1996 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL steering

Do not put objects under the front seats that
interfere with the flow of air to the back seat
area. Remove any snow, ice, or leaves from the air
intake area of your EATC System which
could block the air intake. The intake area is
located at the bottom of the windshield, under
the hood at the passenger side rear corner.
Service
If your EATC is not operating as described here,
take it to your dealer to have it checked. System
diagnostics are built in which will allow your
dealer to readily identify problems that might
occur.
80Rear Window Defroster and
Heated Sideview Mirrors
The rear window and heated outside mirrors
defroster switch activates the defroster for the
rear window to clear frost, fog, or thin ice from
both the inside and outside of the rear window
and activates the heated outside rearview
mirrors.
The button for the rear window and heated
outside mirrors defroster is on the instrument
panel to the right of the steering column.

The high beam indicator light on the instrument
cluster will not be on.
NOTE:If you have a vehicle with an
automatic lighting system, the DRL system is
active until the automatic system turns on the
headlamps.
NOTE:You may notice that the lights
flicker when the vehicle is turned on or off. This
is a normal condition./!\WARNINGThe Daytime Running Light (DRL)system will not illuminate the taillamps and parking lamps. Turn onyour headlamps at dusk. Failure to doso may result in a collision.Turning On the Exterior Lights
To turn on the headlamps, parking lamps, side
markers, and tail lamps, use the rotary switch
that is to the left of the steering wheel.
82The knob for the exterior lights
To turn on the parking lamps, tail lamps,
and license plate lamps, turn the knob
clockwise to the first position.
For more information about how the high
beams work, refer to the Steering Column
Controls chapter.

If the autolamp is active, the headlamp system
will come on immediately after starting your
vehicle. If your vehicle is running before you
activate the autolamp, there may be a 15 second
delay before the headlights illuminate.
2.Turn the ignition key to ON or start your
vehicle.
3.Find the autolamp switch to the left of the
steering wheel on the instrument panel.
4. Push the autolamp switch up toward the
MAX position. As you press this switch, the
autolamp system's status will be displayed in
the message center. The system can be
turned OFF or can be set to provide light for
up to three (3) minutes after you turn your
vehicle off.
84Do not put any articles on top of the photocell
that is located in the top left corner of the
instrument panel. This photocell controls the
autolamp. If you cover it, the photocell reacts
as if it is nighttime, and the lamps turn on.
To turn the autolamp off, push the switch down
until the message center display reaches OFF.
Turning On Interior
Lights/Instrument Panel Illumination
You can brighten or dim the lights in the
instrument panel and the compass display
in the inside rearview mirror (if
equipped) with the PANEL DIM switch
located on the instrument panel.

Steering Column ControlsThe controls on the steering column and wheel
are designed to give you easy access to the
controls while you are driving.
The Turn Signal Lever
You can use the turn signal lever on the left side
of the steering column to: operate the turn signals and cornering lamps turn the high beams on/off flash the lights turn the windshield wipers and washer on/offThe turn signal lever
Turn Signals
Move the lever up to signal a right turn. Move it
down to signal a left turn. The corresponding
indicator light in the instrument cluster will flash.
89

Steering wheel
The control switch for hazard flashers
Horn
To sound the horn, push the center pad area of
the steering wheel.Press here to sound the horn
The horn on the steering wheel
93

Tilt Steering/!\ WARNINGNever adjust the steering wheel when thevehicle is moving.94The lever to tilt the steering wheel

To change the position of the steering wheel, pull
the release lever on the column toward you. Tip
the steering wheel to the desired position.
Release the lever to lock the steering wheel in
place.
Speed Control
Your vehicle has speed control, so you can
automatically maintain a constant speed above 30
mph (48 km/h). The switches to operate the
speed control are on the steering wheel.
Use of radio transmitting equipment that is not
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or
in Canada the Canadian Radio and
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
approved may cause the speed control to
malfunction. Therefore, use only properly
installed FCC (CRTC in Canada) approved radio
transmitting equipment in your vehicle.NOTE: Since your vehicle has an Automatic
Overdrive Transaxle, you may want to drive in D
(Drive) when driving in hilly terrain, at higher
altitudes, or when pulling a trailer. This will
improve speed control performance.
NOTE: Do not shift to N (Neutral) when using
the speed control. This will cause the engine to
overspeed.
95

The speed control switches on the steering
wheel
To set the speed control:
1.Press and release the ON switch.
2. Accelerate to the desired speed above 30 mph
(50 km/h) using the accelerator pedal.
963. Press the SET ACCEL switch and release it
immediately to set your speed. If you keep this
switch pressed, your speed will continue to
increase.
4.Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Your vehicle will maintain the speed you set.
If you drive up or down a steep hill, your vehicle
may momentarily slow down or speed up, even
though the speed control is on. This is normal.
When driving uphill, especially with a heavy load,
significant speed drops may occur. If the speed
drops more than 8-14 mph (13-23 km/h) the
automatic speed control will, by design, be
cancelled. If this happens, your vehicle may
require manual operation to maintain your desired
speed.