service FORD ESCORT 1996 7.G Owner's Guide

284 [SV04175(ALL)08/95]
RWARNING
Read and understandPrecautions When
Servicing Your Vehicleat the beginning of
this chapter before opening the hood.
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Engine Compartment
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Your vehicle has one of these types of engines:
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a 1.9L SFI engine
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a 1.8L DOHC MFI engine
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The following pages show diagrams of each
engine type and where to find items that you
should regularly service. The items most
frequently checked or serviced by the owner will
be highlighted in yellow.
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Choosing the Right Fuel
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Use only UNLEADED FUEL in your vehicle.
Using leaded fuel is prohibited by federal law.
Your warranty may not apply if your vehicle is
damaged because you used the wrong fuel.
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Vehicle inspection programs may detect
misfueling. Under these circumstances, you may
be required by law to make costly repairs at
your own expense.
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Octane Recommendations
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Your vehicle is designed to use regular fuel with
an octane rating of 87. In most cases it is not
necessary to use a fuel with an octane rating
higher than 87. At service stations, the octane
rating is displayed in a label on the pumps.
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one inch art:0060001-C*
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In some parts of the country, ªregularº grade
fuels are sold with octane ratings of 86 or even
less, especially in high altitude areas. We
recommend that you do not use these fuels.
Always use a fuel with an octane rating of 87,
even if it is sold as a ªmidgradeº or ªpremium.º
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Do not be concerned if your vehicle sometimes
knocks lightly when you drive up a hill or when
you accelerate. However, if a fuel with the
recommended rating knocks heavily under all
driving conditions or knocks lightly driving at
cruising speed on level roads, see your dealer or
a qualified service technician. Persistent, heavy
knocking can damage the engine.
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Fuel Quality
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If you are experiencing starting, rough idle or
hesitation problems when the engine is cold, it
may be caused by fuel with low volatility. Try a
different brand of fuel. If the condition persists,
see your dealer or a qualified service technician.
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Using a high-quality fuel makes your vehicle
more responsive and maintains its good fuel
economy and emissions by:
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protecting your fuel system from rusting.
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protecting your fuel lines from freezing.
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improving vehicle starting and warm-up.
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protecting the fuel system from vapor lock in
very hot weather, which causes the engine to
hesitate or stall and makes restarts difficult.
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minimizing deposits in fuel injectors,
combustion chambers and on intake valves.
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preventing the fuel system from ªgumming
upº when your vehicle is not used for long
periods of time.
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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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Fuels in certain areas of the country are required
to contain oxygenates to improve air quality.
Common oxygenates are ethanol or grain alcohol
(blended at no more than 10%), methanol or
wood alcohol (blended at no more than 5% with
cosolvents and additives) and MTBE or methyl
tertiary butyl ether (blended at no more than
15%).
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1. Before you remove the radiator cap, turn the
engine off and let it cool. Even when the
engine is cool, be careful when you remove
the radiator cap.
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2. When the engine is cool, wrap a thick cloth
around the cap and turn it slowly
counterclockwise to the first stop.
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3. Step back while the pressure releases.
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4. When you are sure that all the pressure has
been released, use the cloth to press, turn,
and remove cap.
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5. Stand away from the radiator opening. Hot
steam may blow out or hot engine coolant
may even splash out.
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Adding Engine Coolant
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RWARNING
Never remove the coolant recovery cap
while the engine is running or hot.
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To find out how much engine coolant mixture
your vehicle's coolant system can hold, seeRefill
capacities for fluidsin the Index.
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Ford Premium Cooling System Fluid is an
optimized formula that will protect all metals
and rubber elastomers used in Ford engines for
four years or 50,000 miles (80,000 km). It is not
necessary and not recommended to use
supplemental coolant additives in your gasoline
powered vehicle. These additives may harm
your engine cooling system. Follow the
recommended service interval for changing your
engine coolant.
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Wiper blade replacement
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If the wiper blades still do not work properly
after you clean them, you may need to replace
the wiper blade assembly or the blade element.
When replacing the wiper blade assembly, blade
refill, or wiper arm always use a Motorcraft part
or equivalent.
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NOTE: There are two different length wiper
blades on your vehicle. The driver-side
wiper blade is 20 inches (50 cm) long,
and the passenger-side wiper blade is
17 inches (45 cm) long. Ensure that you
install the correct size wiper blade in
the correct location.
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To replace the wiper blades:
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1. Pull the wiper arm away from the
windshield and lock into the service position.
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2. Turn the blade at an angle from the wiper
arm. Push the lock pin with a screwdriver to
relase the blade and pull the wiper blade
down toward the windshield to remove it
from the arm.
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3. Attach a new wiper blade to the wiper arm
and press it into place until you hear it click.
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Treadwear
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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.
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Traction A B C
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The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
A, B, and C, and they 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.
Warning: The traction grade assigned to this tire
is based on braking (straightahead) traction tests
and does not include cornering (turning)
traction.
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Temperature A B C
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The temperature grades are A (the highest), B,
and C, representing the tire's resistance to the
generation of heat and its ability to dissipate
heat when tested under controlled conditions on
a specified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire
life, and excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure. The grade C corresponds to
a level of performance which all passenger car
tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard No. 109. Grades B and A
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To make sure that the catalytic converter and the
other emission control parts continue to work
properly:
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Use only unleaded fuel.
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Avoid running out of fuel.
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Do not turn off the ignition while your
vehicle is moving, especially at high speeds.
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Have the services listed in theMaintenance
Schedule and Recordbooklet performed
according to the specified schedule. The
scheduled maintenance services are required
because they are considered essential to the
life and performance of your vehicle and to
its emissions system.
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In general, maintenance, replacement, or service
of the emissions control devices or systems in
your new Ford Motor Company vehicle or
engine may be performed at your expense by
any automotive repair establishment or
individual using automotive parts equivalent to
those which your vehicle or engine was
originally equipped.
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If other than Ford or Motorcraft or Ford
authorized remanufactured parts are used for
maintenance, replacement, or for the service of
components affecting emissions control, the
owner should be assured that such parts are
warranted by their manufacturer to be
equivalent to genuine Ford Motor Company
parts in performance and durability. Please
consult your warranty information booklet for
complete warranty information.
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RWARNING
Do not park, idle, or drive your vehicle in
dry grass or other dry ground cover. The
emission system heats up the engine
compartment and exhaust system, which
can start a fire.
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Do not make any unauthorized changes to your
vehicle or engine. Changes that cause more
unburned fuel to reach the exhaust system can
increase the temperature of the engine or
exhaust system.
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By law, anyone who manufactures, repairs,
services, sells, leases, trades vehicles, or
supervises a fleet of vehicles is not permitted to
intentionally remove an emission control device
or prevent it from working. In some of the
United States and in Canada, vehicle owners
may be liable if their emission control device is
removed or is prevented from working.
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Never use a metal exhaust collector when you
service your vehicle. If the metal collector
contacts any of your vehicle's plastic trim or
bumper parts they could melt or deform.
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Do not drive your vehicle if it does not operate
properly. See your dealer if the engine runs on
for more than five seconds after you shut it off
or if it misfires, surges, stalls, or backfires.
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Information about your vehicle's emission
control system is on the Vehicle Emission
Control Information decal located on or near the
engine. This decal identifies engine displacement
and gives some tune-up specifications.
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Readiness for Inspection/Maintenance
Testing
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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
ªneed for additional mixed city and highway
driving to complete the checkº 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.
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OBD II Drive Cycle (1.9L Engine only)
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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.
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NOTE: Always drive vehicle in a safe manner
according to traffic conditions and obey
all traffic laws.
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Motorcraft Parts
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eighteen pica chart:0070094-F[SV42850(ALL)08/95]
If an original 1.9L engine spark plug is removed
for examination, it must be reinstalled in the
same cylinder. Spark plugs in cylinders 1 and 3
have a EG suffix. Spark plugs in cylinders 2 and
4 have a E suffix. If a spark plug needs to be
replaced, use only spark plugs with the service
part number suffix EE as shown on the engine
decal.
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