touching the accel-

erator.

If you are still unable to start the en-

gine, perform the emergency start-up

procedure (see section “In an emer-

gency”) and go to a Fiat Dealership.

7) Turn the key to AVV immedi-

ately after the m warning light goes

out. If you wait to long, you will lose

the benefit of the work done by the

glow plugs.

STARTING PROCEDURE FOR

PETROL VERSIONS

IMPORTANT Never leave the ig-

nition key at MAR when the engine is

off.

1) Ensure that the handbrake is up.

2) Put the gear lever into neutral.

DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE

106

The warning light m

will flash (for approxi-

HOW TO WARM UP THE

ENGINE AFTER IS HAS JUST

STARTED (petrol and diesel

versions)

Catalysed vehicles must

not be bump started

(pushed, towed or coast-

ed downhill) as this could cause

fuel to flow into the catalytic ex-

haust system and damage it be-

yond repair.

mately 60 seconds) at

start-up or during prolonged

cranking to signal a fault in the

glow plug heating system. You

can use the vehicle as usual if the

engine starts but you should con-

tact a Fiat Dealership as soon as

possible to have problem seen to.

– Begin to move forward slowly let-

ting the engine turn at medium revs.

Do not accelerate abruptly.

– Do not push the engine to its lim-

it for the first few kilometres. You are

recommended to wait until the

coolant temperature gauge starts

moving.

Remember that until

the engine has started the

brake booster and hy-

If the engine does not start at the

first attempt, return the ignition key

to STOP before trying to start the

engine again.

EMERGENCY START-UP

draulic power steering systems

will not work and a greater effort

will therefore be required to de-

press the brake pedal or turn the

steering wheel.

If the Fiat CODE system fails to

recognise that code transmitted by the

ignition key (instrument panel warning

light ¢ (Y) on) the emergency start-

up can be performed by using the

CODE card code.

If with key at MAR warning light ¢

(Y) stays on, turn the key to STOP

and then to MAR again; if the warn-

ing light stays on, try with the other

keys provided.

See section “In an emergency”.

If you still cannot start the engine, get

in touch with Fiat Dealership.

IMPORTANT Never leave the ig-

nition key at MAR when the engine is

off.

DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE

107

STOPPING THE ENGINE

HANDBRAKE

PARKING

Turn the key to STOP while the

engine is idling.

The handbrake lever is located be-

tween the two front seats.

Switch off the engine, pull up the

handbrake and engage a gear (1st gear

or reverse, according to whether the

vehicle is facing up or downhill) and

leave the wheels turned. If the vehi-

cle is left on a steep slope, wedges or

a rock should be used to lock the

wheels.

Pull the handbrake lever upwards un-

til the vehicle cannot be moved. Four

or five clicks are generally enough

when the vehicle is on level ground

while nine or ten may be required if

the vehicle is on a steep slope or laden.

IMPORTANT If this is not the

case, take the vehicle to a Fiat Deal-

ership to have the handbrake adjust-

ed.

Do not leave the ignition key at

A quick burst on the ac-

celerator before turning

off the engine serves ab-

solutely no practical purpose and

wastes fuel.

MAR to prevent draining the battery.

Always remove the key when you

leave the vehicle.

Instrument panel warning light x

will come on when the handbrake

lever is pulled up and the ignition key

is at MAR.

Never leave children un-

supervised in the vehicle.

To release the handbrake:

1) Slightly lift the handbrake and

press release button A-fig.1.

IMPORTANT After a taxing drive

you should allow the engine to “catch

its breath” before turning it off by let-

ting it idle to allow the temperature in

the engine compartment to fall.

2) Keep the button pressed in and

lower the lever. Warning light x will

go out.

A

3) Press the brake pedal when car-

rying out this operation to prevent the

vehicle moving accidentally.

fig. 1

DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE

108

HOW TO USE

THE GEARS

To engage reverse (R) from neutral:

You must press the

clutch fully down to

Press the clutch fully before shifting

the gear stick into one of the positions

shown in the diagram in fig. 2 (the di-

agram is also on the gear lever knob).

– shift the lever to the right and back.

change gear properly. It is

therefore essential that there is

nothing under the pedals. Make

sure that mats are lying flat and

do not get in the way of pedals.

For version 1.4 8V and 1.6 16V, to en-

gage reverse (R) from neutral, raise

collar A-fig. 3 set under the knob and

move the lever rightwards and then

backwards at the same time.

IMPORTANT Only engage the re-

verse gear when the vehicle is com-

pletely stationary. With the engine

running, wait for at least 2 seconds

with the clutch pedal pressed to avoid

damaging the gears and scratching.

fig. 2

fig. 3

DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE

109

CONTAINING RUNNING COSTS AND POLLUTION

Some suggestions which may help

you to keep the running costs of the

vehicle down and lower the amount

of toxic emissions released into the at-

mosphere are given below.

Tyres

transporting particularly large objects,

use a trailer, where possible.

Tyre pressure should be checked at

least once every four weeks: if the

pressure is too low fuel consumption

increases as the resistance to the

rolling movement of the tyre is

greater. In this state, tyre wear is in-

creased and handling suffers which will

effect safety.

Electric devices

Use electric devices for the neces-

sary time only. The heated rear win-

dow, fog lights, windscreen wipers,

heater fan require large amounts of

electricity and increasing the request

for power will also increase fuel con-

sumption (up to +25% when driving in

towns).

GENERAL

CONSIDERATIONS

Vehicle maintenance

Unnecessary loads

The overall state of the vehicle is an

important factor which has a marked

influence over fuel consumption and

driving comfort and on the life span of

your vehicle. For this reason care

should be taken to maintain your ve-

hicle by carrying out the necessary

checks and regulations in accordance

with the specifications given in the

SERVICE SCHEDULE (see sections:

spark plugs, idling, air cleaners, diesel

fuel filter, timing).

Do not travel with too much load in

the boot. The weight of the vehicle

and its trim greatly effects consump-

tion and stability.

Climate control system

The climate control system is an ad-

ditional load which greatly effects the

engine leading to higher consumption

(up to +20% in average). When the

temperature outside allows, use the

air vents where possible.

Roof rack/ski rack

Remove the roof rack or the ski rack

from the roof as soon as they are no

longer used.

These accessories reduce the aero-

dynamic penetration of the vehicle and

will increase consumption. When

Aerodynamic accessories

The use of non-certified aerodynamic

items may adversely affect air drag and

consumption levels.

DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE

110

DRIVING STYLE

Starting

tion, emissions and wear and tear on

the engine.

CONDITIONS OF USE

Cold starting

Top speed

Do not warm the engine when the

vehicle is stationary or at high or low

revs: in this way the engine will warm

up gradually increasing consumption

and emissions. You should drive off

slowly straight away avoiding high revs

so that the engine will warm up more

quickly.

Frequent cold starting will not enable

the engine to reach optimal running

temperature. It follows, therefore, that

consumption will be higher (from +15

to +30% in towns) as will the pro-

duction of toxic emissions.

Fuel consumption increases consid-

erably as speed increases. For exam-

ple, when accelerating from 90 to 120

km/h, fuel consumption increases up

to approximately +30%. Your speed

should be kept as even as possible and

superfluous braking and acceleration

avoided as this increases both con-

sumption and emissions. A “smooth”

driving style should be adopted by at-

tempting to anticipate manoeuvres to

avoid imminent danger and to keep a

safe distance from the vehicle in front

to avoid braking sharply.

Traffic situations and road

conditions

Unnecessary actions

Heavy traffic and higher consumption

are synonymous: for example, when

driving slowly with frequent use of

lower gears or in towns where there

are numerous traffic lights.

Avoid revving the engine when

stopped at traffic lights or before

switching off the engine and avoid dou-

bling the clutch as these actions have

no purpose of modern vehicles and

serve only to increase consumption

and pollution.

Also twisting roads, mountain roads

and rough road surfaces pay a heavy toll

on consumption.

Acceleration

Accelerating violently increasing the

revs will greatly effect consumption

and emission: acceleration should be

gradual and not exceed the maximum

torque.

Gear selection

Traffic hold-ups

As soon as the traffic and road con-

ditions allow it, shift to a higher gear.

Using a lower gear to liven up accel-

eration greatly increases consumption.

In the same way, improper use of the

higher gears will increase consump-

During prolonged stops (traffic lights,

level crossings, etc.) the engine should

be switched off.

DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE

111

If the engine begins to “loose its

smoothness”, when travelling, contin-

ue your journey but reduce the de-

mands you are making on the engine

and have the vehicle seen to at a Fi-

at Dealership as soon as possible.

CHEAP RUNNING

THAT RESPECTS THE ENVIRONMENT

Environmental protection has been

one of the guiding principles in the

production of the Fiat Doblò. It is no

accident that its pollution control

equipment is much more effective than

that required by current legislation.

LOOKING

AFTER EMISSION

CONTROL DEVICES

When the instrument panel fuel re-

serve warning light comes on, fill up as

soon as possible. A low level of fuel

can cause an uneven supply of fuel to

the engine with the inevitable increase

in the temperature of the exhaust gas

and serious damage to the catalytic

converter.

The correct use of pollution control

devices not only ensures respect for

the environment but also has an effect

on the vehicle’s performance. Keeping

these devices in good condition is

therefore a fundamental rule for dri-

ving that is easy on your pocket and

on the environment too.

Nonetheless, the environment can-

not get by without a concerted effort

from everyone.

By following a few simple rules you

can avoid harming the environment

and often cut down fuel consumption

at the same time.

Never run the engine with one or

more spark plugs disconnected, even

for testing purposes.

The first step to take is to follow the

SERVICE SCHEDULE to the letter.

On this subject, a few useful tips have

been given below to supplement those

marked by symbol #, at various points

of the handbook.

If your vehicle has a petrol engine use

only unleaded petrol.

Do not warm up the engine by let-

ting it idle for a while before moving

off unless the outside temperature is

very low and, even in this case, only

do so for less than 30 seconds.

If you have trouble starting, do not

keep turning the ignition key for long

periods. Be especially careful to avoid

bump starting the vehicle by pushing,

towing or rolling downhill: these are

all manoeuvres that can damage the

catalytic exhaust. Use an auxiliary bat-

tery for start-ups only.

You are asked to read both the for-

mer and the latter carefully.

Do not install other heat shields and

do not remove those already fitted to

the catalytic converter and exhaust

pipe.

DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE

112

Do not allow anything to

be sprayed onto the cat-

alytic converter, lambda

Engage a low gear when driving

downhill rather than constantly brak-

ing.

TOWING TRAILERS

IMPORTANT NOTES

sensor and exhaust pipe.

The weight the trailer exerts on the

vehicle’s tow hitch coupling reduces

the vehicle’s payload by the same

amount.

The vehicle must be fitted with a ho-

mologated tow hitch and suitable elec-

trical system for towing a caravan or

trailer. Installation must be carried out

by skilled personnel who will issue

documentation authorising circulation

on the road.

To make sure the maximum towable

weight is not exceeded (given in the

log book) account should be taken of

the fully laden trailer, including acces-

sories and personal belongings.

When functioning nor-

mally the catalytic con-

verter reaches high tem-

Install any specific and/or additional

rear-view mirrors in accordance with

the Highway Code.

peratures. For this reason do not

park the vehicle over inflamma-

ble material (grass, dry leaves,

pine needles etc.): fire hazard.

Respect the speed limit for towing

trailers in the country you are travel-

ling in. In any case, do not exceed a

maximum speed of 100 km/h.

Remember that towing a trailer

makes it harder for the vehicle to

climb the maximum gradients speci-

fied.

Ignoring the above rules

may lead to fire.

DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE

113

The ABS system will not

control the trailer braking

The tow hitch must comply with the

current regulation, with reference to

Directive 94/20/EC and amendments.

In addition to the electrical connec-

tion, only the lead for powering an

electric brake and the lead to power

a light inside the trailer not exceed-

ing 15W may be connected to the ve-

hicle’s electrical system.

system.

Great

care

should therefore be taken when

driving on slippery road surfaces.

Install a tow hitch which is suitable

for the towing capacity of the vehicle.

Use a unified coupling for the elec-

trical connections. The coupling is gen-

erally fitted on a specific mount fas-

tened to the tow hitch.

For connections use the preset con-

trol unit with battery cable no less

than 2,5 mm².

Under no circumstances

modify the vehicle’s brak-

For electrical connection, a 7 or 13

pole 12VDC coupling must be used

(CUNA/UNI and ISO/DIN standards).

Follow the instructions provided by

the manufacturer of the vehicle and/or

the tow hitch.

FITTING DIAGRAM

ing system for trailer

The trailer tow hitch is to be fixed in

the points indicated (see diagram fig.

4).

braking control. The trailer’s

braking system must be com-

pletely independent of the vehi-

cle’s hydraulic system.

The plate 1 must have a minimum

thickness of 6 mm. The fastening

points 2 will be equipped with shims

16 x 2 mm. The tow hitch structure

is fastened in the points shown with Ø

by means of six M8 screws and four

M10 screws.

Use the specific trailer light fusebox

for electrical connections.

An electric brake should be supplied

directly by the battery through a cable

with a cross section of no less than 2.5

mm².

TOW HITCH INSTALLATION

The towing device should be fas-

tened to the body by specialised per-

sonnel according to any additional

and/or integrative information supplied

by the Manufacturer of the device.

Fasten the tow hitch to the body and

trim the bumper with the frame pro-

vided with the assembly kit.

After fitting the tow hitch, the emp-

ty vehicle weight will increase by ap-

proximately 15.5 kg.

DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE

114

After 1000 km check that the tow

hitch fastening screws are perfectly

closed. Have this operation carried

out at Fiat Dealership.

SEC. A-A

IMPORTANT A clearly visible

plate of a suitable size and made of

suitable material bearing the following:

Ground line

MAX LOAD ON BALL COUPLING

60 kg.

M10 screw

Existing

hole

Three M8

screws

Existing nuts

M10 screw

Existing hole

Standard ball

Three M8

screws

Existing nuts

After assembly, seal the

holes to prevent exhaust

fumes from entering the

vehicle.

M10 screw

Existing hole

M10 screw

fig. 4

DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE

115

We recommend using Lineaccessori

Fiat snow chains.

With

chains

SNOW CHAINS

mounted keep

your speed down.

Use of snow chains should be in

compliance with local regulations.

Check the tautness of the chains af-

ter driving some twenty to thirty me-

tres.

Do not exceed 50 km/h. Avoid

holes in the road; do not mount

steps or kerbs. Do not drive long

stretches of snow-free road with

the chains mounted, as this can

damage the vehicle and the road

surface too.

Snow chains should only be applied

to the driving wheels (front wheels).

Tyres on which

chains can be fitted

Type of snow chains to be used

Refer to the following

table for information on

the wheels where snow

chains can be fitted. Follow the

prescriptions.

185/65 R15

Reduced clearance snow chains maximum projection

off wheel equal to 12 mm.

175/75 R14

175/70 R14

DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE

116

The winter features of these tyres

are reduced considerably when the

tread depth is below 4 mm. In this

case, they should be replaced.

IMPORTANT When snow tyres

are used with a max. speed index be-

low the one that can be reached by

the vehicle (increased by 5%), place a

notice in the passenger compartment,

plainly in the driver’s view which states

the max. permissible speed of the

snow tyres (as per EC Directive).

SNOW TYRES

These tyres have been specially de-

signed for driving on snow or ice, to

be fitted in place of the standard tyres.

Due to the snow tyre features, un-

der normal conditions of use or on

long motorway journeys, the perfor-

mance of these tyres is lower than that

of standard tyres.

Use snow tyres of the same size as

the standard tyres provided with the

vehicle.

All four tyres should be the same

(brand and track) to ensure greater

safety when driving and braking and

better driveability.

Fiat Dealership will be happy to

provide advice concerning the most

suitable type of tyre for the customer’s

requirements.

It is therefore necessary to limit their

use to the purposes for which they are

certified.

Remember that it is inappropriate to

change the direction of rotation of

tyres.

For the type of tyre to be used, in-

flation pressures and the specifications

of snow tyres, follow the instructions

given at paragraph “Wheels” in section

“Technical Specifications”.

The max. speed for

snow tyres with “T”

marking , is 190 km/h. The

Road Traffic Code speed limits

must however be always strictly

observed.

DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE

117

– Cover the vehicle with a cloth or

perforated plastic sheet. Do not use

sheets of non-perforated plastic as

they do not allow moisture on the ve-

hicle body to evaporate.

VEHICLE STORAGE

The following precautions should be

taken if the vehicle will not be used for

several months:

IMPORTANT Where relevant,

switch off the electronic alarm with the

remote control.

– Inflate the tyres to 0.5 bar above

the normal specified pressure and

check it at intervals.

– Park the vehicle in covered, dry and

if possible well-ventilated premises.

– Clean and protect the painted parts

using protective wax.

– Do not drain the engine cooling

system.

– Engage a gear.

– Clean and protect the shiny metal

parts using special compounds readi-

ly available.

– Make sure the handbrake is not en-

gaged.

– Sprinkle talcum powder on the

rubber windscreen and rear window

wiper blades and lift them off the glass.

– Remove the cables from the bat-

tery terminals (first remove the cable

to the negative terminal), and check

the battery charge. If the vehicle is to

be stored for long periods the charge

of the battery should be checked

every month and recharged if it falls

below 12.5V.

– Slightly open the windows.

DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE

118

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DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE for Your Fiat Doblo Van 2000-2009

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