Crappy FORD factory manuals

Sep 14, 2004 6 Replies

Who does Ford get to write their shop manuals? It's bad enough that they are all but incomprehensible, even to a mechanic - without being totally inacurate in many ways to boot.



Case in point. Just got a 1996 Merc Mystique for the wife - fully loaded - but only one keyless entry fob. So, I head off to the wrechers and snag a pair of fobs from a Sable. (same fob).



Dig out the trusty (ha ha ha) shop manual to get the instructions for recoding the keyless entry system to the new fobs. Manual tells me there is a connector taped to the wiring harness that needs to be momentarily shorted with the key on to put the lock control into "learn mode". That's good - heard that before - but then it tells me to remove the left luggage compartment trim panel to find the plug. Seams like a strange place for a programming plug for remote door locks, but what the heck, I'm only an old auto mechanic.



I removed the left panel - nothing. Mabee they meant the "other left" as my directionally challenged wife so eloquently puts it - so I pulled the right panel. Nothing. So, I go to the back of the manual where the "power door diagnostic plug" is shown taped to the bottom of the door control module just below the RIGHT A PILLAR. - behind (or in front of) the glove box.



I'l bet even a Chiltons manual would have gotten it right!!!


opined in news:

As a chilton's user for 35 years.. I highly doubt that.

I really liked the Mitchell 85 - 87 Emissions books I had though.

35 years?

Slow learner???

I dont know what your talking about but I've never had any trouble with ford service manuals maybe you should learn to read first retard before you get into complicated things like cars

I dont know what your talking about but I've never had any trouble with ford service manuals maybe you should learn to read first retard before you get into complicated things like cars

Mrmechanic opined in news: snipped-for-privacy@localhost.talkaboutautos.com:

sez one who has trouble posting without duping!

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Anyway, they seem clumsy to anyone not trained from the beginning in the field. Even those who are used to using technical helps in other technologies.

And they ARE a little obtuse because, with the advances in technology, the number of steps in the troubleshooting tree has increased a lot, I would think.

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