1998 Mercury Mountaineer Scheduled Maintenance Guide 2nd Printing - Page 5

General maintenance information WHAT MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE SHOULD YOU FOLLOW? Normal schedule Follow the Normal schedule for most everyday driving conditions. Severe duty schedule Follow the Severe Duty Schedule if your driving habits frequently include one or more of the following conditions: u Towing a trailer or carrying a heavy load. u Operating in severe dust conditions. u Extensive idling, such as police, taxi or door-to-door delivery service. u Off-road operation. u Short trips of less than 16 km (10 miles) when outside temperatures remain below 18°C (0°F). Idling the engine for extended periods will accumulate more hours of use on your vehicle than is actually indicated by the odometer. Consequently, the odometer reading can often be misleading when determining the right time to change you engine oil and filter. If you are using your Ford vehicle in a manner which allows it to remain stationary while the engine is running for long periods (door-to-door delivery, taxi, police, power/utility company trucks or similar duty), then Ford recommends you increase the frequency of oil and filter changes to an interval equivalent to 200 engine hours of use. Since most vehicles are not equipped with hourmeters, it may be necessary for you to approximate your idle time and plan oil/filter changes accordingly. 5