Starting Your Vehicle - Ford F series Owner's Manual

Starting your vehicle

Preparing to Start Your Vehicle
Do not start your vehicle in a closed
garage or in other enclosed areas. Exhaust
fumes can be toxic. Always open the
garage door before you start the engine.
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 transmission,
make sure that the gearshift lever is in P
(Park) and the parking brake is set before
you turn the key.
4. If you have a manual transmission, 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 in all the way).
Testing the Warning Lights
Before you start your vehicle, you should test
the warning lights on the instrument panel to
make sure that they work. Refer to the
Instrumentation chapter.
If your Brake Warning Light does light up with
the key in the ON position, you may not have
fully released the parking brake or the brake
fluid may be low.
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