2008 Mercury Mountaineer Owner Guide 2nd Printing (Spanish) - Page 776

Maintenance and Specifications Board Diagnostics System (OBD-II). The OBD-II system protects the environment by ensuring that your vehicle continues to meet government emission standards. The OBD-II system also assists your authorized dealer in properly servicing your vehicle. When the Service engine soon indicator illuminates, the OBD-II system has detected a malfunction. Temporary malfunctions may cause the Service engine soon indicator to illuminate. Examples are: 1. The vehicle has run out of fuel-the engine may misfire or run poorly. 2. Poor fuel quality or water in the fuel-the engine may misfire or run poorly. 3. The fuel cap may not have been securely tightened. See Fuel filler cap in this chapter. If you have the Easy Fuel™ "no cap" fuel system, the fuel fill inlet may not have been properly closed. See Easy Fuel™ "no cap fuel system" in this chapter. 4. Driving through deep water-the electrical system may be wet. These temporary malfunctions can be corrected by filling the fuel tank with good quality fuel, properly closing the fuel fill inlet or letting the electrical system dry out. After three driving cycles without these or any other temporary malfunctions present, the Service engine soon indicator should stay off the next time the engine is started. A driving cycle consists of a cold engine startup followed by mixed city/highway driving. No additional vehicle service is required. If the Service engine soon indicator remains on, have your vehicle serviced at the first available opportunity. Although some malfunctions detected by the OBD-II may not have symptoms that are apparent, continued driving with the Service engine soon indicator on can result in increased emissions, lower fuel economy, reduced engine and transmission smoothness, and lead to more costly repairs. Readiness for Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) testing Some state/provincial and local governments may have Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) programs to inspect the emission control equipment on your vehicle. Failure to pass this inspection could prevent you from getting a vehicle registration. Your vehicle may not pass the I/M test if the Service engine soon indicator is on or not working properly (bulb is burned out), or if the OBD-II system has determined that some of the emission control systems have not been properly checked. In this case, the vehicle is considered not ready for I/M testing. If the Service engine soon indicator is on or the bulb does not work, the vehicle may need to be serviced. Refer to the On board diagnostics (OBD-II) description in this chapter. 356 2008 Mountaineer (mnt) Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) USA (fus)