2003 FORD WINDSTAR tire pressure

Traction Control
or
AdvanceTrac
off light
(if equipped):Illuminates when
the Traction Control
has been
disabled (by the driver or as a result of a system failure). Refer to the
Drivingchapter for more information.
Low tire warning:Illuminates
when the low tire warning system is
enabled. If the light remains on
while driving, the tire pressure
should be checked, refer toLow
tire warningin theMaintenance and Specificationschapter.
Low fuel:Illuminates when the fuel
level in the fuel tank is at or near
empty (refer toFuel gaugein this
chapter).
Speed control:Illuminates when
the speed control is engaged. Turns
off when the speed control system
is disengaged.
O/D off:Illuminates when the
overdrive function of the
transmission has been turned off.
Low washer fluid:Illuminates
when the windshield washer fluid is
low.
Door ajar:Illuminates when the
ignition is in the ON position and
any door is open.
Anti-theft system:Flashes when
the Securilock
Passive Anti-theft
System has been activated.TRAC
OFF
O/D
OFF
Instrument Cluster
12

•If your low tire warning light is on, refer toLow tire warningin the
Maintenance and specificationschapter.
The use of tire sealants is not recommended and may
compromise the integrity of your tires. The use of tire sealants
may also affect your tire pressure monitoring system (if equipped).
Temporary spare tire information
Your vehicle may have a temporary spare tire. The temporary spare tire
for your vehicle is labeled as such. It is smaller than a regular tire and is
designed for emergency use only. Replace this tire with a full-size tire as
soon as possible.
Note:The Low Tire Warning system
will detect the temporary spare tire
and illuminate the low tire warning
light until the spare tire is replaced
with a proper full-size tire.
If you use the temporary spare tire continuously or do not follow
these precautions, the tire could fail, causing you to lose control
of the vehicle, possibly injuring yourself or others.
When driving with the temporary spare tiredo not:
•use more than one temporary spare tire at a time
•exceed 80 km/h (50 mph) or drive further than 3,200 km (2,000
miles) total under any circumstances
•load the vehicle beyond maximum vehicle load rating listed on the
Safety Compliance Label
•tow a trailer
•use tire chains
•drive through an automatic car wash, because of the vehicle’s reduced
ground clearance
•try to repair the temporary spare tire or remove it from its wheel
•use the wheel for any other type of vehicle
Roadside Emergencies
161

13. Remove the jack and fully
tighten the lug nuts in the order
shown.
14. If equipped with a bolted-on
wheel cover, install the center
ornament and tighten the five
plastic nuts until they click (do not
use power tools on these nuts).
Install the outer wheel cover.
15. If removed, install center
ornament or wheel cover.
Stowing the flat/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.
2. Slide the wheel partially under the vehicle and install the retainer
through the wheel center. Pull on the cable to align the components at
the end of the cable.
3. Turn the jack handle clockwise until the tire is raised to its stowed
position underneath the vehicle. The effort to turn the jack handle
increases significantly and the spare tire carrier ratchets or slips when
the tire is raised to the maximum tightness. Tighten to the best of your
ability, to the point where the ratchet/slip occurs, if possible. The spare
tire carrier will not allow you to overtighten. If the spare tire carrier
ratchets or slips with little effort, take the vehicle to your dealer for
assistance at your earliest convenience.
4. Check that the tire lies flat against the frame and is properly
tightened. Try to push or pull, then turn the tire to be sure it will not
move. Loosen and retighten, if necessary. Failure to properly stow the
spare tire may result in failure of the winch cable and loss of the tire.
5. Repeat this tightness check procedure when servicing the spare tire
pressure (every six months, per scheduled maintenance guide), or at any
time that the spare tire is disturbed through service of other
components.
6. If removed, install the spare tire lock (if equipped) into the bumper
drive tube with the spare tire lock key (if equipped) and jack handle.1
4 3
2 5
Roadside Emergencies
166

•Remove particles such as bird droppings, tree sap, insect deposits, tar
spots, road salt and industrial fallout before repairing paint chips.
•Always read the instructions before using the products.
ALUMINUM WHEELS AND COVERS
Aluminum wheel rims or covers are coated with a clearcoat paint finish.
In order to maintain their shine:
•Clean weekly with Motorcraft Wheel and Tire Cleaner (ZC-37–A),
which is available from your dealer. Agitate the area with a sponge and
rinse thoroughly with a strong stream of water.
•Never apply any cleaning chemical to hot or warm wheel rims or
covers.
•Some automatic car washes may cause damage to the finish on your
wheel rims or covers. Chemical-strength cleaners, or cleaning
chemicals, in combination with brush agitation to remove brake dust
and dirt, could wear away the clearcoat finish over time.
•Do not use hydrofluoric acid-based or high caustic-based wheel
cleaners, steel wool, fuels or strong household detergent.
•To remove tar and grease, use Ford Extra Strength Tar and Road Oil
Removal (B7A-19520–AA), available from your dealer.
ENGINE
Engines are more efficient when they are clean because grease and dirt
buildup keep the engine warmer than normal. When washing:
•Take care when using a power washer to clean the engine. The
high-pressure fluid could penetrate the sealed parts and cause
damage.
•Do not spray a hot engine with cold water to avoid cracking the
engine block or other engine components.
•Spray Motorcraft Engine Shampoo and Degreaser (ZC-20) on all parts
that require cleaning and pressure rinse clean.
Cleaning
183

•Revving the engine before turning it off may reduce fuel economy.
•Using the air conditioner or defroster may reduce fuel economy.
•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
this chapter.
•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.
•Using fuel blended with alcohol may lower 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.
Maintenance and Specifications
208

which all passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory test wheel than the minimum required by
law.
The temperature grade for this tire is established for a tire that
is properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure.
SERVICING YOUR TIRES
Low tire warning
The low tire warning system is designed to detect a significant loss of
inflation inany one of your tireson your vehicle. The system uses the
Anti-lock brake wheel speed sensors to detect a change in wheel speed
due to tire deflation.
When a tire loses inflation, the low
tire warning system detects the
change and illuminates the low tire
warning indicator light as shown.
If the light remains on while driving,
check the tire pressure refer to“Checking the tire pressure”in this
chapter. The low tire warning indicator light will also illuminate when
using a temporary spare, refer to“Changing the tires”in theRoadside
emergencieschapter.
The low tire warning system may not detect an under-inflated
tire under all conditions and is not a substitute for manually
checking tires regularly for proper inflation.
When to RESET the Low Tire Warning System:
after any of the following
•Tire rotation
•One or more tires have been replaced
•Tire balancing
•Wheel alignment
•Adjusting the pressure on one or more tires (note: tire pressures are
often adjusted during oil change service)
Maintenance and Specifications
215

•Inflating a low tire will not clear the Low Tire Warning indicator light.
Only reseting the system will clear the light.
•The system will not detect a pressure loss without driving the vehicle
for at least 0.8 km (0.5 mile) at speeds greater than 40 km/h
(25 mph).
To reset the system if equipped
with Tire Reset switch:
turn the ignition to the ON position,
press and hold the“TIRE RESET”
switch (located on the instrument
panel behind the left side of the
steering wheel) for three seconds.
The low tire warning indicator light
will flash three times as the low tire warning system begins to initialize.
To reset the system if not
equipped with Tire Reset switch:
turn the ignition to the ON position,
depress and Trip/odometer button
(located in the instrument cluster)
until“TIRE RESET”or“CHECK
TIRE AND RESET”is displayed in the odometer display window. Once
“TIRE RESET”or“CHECK TIRE AND RESET”is displayed, press and
hold the button for three seconds. The low tire warning indicator light
will flash three times as the low tire warning system begins to initialize.
The system normally requires 15 to 20 minutes of driving in each of
three speed ranges to learn how the tires behave after the system has
been reset. However, the system will become functional in each speed
range as soon as learning completes in each individual speed range.
Speed ranges:
•Low 40–68 km/h (25–42 mph)
•Medium 68–100 km/h (42–62 mph)
•High–above 100 km/h (62 mph)
This system may not function properly under the following conditions:
•Uneven tread wear.
•Driving on loose or low traction surfaces such as gravel, snow or slush.
•Using tire chains
•Initial tire pressures out of specified range.
Tire
Reset
Maintenance and Specifications
216

•Two or more under inflated tires.
•Sudden loss of tire pressure.
•Vehicle speeds less than 30 km/h (20 mph), greater than 120 km/h
(70 mph) or driving duration less than 10 miles.
•Transporting a heavy load or towing a trailer.
•A different tire was replaced and was not the same brand, type, size,
speed rating, load carrying capacity and DOT code as the other tire on
the same axle.
•System was not reset after tire rotation, air pressure adjustment, a tire
change, wheel alignment or tire balancing.
•System was not reset after the ABS warning lamp illuminates.
The low tire warning feature can be turned off by your dealer.
Checking the tire pressure
•Use an accurate tire pressure gauge.
•Check the tire pressure when tires are cold, after the vehicle has been
parked for at least one hour or has been driven less than 5 km
(3 miles).
•Adjust tire pressure to recommended specifications found on the
Certification Label.
•Reset low tire warning system
Improperly inflated tires can affect vehicle handling and can fail
suddenly, possibly resulting in loss of vehicle control.
Tire rotation
Because your vehicle’s tires perform different jobs, they often wear
differently. To make sure your tires wear evenly and last longer, rotate
them as indicated in the scheduled maintenance guide. If you notice that
the tires wear unevenly, have them checked.
Maintenance and Specifications
217