1996 Ford Aspire Owner's Manual - Page 125
1996 Ford Aspire Manual
Page 125 highlights
Sometimes, you will upshift at higher speeds. For example, you may want to stay in a lower gear to gain more power for passing or for climbing a hill. However, you must stay within the allowable range when you upshift or downshift. Backing up To shift into R (Reverse): 1. 2. Bring your vehicle to a complete stop. Push the clutch pedal in all the way to the floor and hold it. If you do not hold the clutch pedal in all the way, you may hear a grinding noise when you shift. Put the gearshift in Neutral and wait at least 3 seconds before shifting into R (Reverse) to prevent a grinding noise. Do not release the clutch. Then push the gearshift all the way to the right and pull it down into R (Reverse). When in 5 (Fifth) gear, you can engage R (Reverse) only by moving the gearshift to Neutral before you shift into R (Reverse). This is a special lockout feature that protects you from accidentally shifting into R (Reverse) when you downshift from 5 (Fifth) gear. 5. Once R (Reverse) is engaged, slowly release the clutch pedal from the floor. 3. 4. If R (Reverse) is not engaged, continue to push the clutch pedal in while you put the gearshift back into Neutral. Then, release the clutch pedal for a moment and repeat steps 2 through 5. 124