Maintenance 302
General information...................................302
Opening and closing the hood............................303
Under hood overview..................................304
Engine oil dipstick....................................306
Engine oil check......................................306
Engine coolant check..................................307
Automatic transmission fluid check........................313
Brake fluid check.....................................317
Power steering fluid check..............................317
Fuel filter...........................................317
Washer fluid check....................................318
Changing the vehicle battery.............................318
Checking the wiper blades..............................321
Air filter(s).........................................323
Adjusting the headlamps................................325
Changing a bulb......................................326
Bulb specification chart.................................331
Vehicle Care 332
Cleaning products.....................................332
Cleaning the exterior..................................332
Waxing.............................................334
Repairing minor paint damage............................334
Cleaning the engine...................................334
Cleaning the windows and wiper blades.....................335
Cleaning the interior...................................335
Cleaning the instrument panel and instrument cluster lens.......336
Cleaning the alloy wheels...............................340
Vehicle storage.......................................340
6Table of Contents
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)
SYMBOL GLOSSARY
WARNING:You risk death or serious injury to yourself and
others if you do not follow the instruction highlighted by the
warning symbol.
These are some of the symbols you may see on your vehicle.
Symbol Description Symbol Description Symbol Description
Safety alertSee Owner’s
ManualAnti-lock
braking
system
Avoid
smoking,
flames, or
sparksBatteryBattery acid
Brake fluid –
non
petroleum
baseBrake systemCabin air
filter
Check fuel
capChild Safety
Door Lock
and UnlockChild seat
lower anchor
Child seat
tether anchorCruise
controlDo not open
when hot
Engine air
filterEngine
coolantEngine
coolant
temperature
Engine oilExplosive gasFan warning
Fasten safety
beltFront airbagFront fog
lamps
10Introduction
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)
Info
Press the INFO button repeatedly to cycle through the following
features:
Note:Some options may appear slightly different or not at all if the
items are optional.
INFO
TRIP A/B
XXX° (if equipped)
MYKEY MILES (km) (if programmed)
XXX MILES (km) TO E
XX.X AVG MPG (L/100km)
MPG (L/km)
TIMER
TBC GAIN (if equipped)
EXHAUST FILTER (diesel only)
•TRIP A/B: Registers the distance of individual journeys. Press and
release the INFO button until TRIP A/B appears in the display (this
represents the trip mode). Press and hold the RESET button to reset.
Refer toUNITSlater in this section to switch the display from metric
to English.
•XXX° (outside air temperature) (if equipped): This displays the
outside temperature.
•MYKEY MILES (km) (if programmed): For more information, refer to
theMyKey®chapter.
•XXX MILES (km) TO E: This displays an estimate of approximately
how far you can drive with the fuel remaining in your tank under
normal driving conditions. Remember to turn the ignition off when
refueling to allow this feature to correctly detect the added fuel.
Distance to empty is calculated using a running average fuel economy,
which is based on your recent driving history of 500 miles (800 km).
This value is not the same as the average fuel economy display. The
running average fuel economy is re-initialized to a factory default
value if the battery is disconnected.
•XX.X AVG MPG (L/100km): Average fuel economy displays your
average fuel economy in miles/gallon or liters/100 km.
•MPG (L/km): This displays instantaneous fuel economy as a bar graph.
Your vehicle must be moving to calculate instantaneous fuel economy.
Instantaneous fuel economy cannot be reset.
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•TIMER: Displays the trip elapsed drive time. Press and release RESET
to pause the timer. Press and hold RESET to reset the timer.
•TBC GAIN (if equipped): Displays the level of trailer brake gain or if
the trailer is not connected.
•EXHAUST FILTER (Diesel only): For more information, refer to the
Diesel exhaust system: oxidation catalyst/diesel particulate filter
systemin your diesel supplement for more information.
System Check and Vehicle Feature Customization
Press the SETUP button repeatedly to cycle the message center through
the following features:
Note:Some options may appear slightly different or not at all if the
items are optional.
Note:When returning to the SETUP menu and a non-English language
has been selected, HOLD RESET FOR ENGLISH will be displayed to
change back to English. Press and hold the RESET button to change
back to English.
SETUP
RESET FOR
SYSTEM CHECKpress the
RESET buttonOIL LIFE
EXHAUST FLUID LEVEL
(Diesel only)
ENGINE HOURS
ENGINE IDLE HOURS
CHARGING SYSTEM
DOOR
BRAKE SYSTEM
TBC GAIN = XX.X
FUEL LEVEL
MYKEY DISTANCE
MYKEY(S) PROGRAMMED
ADMIN KEYS PROGRAMMED
106Information Displays
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)
•Fuel Economy
•Truck Apps (If Equipped)
•Settings
•Information
Gauge Mode
Use the arrow buttons to choose between the following gauge
options.
Gauge Mode
Gauges Detail Engine Oil Temperature (Diesel only)
Transmission Temperature
Compass
The compass orientation can be
changed between fixed north or
rotating north. To change the
modes, press OK when the compass
display is shown. Use the right
arrow to choose the mode. Press
and hold OK to set the mode.
Exhaust Filter (diesel only). Refer toDiesel exhaust
system: oxidation catalyst/diesel particulate filter
systemin your diesel supplement for more
information.
Blank
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USA(fus)
Settings (cont’d)
Vehicle Autolamp
DelayOff or XXX seconds
Compass Zone Setting (1–15) See the diagram
below to determine your magnetic zone.
Calibration (When choosing Calibration,
follow the on-screen directions to
calibrate the compass)
Easy
Entry/ExitOn/Off
DTE
Calculation
(distance to
empty)Normal History Used
Towing History Used
Locks Autolock On/Off
Autounlock On/Off
Unlocking One Stage or Two Stage
Maintenance Coolant
(if equipped)Hold OK if coolant
maintenance performed
Fuel Filter
(diesel only)Hold OK if Fuel Filter
Changed
Menu Control Standard: with standard set, pressing the
up/down arrows from a lower level menu
will escape to the main menu.
Memory On: with memory on set, pressing
the up/down arrows will navigate to the
previous lower level menu.
Oil Life Reset Set to XXX% (Hold OK to Reset)
Remote Start Duration 5, 10 or 15 minutes
System Enable/Disable
Windows Remote
OpenOn/Off
Wiper Control On/Off
Information Displays11 7
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USA(fus)
Diesel Messages Action / Description
SPEED LIMITED TO
50 MPH EXHAUST
FLUID SYSTEM
FAULTDisplayed when the SCR system detects a fault.
The vehicle’s top speed is limited. Refer to your
diesel supplement for more information. Contact
your authorized dealer as soon as possible.
ENGINE IDLED
SOON EXHAUST
FLUID SYSTEM
FAULT SEE MANUALDisplayed when the SCR system detects a fault.
The engine will enter into an idle only mode.
Refer to your diesel supplement for more
information. Contact your authorized dealer as
soon as possible.
ENGINE IDLED -
SEE OWNER’S
MANUAL EXHAUST
FLUID SYSTEM
FAULTDisplayed when the SCR system detects a fault.
The engine will eventually enter into an idle-only
mode. Press OK to override the idle mode. Refer
to your diesel supplement for more information.
Contact your authorized dealer as soon as
possible.
FUEL FILTER
CHANGE REQUIREDDisplayed when a fuel filter change is required.
Refer to thescheduled maintenance
information.
REDUCED ENGINE
POWERDisplayed approximately two hours after the
DRIVE TO CLEAN EXHAUST SYSTEM message
has displayed and the vehicle operator has not
driven the vehicle above 30 mph (48 km/h) for at
least 20 minutes to clean the DPF. At this point
the vehicle must be serviced by an authorized
dealer. This message is normal. Refer to your
diesel supplement for more information.
WATER IN FUEL
DRAIN FILTER SEE
MANUALDisplayed when the water separator has reached
a predetermined capacity and needs to be
drained. Refer to your diesel supplement for
more information.
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Diesel Messages Action / Description
LOW FUEL
PRESSUREIf this message appears during a cold start
or during cold operation 32°F (0°C) up to
10 minutes after the initial cold start; monitor
the message center and if it disappears and does
not re-appear after the engine has fully warmed
up, the low fuel pressure message is most likely
caused by waxed or gelled fuel. To prevent this,
use an anti-gel additive. Refer to your diesel
supplement for more information. The customer
warranty may be void from using additives that
do not meet or exceed Ford specifications. If the
low fuel pressure message persistently appears
after re-fueling during the cold start and cold
operation conditions defined previously and then
disappear when the engine has fully warmed up,
consider different fuel sources.
Low Fuel Operation: If the message appears
when the vehicle is warm and during low fuel
tank level operation, i.e. the tank level is at or
very near empty, refuel the vehicle and operate
the vehicle. If the message reappears after
fueling, see below. If the message does not come
back, the low fuel pressure condition was due to
low fuel levels in the fuel tank.
Normal Operation: If the message appears during
normal operation when the vehicle / engine is
fully warm, and fuel level is not low, the fuel
filters must be changed regardless of the
maintenance schedule interval. If replacement
of the fuel filter does not remedy the low fuel
pressure message during normal operation as
defined above, please take the vehicle to your
authorized dealer.
126Information Displays
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)