Mercury 1996 Sable Manual page 354

Readiness for Inspection/Maintenance
Testing
In some localities it may become a legal
requirement to pass an
Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) test of the
On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) II system. If the
vehicle's powertrain system or its battery has
just been serviced, the OBD II system is reset to
a not ready for I/M testing condition. To
prepare for I/M testing, the law specifies a
"need for additional mixed city and highway
driving to complete the check" of the OBD II
system. As soon as all of the OBD II system
checks are successfully completed, the OBD II
system is set to the ready condition. The amount
of driving required to reach the ready condition
varies with individual driving patterns. To
complete this requirement in the minimum
amount of time, refer to the OBD II Drive Cycle
defined below. If the vehicle owner cannot or
does not want to do the additional driving
required by law, a service center can perform
this drive cycle as it would any other type of
repair work.
OBD II Drive Cycle
The following steps must be run in the order
shown. If any steps are interrupted, repeat the
preceding step. Any safe driving mode is
acceptable between steps.
Always drive vehicle in safe manner according
to traffic conditions and obey all traffic laws.
The engine must be warmed up and at
operating temperature before proceeding with
the drive modes of the following OBD II Drive
Cycle.
1. Start the engine. Drive or idle (in neutral)
the vehicle for 4 minutes.
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