1998 Mercury Mystique engine

Maintenance and care
159 Choosing the right fuel
Use only UNLEADED FUEL. The
use of leaded fuel is prohibited by
law and could damage your vehicle.
The damage may not be covered by
your warranty.
Your vehicle was not designed to
use fuel containing manganese-
based additives such as MMT.
Additionally, vehicles certified to
California emission standards
(indicated on the underhood
Vehicle Emission 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 a fuel
that your vehicle was not designed
for may not be covered by your
warranty.
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Maintenance and care
160Octane 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
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Maintenance and care
163 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
ABOUT THE EMISSION
CONTROLSYSTEM
For more information about your
vehicle’s emission control system,
refer to the Vehicle Emission
Control Information Decal located
on the inside, left of the engine
compartment.
The catalytic converter enables the
vehicle’s emission control system to
operate properly.
Follow these guidelines to ensure
proper emission system operation:
•Use unleaded fuel only.
•Avoid running out of fuel.
EF 1
/
2
UNLEADED FUEL ONLY
• Do not turn off the ignition while
your vehicle is in motion.
•Have maintenance performed
according to intervals in the
“Service Guide”.
Exhaust leaks may result in
the entry of harmful and
potentially lethal fumes into the
passenger compartment. Under
extreme conditions excessive
exhaust temperatures could
damage the fuel system, the
interior floor covering, or other
vehicle components, possibly
causing a fire.
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Maintenance and care
164
BRAKE
TRACTION
CONTROLO/D
OFF
If you notice one or more of the
following, the emission system may
not be functioning properly; have
the vehicle serviced as soon as
possible:
•Fluid leaks.
•The charging system, engine oil
pressure or low coolant warning
lights illuminate in the
instrument cluster and remain lit.
•Strange odors.
•Engine runs for more than five
seconds after shut off or engine
misfires, surges, stalls or
backfires.
•Loss of oil pressure.
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Maintenance and care
165
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.
Important emission control
imformation
By law, anyone who manufactures,
repairs, services, leases, trades
vehicles or supervises a fleet of
vehicles is not permitted to
intentionally remove an emission
control device or prevent it from
working. Do not make any
unauthorized changes to the
vehicle or engine. Changes that
cause more unburned fuel to reach
the exhaust system can increase
the temperature of the engine or
exhaust system.
When your vehicle is serviced,
never use a metal exhaust
collector. The use of a metal
collector may melt or deform
plastic parts.
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Maintenance and care
166Preparing your vehicle 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 vehicle’s powertrain
system or battery has just been
serviced, the OBD II system is reset
to a condition unready for I/M
testing. To ready the OBDII system
for I/M testing, the law specifies
that additional city and highway
driving is necessary to complete
the check of the OBDII system.
The driving mode required to reach
the ready condition consists of a
minimum of 30 minutes of city and
highway driving:
•At least 20 minutes driving in
stop and go city-type traffic with
at least four idle periods.
•At least 10 minutes of driving on
an expressway or highway.
Before completing the above
driving modes, the engine must be
warmed up and at operating
temperature. Once started, the
vehicle must not be turned off
during these modes.
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Maintenance and care
179 Cleaning the engine
Engines are more efficient when
they are clean because grease and
dirt buildup act as insulators and
keep the engine warmer than
normal. Follow these guidelines to
clean your engine:
•Take care when using a power
washer to clean the engine. The
high pressure fluid could
penetrate the sealed parts and
cause damage.
•Do not spray with cold water, to
avoid cracking the engine block.
•Cover the alternator to prevent
water damage when cleaning the
engine.
•Never wash or rinse the engine
while it is running; water in the
running engine may cause
internal damage.
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Maintenance and care
181 Cleaning the interior fabric
Remove dust and loose dirt with a
whisk broom or a vacuum cleaner.
Remove fresh spots immediately.
Follow the directions that come
with the cleaner.
Cleaning leather seats
(if equipped)
For routine cleaning, wipe the
surface with a soft, damp cloth. For
more thorough cleaning, wipe the
surface with a leather and vinyl
cleaner or a mild soap.
Cleaning the instrument panel
POWERAUDIOAM/FM
SCAN
SEEK 312645ANSSIDE1-2EJECTVOLUME
MIRRORSDEFLO
HIOFFPNL/FLR
PANEL
A/CFLOOR
FLR
DEF

MAX
A/C
000123000010 20 3040506070
80
90
100
110
120
130MPH20 406055
80120 100
140
160
180
200EF 1
/
2UNLEADED FUEL ONLY12
03x 1000
4
5
6
7
8NORMALBRAKE
CHECK
ENGINE TRACTION
CONTROLO/D
OFF:
I0 20
Off
ResSet
AccCoast
On
Clean the instrument panel with a
damp cloth, then dry with a dry
cloth.
Any cleaner or polish that
increases the gloss of the upper
portion of the instrument panel
should be avoided. The dull finish
in this area is to help protect the
driver from undesirable windshield
reflection.
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