1998 Mercury Villager Owner's Manuals

Tachometer
The tachometer tells you how fast the engine is running by
indicating approximate engine revolutions per minute.
Driving with the pointer in the red zone may cause engine
damage.
Instrumentation
21

Electronic cluster
22

The electronic cluster has all of the same warning lights as the
mechanical cluster, however, some of the gauges will be electronic
instead of analog. In addition, the electronic cluster has a fuel
computer which displays fuel economy, distance to empty and
outside air temperature.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge
This gauge shows you the temperature of the engine coolant and
is identified by a thermometer symbol. The letter H means
that the coolant is hot, C means that it is cold, and NORMAL
means that the coolant is within the normal operating range.
The indicator bar on the graph will move into the normal operating
range as the engine warms up. When you are in heavy traffic
or stop-and-go driving in hot weather, the gauge may read at the
very top of the NORMAL range. This is acceptable.
However, if the indicator bar on the graph moves into the H
(hot) position, the engine is overheating and may be damaged. If
this happens, you should stop your vehicle as soon as safely
possible. Turn off the engine and let it cool. Check the coolant level
to be sure that it is at the proper level. If your vehicle needs
more coolant, seeEngine coolantin the Index and read the section
regardingadding coolant.
Instrumentation
23

Fuel Gauge
The fuel gauge displays approximately how much fuel you
have in the fuel tank. The number of bars illuminated in the display
indicates how much fuel is left. An accurate reading may be
obtained when the vehicle is on smooth, level ground.
Engine coolant temperature gauge
Fuel gauge
24

Fuel and Distance Computer
The fuel and distance computer has five buttons to operate the
different functions.
SELECT Ð The SELECT button lets you choose the functions
of the fuel computer. Each time you press the SELECT
button, the computer advances to the next choice on the menu.
After it reaches the last choice on the menu, it returns to the
top of the menu.
RESET Ð The RESET button is used to reset the Average
Economy function. Press the SELECT button until the Average
Economy function is displayed. Then press the RESET button.
ENG/MET Ð The ENG/MET button allows you to change your
gauges from English to metric units or from metric to
English units. The displays remain in the units you choose
until you change them again, even after you turn off the vehicle
and start it again. To synchronize the automatic temperature
control module's ENG/MET; refer to the climate control
information in the Controls and Features section of this manual.
TRIP/RST Ð The TRIP/RST button is used to reset the trip
odometer mileage. Press the OD/TRIP button until the trip
odometer mileage is displayed. Then press the TRIP/RST
button.
Fuel and distance computer switches
Instrumentation
25

OD/TRIP Ð The OD/TRIP button lets you switch the display
between the permanent odometer mileage and the trip
odometer mileage.
Fuel computer functions
OUTSIDE TEMP
This feature lets you display the temperature of the air outside of
your vehicle.
The fuel and distance computer is designed to prevent inaccurate
temperature display readings. For example, a sudden
temperature change (such as driving out of a cool garage on a
warm day), may show outside temperature display readings which
are lower than expected. The accurate temperature will be
displayed after the vehicle has reached the outside temperature
and is driven at speeds of 30 mph (48 km/h) or greater.
In the event of a decrease in the outside air temperature, there
will be no delay in an accurate temperature display.
Fuel and distance computer display
26

INST ECONOMY
Your instantaneous fuel economy is the fuel economy you get at
any particular moment. For example, you can see what your
fuel economy is in heavy traffic or on the highway.
Factors such as braking, acceleration, and road terrain affect your
fuel economy.
To display instantaneous fuel economy, press the SELECT button
until the menu displays INST ECONOMY. Your vehicle must
be moving for the computer to calculate a fuel economy greater
than zero.
AVG ECONOMY
The average fuel economy is an overall average of your fuel
economy taken from the last time the reset button was pushed.
The computer takes an average of all the types of driving you have
done since the RESET button was pressed (highway, city, heavy
traffic), and figures out the average fuel economy. You can calculate
your average fuel economy as often as you like. For example,
you can calculate the average fuel economy for each tank of fuel
or for every day.
Instrumentation
27

To display the average fuel economy:
1. Press the SELECT button until the menu displays AVG
ECONOMY.
2. You will probably display the average fuel economy for each
tank of fuel or for each trip you take. Each time you want to
recalculate the average fuel economy, you need to press the
RESET button. The average fuel economy must be displayed
to reset the fuel computer.
The best time to reset the AVG ECONOMY is when you fill
the fuel tank or at the beginning of a trip.
TO EMPTY
The Distance to Empty function tells you approximately how
many miles or kilometers you can drive until you run out of fuel.
To see the Distance to Empty, press the SELECT button until
the menu displays TO EMPTY. The fuel computer displays
approximate distance to empty until you select another function.
To ensure accuracy, turn the ignition to the OFF position
when you fill the fuel tank.
28