1997 FORD F150 Owners Manual

vehicle, if necessary. Refer to
the Safety Compliance
Certification Label to find Front
GAWR.
²The Front Axle Accessory
Reserve Capacity and the Total
Accessory Reserve Capacity
listed on the bottom right of the
Safety Compliance Certification
Label will determine whether or
not the addition of a snowplow
will overload your vehicle.
²The weight of the snowplow and
supporting components
distributed to the front axle
must not exceed the front
accessory reserve capacity.
²The total weight of the
snowplow and aftermarket
equipment must not exceed the
Total Accessory Reserve
Capacity.
²The weight of the installed
snowplow and aftermarket
equipment must not load the
vehicle beyond the GAWR and
GVWR listed on the Safety
Compliance Certification Label.
²Federal and most local
regulations require additional
exterior lamps for
snowplow-equipped vehicles.
Consult your dealer for
additional information.
²After installing a snowplow to
the vehicle, ensure the vehicle's
front toe alignment and front
ride height are within
specification (reset if required).
Driving
130

These specifications are located
in the vehicle's Service Manual.
Adherence to the toe and ride
height specification is important
for proper tire wear, ride,
handling and headlight aim.
Do not exceed the GVWR
or the GAWR specified on
the Safety Compliance
Certification Label.
Removing snowplow
Read the following instructions
before removing a snowplow:
²After removing a snowplow from
the vehicle, ensure the vehicle's
front toe alignment and front
ride height are within
specification (reset if required).
These specifications are located
in the vehicle's Service Manual.
Adherence to the toe and ride
height specification is important
for proper tire wear, ride,
handling and headlight aim.
Snowplowing with your air bag
equipped vehicle
Your vehicle is equipped with
driver and passenger air bags. The
air bags are designed to deploy in
a collision with a solid barrier at a
range of 13 to 23 km/h (8 to 14
mph) or a parked car at a range of
25 to 45 km/h (16 to 28 mph).
f12_remove
f12_snowplow_srs
Driving
131

Careless or high speed driving
while plowing snow which results
in vehicle decelerations equivalent
to or greater than the air bag
deployment impact speeds listed
above can deploy the air bag. Such
driving also increases the risk of
accidents.
All occupants of the
vehicle, including the
driver, should always wear their
safety belts.
Never remove or defeat the
ªtripping mechanismsº designed
into the snow removal equipment
by its manufacturer. Doing so may
cause damage to the vehicle and
the snow removal equipment as
well as possible air bag
deployment.
Do not attempt to service,
repair, or modify the Air
Bag Supplemental Restraint
System or its fuses. See your
Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealer.
Engine temperature while
plowing
When driving with a plow, your
engine may run at a higher
temperature than normal because
the attached snowplow blade will
restrict airflow to the radiator.
CHCH
f12_driving_wplow
Driving
132

If you are driving more then 24 km
(15 miles) at temperatures above
freezing, angle the plow blade
either full left or full right to
provide maximum airflow to the
radiator.
If you are driving less than 24 km
(15 miles) at speeds up to 64 km/h
(40 mph) in cold weather, you will
not need to worry about blade
position to provide maximum
airflow.
Transmission operation while
plowing
²Shift transfer case to 4L (4WD
Low) when plowing in small
areas at speeds below 8 km/h (5
mph).
²Shift transfer case to 4H (4WD
High) when plowing larger areas
or light snow at higher speeds.
Do not exceed 24 km/h (15
mph).
²Do not shift the transmission
from a forward gear to R
(Reverse) until the engine is at
idle and the wheels are stopped.
²If the vehicle is stuck, shift the
transmission in a steady motion
between forward and reverse
gears. Do not rock the vehicle
for more than a few minutes.
The transmission and tires may
be damaged or the engine can
overheat.
Driving
133

Do not spin the wheels at
over 35 mph (55 km/h).
The tires may fail and injure a
passenger or bystander.
FUEL CONSUMPTION
Fuel economy can be improved by
avoiding:
²lack of regular, scheduled
maintenance
²excessive speed
²rapid acceleration.
f12_fuel_consumption
Driving
134

HAZARD LIGHTS CONTROL
Use only in an emergency to warn
traffic of vehicle breakdown,
approaching danger, etc. Depress
to activate all indicators
simultaneously. Depress again to
switch off. The warning lights can
be operated when the ignition is
off.
FUEL PUMP SHUT-OFF SWITCH
If the engine cranks but does not
start after a collision, the fuel
pump shut±off switch may have
been activated. The shut±off
switch is a device intended to stop
the electric fuel pump when your
vehicle has been involved in a
substantial jolt.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the
OFF position.
2. Check fuel system for leaks.
3. If no fuel leak is apparent, reset
the fuel pump shut-off switch by
pushing in the button on the
switch.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the
ON position. Pause for a few
seconds and return the key to the
OFF position.
5. Make a further check for leaks
in the fuel system.com_hazard_switch.01
com_fuel_shut-off.01
f12_fuses
Roadside emergencies
135

REPLACING BLOWN FUSES
If electrical components in the
vehicle are not working, a fuse
may have blown. Blown fuses are
identified by a broken element.
Check the appropriate fuses before
replacing any electrical
components.
Even after a fuse is replaced, it
may continue to blow if the cause
of the overload is not identified
and corrected. If a fuse continues
to blow, have the vehicle's
electrical system checked.
Standard fuse amperage ratings
and colors
Fuse rating Color
7.5 amp Brown
10 amp Red
15 amp Blue
20 amp Yellow
30 amp Light green
30 amp fuse link Pink
40 amp Green
60 amp fuse link Yellow
80 amp fuse link Black
100 amp fuse link Blue
Roadside emergencies
136

Instrument panel fuses
Always replace a fuse with
one that has the specified
amperage rating. Using a fuse
with a higher amperage rating
can cause severe wire damage
and could start a fire.
Position Amps Description
1 15 Stop/turn lamps and turn indicators
2 5 Instrument cluster
3 25 Cigarette lighter
4 5 Power mirrors, autolamp, remote
anti-theft/keyless entry, headlamp relay and
parking lamp relay
5 15 Speed control, daytime running lamps, climate
control blend door, backup lamps, A/C clutch
coil
6 5 Brake-shift interlock, generic electronic module
(GEM)/central timer module (CTM) and air
suspension module
7 - Not used
8 5 Radio, remote anti-theft/keyless entry, GEM
module/CTM module
1
1
2
3
4
512 22
21323
31424
4
16 15
25
526
61727
71828
81929
11 21 31930
10 20
f12_pass_comp_fuses
Roadside emergencies
137