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The message center allows you to:
•see problems such as door ajar
and trunk ajar.
•check the on/off status of air
suspension, autolamp and speed
control systems.
•see a more accurate speed while
driving (this may not show the
same speed as your analog
speedometer).
•see how many miles/kilometers
you can drive before running out
of fuel.
•monitor the average fuel
economy.
•monitor the average speed.
•check the distance traveled during a trip on either Trip A or Trip B.
You can select different features for the message center to display by
using the message center controls located in the center of the
instrument panel.
Selectable features
Select
Each press of the SELECT control
will select a different feature as
follows:
•SPEED
•FUEL ECON
•DIST TO EMPTY
•AVG SPEED
•TRIP A/TRIP B
•E/M
For descriptions of the SELECT features, refer to“Message center
functions”later in this chapter.
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Reset
Press this control to reset the
selected message center function to
zero. (The only functions which can
be reset are FUEL ECON and TRIP
AorB.)
Message center functions
Speed
To use this function, select SPEED
and press the RESET control. Your
speed from that point will be
displayed on the left side of the
cluster until RESET is pressed
again.
Fuel econ (average fuel economy)
Select this function to display your
average fuel economy in miles/gallon
or liters/100 km.
If you calculate your average fuel
economy by dividing gallons of fuel
used by 100 miles traveled
(kilometers traveled by liters used),
your figure may be different than
displayed for the following reasons:
•your vehicle was not perfectly level during fill-up
•differences in the automatic shut-off points on the fuel pumps at
service stations
•variations in top-off procedure from one fill-up to another
•rounding of the displayed values to the nearest 0.1 gallon (liter)
Checking your highway fuel economy using the electronic
message center display
The following procedure will allow you to accurately monitor your actual
highway fuel economy. Since this procedure requires the vehicle speed
control system to be set to highway speeds, it must be run only on
suitable roadways where long distance speed control can be safely
maintained.
SELECT
RESET
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![LINCOLN TOWN CAR 2004 Owners Manual You may notice gradual improvement in fuel economy over the course of
your vehicle’s break-in period (approximately 1 000 miles [1 600
kilometers]).
1. Set the speed control. Refer toSpeed controlin LINCOLN TOWN CAR 2004 Owners Manual You may notice gradual improvement in fuel economy over the course of
your vehicle’s break-in period (approximately 1 000 miles [1 600
kilometers]).
1. Set the speed control. Refer toSpeed controlin](/manual-img/15/7047/w960_7047-124.png)
You may notice gradual improvement in fuel economy over the course of
your vehicle’s break-in period (approximately 1 000 miles [1 600
kilometers]).
1. Set the speed control. Refer toSpeed controlin this chapter.
2. Select FUEL ECON
3. Press the RESET control to clear
the system memory.
•Actual highway fuel economy is
now displayed.This current
average measure will change as
the speed control system changes the engine speed to maintain a
constant vehicle speed. This is most noticeable in hilly environments.
4. Drive the vehicle at least 5 miles (8 km) with the speed control
system engaged to display a stabilized average.
5. Record the highway fuel economy for future reference.
It is important to press the RESET control after setting the speed
control to get accurate highway fuel economy readings.
Dist to empty (DTE)
This function estimates
approximately how far you can drive
with the fuel remaining in your tank
under normal driving conditions.
Remember to turn the ignition OFF
when refueling to allow this feature
to correctly detect the added fuel.
The DTE function will flash for 5
seconds and sound a tone for 1 second when you have approximately:
•50 miles (80 km) left before you run out of fuel
•25 miles (40 km)
•10 miles (16 km)
SELECT
RESET
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DTE is calculated using a running average fuel economy, which is based on
your recent driving history of 500 miles (800 km). This value is not the same
as the average fuel economy display. The running average fuel economy is
reinitialized to a factory default value if the battery is disconnected.
If“CO”or“CS”is displayed, there is a problem with the fuel indication
system and you should contact your dealer for service as soon as possible.
AVG speed
To use this function, select AVG
SPEED and press the RESET
control. Your average speed from
that point will be displayed until
RESET is pressed again.
TripAB
These two functions allow you to
see how far you have traveled since
you last reset. Trip A and Trip B are
completely independent and must
be reset individually.
To reset either trip feature to zero,
press the RESET control while the
appropriate trip distance feature (A
or B) is displayed.
E/M
When this function is displayed,
press the RESET control to change
the message center display from
metric to English units or from
English to metric units.
SELECT
RESET
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