1997 Mercury Cougar Owner's Manual - Page 242

Information about your vehicle's emission control system is on the Vehicle Emission Control Information decal located on or near the engine. This decal identifies engine displacement and gives some tune-up specifications. How to Prepare Your Vehicle for Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) Testing In some localities it may become a legal requirement to pass an Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) test of the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) II system. If the vehicle's powertrain system or its battery has just been serviced, the OBD II system is reset to a not ready for I/M testing condition. To prepare for I/M testing, the law specifies that additional mixed city and highway driving is required to complete the check of the OBD II system. The driving modes required to reach the ready condition consist of a minimum of 30 minutes of city and highway driving as described below: u At least twenty minutes driving in stop and go, city type traffic with at least four idle periods. expressway or highway. u At least ten minutes of driving on an Before completing the above driving modes, the engine must be warmed up and at operating temperature. Once started, the vehicle must not be turned off during these driving modes. 242