Ford Contour (1999 year). Manual - part 45

Maintenance and care

178

Batteries normally produce
explosive gases which can

cause personal injury. Do not allow
flames, sparks or lit tobacco to
come near the battery. Always
cover your face and protect your
eyes and also provide ventilation.

Applying too much pressure
on the ends when lifting a

battery could cause acid to spill.
Lift the battery with a carrier or
with your hands on the opposite
corners.

Follow these steps to
minimize risk of personal

injury.

Always dispose of automotive

batteries in a responsible

manner. Follow your community’s
local standards for disposal. Call
your local recycling center to find
out more about recycling
automotive batteries.

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Maintenance and care

179

Relearning the idle function

Because your vehicle’s engine is
electronically controlled, some
control conditions are maintained
by power from the battery. When
the battery is disconnected or a
new battery is installed, the
computer must “relearn” its idle
conditions before your vehicle can
drive properly. To begin this
process:

1. Put the automatic transaxle
gearshift in P (Park). Put the
manual transaxle gearshift in
neutral.

2. Turn off all accessories and start
the vehicle.

3. Let the engine idle for at least
one minute.

4. The “relearning” process will
automatically complete as you
drive the vehicle.

• If you do not allow the engine to
“relearn” its idle, the idle quality of
your vehicle may be adversely
affected until the idle is eventually
“relearned”.

• If the battery has been
disconnected or if a new battery
has been installed, the clock and
preset radio stations must be reset
once the battery is reconnected.

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Maintenance and care

180

Checking wiper blades

Check the wiper blades on your
vehicle for roughness by running
the tips of your fingers over the
edge of the blade.

Traces of grease, silicone and fuel
prevent wiper blades from
functioning properly. We
recommend Ford cleaning
solutions or equivalent to clean
wiper blades.

Change the wiper blades on your
vehicle at least once a year.

Cabin air filter replacement

In your climate control system, you
have a filter that cleans the air
before it enters the interior of the
vehicle. This filter should be
replaced at the intervals in the
maintenance guide and or service
guide.

To replace the cabin air filter:

1. Unscrew the nut in the base of
each windshield wiper arm.
Remove the windshield wiper arms.

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Maintenance and care

181

2. Remove the plastic caps from
the screws on the grille. Remove
the screws.

3. Open the hood. Pull off the
rubber weatherstrip at the back of
the engine compartment. Remove
the screws that hold the grille,
separate the two halves and
remove the grille.

4. The filter is in a housing at the
back of the engine compartment,
on the passenger side. Pull off the
two clips on the sides of the
housing. Slide out the top part of
the housing and filter.

5. Slide the filter out of the
housing, replace with the new filter
and slide the top part of the
housing and cabin air filter back
into place. Reinstall the clips on the
housing.

6. Replace the grille and wiper
arms.

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