1998 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL Owners Manual

Engine oil pressure
Illuminates when the oil pressure
falls below the normal range. Stop
the vehicle as soon as safely
possible and switch off the engine
immediately. Check the oil level and
add oil if needed. Refer toEngine oilin theMaintenance and Care
chapter.
This lamp also illuminates when the ignition is turned to ON and the
engine is off.
Traction ControlYoff light
Illuminates when the Traction
Controlysystem has been disabled
(by the driver or as a result of a
system failure). For more
information, refer to theDriving
chapter.
Safety belt warning chime
Chimes to remind you to fasten your safety belts.
For information on the safety belt warning chime, refer to theSeating
and safety restraintschapter.
Supplemental restraint system (SRS) warning chime
For information on the SRS warning chime, refer to theSeating and
safety restraintschapter.
Key-in-ignition warning chime
Sounds when the key is left in the ignition in the OFF/LOCK or ACC
position and either front door is opened.
Headlamps on warning chime
Sounds when the headlamps or parking lamps are on, the ignition is off
(and the key is not in the ignition) and either front door is opened.
Turn signal chime
Sounds when the turn signal lever has been activated to signal a turn.
T/ C
OFF
Instrumentation
9

GAUGES
Fuel gauge
Displays approximately how much
fuel is in the fuel tank (when the
key is in the ON position). The fuel
gauge may vary slightly when the
vehicle is in motion. The ignition
should be in the OFF position while
the vehicle is being refueled. When
the gauge first indicates empty,
there is a small amount of reserve
fuel in the tank. When refueling the
vehicle from empty indication, the amount of fuel that can be added will
be less than the advertised capacity due to the reserve fuel.
Speedometer
Indicates the current vehicle speed.
Odometer
The odometer is located in the message center. It registers the total
kilometers (miles) of the vehicle. Pressing the E/M control will alternate
between English (miles) and Metric (kilometers) measurements.
80
MPH km/h
ABS
P!BRAKE
+ –
RPMx1000NORM
T/C
OFF
CHEF
FILL ON RIGHT
SERVICE
ENGINE
SOON AIR
BAG TURN ON
HEAD
LAMPS0 123456
7
0 2060
80
100
120
0 204060100
120
140
160
180
200
40
000000.0
EF
FILL ON RIGHT
80
MPH km/h0 2060
80
100
1200 204060100
120
140
160
180
200
40
Instrumentation
10

Tachometer
Indicates the engine speed in
revolutions per minute.
Driving with your tachometer
pointer in the red zone may damage
the engine.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
Indicates the temperature of the
engine coolant. At normal operating
temperature, the needle remains
within the normal area (the area
between the ªHº and ªCº). If it
enters the red section, the engine is
overheating. Stop the vehicle as
soon as safely possible, switch off
the engine immediately and let the
engine cool. Refer toEngine
coolantin theMaintenance and carechapter.
Never remove the coolant recovery cap while the engine is
running or hot.
This gauge indicates the temperature of the engine coolant, not the
coolant level. If the coolant is not at its proper level the gauge indication
will not be accurate.
ABS
RPMx1000AIR
BAG ANTI
THEFT0 123456
7
NORM
CH
Instrumentation
11

ELECTRONIC MESSAGE CENTER
The electronic message center only
works when the ignition is in the
ON position.
The message center tells you about
the condition of your vehicle by two
methods:
²operator selectable features
²continuous warning reporting of
monitored systems
You can select different features for
the message center to display by
using the message center controls
located to the right of the
instrument cluster. You will hear a tone when you press one of these
controls. However, the message center will display the appropriate
warning message if it detects a warning from any of the monitored
systems.
If you have a vehicle with the Driver
Select System, you have a DRIVER
ID control in place of the E/M
control.
²Refer toDRIVER ID
(if equipped)
for DRIVER ID control
information.
²Refer toE/M (if equipped)for
E/M control information.
Operator selectable features
These features are controlled by the message center controls located to
the right of the instrument cluster.
SYSTEM
E/M
MENU
TRIP
RESETSELECT
DISPLAY
DTE ECON VEHICLE HANDLING
SYSTEM
DRIVER ID
MENU
TRIP
RESETSELECT
DISPLAY
DTE ECON VEHICLE HANDLING
Instrumentation
12

System check
Pressing this control causes the
message center to cycle through a
status of each of the systems being
monitored. For each of the monitored systems, the message center will
indicate either an OK message or a warning message for three seconds.
The sequence of the system check report is as follows:
²voltage level
²engine temperature
²oil level
²engine coolant level
²washer fluid level
²doors closed (driver and passenger side). This message can only be
reset by closing the door(s). If the RESET control is pressed, PLEASE
CLOSE DOOR will be displayed.
²trunk closed
²exterior lamps (front turn, brake and tail)
²fuel level
²distance to empty
²traction control
²ride control
System warnings
System warnings alert you to possible problems or malfunctions in your
vehicle's operating systems.
The message center will display the
last selected feature if there are no
more warning messages. This allows
you to use the full functionality of
the message center after you acknowledge the warning by pressing the
RESET control and clearing the warning message.
SYSTEM
RESET
Instrumentation
13

Door Ajar Cannot be reset
Driver's Door Ajar
Check Engine Temp Warning returns after 10 minutes
Transmission Overheat
Check Transmission
Low Oil Level
Check Charging System
Low Fuel Level
Low Engine Coolant
Low Tire Pressure (if equipped)
Gear Display Data ERR Warning reappears after key is
turned from OFF to ON
Brake Lamp Out
Check Traction Control
Check Ride Control
Trunk Ajar
Check Steering Assist
Low Washer Fluid
Air Leveling Disabled
Tail Lamp Out
Check FRT Turn Lamps
Turn on Headlamps
Warning messages that have been reset are divided into two categories:
²They will reappear on the display ten minutes from the reset.
²They will not reappear until an ignition OFF-ON cycle has been
completed. This acts as a reminder that these warning conditions still
exist within the vehicle.
TRIP
Press this control to display the first
of two trip odometers. Press it again
to display the second trip odometer.
To reset the displayed trip
odometer, press the RESET control.
TRIP
RESET
Instrumentation
14

DTE/ECON
²Press the DTE/ECON control
once to display the approximately
how far you can drive before
running out of fuel, or the
distance to empty (DTE). To ensure accuracy, turn the ignition OFF
when you fill the tank.
²Press the DTE/ECON control a second time to display the average fuel
economy in liters/100 kilometers or miles/gallon, based on distance
traveled and rate of fuel used information.
²To reset this feature, press the
RESET control while average fuel
economy is displayed (while you
are driving).
DTE is calculated using a running average fuel economy initialized by the
factory. This value is not the same as the average fuel economy display.
The running average fuel economy is based on more than 800 kilometers
(500 miles) of driving history, and is reinitialized if the battery is
disconnected.
If the FUEL LEVEL ERROR message is displayed, there is a problem
with the fuel indication system and you should contact your dealer for
service as soon as possible.
E/M (if equipped)
Press this control to switch the
odometer and the message center
display from metric (kilometers) to
English (miles) units, and to change
the temperature indication on the climate control unit.
DRIVER ID (if equipped)
Press this control to set vehicle
comfort settings for up to two
drivers. Seat and mirror position and
vehicle handling characteristics can
be set with this control.
DTE ECON
RESET
E/M
DRIVER ID
Instrumentation
15

RESET
Press this control to reset:
²warnings
²average fuel economy
²trip odometers
The other selectable features are unaffected by pressing RESET.
DISPLAY
Press this control to turn the
message center display off. Press it
again to turn the display on.
Warnings override an off display and
must be reset for the display to be off again.
VEHICLE HANDLING
Press this control once to adjust
RIDE CONTROL SETTINGS
(if equipped) between NORMAL,
PLUSH and FIRM. This feature
cannot be adjusted on vehicles not
equipped with the Driver Select System.
Press this control a second time to adjust the STEERING EFFORT
SETTINGS between NORMAL, LOW and HIGH.
Press the SELECT control to change
these settings while in VEHICLE
HANDLING mode. The combination
of firm ride control (if equipped)
and low steering effort is undesirable and cannot be selected.
MENU
Press this control to change various
convenience settings throughout the
vehicle. Each press of the MENU
control will display a different
convenience setting as follows:
Save to driver (if equipped)
This allows you to select driver setting one, two or off.
RESET
DISPLAY
VEHICLE HANDLING
SELECT
MENU
Instrumentation
16