2004 Mercury Sable Owner Guide 3rd Printing - Page 131

Driving Make sure the corresponding lights illuminate or illuminate briefly. If a light fails to illuminate, have the vehicle serviced. • If the driver's safety belt is fastened, the light may not illuminate. Starting the engine 1. Turn the key to 4 (ON) without 3 turning the key to 5(START). 2 2. Turn the key to 5 (START), then release the key as soon as the 4 engine starts. Excessive cranking 1 could damage the starter. 5 Note: If the engine does not start within five seconds on the first try, turn the key to OFF, wait 10 seconds and try again. If the engine still fails to start, press the accelerator to the floor and try again; this will allow the engine to crank with the fuel shut off in case the engine is flooded with fuel. Cold weather starting (flexible fuel vehicles only) In cold weather, ethanol fuel distributors should supply winter grade (Ed85) ethanol. If summer grade (Ed85) ethanol is used in cold weather, you may experience increased cranking times, rough idle or hesitation until the engine has warmed up. Consult your fuel distributor for the availability of winter grade (Ed85) ethanol. High-quality blends of winter grade (Ed85) ethanol will produce satisfactory cold weather starting and driving results. Cold starting performance can also be improved by using an engine block heater. Engine block heaters are available as an option and can be obtained from your Ford dealer. Consult the engine block heater section for proper use of the engine block heater. If you experience cold weather starting problems on (Ed85) ethanol, and neither an alternative brand of (Ed85) ethanol nor an engine block heater is available, adding unleaded gasoline to your tank will improve cold starting performance. Your vehicle is designed to operate on (Ed85) ethanol, unleaded gasoline alone, or any mixture of the two. If the engine fails to start using the preceding instructions (flexible fuel vehicles only) 1. Press and hold down the accelerator 1/3 to 1/2 way to floor, then crank the engine. 2. When the engine starts, release the key, then gradually release the accelerator pedal as the engine speeds up. If the engine still fails to start, repeat Step 1. 131 2004 Sable (sab) Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) USA English (fus)