2002 Mercury Mountaineer tow

Location of the spare tire and tools
The spare tire and tools for your vehicle are stowed in the following
locations:
Tool Location
Spare tire Under the vehicle, just in front of
the rear bumper. The spare tire
winch drive nut is located at the
rear center of the cargo area
under a lid.
Jack, lug nut wrench, jack handle Behind the rear seat under the
carpeted floor lid in the cargo
floor.
Removing the jack
1. Open liftgate and remove the
carpeted floor lid and jack cover.
2. Turn jack screw eyelet
counterclockwise and remove the
jack from the bracket.
3. Remove the lug wrench from the
bag and rotate the wrench socket
out from the handle.
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To lessen the risk of
personal injury, do not put
any part of your body under the
vehicle while changing a tire. Do
not start the engine when your
vehicle is on the jack. The jack is
only meant for changing the tire.
•Never use the front or rear
differential as a jacking point.
8. Remove the lug nuts with the lug wrench.
9. Replace the flat tire with the spare tire, making sure the valve stem is
facing outward. Reinstall the lug nuts, cone side in, until the wheel is
snug against the hub. Do not fully tighten the lug nuts until the wheel
has been lowered.
10. Lower the wheel by turning the jack handle counterclockwise.
11. Remove the jack and fully
tighten the lug nuts in the order
shown.
12. Replace beauty cap, stow the
jack and tools in their respective
locations, making sure they are fully
secured so they do not rattle when
you drive.
13. Unblock the wheels.
Stowing the spare tire
1. Lay the tire on the ground with the valve stem facing in the direction
specified on the tire changing instructions located with the jack
hardware.
1
4 3
2 5
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2. Slide the wheel under the vehicle
and install the retainer through the
wheel center.
3. Turn the lug wrench clockwise
until the tire is raised to its original
position underneath the vehicle. The
lug wrench will click when the tire
is raised to the stowed position. It
will not allow you to overtighten.
JUMP STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
The gases around the battery can explode if exposed to flames,
sparks, or lit cigarettes. An explosion could result in injury or
vehicle damage.
Batteries contain sulfuric acid which can burn skin, eyes and
clothing, if contacted.
Do not attempt to push-start your vehicle. Automatic
transmissions do not have push-start capability; also, the
catalytic converter may become damaged.
Preparing your vehicle
When the battery is disconnected or a new battery is installed, the
transmission must relearn its shift strategy. As a result, the transmission
may have firm and/or soft shifts. This operation is considered normal and
will not affect function or durability of the transmission. Over time, the
adaptive learning process will fully update transmission operation.
1.Use only a 12–volt supply to start your vehicle.
2. Do not disconnect the battery of the disabled vehicle as this could
damage the vehicle’s electrical system.
3. Park the booster vehicle close to the hood of the disabled vehicle
making sure the two vehiclesdo nottouch. Set the parking brake on
both vehicles and stay clear of the engine cooling fan and other moving
parts.
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222

WRECKERTOWING
If you need to have your vehicle towed, contact a professional towing
service or, if you are a member, your roadside assistance center.
It is recommended that your vehicle be towed with a wheel lift or flatbed
equipment. Do not tow with a slingbelt. Ford Motor Company has not
approved a slingbelt towing procedure.
On 4x2 vehicles, it is acceptable to tow the vehicle with the front wheels
on the ground (without dollies) and the rear wheels off the ground.
On AWD vehicles, it is recommended that your vehicle be towed with a
wheel lift and dollies or flatbed equipment with all the wheels off the
ground.
If the vehicle is towed by other means or incorrectly, vehicle
damage may occur.
Ford Motor Company produces a towing manual for all authorized tow
truck operators. Have your tow truck operator refer to this manual for
proper hook-up and towing procedures for your vehicle.
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228

Changing the wiper blades
To replace the wiper blades:
1. Pull the wiper arm away from the
windshield and lock into the service
position.
2. Turn the blade at an angle from
the wiper arm. Push the lock pin
manually to release the blade and
pull the wiper blade down toward
the windshield to remove it from the
arm.
3. Attach the new wiper to the
wiper arm and press it into place until a click is heard.
REAR WINDOW WIPER BLADE
Refer toWindshield wiper bladesin this section for more information
on rear wiper blades.
INFORMATION ABOUT UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY GRADING
New vehicles are fitted with tires
that have a rating on them called
Tire Quality Grades. The Quality
grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between tread shoulder and
maximum section width. For
example:
•Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
These Tire Quality Grades are determined by standards that the United
States Department of Transportation has set.
Tire Quality Grades apply to new pneumatic tires for use on passenger
cars. They do not apply to deep tread, winter-type snow tires,
space-saver or temporary use spare tires, tires with nominal rim
diameters of 10 to 12 inches or limited production tires as defined in
Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 575.104(c)(2).
U.S. Department of Transportation-Tire quality grades:The U.S.
Department of Transportation requires Ford to give you the following
information about tire grades exactly as the government has written it.
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251

•You may want to turn off the speed control in hilly terrain if
unnecessary shifting between third and fourth gear occurs.
Unnecessary shifting of this type could result in reduced fuel
economy.
•Warming up a vehicle on cold mornings is not required and may
reduce fuel economy.
•Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driving may reduce fuel
economy.
•Combine errands and minimize stop-and-go driving.
Maintenance
•Keep tires properly inflated and use only recommended size.
•Operating a vehicle with the wheels out of alignment will reduce fuel
economy.
•Use recommended engine oil. Refer toLubricant specificationsin
theMaintenance and Specificationschapter.
•Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance items. Follow the
recommended maintenance schedule and owner maintenance checks
found in your vehicle scheduled maintenance guide.
Conditions
•Heavily loading a vehicle or towing a trailer may reduce fuel economy
at any speed.
•Carrying unnecessary weight may reduce fuel economy (approximately
0.4 km/L [1 mpg] is lost for every 180 kg [400 lb] of weight carried).
•Adding certain accessories to your vehicle (for example bug
deflectors, rollbars/light bars, running boards, ski/luggage racks) may
reduce fuel economy.
•Fuel economy may decrease with lower temperatures during the first
12–16 km (8–10 miles) of driving.
•Driving on flat terrain offers improved fuel economy as compared to
driving on hilly terrain.
•Transmissions give their best fuel economy when operated in the top
cruise gear and with steady pressure on the gas pedal.
•Four-wheel-drive operation (if equipped) is less fuel efficient than
two-wheel-drive operation.
•Close windows for high speed driving.
Flex fuel (E-85) cruising range
Because E-85 fuel contains less energy per gallon than gasoline, you will
experience an increase in fuel consumption. You can expect your Miles
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265

Replacing side repeater bulbs
1. Carefully pry the lamp assembly
away from the fender.
2. Rotate the bulb socket
counterclockwise and remove from
lamp assembly.
3. Carefully pull bulb straight out of
socket and push in the new bulb.
4. Install the bulb socket in lamp
assembly by turning clockwise.
5. Carefully install the lamp
assembly on the fender snapping it in place.
Replacing front/rear side marker bulbs
1. Reach under the side of the front
or rear bumper, rotate bulb socket
counterclockwise and remove from
lamp assembly.
2. Carefully pull bulb straight out of
socket and push in the new bulb.
3. Install bulb socket in lamp
assembly by turning clockwise.
Replacing tail/brake/turn/backup lamp bulbs
The tail/brake/turn/backup bulbs are located in the tail lamp assembly,
one just below the other. Follow the same steps to replace each bulb:
1. Open the liftgate to expose the
lamp assemblies.
2. Remove the two screws from the
lamp assembly.
3. Pull the lamp assembly towards
the rear and side of the vehicle at
an angle carefully removing it from
the vehicle.
4. Rotate the bulb socket
counterclockwise and remove from
lamp assembly.
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271

•(4) Horizontal reference line
2. Measure the height from the
center of your headlamp to the
ground and mark a 2.4 meter (8
foot) horizontal reference line on
the vertical wall or screen at this
height (a piece of masking tape
works well). The center of the lamp
is marked by a 3.0 mm circle on the
headlamp lens.
3. Turn on the low beam headlamps to illuminate the wall or screen and
open the hood.
4. On the wall or screen you will
observe a light pattern with a
distinct horizontal edge of high
intensity light with a slight angle
towards the right. If this edge is not
at the horizontal reference line, the
beam will need to be adjusted.
5. Locate the vertical adjuster on
each headlamp, then usea4mm
socket/wrench to turn the adjuster
either counterclockwise (to adjust
down) or clockwise (to adjust up)
aligning the upper edge of the light
pattern up to the horizontal line.
6. HORIZONTAL AIM IS NOT
REQUIRED FOR THIS VEHICLE
AND IS NON-ADJUSTABLE.
7. Close the hood and turn off the lamps.
CLEANING AND CARING FOR YOUR VEHICLE
Refer to the Accessories chapter for a list of Ford-approved cleaners,
polishes and sealants.
Washing the exterior
Wash your vehicle regularly with cool or lukewarm water and a neutral
Ph shampoo, such as Detail Wash (ZC-3–A), which is available from your
dealer.
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