Page 65 of 304

Reducing speed while using speed control
There are two ways to reduce a set
speed:
•Press and hold the COAST
control until you get to the
desired speed, then release the
control. You can also use the
COAST control to operate the
Tap-Down function. Press and
release this control to decrease the vehicle set speed in small amounts
by 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
•Depress the brake pedal until the
desired vehicle speed is reached,
press the SET ACCEL control.
Turning off speed control
There are two ways to turn off the speed control:
•Depress the brake pedal or the clutch pedal (if equipped). This will
not erase your vehicle’s previously set speed.
•Press the speed control OFF
control.
Note:When you turn off the speed
control or the ignition, your speed
control set speed memory is erased.
Indicator light (if equipped)
This light comes on when either the
SET ACCEL or RES controls are
pressed. The vehicle speed must be
at or above 48 km/h (30 mph). It
turns off when the speed control
OFF control is pressed, the brake or
clutch is applied, or the ignition is turned to the OFF position.
RES
SET
ACCEL
COAST
RES
SET
ACCEL
COAST
ON
OFF
REVIEW COPY
2005 F250/350/450/550(f23), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Driver Controls
65
Page 66 of 304
STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS (IF EQUIPPED)
These controls allow you to operate some radio and climate control
features.
Radio control features
•Press MODE to select AM, FM1,
FM2, TAPE or CD (if equipped).
In Radio mode:
•Press NEXT to seek/scan to the
next strong station.
In Tape mode:
•Press NEXT to listen to the next
selection on the tape.
In CD mode:
•Press NEXT to listen to the next
track on the disc.
In any mode:
•Press VOL up or down to adjust
the volume.
Climate control features
•Press TEMP up or down to adjust temperature.
•Press FAN up or down to adjust fan speed.
NEXT
MODE
REVIEW COPY
2005 F250/350/450/550(f23), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Driver Controls
66
Page 67 of 304

CENTER CONSOLE (IF EQUIPPED)
Your vehicle may be equipped with a variety of console features. These
include:
•Utility compartment with
cassette/CD holder
•Coin holder
•Pen holder
•Writing surface
Use only soft cups in the
cupholder. Hard objects can
injure you in a collision.
CELL PHONE USE
The use of Mobile Communications Equipment has become increasingly
important in the conduct of business and personal affairs. However,
drivers must not compromise their own or others’ safety when using
such equipment. Mobile Communications can enhance personal safety
and security when appropriately used, particularly in emergency
situations. Safety must be paramount when using mobile communications
equipment to avoid negating these benefits.
Mobile Communication Equipment includes, but is not limited to cellular
phones, pagers, portable email devices, in vehicle communications
systems, telematics devices and portable two-way radios.
A driver’s first responsibility is the safe operation of the vehicle.
The most important thing you can do to prevent a crash is to
avoid distractions and pay attention to the road. Wait until it is safe to
operate Mobile Communications Equipment.
MINI MESSAGE CENTER (IF EQUIPPED)
With the ignition in the ON position, the mini message center, located on
your instrument cluster, displays text messages that alert you to possible
problems or malfunctions in your vehicle’s operating systems.
Note:The following warning messages will reappear after an ignition
OFF-ON cycle has been completed.
REVIEW COPY
2005 F250/350/450/550(f23), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Driver Controls
67
Page 68 of 304

Door ajar:Displays when the
ignition is in the ON position and
any door is open.
Check fuel cap:Displays when the
fuel cap may not be properly
installed. Continued driving with
this display on may cause the
Service engine soon warning light to
come on. Refer toFuel filler capunder theFuel Information sectionin
theMaintenance and Specificationschapter.
Trailer fault (if equipped):
Displayed if there is a short circuit
on the electric brake output wire or
the trailer brakes are drawing too
much current. Refer toIntegrated
trailer brake controllerin theTires, Wheels and Loadingchapter for
more information.
TBC fault (if equipped):Displays
in response to faults sensed by the
TBC. In the event this message is
seen, please take your vehicle to an
authorized Ford dealership for
diagnosis and repair. Refer toIntegrated trailer brake controllerin the
Tires, Wheels and Loadingchapter for more information.
Note:The following warning messages will reappear on the display every
ten minutes.
Low fuel:Displays when the fuel
level in the fuel tank is at or near
empty (refer toFuel gaugein this
chapter).
Check gauge:Displays when any of
the following conditions has
occurred:
•The engine coolant temperature
is high.
•The engine oil pressure is low.
•The fuel gauge is at or near empty.
REVIEW COPY
2005 F250/350/450/550(f23), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Driver Controls
68
Page 69 of 304

Check trailer (if equipped):
Displayed when a trailer connection
becomes disconnected, either
intentionally or unintentionally, and
has been sensed during a given
ignition cycle. Refer toIntegrated trailer brake controllerin theTires,
Wheels and Loadingchapter for more information.
Language
The language options are English and French. The feature works as
follows:
1. If present language is English,
press and hold the SELECT/RESET
button for 15 seconds or greater to
convert the language selection to
French. The wordFRENCHwill be
displayed for 4 seconds as a confirmation that language has been
changed.
2. If present language is French,
press and hold the SELECT/RESET
button for 15 seconds or greater to
convert the language selection to
English. The wordENGLISHwill
be displayed for 4 seconds as a confirmation that language has been
changed.
MESSAGE CENTER (IF EQUIPPED)
With the ignition in the ON position,
the message center, located on your
instrument cluster, displays
important vehicle information
through a constant monitor of
vehicle systems.You may select
display features on the message center for a display of status preceded
by a brief indicator chime. The system will also notify you of potential
vehicle problems with a display of system warnings followed by a long
indicator chime.
REVIEW COPY
2005 F250/350/450/550(f23), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Driver Controls
69
Page 70 of 304

Selectable features
Reset
Press this control to select and reset
functions shown in the INFO menu
and SETUP menu.
Info menu
This control displays the following
control displays:
•Odometer/Compass
•Trip odometer/Odometer/Compass
•Distance to
Empty/Odometer/Compass
•Average Fuel
Economy/Odometer/Compass
•Engine hour meter/Odometer/Compass
Odometer/Trip odometer
Refer toGaugesin theInstrument Clusterchapter.
Compass display
The compass heading is displayed as one of N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W and
NW in the message center display.
The compass reading may be affected when you drive near large
buildings, bridges, power lines and powerful broadcast antenna. Magnetic
or metallic objects placed in, on or near the vehicle may also affect
compass accuracy.
Usually, when something affects the compass readings, the compass will
correct itself after a few days of operating your vehicle in normal
conditions. If the compass still appears to be inaccurate, a manual
calibration may be necessary. Refer toCompass zone/calibration
adjustment.
REVIEW COPY
2005 F250/350/450/550(f23), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Driver Controls
70
Page 71 of 304

Most geographic areas (zones) have a magnetic north compass point that
varies slightly from the northerly direction on maps. This variation is four
degrees between adjacent zones and will become noticeable as the
vehicle crosses multiple zones. A correct zone setting will eliminate this
error. Refer toCompass zone/calibration adjustment.
Compass zone/calibration adjustment
1. Determine your magnetic zone by
referring to the zone map.
2. Turn ignition to the ON position.
3. Start the engine.
4. From Info menu, press and hold
the SETUP and RESET controls
simultaneously until the message
center display changes to show the
current zone setting (XX).
5. Press the SETUP control
repeatedly until the correct zone
setting for your geographic location
is displayed on the message center.
The range of zone values are from
01 to 15 and “wraps” back to 01.
6. To exit the zone setting mode,
and to “lock in” your change, press
and release the RESET control.
Perform compass calibration in an open area free from steel structures
and high voltage lines. For optimum calibration, turn off all electrical
accessories (heater/air conditioning, wipers, etc.) and make sure all
vehicle doors are shut.
1 2 3
4
5
6 7 8 9 101112 13 14 15
REVIEW COPY
2005 F250/350/450/550(f23), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Driver Controls
71
Page 72 of 304
![FORD SUPER DUTY 2005 1.G Owners Manual 7. Press the RESET control to start
the compass calibration function.
8. Slowly drive the vehicle in a
circle (less than 3 mph [5 km/h])
until the CIRCLE SLOWLY TO
CALIBRATE display changes to CALIBRA FORD SUPER DUTY 2005 1.G Owners Manual 7. Press the RESET control to start
the compass calibration function.
8. Slowly drive the vehicle in a
circle (less than 3 mph [5 km/h])
until the CIRCLE SLOWLY TO
CALIBRATE display changes to CALIBRA](/manual-img/11/5264/w960_5264-71.png)
7. Press the RESET control to start
the compass calibration function.
8. Slowly drive the vehicle in a
circle (less than 3 mph [5 km/h])
until the CIRCLE SLOWLY TO
CALIBRATE display changes to CALIBRATION COMPLETED. It will take
up to five circles to complete calibration.
9. The compass is now calibrated.
Distance to empty (DTE)
Selecting this function from the
INFO menu 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 display LOW FUEL LEVEL and sound a tone for
one second when you have approximately 50 miles (80 km) to empty. If
you RESET this warning message, this display and tone will return
within 10 minutes.
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.
Average fuel economy (AFE)
Select this function from the INFO
menu 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
REVIEW COPY
2005 F250/350/450/550(f23), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)(own2002),
Market:USA_English(fus)
Driver Controls
72