1997 FORD F150 brake

Using safety restraints properly
Combination lap and shoulder
belts
1. To connect the safety belt,
insert the tongue into the buckle.
2. To disconnect the safety belt,
push the red release button and
remove the tongue from the
buckle.
The front and rear (if equipped)
outboard safety restraints in your
vehicle are combination lap and
shoulder safety belts. The outboard
passenger safety belts have the
two types of locking modes
described below:
Vehicle sensitive (emergency)
locking mode
The vehicle sensitive mode is the
normal retractor mode, allowing
free shoulder belt length
adjustment to your movements and
locking in response to vehicle
movement. For example, if the
driver brakes suddenly or turns a
corner sharply, or the vehicle
receives an impact of
approximately 8 km/h (5 mph) or
more the combination safety belts
will lock to help reduce forward
PRESS
f12_comb_lap_sh_belts
Seating and safety restraints
60

theSeating and safety restraints
chapter.
2. Make sure the headlamps and
vehicle accessories are off.
If starting a vehicle with an
automatic transmission:
²Make sure the parking brake is
set.
²Make sure the gearshift is in P
(Park).
P
Starting
85

If starting a vehicle with a manual
transmission:
²Make sure the parking brake is
set.
²Push the clutch pedal to the
floor.
1
24R3D
Starting
86

3. Turn the key to the ON position
(without turning the key to
START).
Make sure the following lights
illuminate briefly. If a light fails to
illuminate, have the vehicle
serviced.
²If the driver's safety belt is
fastened, the
light does not
illuminate.
!MPH 1050
3070
4080
120
140
18 0
40
20
0
10090 60
8060100
20 km/h
0010
000005CH
EF
DOOR
AJARLOW
FUEL
MPH
CHECK
ENGINEABS
L H18
8
BRAKE
!
LOW
FUEL
ABS
BRAKE
3
MPH 1050
3070
4080
120
140
18 0
40
20
0
10090 60
8060100
20 km/h
0010
0000052
4
5
6 01LH
CH
EF
818RPMx1000CHECK
ENGINE
Starting
87

STARTING PROCEDURE
Starting the engine
1. Turn the key to 5 (Start)
without pressing the accelerator.
The key will return to 4 (On).
2. If the engine does not start
within five seconds, wait ten
seconds and try again.
3. If the engine does not start in
two attempts OR the temperature
is below Ð12ÉC (10ÉF), depress
accelerator and start the engine
while holding the accelerator
down. Release accelerator when
engine starts.
4. After idling for a few seconds,
apply the brake and release the
parking brake.
Using the engine block heater
(if equipped)
An engine block heater warms the
engine coolant, which improves
starting, warms up the engine
faster and allows the
heater-defroster system to respond
quickly. They are strongly
recommended if you live in a
region where temperatures reach
Ð23ÉC (±10ÉF) or below.
For best results, plug the heater in
at least three hours before starting
3
2
1
5
4
com_starting_vehicle.01
com_engine_heater.01
Starting
88

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
f12_rear_abs
com_abs.01
com_using_abs.01
Driving
91

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
Driving
92

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.
Driving
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