2000 FORD CONTOUR fuel

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
200
The fuel system may be
under pressure. If the fuel
filler cap is venting vapor or if you
hear a hissing sound, wait until it
stops before completely removing
the fuel filler cap. Otherwise fuel
may spray out and injure you or
others.
Fuel filler cap
If the check engineindicator
comes on and stays on when you
start the engine, the fuel filler cap
may not be properly installed. Turn
off the engine, remove the fuel
filler cap and reinstall it being
careful to align the cap properly.
If you must replace the fuel
filler cap, replace it with an
authorized Motorcraft part.
The customer warranty may be
void for any damage to the fuel
tank or fuel system if an
authorized Motorcraft fuel
filler cap is not used. Cleaner air
Ford approves the use of gasolines
to improve air quality, including
reformulated gasolines that contain
oxygenates such as a maximum of
10% ethanol or 15% MTBE. There
should be no more than 5%
methanol with cosolvents and
additives to protect the fuel
system.
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Maintenance and care
201 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 litres or gallons).
3. After at least three to five fill-
ups, fill the fuel tank and record
the current mileage reading.
4. Use one of the following
equations to calculate fuel
economy.
Litres used x 100 / Total kilometres
traveled.
Total miles traveled / Total 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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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
218Repairing paint chips
Minor scratches or paint damage
from road debris may be repaired
with the Ultra Touch Prep and
Finishing Kit (# F7AZ-19K507-BA).
Lacquer Touch-up Paint (# ALBZ-
19500-XXXXA) or Exterior Acrylic
Spray Lacquer (# ALAZ-19500-
XXXXA) from the Ford Car Care
Chemicals line. Please not that the
part numbers (shown as XXXX
above) will vary with your vehicle’s
specific coloring. Observe the
application instructions on the
products.
Cleaning the wheels
Wash the wheels with the same
detergent you use to clean the
body of your vehicle. Do not use
acid-based wheel cleaners, steel
wool, fuel or strong detergents.
Never use abrasives that will
damage the finish of special wheel
surfaces. Use a tar remover to
remove grease and tar.
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Maintenance and care
220Cleaning plastic exterior parts
Use a vinyl cleaner for routine
cleaning of plastic. Clean with a tar
remover if necessary. Do not clean
plastic parts with thinners, solvents
or petroleum-based cleaners.
Cleaning the exterior lamps
Wash the exterior lamps with the
same detergent you use to wash
the exterior of your vehicle. Use
glass cleaner or tar remover if
necessary.
To avoid scratching the lamps, do
not use a dry paper towel, chemical
solvents or abrasive cleaners to
clean the lamps.
Cleaning the wiper blades
If the wiper blades do not wipe
properly, clean both the windshield
and wiper blades using undiluted
windshield wiper solution or a mild
detergent. Rinse thoroughly with
clean water. To avoid damaging the
blades, do not use fuel, kerosene,
paint thinner or other solvents.
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223
Capacities and specifications
* Refer to Vehicle Emission Control Information (VECI) decal for spark plug and gap specifications.
** If a spark plug is removed for examination, it must be reinstalled in the same cylinder.
If a spark plug needs to be replaced, use only spark plugs with the service part number suffix
letter “FE” as shown on the engine decal.
Motorcraft parts
Component
Spark plug*
Air filter
Passenger compartment
air filter
Fuel filter
Oil filter
Battery
PCV valve
Crankcase ventilation
filter2.0 litre engine
AZFS-22F # 1+2**
AZFS-22FE# 3+4
FA-1612
FP4
FG-800A
FL-2005
BXT-40R
EV-224
FA-1621
2.5 litre engine
AWSF-32F
FA-1613
FP4
FG-800A
FL-820
BXT-40R
EV-152
—
Part number
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Capacities and specifications
224
* Total capacity
** with automatic transaxle
Engine oil
- with filter
- without
Manual transaxle 1.9 l (2.0 qts)
Automatic transaxle
with oil cooler
Power steering
Cooling system with heating
Windshield washer fluid
Fuel tank
Braking system4.25 l (4.5 qts)
3.75 l (4.0 qts)
8.5 l (9.0 qts.)
6.6 l (7.0 qts)*
7.1 l (7.5 qts)**
Fill to MAX mark
Fill to top of reservoir
58.5 l (15.4 gallons)
Fill to MAX mark5.5 l (5.8 qts)
5.0 l (5.3 qts)
9.6 l (10.2 qts)
9.5 l (10.0 qts)*
9.7 l (10.2 qts)**
Capacities2.0 litre
engine2.5 litre
engine
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