1998 FORD CROWN VICTORIA Owners Manual

chapter). If the oil level is correct, have your vehicle checked at your
dealership or by a qualified technician.
ELECTRONIC MESSAGE CENTER
The electronic message center only
works when the ignition is in the
ON position.
The message center allows you to:
²see problems such as door ajar,
air suspension, trunk ajar, washer
fluid low
²see how many kilometers/miles
you can drive before running out
of fuel
²see when overdrive has been deactivated
²monitor the average fuel economy
²monitor the instantaneous fuel economy
²check the distance traveled during a trip on either Trip A or Trip B
²monitor the average speed
Selectable features
Reset
Press this control to reset the
selected message center function to
zero. The only functions which can
be reset are:
²AVG ECON
²TRIP A or TRIP B
²AVG SPEED
CHECK
TRUNK AJAR LTR/100 kmAIR SUSPENSION
OVERDRIVE OFFDOOR
AJAR
LOW
WASHER
FLUID
DIST TO
EMPTY
TRIP
AAVG
ECON
TRIP
BINST
ECON
AVG
SPEED
km
MILES
/GAL
RESET E/M SELECT
Instrumentation
17

E/M
Press this control to switch the
electronic instrument cluster display
and the message center display from
metric to English units.
Select
Each press of the SELECT control
will select a different function.
Press the right side of the control to
advance the function to the right,
and press the left side of the control
to advance the function to the left.
To reset any function:
1. Push either the right or left side
of the SELECT control to choose
the desired function.
2. Press the RESET control and the
selected message center function
will be reset to zero.
Message center functions
DIST TO EMPTY (DTE)
This function estimates
approximately how far you can drive
with the fuel remaining in your tank
under normal driving conditions.
RESET E/M SELECT
RESET E/M SELECT
RESET E/M SELECT
DIST TO
EMPTY
TRIP
AAVG
ECON
TRIP
BINST
ECON
AVG
SPEED
Instrumentation
18

Remember to turn the ignition OFF when refueling your vehicle.
Otherwise, the display will not show the addition of fuel for a few miles.
At least 9.5 liters (2.5 gallons) of fuel must be added for the fuel gauge
to immediately show the new fuel level.
The DTE function will flash for 5 seconds and sound a tone for 1 second
when you have approximately:
²80 km (50 miles) left before you run out of fuel
²40 km (25 miles)
²16 km (10 miles)
The message center will remain in
the DTE function until the SELECT
control is pressed to change
functions.
Displayed DTE will not be equal to
AVG ECON multiplied by the FUEL
REMAIN value. DTE is calculated
using a method that considers the
fuel economy of the last 800 km
(500 miles) driven.
If ªCOº or ªCSº is displayed, there is a problem with the fuel indication
system and you should contact your dealer for service as soon as
possible.
AVG ECON (average fuel economy)
Select this function to display your
average fuel economy in liters/100
km or miles/gallon.
If you calculate your average fuel
economy by dividing miles traveled by gallons used, your figure may be
different than displayed for the following reasons:
²your vehicle was not perfectly level during fill-up
²differences in the automatic shut-off points on the fuel pumps at
service stations
²variations in top-off procedure from one fill-up to another
²rounding of the displayed values to the nearest 0.1 liter (gallons)
RESET E/M SELECT
DIST TO
EMPTY
TRIP
AAVG
ECON
TRIP
BINST
ECON
AVG
SPEED
Instrumentation
19

Press the RESET control while AVG
ECON is displayed to reset the
function.
The average displayed is the average
since the last reset.
INST ECON (instantaneous fuel economy)
Select this function to calculate the
instantaneous fuel economy of your
running vehicle. For example, you
can see what your fuel economy is
in heavy traffic or on an open highway.
Your vehicle must be moving to calculate instantaneous fuel economy.
When your vehicle is not moving, instantaneous fuel economy is
displayed at 99 liters per 100 kilometers (or 0 miles per gallon).
Instantaneous fuel economy cannot be reset.
TRIP A and TRIP B
These two functions allow you to
see how far you have traveled since
you last reset. Trip A and Trip B are
completely independent and must
be reset individually.
To reset either trip feature to zero,
press the RESET control while the
appropriate trip distance feature
(TRIP A or TRIP B) is displayed.
RESET E/M SELECT
DIST TO
EMPTY
TRIP
AAVG
ECON
TRIP
BINST
ECON
AVG
SPEED
DIST TO
EMPTY
TRIP
AAVG
ECON
TRIP
BINST
ECON
AVG
SPEED
RESET E/M SELECT
Instrumentation
20

AVG SPEED (average speed)
Select this function to display your
average speed in miles per hour or
kilometers per hour.
Your vehicle must be moving to
calculate your average speed. When your vehicle is not moving, the
average speed is displayed at 0 kilometers (0 miles) per hour.
Message center indicator lights
Check air suspension
Briefly illuminates when the ignition
is turned ON. This light will remain
on to indicate that the air
suspension switch is off or to
indicate a possible system fault. For
more information on the air
suspension system, refer to the
Drivingchapter.
Overdrive off
Illuminates when the transmission
control switch (TCS) has been
pushed. When the light is on, the
transmission does not shift into
overdrive. If the light does not come
on when the TCS is depressed or if
the light flashes when you are
driving, have your vehicle serviced.
Door ajar
Illuminates when one of the doors is
not completely shut and the ignition
is turned to ON. With the ignition
ON, this light will flash five times
and sound a tone for one second,
then remain on (if a door is open).
DIST TO
EMPTY
TRIP
AAVG
ECON
TRIP
BINST
ECON
AVG
SPEED
CHECK
TRUNK AJAR LTR/100 kmAIR SUSPENSION
OVERDRIVE OFFDOOR
AJAR
LOW
WASHER
FLUID
km
MILES
/GAL
CHECK
TRUNK AJAR LTR/100 kmAIR SUSPENSION
OVERDRIVE OFFDOOR
AJAR
LOW
WASHER
FLUID
km
MILES
/GAL
CHECK
TRUNK AJAR LTR/100 kmAIR SUSPENSION
OVERDRIVE OFFDOOR
AJAR
LOW
WASHER
FLUID
km
MILES
/GAL
Instrumentation
21

Low washer fluid
Momentarily illuminates when the
ignition is turned to ON and will
stay on when the windshield washer
fluid is low.
Trunk ajar
If the trunk is not completely
closed, this light comes on when
you turn the ignition to ON. With
the ignition ON, this light will flash
five times and sound a tone for one
second, then remain on (if the trunk
is open).
INDICATOR LAMP MODULE
The indicator lamp module contains the following lamps:
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) (If equipped)
Momentarily illuminates when the
ignition is turned on and the engine
is off. If the light does not illuminate
momentarily at start up, remains on
or continues to flash, the ABS needs
to be serviced. With the ABS light on, the anti-lock brake system is
disabled and normal braking is still effective unless the brake warning
light also remains illuminated with parking brake released.
Brake system warning
Momentarily illuminates when the
ignition is turned to the ON position
and the engine is off. If brake
warning lamp does not illuminate at
this time, seek service immediately.
Also illuminates when the parking brake is engaged. Illumination after
releasing the parking brake indicates low brake fluid level and the brake
system should be inspected immediately.
CHECK
TRUNK AJAR LTR/100 kmAIR SUSPENSION
OVERDRIVE OFFDOOR
AJAR
LOW
WASHER
FLUID
km
MILES
/GAL
CHECK
TRUNK AJAR LTR/100 kmAIR SUSPENSION
OVERDRIVE OFFDOOR
AJAR
LOW
WASHER
FLUID
km
MILES
/GAL
ABS
P!
BRAKE
Instrumentation
22

PANEL DIMMER CONTROL
Use to adjust the brightness of the
instrument panel during headlight
and parklamp operation.
²Push up to brighten.
²Push down to dim.
HEADLAMP CONTROL
Rotate the headlamp control to the
first position to turn on the parking
lamps only. Rotate to the second
position to also turn on the
headlamps.
High beams
Push forward to activate.
Flash to pass
Pull toward you to activate and
release to deactivate.
PANEL
DIM
OFF
P
HI
LO
F
S
OFF
HI
LO
F
S
OFF
Controls and features
23

Autolamp control (if equipped)
The autolamp system provides light
sensitive automatic on-off control of
the exterior lights normally
controlled by the headlamp control.
The autolamp system also keeps the
lights on for a preselected period of
time after the ignition switch is
turned to OFF.
²To turn autolamps on, rotate the
control counterclockwise. The preselected time lapse is adjustable up
to approximately three minutes by continuing to rotate the control
counterclockwise.
²To turn autolamps off, rotate the control clockwise to OFF.
²A small LED illuminates under the autolamp control to indicate that
the headlamps have been turned on by the autolamps.
Daytime running lamps (DRL) (if equipped)
Turns the highbeam headlamps on with a reduced output. To activate:
²the engine must be running,
²the parking brake released, and
²the headlamp control is in the OFF or Parking lamps position.
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.
REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER
The rear defroster control is located
on the instrument panel.
Press the defroster control to clear
the rear window of thin ice and fog.
²The small LED will illuminate when the defroster is activated.
The ignition must be in the ON position to operate the rear window
defroster.
OFF
AUTO
LAMPP
R.DEF.
Controls and features
24