1997 FORD F150 Owners Manual

Important ventilating
information
If the engine is idling while the
vehicle is stopped in an open area
for long periods of time, open the
windows at least 2.5 cm (one
inch).
Adjust the heating or air
conditioning (if equipped) to bring
in fresh air.
Improve vehicle ventilation by
keeping all air inlet vents clear of
snow, leaves and other debris.
FLR
& DEF MAX
A/CFLOOR PANEL &
FLOOR
DEF OFF
PANEL
A/C
LU
AUTOLR
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BRAKES
Rear anti-lock brake system
(ABS) (if equipped)
This system prevents one or both
rear wheels from locking up when
the brakes are applied during a
sudden stop.
Even with rear ABS, the front
brakes may lock up on any surface.
Be careful when braking, especially
on loose snow or gravel.
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) (if
equipped)
The ABS operates by detecting the
onset of wheel lock up during
brake applications and
compensating for this tendency.
The front wheels are prevented
from locking even when the brakes
are firmly applied. The
accompanying illustration depicts
the advantage of an ABS equipped
vehicle (on bottom) to a non-ABS
equipped vehicle (on top) during
hard braking.
Using ABS
²In an emergency, apply full force
on the brake. The ABS will be
activated immediately, thus
allowing you to retain full
steering control of your vehicle
and, providing there is sufficient
space, will enable you to avoid
obstacles and bring the vehicle
to a quiet stop.
²We recommend that you
familiarize yourself with this
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com_abs.01
com_using_abs.01
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braking technique. However,
avoid taking any unnecessary
risks.
Parking brake
The parking brake should be used
whenever you park your vehicle. It
is not designed to stop a moving
vehicle. However, if the normal
brakes fail, the parking brake can
be used to stop your vehicle in an
emergency. Since the parking
brake applies only the rear brakes,
the vehicle's stopping distance will
increase greatly and the handling
of your vehicle will be adversely
affected.
Setting the parking brake
The!BRAKElight in the instrument
cluster will illuminate and remain
illuminated (when the ignition
f12_parking_brake
f12_setting_pbrake
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switch is turned to On) until the
parking brake is released.
²Automatic and manual
transmissions ± Fully depress
the parking brake pedal.
When you leave your
vehicle, place the gearshift
lever in P (Park). Set the
parking brake fully, and shut off
the engine. Never park your
vehicle in N (Neutral). If you do
not take these precautions, your
vehicle may move suddenly and
injure someone.
With the transfer case in N
(Neutral) the vehicle is free to
move with either the automatic
transmission in P (Park) or with
the manual transmission in any
driving gear.
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Do not leave the vehicle
unattended with the
transfer case in the N (Neutral)
position. Always set the parking
brake fully and turn off the
ignition when leaving the vehicle.
Releasing parking brake
Pull the BRAKE lever forward.
If the parking brake is fully
released, but the Brake
System light remains on, have
the brakes checked immediately.
They may not be working
properly.
TRACTION LOKTREAR AXLE
(IF EQUIPPED)
This axle provides added drive
away traction on slippery surfaces,
BRAKE
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f12_traction_lok
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particularly when one or more
wheels are on a surface with poor
traction.
AIR SUSPENSION (IF
EQUIPPED)
The air suspension system for the
rear wheels is designed to keep
your vehicle at a constant level by
adding or releasing air from the
rear springs to compensate for
increases or decreases in vehicle
load.
Normal vehicle operation does not
require any action by the driver.
The air suspension switch is
located behind an access panel
underneath the passenger side
instrument panel.
Press the air suspension switch to
OFF when jacking or hoisting your
vehicle.
On vehicles equipped with
Air Suspension, turn OFF
the Air Suspension switch prior
to jacking, hoisting or towing
your vehicle.
OFF
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f12_transmission
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TRANSMISSION OPERATION
Automatic transmission
operation (if equipped)
Hold the brake pedal down
while you move the
gearshift lever from position to
position. If you do not hold the
brake pedal down, your vehicle
may move unexpectedly and
injure someone.
Pull the gearshift lever towards
you and downward to move the
automatic gearshift.
P (Park)± Always come to a
complete stop before shifting into
or out of P (Park).
When you leave your
vehicle, place the gearshift
lever in P (Park). Set the
parking brake fully, and shut off
the engine. Never park your
vehicle in N (Neutral). If you do
not take these precautions, your
vehicle may move suddenly and
injure someone.
R (Reverse)± Always come to a
complete stop before shifting into
or out of R (Reverse).
f12_automatic
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N (Neutral)± Vehicle is free to
roll.
D(Overdrive)± The normal
driving position for the best fuel
economy. Transmission operates in
gears one through four.
D(Overdrive) can be deactivated
by pressing the transmission
control switch on the end of the
gearshift lever. The transmission
control indicator light (TCIL)
(OFF) on the end of the gearshift
lever will remain off.
D (Drive)± Not shown on the
display. Activate by pressing the
transmission control switch on the
end of the gearshift lever. The
TCIL (OFF) will illuminate on the
gearshift lever. Transmission
operates in gears one through
three. D (Drive) provides more
engine braking than
D(Overdrive) and is useful
whenever driving conditions (i.e.,
city traffic, hilly terrain, etc.) cause
the transmission to excessively
shift between
D(Overdrive) and
D (Drive). Also deactivate
D(Overdrive) when:
²driving with a heavy load
²towing a trailer up or down
steep hills
²additional engine braking is
desired.
To return to
D(Overdrive)
mode, press the transmission
control switch. The TCIL (OFF)
will no longer be illuminated.
OVERDRIVE OFF
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