Lancia YPSILON. Service Manual - part 7

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DRIVER’S FRONT AIR BAG 
fig. 17

It consists of an instant-inflating cush-

ion contained in a special recess in the

centre of the steering wheel.

In minor crashes (for which the re-

straining action of the seat belts is suf-

ficient), the air bags are not deployed.

Also in this case it is of vital impor-

tance to wear the seat belts since in

case of side crash they guarantee

proper positioning of the occupant

and prevent the occupants to be

pitched out of the car in case of vio-

lent crashes.

PASSENGER’S FRONT AIR BAG
fig. 18

It consists of an instant-inflating cush-

ion contained in a special recess in the

dashboard; its volume is bigger than

the driver’s one.

The driver’s and passenger’s front Air

bags have been designed and cali-

brated to improve the protection of a

person wearing seat belts.

At their maximum inflation, their vol-

ume fills most of the space between

the dashboard and the passenger.

fig. 18

L0C0084m

SERIOUS DANGER: With
passenger’s air bag active

(ON), never place child’s
seats with the cradle facing
backwards since the air

bag activation could cause to the
child serious injuries, even mortal.
In the case of need, always deacti-
vate the passenger’s air bag when
a child’s seat is placed on the front
seat. The front passenger’s seat
shall be adjusted in the most back-
ward position to prevent any con-
tact between child’s seat and dash-
board. Even if not compulsory by
law, you are recommended to re-
activate the air bag immediately as
soon as child transport is no longer
necessary.

WARNING

fig. 17

L0C0271m

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SIDE AIR BAGS
(Side bag -
Window bag) 

(for versions/markets, 
where provided)

SIDE BAG

They are composed by an instant in-

flation cushion which is housed in the

back rest of the front seats fig. 20.

The task of the side air bags is to in-

crease protection of the occupants’

chest in the event of a side crash of

medium-high severity.

fig. 20

L0C0086m

fig. 21

L0C0087m

Therefore the side bags are not a re-

placement of but complementary to

the belts, which you are recom-

mended to always wear, as specified

by law in Europe and most non-Eu-

ropean countries.

IMPORTANT In the event of side

crash, you can obtain the best protec-

tion by the system keeping a correct

position on the seat, thus allowing

correct front window bag unfolding.

IMPORTANT The front air bags

and/or side bags may be deployed if

the car is subject to heavy knocks or

accidents involving the underbody

area, such as for example violent

shocks, against steps, kerbs or low ob-

stacles, falling of the car in big holes

or sags in the road.

WINDOW BAG fig. 21

They are “curtain” cushions located

behind the side coverings of the roof

and covered by proper finishings,

studied for the head protection to of-

fer the best protection to the front and

rear occupants in the event of side

crash, thanks to the wide cushion in-

flation surface.

106

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Never rest head, arms and
elbows on the door, on the

windows and in the windowbag
area to prevent possible injuries
during the inflation phase.

WARNING

Never put head, arms and
elbows out of window.

WARNING

IMPORTANT When the airbag in-

flates it emits a small amount of

dusts. These dusts are harmless and

is not the beginning of a fire; then the

unfold cushion surface and the car in-

teriors can be covered by a dusty re-

mains: this dust can irritate skin and

eyes. In case of contact, wash yourself

using neutral soap and water.

The airbag system has a validity of 14

years for the pyrotechnic charge and

10 years for the coil contact (see the

plate located in the glove compart-

ment).

As this date approaches, contact Lan-

cia Dealership to have it replaced.

IMPORTANT Should an accident oc-

cur in which any of the safety devices

is activated, take the car to a Lancia

Dealership to have the devices acti-

vated replaced and to have the system

checked.

All control, repair and replacement

operations concerning the air bags

must only be carried out c/o Lancia

Dealership.

If you are having the car scrapped,

have the airbag system deactivated at

a Lancia Dealership first. If the car

changes ownership, the new owner

must be informed of the method of

use of air bags and the above warn-

ings and also be given this “Owner

handbook”.

IMPORTANT The triggering of pre-

tensioners, front air bags and front

side bags is decided in a differentiated

manner depending on the type of

crash. The failure to deploy one or

more of them does not mean that the

system is not working properly.

MANUAL DEACTIVATION OF
PASSENGER’S FRONT AIR BAG
(Side Bag - for versions/markets, 
where provided)

Should it be absolutely necessary to

carry a child on the front seat, the

passenger’s front air bag and the

(Side Bag - for versions/markets,

where provided) can be deactivated.

The instrument panel warning light

F will stay on glowing steadily un-

til reactivating the passenger’s front

air bag and the (Side Bag - for ver-

sions/markets, where provided).

For manual deactivation
of front passenger air bag

(Side Bag - for versions/markets,
where provided) see paragraph
“Reconfigurable multifunction dis-
play” in section “Dashboard and
controls”.

WARNING

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GENERAL WARNINGS

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 retain-
ing systems; under this condition
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 Lancia
Dealership to have the system
checked immediately.    

WARNING

Do not cover the back rest
of the front seats with

trims or covers, unless specially
designed for use with side bags.

WARNING

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 forwards,
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
Lancia Dealership.

WARNING

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When the ignition key is
turned to the MAR posi-

tion, the warning light 

F (with

passenger’s front air bag deactiva-
tion switch active) turns on and
flashes for few seconds to remind
that the passenger’s air bag will be
deployed in a crash, after which it
should go off. 

WARNING

Do not wash the seat back
rest with pressurised wa-

ter or steam (by hand or at auto-
matic seat washing stations).

WARNING

Do not hook rigid objects
to the coat hooks and to

the support handles.

WARNING

Remember that with the
key engaged and in the

MAR position, even with the engine
not running, the air bags may be
triggered on a stationary vehicle if
it is bumped by another moving
car. Therefore, never seat children
on the front seat even when the ve-
hicle is stationary. On the other
hand, remember that with the ig-
nition key at STOP no safety de-
vice (air bags or pretensioners)
will be triggered in the event of an
impact; in these cases, failure to
come into action of the air bags
cannot be considered as a sign that
the system is not working properly.

WARNING

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The front air bag is trig-
gered for shocks greater in

magnitude than the pretensioners.
For impacts between these two
thresholds, it is therefore normal
that only the pretensioners are
triggered.

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 circum-
stances the occupants would only
be protected by the seat belts which
must therefore always be fastened.

WARNING

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111

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CORRECT USE OF THE CAR

ENGINE STARTING  ........................................ 112

PARKING ......................................................... 114

USING THE GEARBOX ................................... 115

CONTAINING RUNNING COSTS ..................... 117

TOWING TRAILERS ........................................ 119

SNOW TYRES  .................................................. 122

SNOW CHAINS  ................................................ 123

CAR INACTIVITY ............................................. 124

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ENGINE STARTING

The car is fitted with an electronic en-

gine lock device. If the engine fails to

start, see paragraph “Lancia CODE

system”  in section “Dashboard and

controls”.

The engine may be noiser than usual

during the first seconds of operation,

especially after it has not been used

for a while. This characteristic feature

of the hydraulic tappet system does

not compromise functionality or reli-

ability. The system devised for the

Lancia Ypsilon was designed to limit

maintenance interventions.

STARTING PROCEDURE FOR
PETROL VERSIONS

Proceed as follows:
❒ Ensure that the handbrake is up;
❒ Put the gear lever into neutral;
❒ Press the clutch pedal down to the

floor without touching the acceler-

ator;

❒ Turn the ignition key to AVV and

let it go the moment the engine

starts.

If the engine does not start at the first

attempt, return the ignition key to

STOP before repeating starting.

If, when the ignition key is on MAR,

warning light 

Y

remains lit together

with warning light 

U, turn the key to

STOP and then back to MAR; if the

warning light remains on, try with the

other keys provided with the car.

We recommend that during
the initial period you do not
drive to full vehicle perfor-
mance (e.g.: excessive ac-

celeration, long journeys at top
speed, sharp braking, etc).

When the engine is switched
off never leave the ignition
key in the MAR position to
prevent pointless current

absorption from draining the bat-
tery.

Running the engine in con-
fined areas is extremely

dangerous. The engine consumes
oxygen and produces carbon
monoxide which is a highly toxic
and lethal gas.

WARNING

If you are still unable to start the en-

gine, perform the emergency start-up

procedure (see “Emergency start-up”

in section “In an emergency”) and

contact Lancia Dealership.

IMPORTANT Never leave the ignition

key at MAR when the engine is off.

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STARTING PROCEDURE FOR
MULTIJET VERSIONS

Proceed as follows:
❒ Ensure that the handbrake is up;
❒ Put the gear lever into neutral;
❒ Turn the ignition key to MAR. The

warning lights 

m

and

Y

will

light up on the instrument panel;

❒ Wait for the warning lights 

Y

and

m

to turn off. The hotter the en-

gine is, the quicker this will hap-

pen;

❒ Press the clutch pedal down to the

floor without touching the acceler-

ator;

❒ Turn the ignition key to AVV as

soon as warning light 

m

goes out.

If you wait too long you will lose

the benefit of the work done by the

glow plugs. Release the key as soon

as the engine starts.

IMPORTANT With cold engine, the

accelerator pedal shall be completely

released while turning the ignition key

to AVV.

If the engine does not start at the first

attempt, return the ignition key to

STOP before repeating starting.

If, when the ignition key is on MAR,

warning light 

Y

remains lit, turn the

key to STOP and then back to MAR;

if the warning light remains on, try

with the other keys provided with the

car.

If you still cannot start the engine,

contact Lancia Dealership.

IMPORTANT Never leave the ignition

key at MAR when the engine is off. 

HOW TO WARM UP THE ENGINE
AFTER IT HAS JUST STARTED
(petrol and Multijet versions)

Proceed as follows:
❒ Drive off slowly, letting the engine

turn at medium revs. Do not accel-

erate abruptly;

❒ Do not drive at full performance for

the initial kilometres. Wait until the

coolant temperature gauge starts

moving.

The warning light 

m will

flash for 60 seconds at
start-up or during pro-
longed cranking to signal a

fault in the glow plug heating sys-
tem. You can use the car as usual if
the engine starts but you should con-
tact a Lancia Dealership as soon as
possible.

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PARKING

Proceed as follows:
❒ Stop the engine and engage the

handbrake;

❒ Engage a gear (first if the car is

faced uphill or reverse if it is faced

downhill) and leave the wheels

steered.

Block the wheels with a wedge or a

stone if the car is parked on a steep

slope. Do not leave the ignition key at

MAR to prevent draining the battery.

Always remove the key when you

leave the car.

Never bump start the engine
by pushing, towing or
coasting downhill. This
could cause fuel to flow into

the catalytic exhaust system and

damage it beyond repair.

A quick burst on the accel-
erator before turning off the
engine serves absolutely no
practical purpose, it wastes

fuel and is damaging especially to
turbocharged engines.

Remember that the servo-
brake and power steering

are not operational until the engine
has been started, therefore much
effort than usual is required on the
brake pedal and steering wheel.

WARNING

EMERGENCY START-UP

If the instrument panel warning light

Y

stays on with fixed light, the

emergency start-up can be performed

by using the CODE card code (see

section “In an emergency”). 

STOPPING THE ENGINE

Turn the ignition to STOP while the

engine is idling.

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.

Never leave children unat-
tended in the car. Always

remove the ignition key when leav-
ing the car and take it out with
you.

WARNING

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To release the handbrake:
❒ Slightly lift the handbrake and press

release button A;

❒ Keep button A pressed in and lower

the lever. Warning light 

x will go

out.

Press the brake pedal when carrying out

this operation to prevent the car from

moving accidentally. 

USING THE
GEARBOX

To engage the gears, press the clutch

pedal fully and shift the gear lever

into one of the required positions (the

diagram is shown on the knob). 

IMPORTANT The car can only be

put into reverse gear when it has

stopped moving completely. With the

engine running, before engaging the

reverse, wait at least 2 seconds with

the clutch pedal fully down to prevent

damage and grating of the gears.

HANDBRAKE fig. 1

The handbrake lever is located be-

tween the two front seats.

Pull the handbrake lever upwards un-

til the car cannot be moved.

Four or five clicks are generally

enough when the car is on level

ground while nine or ten may be re-

quired if the car is on a steep slope or

laden.

IMPORTANT If this is not the case,

contact Lancia Dealership to have the

handbrake adjusted.

When the handbrake lever is pulled

up and the ignition key is at MAR the

instrument panel warning light 

x

will come on with fixed light.

fig. 1

L0C0088m

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To change gears properly
you must push the clutch

pedal fully down. It is therefore es-
sential that there is nothing under
the pedals: make sure mats are ly-
ing flat and do not get in the way
of the pedals.

WARNING

Do not drive with your
hand resting on the gear
lever as the force exerted,
even if slight, could lead

over time to premature wear on the
gearbox internal components.

fig. 2

2 4 R

1 3 5

L0C0032m

To engage reverse (R) from neutral

proceed as follows:

Petrol versions
❒ lift the sliding ring A-fig. 2 under

the knob and shift the lever to the

right and back.

Multijet versions
❒ just shift the lever to the right and

back.

IMPORTANT The clutch pedal must

be used for gear shift only. Never

drive with the foot resting, even if

slightly, on the clutch pedal. For ver-

sions/markets, where provided, the

clutch pedal control electronics can

intervene interpreting the wrong drive

style as a fault.

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CONTAINING
RUNNING COSTS

Here are some suggestions which may

help you to keep the running costs of

your car down and lower the amount

of toxic emissions released into the at-

mosphere.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

Car maintenance

Have checks and adjustments carried

out in accordance with the “Service

schedule”.

Climate control

The air conditioner is an additional

load which greatly affects the engine

leading to higher consumption (on av-

erage up to +20%). When the tem-

perature outside the vehicle permits

it, use the air vents where possible.

Spoilers

The use of non-certified aerodynamic

items may adversely affect air drag

and consumption levels.

Tyres

Check the pressure of the tyres rou-

tinely at an interval of no more than

4 weeks: if the pressure is too low,

consumption levels increase as resis-

tance to rolling is higher.

Unnecessary loads

Do not travel with too much luggage

stowed in the boot. The weight of the

car (especially when driving in town)

and its trim greatly affects consump-

tion and stability.

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DRIVING STYLE

Starting

Do not warm the engine with the car

at a standstill or at idle or high speed:

under these conditions the engine

warms up much more slowly, in-

creasing electrical consumption and

emissions. It is therefore advisable to

move off immediately, slowly, avoid-

ing high speeds. This way the engine

will warm faster.

Unnecessary actions

Avoid accelerating when waiting at

traffic lights or before switching off

the engine. This and also double de-

clutching is absolutely pointless on

modern cars and also increase con-

sumption and pollution.

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 lower

air penetration and adversely affect

consumption levels. When needing to

carry particularly voluminous objects,

preferably use a trailer.

Electric devices

Use electric devices only for the

amount of time needed. Rear heated

window, additional headlights, wind-

screen wipers and heater fan need a

considerable amount of energy, there-

fore increasing the requirement of

current increases fuel consumption

(up to +25% in the urban cycle).

Gear selection

As soon as the conditions of the traf-

fic and road allow, use a higher gear.

Using a low gear to obtain brilliant

performance increases consumption. 

In the same way improper use of a

high gear increases consumption,

emissions an engine wear.

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Top speed

Fuel consumption considerably in-

creases with speed. Avoid superfluous

braking and accelerating, which cost

in terms of both fuel and emissions. 

Acceleration

Accelerating violently increasing the

revs will greatly affect consumption

and emissions: acceleration should be

gradual and should not exceed the

maximum torque.

CONDITIONS OF USE

Cold starting

Short journeys and frequent cold

starts do not allow the engine to reach

optimum operating temperature. This

results in a significant increase in con-

sumption levels (from +15 to +30%

on the urban cycle) and emission of

harmful substances.

Traffic situations and road
conditions

Rather high consumption levels are

tied to situations with heavy traffic,

for example in queues with frequent

use of the lower gears or in cities with

many traffic lights. Also winding

mountain roads and rough road sur-

faces adversely affect consumption.

Traffic hold-ups

During prolonged hold-ups (e.g.: level

crossings) the engine should be

switched off.