Motor Mercury Sable 1997 s User Guide

²Always dispose of automotive batteries in a
responsible manner. Follow your communities
standards for disposal. Call your local recycling
center to find out more about recycling
automotive batteries.
CHANGING YOUR AIR FILTER
To replace your air
filter, unclip the two
latches, separate the
housing and remove
the old filter. Wipe the
interior clean before
inserting new air filter.
Lock the two latches.
Do not use oil-impregnated air filters. Filters other
than the ones specified in this owner guide can
cause serious damage. Your warranties may not
apply if your vehicle is damaged because you use
the wrong air filter. Refer toMotorcraft part
numbersin theCapacities and specifications
chapter.
CHECKING AND CHANGING WIPER BLADES
Check the wiper blades at least twice a year or when
they seem less effective than usual. Substances such
as tree sap and some hot wax treatments used by
commercial car washes reduce the effectiveness of
wiper blades.
Checking the wiper blades
If the wiper blades do not clean properly, clean the
windshield and wipers. Use an undiluted windshield
washer solution or a mild detergent, then rinse
thoroughly with clear water. Do not use fuel,
kerosene, paint thinner or other solvents to clean
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dno_check-wipers
Maintenance and care
129

the wiper blades as these will damage the blades.
Changing the wiper blades
When replacing wiper blades assemblies, always use
a Motorcraft part or equivalent. To replace the
blades, follow the instructions on that come with the
new wipers. To make reaching the wipers easy, turn
the ignition to the ACC position, then turn the
wipers on. When the wipers reach the vertical
position, turn the ignition OFF.
INFORMATION ABOUT TIRE QUALITY GRADES
New vehicles are fitted
with tires that have
their Tire Quality
Grade (described
below) molded into the
tire's sidewall. These
Tire Quality Grades are
determined by
standards that the
United States Department of Transportation has set.
Tire Quality Grades apply to new pneumatic tires for
use on passenger cars. They do not apply to deep
tread, winter-type snow tires, space-saver or
temporary use spare tires, tires with nominal rim
diameters of 10 to 12 inches or limited production
tires as defined in Title 49 Code of Federal
Regulations Part 575.104(c)(2).
U.S. Department of Transportation-Tire quality
grades:The U.S. Department of Transportation
requires Ford to give you the following information
about tire grades exactly as the government has
written it.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based
on the wear rate of the tire when tested under
controlled conditions on a specified government test
course. For example, a tire grade 150 would weardno_changing-blades
dno_tire-grades
com_about_tire_grades.01
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Maintenance and care
130

one and one-half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire grade 100. The relative
performance of tires depends upon the actual
conditions of their use, however, and may depart
significantly from the norm due to variations in
driving habits, service practices, and differences in
road characteristics and climate.
Traction A B C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest are A, B,
and C, and they represent the tire's ability to stop
on wet pavement as measured under test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have
poor traction performance. Warning: The traction
grade assigned to this tire is based on braking
(straightahead) traction tests and does not include
cornering (turning) traction.
Temperature A B C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and
C, representing the tire's resistance to the
generation of heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled conditions on a
specified indoor laboratory test wheel. Sustained
high temperature can cause the material of the tire
to degenerate and reduce tire life, and excessive
temperature can lead to sudden tire failure. The
grade C corresponds to a level of performance 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.
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Maintenance and care
131

To make sure that the catalytic converter and the
other emission control parts continue to work
properly:
²Use only unleaded fuel.
²Avoid running out of fuel.
²Do not turn off the ignition while your vehicle is
moving, especially at high speeds.
²Have the services listed in yourService Guide
performed according to the specified schedule.
The Scheduled Maintenance Services listed in the
Service Guideare required because they are
considered essential to the life and performance of
your vehicle and to its emissions system.
Ford strongly recommends the use of genuine Ford
replacement parts. If other than Ford or Motorcraft
parts or Ford authorized parts are used for
maintenance replacements or for the service of
components affecting emission control, such
non-Ford parts should be equivalent to genuine Ford
Motor Company parts in performance and durability.
It is the owner's responsibility to determine the
equivalency of such parts. Please consult your
Warranty Information Booklet for complete warranty
information.
Do not park, idle, or drive your vehicle in
dry grass or other dry ground cover. The
emission system heats up the engine compartment
and exhaust system, which can start a fire.
Watch for fluid leaks, strange odors, smoke, loss of
oil pressure, the charging system warning light, the
service engine soon light or the temperature warning
light. These sometimes indicate that the emissions
system is not working properly.
Do not make any unauthorized changes to your
vehicle or engine. Changes that cause more
Maintenance and care
138

MOTORCRAFT PART NUMBERS
3.0L Vulcan engine
Component Part number
Air filter FA-1630
Fuel filter FG-800-A
Battery (standard) BXT-58R
Battery (optional) BXT-36R
Fuel filter FG-800-A
Passenger
compartment air filter
(if equipped)FP-6
Oil filter FL-400-S
PCV valve EV-228
Spark plug* AWSF-32PP**
* Refer to Vehicle Emissions Control Information
(VECI) decal for spark plug and gap information.
** If a spark plug is removed for inspection, it
must be reinstalled in the same cylinder. Cylinders
No. 1, 2 and 3 have a PG suffix. Cylinders No. 4, 5
and 6 have a P suffix. If a spark plug needs to be
replaced, use only spark plugs with the service
part number suffix letter9PP9as shown on the
engine decal.
3.0L Duratec engine
Component Part number
Air filter FA-1630
Fuel filter FG-800-A
Battery BXT-36R
Fuel filter FG-800-A
dno_vulcan-engine-parts
dno_duratec-part-numbers
Capacities and specifications
151

Component Part number
Passenger
compartment air filter
(if equipped)FP-6
Oil filter FL-820-S
PCV valve EV-152
Spark plug AWSF-32F
REFILL CAPACITIES
3.0L Vulcan engine
Fluid Ford Part
NameVehicle
TypeCapacity
Brake
fluidHigh
performance
DOT 3
brake fluidAll Fill to line
in reservoir
Engine
coolantPremium
cooling
system fluidAll 11.0 (11.6)
Engine oil
(with
filter
change)Motocraft
motor oil
5W30 super
premiumAll 4.25 (4.5)
Fuel tank
capacityN/A All 60.6 (16.0
gallons)
Power
steering
fluidMotorcraft
MERCONt
AT FAll Fill to line in
reservoir
Automatic
transaxle
- AX4NMotorcraft
MERCONt
AT FAll 12.8 (13.5)
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Capacities and specifications
152

Fluid Ford Part
NameVehicle
TypeCapacity
Automatic
transaxle
- AX4SMotorcraft
MERCONt
AT FAll 11.6 (12.2)
Windshield
washer
fluid -
FrontUltra-clear
windshield
washer
concentrateAll
Wagon2.7 (90 oz.)
2.1 (70 oz.)
3.0L Duratec engine
Fluid Ford Part
NameVehicle
TypeCapacity
Brake
fluidHigh
performance
DOT 3
brake fluidAll Fill to line
in reservoir
Engine
coolantPremium
cooling
system fluidAll 10.0 (10.6)
Engine oil
(with
filter
change)Motocraft
motor oil
5W30 super
premiumAll 5.2 (5.5)
Fuel tank
capacityN/A All 60.6 (16.0
gallons)
Power
steering
fluidMotorcraft
MERCONt
AT FAll Fill to line in
reservoir
Automatic
transaxle
- AX4NMotorcraft
MERCONt
AT FAll 12.7 (13.4)
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Capacities and specifications
153

FluidFord Part
Name or
EquivalentFord
Part
NumberFord
Specification
Automatic
transaxleXT-2-QDX Motorcraft
MERCONt
AT FMERCONt
Engine oil
(Gasoline
engines)XO-
5W30-QSPMotorcraft
5W30
super
premiumWSS-
M2C153-F and
API
Certification
Mark
Constant
velocity
jointsE43Z-
19590-ACV joint
grease -
high
temp.ESP-
M1C207-A
Engine
coolantE2FZ-
19549-AAFord
premium
cooling
system
fluidESE-
M97B44-A
Power
steering
pump
reservoirXT-2-QDX Motorcraft
MERCONt
AT FMERCONt
ENGINE DATA
Engine data
Engine 3.0L SOHC V6 3.0L DOHC V6
Cubic inches 182 183
Horsepower 145 @ 5250 rpm 200 @ 5750 rpm
Torque 170 @ 3250 rpm 200 @ 4500 rpm
Required fuel
grade87 octane 87 octane
Firing order 1-4-2-5-3-6 1-4-2-5-3-6
sab_engine-info
Capacities and specifications
155

REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS (U.S. ONLY)
If you believe that your
vehicle has a defect
that could cause a
crash, or could cause
injury or death, you
should immediately
inform the National
Highway Traffic Safety
Administration
(NHTSA) in addition to Ford Motor Company.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open
an investigation, and if it finds that a safety defect
exists in a group of vehicles, it may order a recall
and remedy campaign. However, NHTSA cannot
become involved in individual problems between
you, your dealer or Ford Motor Company.
To contact NHTSA, you may either call the Auto
Safety Hotline toll-free at 1±800±424±9393
(202±366±0123 in the Washington D.C. area) or
write to:
NHTSA
U.S. Department of Transportation
400 Seventh Street
Washington D.C. 20590
You can also obtain other information about motor
vehicle safety from the Hotline.com_reporting_defects.01
Reporting safety defects
162

quality .................... 136
safety information
relating to automotive
fuels ....................... 134
Fuel gauge ................. 12
Fuel pump shut-off
switch .................... 21,96
Fuse panels
instrument panel .... 98
power
distribution box .... 102
Fuses .......................... 97
Gauges, Mechanical
engine coolant
temperature gauge . 11
Hazard flashers .... 26,96
Headlamps
flashing .................... 26
high beam ............... 25
turning on and off .. 13
Hood ........................ 116
Ignition
positions of the
ignition .................... 21
Instrument cluster ...... 6
Jump-starting your
vehicle ............... 110,111
attaching cables .... 110
disconnecting cables 112
Keyless entry system
autolock ................... 39
keypad ..................... 37
locking and unlocking
doors ........................ 38
programming entry
code ......................... 37
Lamps ........................ 13
instrument panel,
dimming ................... 13
map lamps ............... 27
replacing bulbs .... 140,
141,143Liftgate
remote release ........ 34
Lights, warning and
indicator
air bag ........................ 9
anti-lock
brakes (ABS) ....... 8,81
brake .......................... 9
charging system ........ 9
cruise indicator ......... 8
door ajar .................... 7
engine oil pressure ... 9
high beam ................. 6
low coolant ................ 7
low fuel ...................... 7
overdrive off .............. 8
safety belt ................. 7
service engine soon .. 7
Lubricant
specifications ........... 154
Luggage rack ............. 36
Mirrors
heated ...................... 30
side view mirrors
(power) ................... 30
Moon roof .................. 27
Motorcraft parts ...... 151
Odometer ................... 11
Parking brake ............ 82
Phone, cellular .......... 33
Power door locks ...... 29
Power steering
fluid, checking and
adding .................... 124
Rear window
defroster .................. 20
Refill capacities for
fluids ........................ 152
Relays ...................... 104
Remote entry system 41
Index
164