1997 FORD CONTOUR lights

Instrumentation
9
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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 one of the following clusters:
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Standard Cluster
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Sport Cluster
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If you are not sure which cluster your vehicle has, check the
diagrams on the following pages.
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Standard Cluster
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The following warning lights and gauges are on the standard
cluster. All of the warning lights and gauges alert you to
possible problems with your vehicle. The following sections
detail what each of these indicators means.
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Indicator Lights and Chimes
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Safety Belt Warning Light and Chime
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This warning light and chime remind you to fasten your safety
belt. The following conditions will take place:
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If the driver's safety belt is not buckled when the ignition is
turned to the ON position, the light will turn on for 1 to 2
minutes and the chime will sound for 4 to 8 seconds.
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If the driver's safety belt is buckled while the light is on or
the chime is sounding, both the light and the chime will turn
off.
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If the driver's safety belt is buckled before the ignition is
turned to the ON position, neither the light nor the chime
will turn on.
[IS02500(ALL)12/95]
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Instrumentation
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If you lose engine oil pressure:
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[IS03900(ALL)04/96]1.
Pull off the road as soon as safely possible.
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Shut off the engine immediately. If you do not stop the
engine as soon as safely possible, severe engine damage
could result.
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[IS04100(ALL)12/95]3.
Check the engine's oil level, following the instructions on
checking and adding engine oil in this Owner Guide. (See
Engine oilin the Index.) If you do not follow these
instructions, engine damage could result. To ensure an
accurate reading, your vehicle should be on level ground.
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[IS04200(ALL)12/95]4.
If the level is low, add only as much oil as necessary to
bring it to the full level before you start the engine again.
Do not overfill. Do not operate the engine if the light is on,
regardless of the oil level. Contact your nearest dealer for
further service actions.
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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.
[IS04500(ALL)12/95]
If the high beam light flashes in a vehicle equipped with the
Daytime Running Light (DRL) system (Canada), it indicates a
failure in the DRL circuit. Check the bulbs and fuses or have
the DRL system checked by your dealer or a qualified service
technician.
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Update:Thu Sep 12 10:58:17 1996

Instrumentation
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Turn Signal Indicator Lights
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The turn signal arrow will flash to indicate the direction in
which you are going to be turning.
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one inch art:0050190-A
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Fuel Gauge
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The fuel gauge displays approximately how much fuel you have
in the fuel tank.
[IS07400(ALL)12/95]
For proper fuel gauge operation, the ignition must be in the
OFF position before you add fuel to the fuel tank.
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The fuel gauge indicator may vary slightly while the vehicle is
in motion. This is the result of fuel movement within the tank.
An accurate reading may be obtained with the vehicle on
smooth, level ground.
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Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge
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This gauge indicates the temperature of the engine coolant, not
the coolant level. If the coolant is not at its proper level or
mixture, the gauge indication will not be accurate.
[IS07800(ALL)12/95]
The pointer moves from the white mark into the NORMAL
band as the engine coolant warms up. It is acceptable for the
pointer to fluctuate within the NORMAL band under normal
driving conditions. Under certain driving conditions, such as
heavy stop and go traffic or driving up hills in hot weather, the
pointer may indicate at the top of the NORMAL band.
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Instrumentation
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Odometer
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The odometer tells you the total number of miles (kilometers)
your vehicle has been driven.
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Trip Odometer
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The trip odometer tells you how many miles (kilometers) your
vehicle has been driven since the last reset. Press the reset
control to return the trip odometer to zero.
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Sport Cluster
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The sport cluster has basically the same standard warning lights
and gauges as the standard cluster, with the following
additional features:
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Tachometer
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The tachometer displays the approximate engine revolutions per
minute (rpm), or how fast the engine is running.
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If you drive with the tachometer in the red zone, you may
damage the engine.
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Anti-lock Brake System Warning Light (If equipped)
[IS09900(ALL)12/95]
Your vehicle may have an Anti-lock Brake System feature. If it
does, check the Anti-lock Brake System light each time you start
the engine. If it stays on longer than three (3) seconds, shut off
the engine and restart. If it stays on, that means the Anti-lock
Brake feature is not working and should be serviced
immediately to restore the benefits of the Anti-lock feature.
Normal braking is not affected unless the brake warning light is
also lit.
[IS10000(ALL)12/95]
The Anti-Lock Brake System has self-check capabilities. As
described above, the system turns on the anti-lock light each
time you start your engine. After the engine is started and the
anti-lock light turns off, the system performs another test the
first time the vehicle reaches 5 mph (8 km/h) (between 12 and
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NOTE: Never use sharp instruments or window cleaners with
abrasives to clean the inside of your rear window. If
you do, you may damage the heating elements that
are bonded to the inside of the rear window and
cause damage to the rear window defroster.
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The Interior and Exterior Lights
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Turning On the Exterior Lights
[CF05500(ALL)12/95]
To turn on your headlamps, parking lamps, and tail lamps, use
the knob that is on the instrument panel, to the left of the
steering wheel.
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The knob for the exterior lights
[CF05800(ALL)04/96]
To turn on the parking lamps, tail lamps, license plate lamps
and side marker lamps, turn the knob clockwise to the first
position.
[CF05900(ALL)04/96]
To turn on the headlamps, parking lamps, tail lamps, license
plate lamps and side marker lamps, turn the knob clockwise to
the second position.
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RWARNING
The Daytime Running Light (DRL) system will not
illuminate the tail lamps and parking lamps. Turn on
your headlamps at dusk. Failure to do so may result in a
collision.
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Lighting Up the Interior and Instrument Panel
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When either front door is opened, the footwell lights and the
door courtesy lights come on.
[CF07500(ALL)12/95]
The instrument panel lights, window control lights and door
handle lights come on whenever the headlamp switch is turned
from the OFF position. To dim the instrument panel lights, use
the thumbwheel on the instrument panel to the right of the
steering wheel.
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Dimming the instrument panel lights
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Traction Control System (If equipped)
[CF07800(ALL)02/96]
This button turns the traction control system off and on. See the
Driving Chapterfor more information.
[CF07900(ALL)12/95]
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The button for the traction control system
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Update:Fri Sep 13 08:48:17 1996

Controls and Features
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ACCESSORY allows some of your vehicle's electrical accessories
to operate while the engine is not running. For example, you
can use ACCESSORY to turn on the radio without starting the
engine.
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ON allows you to test your vehicle's warning lights (except the
brake system warning light) to make sure they work before you
start the engine. The key returns to the ON position once the
engine is started and remains in this position while the engine
runs.
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START cranks the engine. Release the key once the engine starts
so that you do not damage the starter. The key should return to
ON when you release it. The START position also allows you to
test the brake warning light.
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Removing the Key From the Ignition
[CF10300(ALL)04/96]
Procedures for removing your key from the ignition vary,
depending on whether your vehicle has an automatic or manual
transaxle.
[CF10400(ALL)04/96]
If your vehicle has an automatic transaxle:
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Put the gearshift lever in P (Park).
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Set the parking brake fully.
[CF10700(ALL)12/95]3.
Rotate the ignition key to the LOCK position.
[CF10800(ALL)12/95]4.
Remove the key from the ignition.
File:05cdcfo.ex
Update:Fri Sep 13 08:48:17 1996