1997 FORD ASPIRE Owners Manual

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Things to Know About Using
This Guide
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Congratulations on the purchase of your new
vehicle. This guide has information about the
equipment and the options for your new vehicle.
You may not have bought all of the options
available to you. If you do not know which
information applies to your vehicle, talk to your
dealer.
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This guide describes equipment and gives
specifications for equipment that was in effect
when this guide was approved for printing. Ford
may discontinue models or change specifications
or design without any notice and without
incurring obligation.
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7
Instrumentation
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The warning lights and gauges alert you to
possible problems with your vehicle. The
following section details what each of these
indicators means.
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In your vehicle, the warning lights and gauges
are grouped together on the instrument panel.
We call this grouping a cluster. Your vehicle has
a standard cluster.
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8 [IS01900(ALL)01/96]
full page art:0032163-EThe standard cluster
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Indicator Lights and Chimes
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Safety Belt Warning Light and Chime
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one inch art:0030171-B
Safety belt light
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This warning light and chime remind you to
fasten your safety belt under the following
conditions:
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q
If the safety belt is not buckled when the
ignition is turned to the ON position, the
chime will turn on for four (4) to eight (8)
seconds and the light will illuminate for at
least 60 seconds.
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q
If the safety belt is buckled while the light is
on and the chime is sounding, both the light
and chime will turn off.
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q
If the safety belt is buckled before the
ignition is turned to the ON position, neither
the light nor the chime will come on.
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Brake System Warning Light
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one inch art:0032206-B
Brake system and parking brake light
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10 [IS02600(ALL)04/96]This light illuminates for a few seconds when
you turn the ignition key to START or ON. It
normally goes off shortly after the engine starts
and after you release the parking brake.
However, it may stay on for up to 60 seconds. If
the light doesn't illuminate after the engine is
started, stays on for longer than 60 seconds, or
illuminates after you have fully released the
parking brake, have the hydraulic brake system
checked.
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To test the brake warning light, release the
parking brake and turn the ignition key to the
START position. The brake warning light should
illuminate until the key is released.
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This light will also illuminate if the parking
brake does not release fully. If it does stay on
afterthe parking brake is fully released, it
means there may be a brake problem. Pull off
the road and stop carefully. You may notice that
the pedal is harder to push, the pedal may go
closer to the floor, or it may take longer to stop
the vehicle. Try the brakes again after you have
stopped.
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Your vehicle has a divided brake system. If one
part isn't working, the other part can still work
and stop the vehicle. For good braking, you
need both systems working well.
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WARNING
The BRAKE light indicates that the brakes
may not be working properly. Have the
brakes checked immediately.
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Charging System Light
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This light indicates that your battery is not being
charged and that you need to have the electrical
system checked.
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one inch art:0030172-C
Charging system light
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This light illuminates every time you turn the
ignition to the ON or START position (engine
off). The light should go off when the engine
starts and the alternator begins to charge.
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If the light stays on or illuminates when the
engine is running, have the electrical system
checked as soon as possible.
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Engine Oil Pressure Warning Light
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This light indicates low oil pressure, not low oil
level. However, if the engine's oil level is low, it
could affect the oil pressure. This light
illuminates every time the ignition key is turned
to ON or START, but it normally turns off when
the engine starts.
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one inch art:0030173-C
Engine oil pressure light
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12 [IS03900(ALL)04/96]If the light stays on or illuminates while the
engine is running:
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1. Pull off the road as soon as safely possible.
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2.Shut off the engine immediately.Continued
operation could cause severe engine damage.
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3. Check the engine oil level. Make sure the car
is on level ground.
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4. Add oil to the full mark on the dipstick
before you drive your car again. Do not
overfill. Do not operate the engine when the
oil light is on. For more information about
adding oil, seeEngine oil recommendationsin
the Index.
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WARNING
Do not rely on the oil light to tell you
when the oil is low. Have the oil checked
often. It is possible for damage to occur if
an engine is operated with a low oil level.
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High Beam Light
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This light illuminates when the headlamps are
turned to high beam or when you flash the
lights. If your vehicle is equipped with daytime
running lights and you have your headlamps on
your high beam telltale will not illuminate when
you flash the lights.
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one inch art:0030174-A
High beam light
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Check Engine Warning Light
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This light illuminates when the electronic engine
control system is not working properly. This is
the computer system that controls the operating
conditions of the engine.
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one inch art:0030175-B
Check engine warning light
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This light illuminates briefly when you turn the
ignition to the ON position, but should turn off
when the engine starts. If the light does not
illuminate when you turn the ignition to the ON
position or if it illuminates and stays on when
you are driving, have your vehicle serviced as
soon as possible. This indicates a possible
problem with one of the engine's emission
control systems.You do not need to have your
vehicle towed in.
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If the light flashes briefly while you are driving,
it means that the condition is no longer present.
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