2008 LINCOLN TOWN CAR wheel alignment

PANEL DIMMER CONTROL
Use to adjust the brightness of the
instrument panel during headlight
and parking lamp operation.
•Rotate the thumbwheel from left
to right to brighten the
instrument panel.
•
Rotate the thumbwheel from right
to left to dim the instrument panel.
During full daylight, the instrument panel will still be visible with the
headlamps operating.
Dome lamp control
The panel dimmer control also controls the dome lamp operation.
•Rotate the thumbwheel fully to the right, past detent to activate the
dome lamp.
•In order to turn off the dome lamp, rotate the thumbwheel to the left.
AIMING THE HEADLAMPS
The headlamps on your vehicle are properly aimed at the assembly plant.
If your vehicle has been in an accident, the alignment of your headlamps
should be checked by your authorized dealer.
Vertical aim adjustment
1. Park the vehicle directly in front of a wall or screen on a level surface,
approximately 25 feet (7.6 meters) away. Check your headlamp
alignment at night or in a dark area so that you can see the headlamp
beam pattern.
•(1) 8 feet (2.4 meters)
•(2) Center height of lamp to
ground
•(3) 25 feet (7.6 meters)
•(4) Horizontal reference line
2. Measure the height of the
headlamp bulb center from the
ground and mark an 8 foot
(2.4 meter) horizontal reference line
on the vertical wall or screen at this
height (a piece of masking tape works well).
2008 Town Car(tow)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Lights
35

•Do not run over curbs or hit the tire against a curb when parking
WARNING:If your vehicle is stuck in snow, mud, sand, etc.,do
notrapidly spin the tires; spinning the tires can tear the tire and
cause an explosion. A tire can explode in as little as three to five
seconds.
WARNING:Do not spin the wheels at over 35 mph (56 km/h).
The tires may fail and injure a passenger or bystander.
Highway hazards
No matter how carefully you drive there’s always the possibility that you
may eventually have a flat tire on the highway. Drive slowly to the
closest safe area out of traffic. This may further damage the flat tire, but
your safety is more important.
If you feel a sudden vibration or ride disturbance while driving, or you
suspect your tire or vehicle has been damaged, immediately reduce your
speed. Drive with caution until you can safely pull off the road. Stop and
inspect the tires for damage. If a tire is under-inflated or damaged,
deflate it, remove wheel and replace it with your spare tire and wheel. If
you cannot detect a cause, have the vehicle towed to the nearest repair
facility or tire dealer to have the vehicle inspected.
Tire and wheel alignment
A bad jolt from hitting a curb or pothole can cause the front end of your
vehicle to become misaligned or cause damage to your tires. If your
vehicle seems to pull to one side when you’re driving, the wheels may be
out of alignment. Have an authorized dealer check the wheel alignment
periodically.
Wheel misalignment in the front or the rear can cause uneven and rapid
treadwear of your tires and should be corrected by an authorized dealer.
Front wheel drive (FWD) vehicles and those with an independent rear
suspension (if equipped) may require alignment of all four wheels.
The tires should also be balanced periodically. An unbalanced tire and
wheel assembly may result in irregular tire wear.
Tire rotation
Rotating your tires at the recommended interval (as indicated in the
scheduled maintenance informationthat comes with your vehicle) will
help your tires wear more evenly, providing better tire performance and
longer tire life.
2008 Town Car(tow)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Tires, Wheels and Loading
145

•Rear Wheel Drive (RWD)
vehicles/Four Wheel Drive
(4WD)/All Wheel Drive (AWD)
vehicles (front tires at top of
diagram)
Sometimes irregular tire wear can be corrected by rotating the tires.
Note:If your tires show uneven wear ask an authorized dealer to check
for and correct any wheel misalignment, tire imbalance or mechanical
problem involved before tire rotation.
Note:Your vehicle may be equipped with a dissimilar spare tire/wheel. A
dissimilar spare tire/wheel is defined as a spare tire and/or wheel that is
different in brand, size or appearance from the road tires and wheels. If
you have a dissimilar spare tire/wheel it is intended for temporary use
only and should not be used in a tire rotation.
Note:After having your tires rotated, inflation pressure must be checked
and adjusted to the vehicle requirements.
INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE TIRE SIDEWALL
Both U.S. and Canada Federal regulations require tire manufacturers to
place standardized information on the sidewall of all tires. This
information identifies and describes the fundamental characteristics of
the tire and also provides a U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number for
safety standard certification and in case of a recall.
2008 Town Car(tow)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Tires, Wheels and Loading
146

WARNING:Aggressive driving in any road conditions can cause
you to lose control of your vehicle increasing the risk of severe
personal injury or property damage. The occurrence of a Traction
Control™ event is an indication that at least some of the tires have
exceeded their ability to grip the road; this may lead to an increased
risk of loss of vehicle control, vehicle rollover, personal injury and
death. If you experience a severe road event, SLOW DOWN.
STEERING
To help prevent damage to the power steering system, never hold the
steering wheel at its furthest turning points (until it stops) for more than
a few seconds when the engine is running.
It is also important to maintain a proper power steering fluid level in the
power steering fluid reservoir:
•Do not operate the vehicle with a low power steering pump fluid level.
SeePower steering fluidin theMaintenance and Specifications
chapter.
•Some noise is normal during operation. If the noise is excessive, check
for low power steering pump fluid level before seeking service by your
authorized dealer.
•Heavy or uneven steering efforts may be caused by low power steering
pump fluid level. Check for low power steering pump fluid level before
seeking service by your authorized dealer.
•Do not fill the power steering pump reservoir above the maximum
level, as this may result in leaks from the reservoir. SeePower
steering fluidin theMaintenance and Specificationschapter.
If the power steering system breaks down (or if the engine is off), you
can steer the vehicle manually, but it takes more effort.
If the steering wanders or pulls, check for:
•an improperly inflated tire
•uneven tire wear
•loose or worn suspension components
•loose or worn steering components
•improper steering alignment
2008 Town Car(tow)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Driving
177

•Sudden or hard accelerations may reduce fuel economy.
•Slow down gradually.
•Driving at reasonable speeds (traveling at 55 mph [88 km/h] uses 15%
less fuel than traveling at 65 mph [105 km/h]).
•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 the top gears 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 toMaintenance product
specifications and capacitiesin this chapter.
•Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance items. Follow the
recommended maintenance schedule and owner maintenance checks
found inscheduled maintenance information.
Conditions
•Heavily loading a vehicle or towing a trailer may reduce fuel economy
at any speed.
•Carrying unnecessary weight may reduce fuel economy (approximately
1 mpg [0.4 km/L] is lost for every 400 lb [180 kg] 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
8–10 miles (12–16 km) of driving.
•Driving on flat terrain offers improved fuel economy as compared to
driving on hilly terrain.
2008 Town Car(tow)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Maintenance and Specifications
250

S
Safety Belt Maintenance ..........107
Safety belts (see Safety
restraints) ............98, 101, 103–106
Safety Canopy ...........................122
Safety defects, reporting ..217–218
Safety restraints ..98, 101, 103–106
Belt-Minder...........................108
extension assembly ................107
for adults .........................103–106
for children .............................125
lap belt ....................................103
Occupant Classification
Sensor ........................................99
safety belt maintenance .........107
warning light and chime ........108
Safety seats for children ..........129
Safety Compliance
Certification Label ....................264
Seats ............................................90
child safety seats ....................129
easy access/easyout feature ....97
heated ........................................95
memory seat .......................79, 97
SecuriLock passive anti-theft
system ..........................................85
Servicing your vehicle ..............226
Spark plugs, specifications ......258,
263
Specification chart,
lubricants ...................................260
Speed control ..............................52
Starting a flex fuel vehicle .......170
Starting your vehicle ........168–170
jump starting ..........................203Steering wheel
controls ......................................54
tilting .........................................45
T
Tilt steering wheel ......................45
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS)
Tires, Wheels and Loading ....152
Tires ...........................137–138, 195
alignment ................................145
care ..........................................141
changing ..........................195, 198
checking the pressure ............141
inflating ...................................139
label .........................................151
replacing ..................................143
rotating ....................................145
safety practices .......................144
sidewall information ...............146
snow tires and chains ............157
spare tire .........................196, 198
terminology .............................138
tire grades ...............................138
treadwear ........................137, 142
Towing .......................................163
recreational towing .................167
trailer towing ..........................163
wrecker ....................................209
Traction control ........................176
Traction-lok rear axle ...............178
Transmission .............................178
brake-shift interlock (BSI) ....178
fluid, checking and adding
(automatic) .............................255
fluid, refill capacities ..............260
lubricant specifications ..........260
Trunk ...........................................76
remote release ....................71, 78
2008 Town Car(tow)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA(fus)
Index
272