Page 7 of 577

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)
Page 11 of 577
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)
Page 107 of 577

•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)
Page 112 of 577
•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
Information Displays111
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)
Page 118 of 577

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
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)
Page 123 of 577

Diesel Messages Action / Description
STOP SAFELY NOWDisplayed and a chime sounds when the vehicle
exhaust system temperature exceeds intended
operating range. If this warning occurs, engine
power is reduced and the engine will shut down
when the vehicle speed is below 3 mph (5 km/h).
Stop the vehicle as soon as safely possible
and contact your authorized dealer. Depending
on the severity of the over-temperature
condition, the vehicle may not restart after
cycling the ignition off. If the vehicle restarts,
there may be limited power. If the exhaust
over-temperature condition reoccurs, the
message center will display STOP SAFELY NOW,
the chime will sound, and engine power will be
reduced again and shut down below 3 mph
(5 km/h). Refer to your diesel supplement for
more information.
ENGINE OIL
DILUTEDDisplays once the engine oil has become diluted
and needs to be changed. See Changing the
engine oil and oil filter in your diesel
supplement.
ENGINE TURNS OFF
IN 1 SECONDDisplayed when the vehicle is in the final second
of a countdown to where the engine will
intentionally be turned off by the PCM.
The diesel engine shutdown is a (regulatory)
requirement which may be required of a
particular diesel vehicle for sale in states
requiring this feature. Refer to your diesel
supplement for more information.
ENGINE TURNS OFF
IN XX SECONDSDisplayed when the vehicle is in the final
30 seconds of a countdown to where the engine
will intentionally be turned off by the PCM. The
diesel engine shutdown for extended idling is an
optional feature. Refer to your diesel supplement
for more information.
ENGINE TURNED
OFFDisplayed after the 30 second countdown. Refer
to your diesel supplement for more information.
122Information Displays
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)
Page 124 of 577

Diesel Messages Action / Description
ENGINE WARMING
PLEASE WAITDisplayed in extremely cold weather, typically
below –15°F (–26°C), if the engine block heater
is not utilized. The engine will not respond to
accelerator pedal movement for 30 seconds; this
is done so the engine oil can be properly
circulated to avoid engine damage from lack of
lubrication. A timer will begin a countdown from
30 seconds. Once the counter has reached
0 seconds, OK TO DRIVE will be displayed and
the engine will respond to accelerator pedal
movement. Refer to your diesel supplement for
more information.
EXHAUST FILTER
DRIVE COMPLETEDisplayed when the Diesel Particulate Filter
(DPF) has been adequately cleaned after the
DRIVE TO CLEAN EXHAUST FILTER followed
by CLEANING EXHAUST FILTER messages have
been displayed. This message is NORMAL. Refer
to your diesel supplement for more information.
EXHAUST FILTER
CLEANEDDisplayed when the Diesel Particulate Filter
(DPF) has been adequately cleaned by the
manual regeneration process (OCR). Refer to
your diesel supplement for more information.
EXHAUST CLEAN
STOPPEDDisplayed when the Diesel Particulate Filter
(DPF) manual regeneration process (OCR) has
been stopped. Refer to your diesel supplement
for more information.
EXHAUST FLUID
RANGE XXX MIDisplays the distance you can travel before
depleting the remaining diesel exhaust fluid.
Refer to your diesel supplement for more
information.
IN XX MILES, SPEED
LIMITED TO XX
MPH EXHAUST
FLUID EMPTYDisplayed when the diesel exhaust fluid is
nearing empty. The vehicle’s top speed will
become limited in the displayed distance. The
diesel exhaust fluid must be replenished to
resume normal operation of the vehicle. Refer to
your diesel supplement for more information.
Information Displays123
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)
Page 305 of 577
UNDER HOOD OVERVIEW
Refer to the diesel supplement for diesel engine component locations.
6.2L V8 Gasoline Engine
A. Windshield washer fluid reservoir
B. Engine oil dipstick
C. Automatic transmission fluid dipstick
D. Brake fluid reservoir
E. Engine coolant reservoir
F. Power distribution box
G. Air filter assembly
H. Power steering fluid reservoir
I. Engine oil filler cap
J. Battery
ADFEBC
GHIJ
304Maintenance
2013 F-250/350/450/550(f23)
Owners Guide gf, 3rd Printing, December 2012
USA(fus)