LINCOLN CONTINENTAL 1996 Customer Assistance Guide

Use only the type of engine oil that Ford
recommends. See Engine oil recommendations
in the Index. Do not use special "break-in" oils.
Cleaning the Outside of Your
Vehicle
Washing and Polishing Your Vehicle
Wash the outside of your vehicle, including the
underside, with a mild detergent.
DO NOT: Wash your vehicle with hot water Wash your vehicle while it sits in direct
sunlight Wash your vehicle while the body is hot
Pollen, bird droppings a . nd tree sap can damage
the paint, especially in hot weather. Wash your
vehicle as often as necessary to keep it clean.Take similar precautions if your vehicle is
exposed to chemical industrial fallout.
Paint damage resulting from fallout is not related
to a defect in paint materials or workmanship and
therefore is not covered by warranty. Ford,
however, believes that continual improvement in
customer satisfaction is a high priority. For this
reason, Ford has authorized its dealers to repair,
at no charge to the owner, the surfaces of new
vehicles damaged by environmental fallout within
12 months or 12,000 miles (20,000 km) of
purchase, whichever comes first. Customers may
be required to bring their vehicle in for inspection
by a Ford representative.
Polish your vehicle to remove harmful deposits
and protect the finish.
7

Cleaning Chrome and Aluminum Parts
Wash chrome and aluminum parts with a mild
detergent. Do not use steel wool, abrasive cleaners,
fuel, or strong detergents.
8Cleaning Plastic Parts
Some of your vehicle's exterior trim parts are plastic. Clean
with a tar and road oil remover if necessary. Use a vinyl
cleaner for routine cleaning.
Do not clean plastic parts with thinners, solvents or
petroleum-based cleaners.
If you have your vehicle rustproofed, remove oversprayed
rustproofing with a tar and road oil remover. If rustproofing
is not removed from plastic and rubber parts, it can cause
deterioration.

Safety RestraintsImportant Safety Belt Information
The use of safety belts helps to restrain you and
your passengers in case of a collision. In most
states and in Canada the law requires their use.
Safety belts provide best restraint when: the seatback is upright the occupant is sitting upright (not slouched) the lap belt is snug and low on the hips the shoulder belt is snug against the chest the knees are straight forward
To help you remember to fasten your safety belt, a
warning light may come on and a chime may sound.
See Safety Belt Warning Light and Chime in the
Warning Lights and Gauges chapter.See the following sections in this chapter for
directions on how to properly use these safety belts.
Also see Safety Restraints for Children in this
chapter for special instructions about using safety
belts for children./! WARNINGMake sure that you and your passengers wearsafety belts. Always drive and ride with yourseatback upright and the lap belt snug and lowacross the hips.9

/! WARNINGNever wear the shoulder belt under thearm. Never swing it around the neck overthe inside shoulder. Never use a single beltfor more than one person or across morethan one seating position. Each seatingposition in your vehicle has a specific safetybelt assembly which is made up of onebuckle and one tongue that are designed tobe used as a pair. Failure to follow theseprecautions could increase the risk and/orseverity of injury in a collision./! WARNINGNever drive or ride with a twisted orjammed safety belt. If you cannot untwistor unjam the safety belt, see the nearestqualified technician immediately.10/!\WARNINGTo reduce the risk of serious injury in acollision, children should always ride withthe seatback upright./!\WARNINGNever let a passenger hold a child on his orher lap while the vehicle is moving. Thepassenger cannot protect the child frominjury in a collision.Lock the doors of your vehicle before driving to lessen
the risk of the door coming open in a collision.

Combination Lap and Shoulder
Belts
While your vehicle is in motion, the combination lap
and shoulder belt adjusts to your movement.
However, if you brake hard, corner hard or if your
vehicle receives an impact of 5 mph (8 km/h) or
more, the lap and shoulder belt locks and helps
reduce your forward movement.
After you get into your vehicle, close the door and
lock it. Then adjust the seat to the position that
suits you best.Fastening the combination lap and shoulder
belt
NOTE: Be sure to read and understand Important
Safety Belt Information at the beginning of this
chapter.
To adjust the lap part of the belt, pull up on the
shoulder belt until the lap belt fits snugly and as
low as possible around your hips.
While the belt retracts, guide the tongue to its
original position to prevent it from striking you or
the vehicle.
11

Unfastening the lap/shoulder belts
12Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment
Driver and right front passenger
You can adjust the shoulder belt height to one of
five (5) positions.
To adjust the belt down, push the release button
(see figures I and 2). To adjust the belt up, slide
the adjuster up. (You do not have to push the
release button.)
Make sure the adjuster is firmly in one of the five
positions. The belt should be adjusted up or down
until the belt rests on your shoulder near your
neck.

Figure I - The shoulder belt height adjusterFigure 2 - The shoulder belt height adjuster
13

/!\ WARNINGPosition the shoulder belt height adjusterso that the belt rests across the middle ofyour shoulder. Be sure the shoulder beltis properly positioned on your shouldereach time you use the belt. If theshoulder belt is off your shoulder, on yourupper arm or neck, there is a greater riskof severe injury in a collision.Right Front or Rear Seating Positions
Your vehicle is equipped with a dual locking
mode retractor on the shoulder belt portion of
the combination lap/shoulder safety belt for the
front seat passenger and rear seat passengers.14Dual locking mode refractors operate in two
ways:
Vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode
In this operating mode, the shoulder belt retractor
will allow the occupant freedom of movement,
locking tight only on hard braking, hard cornering
or impacts of approximately 5 mph (8 km/h) or
more. The retractor can also be made to lock by
pulling on the belt.
Automatic locking mode
In this operating mode, the shoulder belt retractor
will be automatically locked and will remain locked
when the combination lap/shoulder safety belt is
buckled, and does not allow the occupant freedom
of movement. This mode provides the following: A tight lap/shoulder belt on the occupant. Child seat installation restraint.

/!\ WARNINGRear facing infant seats should never beplaced in the front seat.This mode must be used when installing a child
seat on the front passenger seat and rear seats
where dual locking refractors are provided. To
switch the retractor from the emergency locking
mode to the automatic locking mode, perform
the following steps:
1.Buckle the lap/shoulder combination belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion of the belt and
pull downward until all of the belt is
extracted and a click is heard. At this time,
the retractor is in the automatic locking
mode (child restraint mode).3.A clicking sound will contnue to be heard as
the belt is allowed to retract.
NOTE:When the combination
lap/shoulder belt is unbuckled and allowed to
retract completely, the retractor will switch to
the vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
See the detailed instructions under Safety Seats
for Children in this chapter.
Lap Belts
The lap belt in the center of the front seat does
not adjust automatically. You must adjust it to
fit snugly and as low as possible around your
hips. Do not wear it around your waist.
15

Unfastening the lap belts in the center front
seating position
NOTE:Be sure to read and understand
Important Safety Belt Information at the
beginning of this chapter.
Pull the belt across your hips and insert the
tongue into the correct buckle on your seat until
you hear a snap and feel it lock. Make sure the
buckle is securely fastened.
16If you need to lengthen the belt, unfasten it and tip the
belt tongue at a right angle to the belt. Pull the belt
tongue over your lap until it reaches the buckle.
If you need to shorten the belt, pull on the loose end of
the webbing until the belt fits snugly.
To unfasten the belt, push the release button on the
buckle. This allows the tongue to unlatch from the
buckle.
Safety Belt Extension Assembly
For some people, the safety belt may be too short even
when it is extended. You can add about eight inches
(20 cm) to the belt length with a safety belt extension
assembly (part number 611 C22). Safety belt
extensions are available at no cost from your dealer.