1997 Mercury Villager Owner Guide 1st Printing - Page 315

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. s 20 minutes of driving in stop and go city-type traffic with at least four idle periods. s 10 minutes of driving on an expressway or highway. 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 the above driving modes. If the vehicle owner is unable to meet the I/M requirements by using these driving patterns, an authorized service center can perform a detailed OBD II drive cycle as it would any other type of repair work. Lights and Bulb Replacement It is a good idea to check the operation of the following lights frequently: s headlamps s high-mount brakelamp s tail lamps s brakelamps 318