1997 Mercury Mountaineer Owner's Manuals

your vehicle to comply with
applicable exhaust emission
requirements. For more
information on your vehicle's
emission control system, see the
Vehicle Emission Control
Information decal located on the
left side of the engine
compartment.
Follow these guidelines to ensure
proper emission system operation:
²Use only unleaded fuel.
²Avoid running out of fuel.
²Do not turn off the ignition
while your vehicle is in motion.
²Have the services performed
according to the intervals in the
Service Guide.
When servicing your vehicle, never
use a metal exhaust collector. A
metal collector may melt or deform
plastic parts.
Do not park, idle, or drive
your vehicle in dry grass
or other dry ground cover. The
emission system heats up the
engine compartment and exhaust
system, which can start a fire.
On vehicles without
original equipment floor
covering or insulation, do not let
passengers ride in your truck in
a manner that allows contact
between skin and the metal floor.
Maintenance and care
169

If you notice one or more of the
following, the emission system may
not be working properly. Have the
vehicle serviced as soon as
possible.
²Fluid leaks.
²The
andCHECK
ENGINElights
illuminate in the instrument
cluster and remain lit.
²Strange odors.
²Engine runs more than five
seconds after shut-off or engine
misfires, surges, stalls or
backfires.
²Loss of oil pressure.
When servicing your vehicle, never
use a metal exhaust collector. A
metal collector may heat or deform
plastic parts.
Important emission control
information
By law, anyone who manufactures,
repairs, services, sells, leases,
trades vehicles, or supervises a
fleet of vehicles is not permitted to
intentionally remove an emission
control device or prevent it from
working.
Do not make any unauthorized
changes to the vehicle or engine.
Changes that cause more
unburned fuel to reach the exhaust
system can increase the
temperature of the engine or
exhaust system.
Maintenance and care
170

Preparing your vehicle for
inspection/maintenance testing
In some localities it may become a
legal requirement to pass an
Inspection/Maintenance test of the
On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II)
system. If the vehicle's powertrain
system or battery has just been
serviced, the OBD II system is
reset to a not ready for I/M testing
condition. To ready the OBD II
system for I/M testing, the law
specifies that additional mixed city
and highway driving is necessary
to complete the check of the OBD
II system.
The driving modes required to
reach the ready condition consist
of a minimum of 30 minutes of city
and highway driving as described
below:
²20 minutes of driving in stop
and go city-type traffic with at
least four idle periods.
²10 minutes of driving on an
expressway or highway.
Before completing the above
driving modes, the engine must be
warmed up and at operating
temperature. Once started, the
vehicle must not be turned off
during the above driving modes. If
the vehicle owner is unable to
meet the I/M requirements by
using these driving patterns, an
authorized service center can
perform a detailed OBD II Drive
Cycle as it would any other type of
repair work.
Maintenance and care
171

EXTERIOR LAMPS
Replacing the exterior bulbs
It is a good idea to check the
operation of the following lights
frequently:
²Headlamps
²High-mount brakelamp
²Tail lamps
²Brakelamps
²Backup lamps
²Hazard flasher
Maintenance and care
172

²Turn signals
²License plate lamp
²Fog lamps
²Interior overhead lamp
Do not remove lamp bulbs unless
they will be replaced immediately.
If a bulb is removed for an
extended period of time,
contaminants may enter the lamp
housings and affect performance.
Headlamps
Handle a halogen bulb
carefully and keep out of
children's reach. Grasp the bulb
only by its plastic base and do
not touch the glass; the oil from
your hand could cause the bulb
to break the next time that the
headlamps are operated.
1. Make sure that the headlamp
switch is in the OFF position.
2. Lift the hood and open the
hinged headlamp cover.
LIFT
Maintenance and care
173

3. Remove electrical connector by
grasping wires and pulling
rearward.
4. Remove bulb retaining ring by
turning it 1/8 turn to free it from
the socket. Slide the ring off the
plastic base.
5. Carefully remove the bulb
assembly from its socket by gently
pulling it rearward.
6. With the flat side of the bulb's
plastic base facing upward, insert
the glass end of the bulb into the
socket. You may need to turn the
bulb left or right to line up the
grooves in the plastic base with
the tabs in the socket.
7. Slip the bulb retaining ring over
the plastic base and lock it by
rotating it clockwise until you feel
it stop.
8. Push the electrical connector
into the rear of the plastic base
until you feel it ªsnap.º
9. Replace the bulb assembly into
the headlamp.
High-mount brakelamp
The high-mount brakelamp is
located just above the rear liftgate
window. For bulb replacement, see
your dealer.
Rear turn signals/brake/tail
lamps/backup lamps
The tail lamps, backup lamps and
the brake lamps are located in the
same bezel. Follow these steps to
Maintenance and care
174

remove and replace any of the
bulbs.
1. Remove the two (2) screws
retaining rear lamp to vehicle.
2. Remove rear lamp by pulling
rearward to disengage two lower
barbed retainers.
3. Remove socket from lamp.
4. Remove bulb from socket.
5. Install bulb in socket.
6. Install socket to lamp.
7. Replace rear lamp.
Hazard flasher
For more information on the
hazard flasher and hazard switch,
refer toHazard switchin the
Roadside emergencieschapter.
For bulb replacement, see your
dealer.
Maintenance and care
175

Turn signals
For more information on the turn
signals, refer toTurn signalsin
theControls and Features
chapter. For bulb replacement, see
your dealer.
License plate lamp
To change the license plate bulb,
follow this procedure:
1. Use a screwdriver to detach the
lamp from the bumper.
2. Turn and pull the socket from
the lamp and remove the bulb.
3. Replace socket into lamp and
press lamp back into bumper.
Maintenance and care
176