service FORD ESCORT 1998 6.G Owner's Manual

make replacing the wipers easy,
turn the ignition to ACC, then turn
the wipers on. When the wipers
reach the vertical position, turn
the ignition to LOCK.
To replace the wiper blades:
1. Pull the wiper arm away from
the windshield and lock into the
service position.
2. Turn the blade at an angle from
the wiper arm. Push the lock pin
with a screwdriver to release the
blade and pull the wiper blade
down toward the windshield to
remove it from the arm.
3. Attach the new wiper to the
wiper arm and press it into place
until a click is heard.
INFORMATION ABOUT TIRE
QUALITY GRADES
New vehicles are fitted with tires
that have their Tire Quality Grade
(described below) molded into the
tire's sidewall. These Tire Quality
Grades are determined by
standards that the United States
Department of Transportation has
set.
Tire Quality Grades apply to new
pneumatic tires for use on
passenger cars. They do not apply
to deep tread, winter-type snow
tires, space-saver or temporary use
spare tires, tires with nominal rim
diameters of 10 to 12 inches or
limited production tires as defined
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149

in Title 49 Code of Federal
Regulations Part 575.104(c)(2).
U.S. Department of
Transportation-Tire quality
grades:The U.S. Department of
Transportation requires Ford to
give you the following information
about tire grades exactly as the
government has written it.
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 grade 150
would wear one and one-half
(1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire grade
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 A B C
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 test surfaces of asphalt and
concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
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150

SERVICING YOUR TIRES
Checking the tire pressure
²Use an accurate tire pressure
gauge.
²Check the tire pressure when
tires are cold, after the vehicle
has been parked for at least one
hour or has been driven less
than 5 km (3 miles).
²Adjust tire pressure to
recommended specifications
found on the Safety Compliance
Certification Label.
Improperly inflated tires
can affect vehicle handling
and can fail suddenly, possibly
resulting in loss of vehicle
control.
Tire rotation
Because your vehicle's tires
perform different jobs, they often
wear differently. To make sure
your tires wear evenly and last
longer, rotate them as indicated in
the ªService Guide.º If you notice
that the tires wear unevenly, have
them checked.
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152

Your vehicle was not designed to
use fuel or fuel additives with
metallic compounds, including
manganese-based compounds
containing MMT.
Vehicles certified to California
emission standards (indicated on
the underhood Vehicle Emissions
Control Information label) are
designed to operate on California
reformulated gasolines. If
California reformulated gasoline is
not available when you refuel, your
vehicle can be operated on
non-California fuels. However, even
though your engine will perform
adequately on other gasolines, the
performance of the emission
control devices and systems may
be adversely affected.
Repair of damage caused by using
a fuel that your vehicle was not
designed for may not be covered
by your warranty.
Octane recommendations
Your vehicle is designed to use
regular unleaded with an (R+M)/2
octane rating of 87. We do not
recommend gasolines labeled as
ªregularº 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 fuel
with the recommended octane, see
your dealer or a qualified service
87
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157

technician to prevent any engine
damage.
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 a 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.
Cleaner air
Ford approves the use of gasolines
to improve air quality, including
reformulated gasolines that contain
oxygenates up to 10% ethanol or
15% MTBE.
Do not use gasolines containing
methanol, which can damage
critical fuel system components.
Damage resulting from the use of
methanol may not be covered by
your warranty.
Running out of fuel
Avoid running out fuel because this
situation may have an adverse
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158

affect on modern powertrain
components.
You may need to crank the engine
several times before the system
starts to pump fuel from the tank
to the engine. If you run out of
fuel, your Service Engine Soon
light may come on. For more
information on the Service Engine
Soon light, refer to the
Instrumentationchapter.
Calculating fuel economy
To accurately calculate your
vehicle's fuel economy:
1. Fill the tank completely and
record the initial odometer
reading.
2. Each time you fill the tank,
record the amount of fuel added
(in liters or gallons).
3. After at least three to five fuel
tank fill-ups, fill the fuel tank and
record the current mileage
reading.
4. Use one of the following
equations to calculate fuel
economy.
Liters used x 1004Total
kilometers traveled
Total miles traveled4Total
gallons used
Keep a record for at least one
month. This will provide an
accurate estimate of the vehicle's
fuel economy.
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159

EMISSION 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:
²Use only unleaded fuel.
²Avoid running out of fuel.
²Do not turn off the ignition
while your vehicle is moving,
especially at high speeds.
²Have the services listed in your
ªService Guideº performed
according to the specified
schedule.
The Scheduled Maintenance
Services listed in the ªService
Guideº 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
emission control such non-Ford
parts should be equivalent to
genuine Ford Motor Company
parts in performance and
durability.
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160

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.
Watch for fluid leaks, strange
odors, smoke, loss of oil pressure,
the charging system warning light,
the ªService Engine Soonº light or
the temperature warning light.
These events could indicate that
the emission control system is not
working properly.
If you smell exhaust fumes
of any kind inside your
vehicle, have the dealer inspect
and fix your vehicle immediately.
Do not drive if you smell exhaust
fumes. These fumes are harmful
and could kill you.
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 on or
near the engine. This decal
identifies engine displacement and
gives some tune up specifications.
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161

Please consult your ªWarranty
Guideº 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 ªcheck
engine/service engine soonº light is
on, reference the applicable light
description in theWarning Lights
and Chimessection of your
owners guide. Your vehicle may
not pass the I/M test with the
ªcheck engine/service engine soonº
light on.
If the vehicle's powertrain system
or its battery has just been
serviced, the OBD-II system is
reset to a ªnot ready for I/M testº
condition. To ready the OBD-II
system for I/M testing, a minimum
of 30 minutes of city and highway
driving is necessary as described
below:
²First, at least 10 minutes of
driving on an expressway or
highway.
²Next, at least 20 minutes driving
in stop and go, city type traffic
with at least four idle periods.
Allow the vehicle to sit for at least
eight hours without starting the
engine. Then, start the engine and
complete the above driving cycle.
The engine must warm up to its
normal operating temperature.
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Using the right bulbs
Function Trade Number
Front park/turn lamps 3457 NAK
Foglamps (if equipped) 881
Headlamps-aero high and low beam 9007
Rear license plate lamps 168
High-mount brake lamp 921
Backup lamps 3156K
Brake lamps 3157K
Interior overhead lamp 12V/10W
Warning lights 37
Instrument panel gauge 194
Map lamps
For bulb replacement, see a
qualified service technician or your
dealer.
AIMING THE HEADLAMPS
Your vehicle is equipped with a
Vehicle Headlamp Aim Device
(VHAD) on each headlamp. Each
headlamp may be properly aimed
in the vertical (up/down) and the
horizontal (left/right) directions
using your VHAD system. The
headlamps on your vehicle are
properly aimed at the assembly
plant, and vertical and horizontal
indicators of the VHAD system are
calibrated.
A bubble (vertical indicator) that
is not centered between the two
red lines does not necessarily
indicate out-of-aim headlamps. If
your vehicle is not positioned on a
level surface, the slope will be
L
R
UP
DN
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