service FORD CONTOUR 2000 2.G Owner's Manual

Maintenance and care
175 • A large amount of water without
engine coolant may be added, in
case of emergency, to reach a
vehicle service location. In this
instance, the cooling system must
be drained and refilled with a 50/50
mixture of engine coolant and
distilled water as soon as possible.
Water alone (without engine
coolant) can cause engine damage
from corrosion, overheating or
freezing.
•Do not use alcohol or
methanol or any engine
coolants mixed with alcohol or
methanol antifreeze (coolant).
Alcohol and other liquids can cause
engine damage from overheating or
freezing.
•Do not add extra inhibitors
or additives to the coolant.
These can be harmful and
compromise the corrosion
protection of the engine coolant.
•Do not mix with recycled
coolant unless the bottle label
states compliance with Ford
specification ESE-M97B44-A.
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Maintenance and care
179 Checking and adding automatic
transaxle fluid
Follow the scheduled service
intervals outlined in the
“Scheduled Maintenance Guide“.
Your transaxle does not consume
fluid. However, it is recommended
that you refer to your “Scheduled
Maintenance Guide“ for scheduled
intervals for fluid checks and
changes. The fluid level should be
checked or changed by a qualified
technician at the appropriate
intervals or if the transaxle is not
working properly, i.e., if the
transaxle slips or shifts slowly or if
you notice some sign of fluid
leakage.
Note: Automatic transaxle fluid
expands when warmed. To obtain
an accurate fluid level check drive
the vehicle until warmed,
approximately 30 km (20 miles). If
your vehicle has been operated for
an extended period at high speeds,
in city traffic during hot weather or
pulling a trailer, the vehicle should
be turned off for about 30 minutes
to allow fluid to cool before
checking.
1. Drive the vehicle 30 km (20
miles) or until the vehicle reaches
normal operating temperatures.
2. Park the vehicle on a level
surface and engage the parking
brake.
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Maintenance and care
182Battery
Your vehicle may be equipped with
a Motorcraft maintenance-free
battery. The Motorcraft
maintenance-free battery normally
does not require additional water
during its life of service. However,
for severe service usage or in high
temperature climates, refer to the
“Scheduled Maintenance Guide” for
additional information. Keep the
electrolyte in each cell up to the
“level” indicator. Do not overfill the
battery cell.
For longer, trouble-free operation,
keep the top of the battery clean
and dry. Also, make certain the
battery cables are always tightly
fastened to the battery terminals.
If you see any corrosion on the
battery cables or terminals, remove
the cables from the terminal(s) and
clean with a wire brush. You can
neutralize the acid with a solution
of baking soda and water. Reinstall
the cables when you are done
cleaning them, and apply a small
quantity of grease to the top of
each battery terminal to help
prevent corrosion.
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Maintenance and care
183 Battery replacement
If your original equipment battery
requires replacement while under
warranty, it will be replaced with a
Motorcraft service battery,
identical in design technology. Like
the original equipment battery, it
should not require water addition
during its normal life of service;
however, for severe service usage
or in high temperature climates,
refer to the “Scheduled
Maintenance Guide” for more
information. Do not overfill the
battery cell.
If the electrolyte level in your
battery gets low, you can add plain
tap water to the battery, as long as
you do not use hard water (water
with a high mineral or alkali
content). If possible, however, try
to only fill the battery cell with
distilled water. If the battery needs
water often, have the charging
system checked.
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Maintenance and care
189 Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a
specified government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150
would wear one and one-half
(1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded
100. The relative performance of
tires depends upon the actual
conditions of their use, however,
and may depart significantly from
the norm due to variations in
driving habits, service practices,
and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction AA A B C
The traction grades, from highest
to lowest are AA, A, B, and C.
Those grades represent the tire’s
ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled
conditions on specified government
test surfaces of asphalt and
concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
The traction grade assigned
to this tire is based on
straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include
acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
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Maintenance and care
193 Dispose of worn tires in
accordance with local
environmental regulations.
Refer to the Safety Compliance
Certification label to determine the
specific size tire and wheel Ford
Motor Company recommends for
use on this vehicle.
When purchasing replacement tires
for your vehicle, consult your
dealer or a qualified service
technician to ensure that the
correct tire type is used.
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Maintenance and care
194The tires on your vehicle have all-
weather treads to provide traction
in rain and snow. However, in some
climates, using snow tires and
chains may be necessary. Ford
offers snow chains as a Ford
approved accessory and
recommends use of these or their
equivalents on approved tires. See
your dealer or a qualified service
technician for more information on
tire chains for your vehicle. Follow
these guidelines when using snow
tires and chains:
• Install chains securely, verifying
that the chains do not touch any
wiring, brake lines or fuel lines.
• Install the chains on the front
tires only.
• Do not use tire chains on 205/60
tires and 205/55R16 Z rated tires.
Steering, suspension and body
components may be damaged by
use of chains.
Snow tires must be the same
size and grade as the tires
you currently have on your
vehicle.
Using snow tires and chains
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Maintenance and care
199 Octane recommendations
Your vehicle is designed to use
regular gasoline with an (R+M)/2
octane rating of 87. We do not
recommend gasolines labeled as
“regular” in high altitude areas that
are sold with octane ratings of 86
or even less.
Do not be concerned if your vehicle
sometimes knocks lightly. However,
if it knocks heavily under most
driving conditions on the
recommended octane, see your
dealer or a qualified service
technician to prevent any engine
damage.
87
MINIMUM OCTANE RATING
(R+M)/2 Method
Fuel quality
If you are experiencing starting,
rough idle or hesitation problems
try a different brand of fuel. If the
condition persists, see your dealer
or qualified service technician.
The American Automobile
Manufacturers Association
(AAMA) issued a gasoline
specification to provide information
on high quality fuels that optimize
the performance of your vehicle.
We recommend the use of gasolines
that meet the AAMA specification
if they are available.
It should not be necessary to add
any aftermarket products to your
fuel tank if you continue to use a
high-quality fuel.
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Maintenance and care
202EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM
Your vehicle is equipped with
various emission control
components and a catalytic
converter which will enable your
vehicle to comply with applicable
exhaust emission standards. To
make sure that the catalytic
converter and other emission
control components continue to
work properly:
• Use unleaded fuel only.
• Avoid running out of fuel.
• Do not turn off the ignition while
your vehicle is moving, especially
at high speeds.
• Have the items listed in your
“Scheduled Maintenance Guide”
performed according to the
specified schedule.
The scheduled maintenance
services listed in the “Scheduled
Maintenance Guide“ are required
because they are considered
essential to the life and
performance of your vehicle and to
its emissions system.
If other than Ford, Motorcraft, or
Ford authorized parts are used for
maintenance replacements or for
service of components affecting
emissions control, such non-Ford
parts should be equivalent to
genuine Ford Motor Company parts
in performance and durability.
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Maintenance and care
204
Do not make any unauthorized
changes to your vehicle or engine.
By law, vehicle owners and anyone
who manufactures, repairs,
services, sells, leases, trades
vehicles, or supervises a fleet of
vehicles are not permitted to
intentionally remove an emission
control device or prevent it from
working. Information about your
vehicle's emission system is on the
Vehicle Emission Control
Information Decal located under
the hood. This decal identifies
engine displacement and gives
some tune up specifications.
Please consult your “Warranty
Guide“ for complete emission
warranty information.
Readiness for
inspection/maintenance (I/M)
testing
In some localities, it may be a legal
requirement to pass an I/M test of
the on-board diagnostic (OBD-II)
system. If your check enginelight
is on, refer to the description in the
Instrument Cluster Lights and
Chimessection of the
Instrumentation chapter. Your
vehicle may not pass the I/M test
with the check engine light on.
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