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Inside+Out: The 1999 Ford Explorer
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| Inside+Out: The 1999 Ford Explorer |
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| Updated |
Mar 17, 2005 19:41:50 |
| Rating |
 81 ( -14 -17.28% ) |
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Description:
driver controls
Auto/4x4 High/Low, a button with the power to climb mountains &150; If your Explorer has four-wheel drive (except V-8 models), there will be a rotary dial next to the radio that says Auto, 4x4 High and Low. This switch is the key to the four-wheel drive system, and here&146;s a quick look at what it does.
In Auto, the system allows your Explorer to accelerate with the rear wheels only, giving you the best possible performance and fuel economy. But, should one of the rear wheels start to turn faster than the front wheels, the system knows that the tire is about to loose grip and spin.
At this point it automatically engages the front wheels so they can help pull the Explorer past the slippery spot. The Auto mode is ideal for driving on wet pavement, and it operates so quickly and seamlessly, you won&146;t feel a thing.
Now, if the pavement is covered in ice or snow, or you&146;ve headed onto a muddy road, you&146;ll want to switch to 4x4 High. This mode will lock the front and rear axles together so the front and rear tires get equal power all the time. It does this so that on really slick surfaces, the car will feel more steady and stable.
But a word of caution &150; 4x4 High is not for use on dry pavement, as it will make the Explorer reluctant to go around turns.
Now, if the mud or snow is getting deep and the engine starts laboring, or if you&146;re trying to climb or descend a steep hill, stop, shift to neutral, switch to Low, and then shift back into gear and go. You&146;ll feel a much greater sense of power. For slow, dirty work, this is the best
mode.
But like 4x4 High, this mode is not for use on pavement, unless you are pulling a boat up a ramp or pulling something heavy a fairly short distance. For most purposes, the Auto setting will give you all the traction you&146;ll need.
Mysterious Dashboard Lights
The seated person and the giant balloon &150; This is the dreaded air bag light: AKA Supplemental Restraint System. Now, the first thing to understand is that the air bag light should come on for a few moments every time you start the car. The light is basically telling you that the air bags are waking up and preparing for duty.
When the light goes off, it means that roll call has been completed and all of the air bags&146; sensors and components are present and accounted for &150; and they&146;re armed and ready.
If the light stays on, then one of the sensors or components is not responding properly. A continuously glowing air bag light does not mean that the air bag will deploy at any moment, but it does mean the system needs to be checked by your Accredited Autobytel.com Dealer.
Despite some bad publicity, air bags are extremely helpful allies in a frontal crash, so you want to have a constantly glowing SRS light checked as soon as possible.
ABS &150;
ABS stands for Anti-Lock Braking System, and each time you start your Explorer, the ABS light will come on for a moment and let you know that all is well in the emergency braking department. In other words, should you hit the brakes too hard while rounding a curve or driving on slick pavement, the ABS will be ready to intervene and distribute braking power more gently so the tires don&146;t skid.
If the light stays on, then the ABS is experiencing a malfunction and the Explorer is trying to tell you that the ABS might not be able to lend a hand in an emergency. The Explorer will still stop fine in normal conditions, but it&146;s definitely time to see your Accredited Autobytel.com Dealer.
Also, the ABS light should not be confused with the regular red BRAKE light. If the red brake light comes on (after you have released the parking brake, that is), then there could be a problem in the car&146;s regular braking system and that could lead to a loss of normal stopping power. Both the
ABS and BRAKE lights are too important to be ignored.
Check engine &150;Don&146;t be alarmed if you&146;re confronted by a glowing yellow light on the instrument panel that
sternly commands you to "CHECK ENGINE". Now, if you&146;re not a mechanic with all the high tech toys, looking under the hood isn&146;t going to reveal much.
You can, however, start by checking to see if your fuel cap is tightly screwed down. A loose gas cap will release nasty fumes into the atmosphere, and the Explorer&146;s strict emission control system won&146;t have any part of this. In truth, the light should really say "Check Gas Cap". But let&146;s not take this too
lightly.
After tightening the gas cap, you should restart the engine to see if the light turns off after a moment. If not, the likelihood of a major malfunction is still remote. No need to panic. Rather, the Explorer&146;s vigilant emission control system has probably detected a lazy spark plug that didn&146;t fire on cue, or an over-ambitious fuel injector that may be pumping too much gas into the engine.
Sometimes it just takes a short drive and a restarting of the engine to clear things up. If the light remains on after a bit of driving and a few restarts, it&146;s time to make an appointment to see your Accredited Autobytel.com Dealer. Although your Explorer may be running fine, the problem that set off the check engine light could cause trouble down the road.
The good news is that your Explorer will actually remember the specific malfunction and then report the misbehaving component to the technician when you go in for a check. Your Autobytel.com Dealer has a diagnostic tool that will interrogate the engine so thoroughly it can even find intermittent problems that aren&146;t acting up when the vehicle&146;s in the service bay.
Check gauges &150; Although the Explorer is designed to go about its business quietly and efficiently, there may be times when the car really needs to get your attention. At moments like this, the CHECK GUAGES light might come on.
If your fuel gauge is getting dangerously low, the light will turn on, reminding you that it&146;s time to get gas. The same goes for the oil pressure, engine coolant and battery level gauges.
If any of these begin to read outside the normal range, the check gauges light will come on and make it clear that the car is trying to tell you something.
The MAX setting on your ventilation system &150; Also known as "recirculate". Turn the far right climate control rotary dial to MAX, and the ventilation system will stop drawing in outside air and simply recirculate the air that&146;s already inside the cabin.
This way, if you&146;re driving behind a diesel truck, or rolling past a recently fertilized cornfield, you can keep the nasty stuff outside. And even though this is an air conditioning setting, you can adjust the center rotary dial to give you warm air.
Also, on hot days, the MAX setting will help the air conditioning cool the car faster because it keeps hot outside air from diluting the cool air from the air conditioner. That&146;s why the MAX setting on the air conditioning automatically shuts off the flow of outside air.
But a word of warning: if you leave the MAX setting on for long &150; say a half hour or more &150; the car will get stuffy and you might start to get drowsy. You don&146;t want to drive around with the MAX air conditioning on all the time. |
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