Starting Your Engine; Warning Lights And Gauges - Ford 1996 Escort Manual

Before you start your vehicle, do the following:
1. Make sure all occupants in the vehicle
buckle their safety belts. See Safety Restraints
in the Index for more details.
2. Make sure the headlamps and other
accessories are turned off when starting.
3. If you have an automatic transaxle, make
sure that the gearshift is in P (Park) and the
parking brake is set before you turn the key.
If you have an automatic transaxle, your
vehicle has a special shift-lock safety feature.
It prevents you from moving the gearshift
lever out of the P (Park) position unless the
ignition is in the ON position and your foot
is on the brake. To move the gearshift lever,
you must also depress the thumb button.
If you have a manual transaxle, make sure
that the parking brake is fully set, push the
clutch pedal to the floor, and put the
gearshift into Neutral before you turn the
key. (Remember, the starter will operate
only if the clutch pedal is pushed all the
way to the floor.)
4. Before you start your vehicle, you should
check the warning lights on the instrument
panel to make sure that they work. Refer to
the Warning Lights and Gauges chapter.

Starting Your Engine

To start your engine:
1. Follow the steps under Preparing to Start
Your Vehicle at the beginning of this section.
2. Turn the ignition key to the ON position.
3. DO NOT depress the accelerator pedal when
starting your engine. DO NOT use the
accelerator while the vehicle is parked.
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