1998 Mercury Villager ESP

mContinuous improvement is essential to our success.We
must strive for excellence in everything we do: in our
products Ð in their safety and value Ð and in our services,
our human relations, our competitiveness, and our profitability.
mEmployee involvement is our way of life. We are a team. We
must treat one another with trust and respect.
mDealers and suppliers are our partners.We must maintain
mutually beneficial relationships with dealers, suppliers,
and our other business associates.
mIntegrity is never compromised.Our conduct worldwide
must be pursued in a manner that is socially responsible
and commands respect for its integrity and for its positive
contributions to society.
NOTES and WARNINGS
NOTESgive you additional information about the subject matter
you are referencing.
WARNINGSremind you to be especially careful in those areas
where carelessness can cause damage to your vehicle or personal
injury to yourself, your passengers or other people. Please read
allWARNINGScarefully.
WARNING
Finding Information in This Guide
After you have read this guide once, you will probably return to
it when you have a specific question or need additional
information. To help you find specific information quickly, you
can use the Quick Index, Table of Contents, or the Index.
2

TheQuick Indexat the end of the book provides a page number
following each item which indicates where detailed
information can be found.
To use theIndex, turn to the back of the book and search in the
alphabetical listing for the word that best describes the
information you need. If the word you choose is not listed, think
of other related words and look them up. We have designed
the Index so that you can find information under a technical term.
Canadian Owners Ð French Version
French Owner Guides can be obtained from your dealer or by
writing to Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited, Service
Publications, P.O. Box 1580, Station B, Mississauga, Ontario
L4Y 4G3.
Maintenance Schedule
As with any other member of your family, your new vehicle
requires routine care and regular check-ups. A separateMaintenance
Schedulebooklet is included to help you keep track of all
services performed and summarizes the day-to-day services that
are most important for keeping your vehicle in good
condition.
Warranties
Your vehicle is covered by three types of warranties:Basic
Vehicle Warranty,Extended Warrantieson certain parts, and
Emissions Warranties.
Read yourWarranty Guidecarefully to find out about
your vehicle's warranties and your basic rights and
responsibilities.
Introduction
3

If you lose yourWarranty Guide,you can get a new one free of
charge. Contact any Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealer, or refer to the
addresses and phone numbers on the first page of this Owner's
Guide.
Ford's Extended Service Plan (ESP)
More Protection for Your Vehicle
You can get more protection for your new car or light truck by
purchasing a Ford Extended Service Plan (Ford ESP). Ford ESP is
the only extended service program with the Ford name on it
and the only service contract backed by Ford Motor Company.
Ford ESP is an optional service contract, backed and administered
by Ford. It provides:
mprotection against repair costs after your Bumper to Bumper
Warranty expires;
and
mother benefits during the warranty period (such as:
reimbursement for rentals; coverage for certain maintenance
and wear items).
You may purchase Ford ESP from any participating Ford or
Lincoln-Mercury Motor Company dealer. There are several Ford
ESP plans available in various time-and-mileage
combinations. Each plan can be tailored to fit your own driving
needs, including reimbursement benefits for towing and
rental. (In Hawaii, rules vary. See your dealer for details.)
When you purchase Ford ESP, you receive peace-of-mind
protection throughout the United States and Canada, provided by
a network of more than 5,100 participating Ford Motor
Company dealers.
NOTE: Repairs performed outside the United States and
Canada are not eligible for ESP coverage.
4

This information is subject to change. Ask your dealer for
complete details about Ford ESP coverage.
Break-In Period for Your Villager
Your new vehicle will go through an adjustment or break-in
period during the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of driving. During
the break-in period, you need to pay careful attention to how
you drive your vehicle.
mChange your speed often as you drive.Do not drive at one
speed for a long time.
mUse only the type of engine oil that Ford recommends.See
Engine oilin the Index. Do not use special ªbreak-inº oils.
mAvoid sudden stops.Because your vehicle has new brake
linings, you should take these steps:
Ð Watch traffic carefully so that you can anticipate when to
stop.
Ð Begin braking well in advance.
Ð Apply the brakes gradually.
The break-in period for new brake linings lasts for 100 miles (160
km) of city driving or 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of highway
driving.
Things to Know About Using This Guide
Congratulations on the purchase of your new vehicle. This guide
has information about the equipment and the options for your
new vehicle. You may not have bought all of the options available
to you. If you do not know which information applies to your
vehicle, talk to your dealer.
Introduction
5

Setting the station memory preset buttons
Your radio is equipped with 6 station memory buttons. These
buttons can be used to select up to 6 preset AM stations and 12 FM
stations (6 in FM1 and 6 in FM2). Follow the easy steps below
to set these buttons to the desired frequencies:
1. Select a band, then select a frequency.
2. Press one of the memory preset buttons and hold the button
until the sound returns. That station is now held in memory
on that button.
3. Follow the two steps above for each station memory preset
button you want to set.
NOTE: If the vehicle's battery is disconnected, the Station
Memory Preset buttons will need to be reset.
mUsing the Automatic Memory Store feature (Supersound only)
Activate Auto Memory Store by pushing the ªAUTO SETº
button once. Your radio will set the first six strong stations of
the band you are in (AM, FM1 or FM2) into the memory
buttons. The display will show ªAUTO,º then run through the
frequencies, stopping momentarily on the stations being set
into the memory buttons. The radio is now in the ªAUTOº mode
and this display will show ªAUTOº each time a preset
selected by ªAUTO SETº is activated.
With Auto Memory Store, you can continually set strong
stations into your memory buttons without losing your existing
memory presets, which is especially helpful while traveling.
Your radio will automatically set your memory buttons to the
strong local stations so you don't have to continually
manually tune to existing stations.
Electronic Sound Systems
35

NOTE: If there are fewer than six strong stations in the
frequency band, the remaining unfilled buttons will
store the last strong station detected on the band.
After all stations have been filled, the radio will begin playing
the station stored on memory button 1.
To deactivate the Auto Memory Store mode and return to the
manually-set memory button stations, simply push the
ªAUTO SETº button. The display will show ªAUTOº then
ªOFF.º
Using the ªBASSº and ªTREBº buttons to adjust the tone
balance and speaker output
Push the top of the ªBASSº button to increase the bass response
and push the bottom of the ªBASSº button to decrease the
bass response. The display will show ªBASSº and the setting
indicator bars will show the bass level.
Push the top of the ªTREBº button to increase the treble response
and push the bottom of the ªTREBº button to decrease the
treble response.
Adjusting Speakers
Adjusting speaker balance
Balance control allows you to adjust the sound distribution
between the right and left speakers. Push the top of the ªBALº
button to shift the sound to the right speakers, and push the bottom
of the ªBALº button to shift the sound to the left speakers.
Adjusting speaker fader
Fade control allows you to adjust the sound distribution between
the front and rear speakers. Push the top of the ªFADEº
button to shift the sound to the front speakers, and push the
bottom of the ªFADEº button to shift the sound to the rear speakers.
36

NOTE: The compressor will not operate when the outside
temperature is less than about 40É F (4É C).
Rear Passenger Compartment Climate Control System
for Vehicles with Non-Automatic Temperature
Control Systems (If equipped)
If your vehicle is equipped with rear passenger compartment
climate controls, the rear seat occupants can select their own
personal climate comfort level.
The rear seat climate control system is controlled from the main
climate control system on the instrument panel. If the main
system is off, the rear system will also be off. If the rear passenger
compartment climate control lever is set in OFF, the rear
climate controls are turned off. If the lever is set in any of the fan
speed positions (1-4), air will be discharged from the rear seat
vents at the corresponding speed. However, when the lever is set
at REAR, rear seat passengers can control their own fan speed.
The rear passenger compartment climate control system has a fan
speed knob which controls the speed at which air is
discharged from the vents. The vent selection switch determines
whether the air is discharged from the upper vents or the
lower (floor) vents. The temperature control knob controls the air
temperature.
66

If the rear seat climate control lever is set in any of the fan speed
positions (1-4), air will be discharged from the rear seat vents
at the corresponding speed. Rear seat passengers can choose
airflow to be distributed out of the upper or lower vents by using
the vent selection switch on the rear climate control panel. The
air temperature from the rear climate control system will be
automatically controlled by the front ATC system. Rear seat
passengers cannot control fan speed or air temperature by using
the temperature control knobs on the rear climate control
panel.
If the rear seat climate control lever is set in the REAR position,
the front ATC system will not control the rear climate control
system. Rear seat passengers can control fan speed, upper or lower
air distribution, and temperature control from the rear system
by using the rear climate controls.
Rear seat climate control system panel
74