2001 Mercury Sable Flex Fuel Vehicle Supplement 1st Printing - Page 5

Starting your vehicle STARTING THE ENGINE Starting procedure 1. Follow the steps under Preparing to Start Your Vehicle. 2. Turn the key to START until the engine starts, then release the key. Do not press down on the accelerator. 3. Release the key as soon as the engine starts. Do not hold the key in START or you could damage the starter. After you start the engine, let it idle for about 15 seconds. 4. Hold your foot on the brake pedal, put the gearshift lever in gear and release the parking brake. Slowly release the brake pedal and drive away in a normal manner. Cold weather starting If your flexible fuel vehicle is equipped with an engine block heater, the standard 110V AC (male) plug is located at the front of the vehicle in the upper left-hand air inlet opening, under the bumper. When the temperature is expected to be -23°C (-10°F) below and your vehicle has fuel ethanol (Ed85) in the fuel tank, you should plug in the engine block heater to ensure a quick start. If temperatures are expected to remain below -23°C (-10°F), it is recommended that you reduce the alcohol content in your fuel tank to about 70% by adding unleaded gasoline if your tank is not already full. Thirteen liters (three gallons) of gasoline will reduce the alcohol in 3/4 full tank from 85% to about 70%. In some areas, winter blends of Ed85 will already contain the extra gasoline. See the Refueling section of this supplement for more information on alcohol fuels. If you should unexpectedly have 85% alcohol in your fuel tank in extremely cold temperatures with no way to use the engine block heater, the engine may require extended crank times and several attempts to start. 5