Get Maintenance and Specifications -> FUEL INFORMATION Guide for Ford Focus 4 Door Second Generation (2004-2010)

Maintenance and Specifications

FUEL FILTER

For fuel filter replacement, see your authorized dealer. Refer to

scheduled maintenance information for the appropriate intervals for

changing the fuel filter.

Replace the fuel filter with an authorized Motorcraft part. The

customer warranty may be void for any damage to the fuel system

if an authorized Motorcraft fuel filter is not used.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT AUTOMOTIVE FUELS

Important safety precautions

Do not overfill the fuel tank. The pressure in an overfilled tank

may cause leakage and lead to fuel spray and fire.

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.

If you do not use the proper fuel filler cap, excessive vacuum in

the fuel tank may damage the fuel system or cause the fuel cap

to disengage in a collision, which may result in possible personal injury.

Automotive fuels can cause serious injury or death if misused or

mishandled.

Gasoline may contain benzene, which is a cancer-causing agent.

Observe the following guidelines when handling automotive fuel:

• Extinguish all smoking materials

and any open flames before

refueling your vehicle.

• Always turn off the vehicle before

refueling.

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• Automotive fuels can be harmful or fatal if swallowed. Fuel such as

gasoline is highly toxic and if swallowed can cause death or permanent

injury. If fuel is swallowed, call a physician immediately, even if no

symptoms are immediately apparent. The toxic effects of fuel may not

be visible for hours.

• Avoid inhaling fuel vapors. Inhaling too much fuel vapor of any kind

can lead to eye and respiratory tract irritation. In severe cases,

excessive or prolonged breathing of fuel vapor can cause serious

illness and permanent injury.

• Avoid getting fuel liquid in your eyes. If fuel is splashed in the eyes,

remove contact lenses (if worn), flush with water for 15 minutes and

seek medical attention. Failure to seek proper medical attention could

lead to permanent injury.

• Fuels can also be harmful if absorbed through the skin. If fuel is

splashed on the skin and/or clothing, promptly remove contaminated

clothing and wash skin thoroughly with soap and water. Repeated or

prolonged skin contact with fuel liquid or vapor causes skin irritation.

• Be particularly careful if you are taking “Antabuse” or other forms of

disulfiram for the treatment of alcoholism. Breathing gasoline vapors,

or skin contact could cause an adverse reaction. In sensitive

individuals, serious personal injury or sickness may result. If fuel is

splashed on the skin, promptly wash skin thoroughly with soap and

water. Consult a physician immediately if you experience an adverse

reaction.

When refueling always shut the engine off and never allow

sparks or open flames near the filler neck. Never smoke while

refueling. Fuel vapor is extremely hazardous under certain conditions.

Care should be taken to avoid inhaling excess fumes.

The flow of fuel through a fuel pump nozzle can produce static

electricity, which can cause a fire if fuel is pumped into an

ungrounded fuel container.

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Refueling

Fuel vapor burns violently and a fuel fire can cause severe

injuries. To help avoid injuries to you and others:

• Read and follow all the instructions on the pump island;

• Turn off your engine when you are refueling;

• Do not smoke if you are near fuel or refueling your vehicle;

• Keep sparks, flames and smoking materials away from fuel;

• Stay outside your vehicle and do not leave the fuel pump unattended

when refueling your vehicle — this is against the law in some places;

• Keep children away from the fuel pump; never let children pump fuel.

Use the following guidelines to avoid electrostatic charge build-up when

filling an ungrounded fuel container:

• Place approved fuel container on the ground.

• DO NOT fill a fuel container while it is in the vehicle (including the

cargo area).

•

Keep the fuel pump nozzle in contact with the fuel container while filling.

• DO NOT use a device that would hold the fuel pump handle in the fill

position.

Fuel Filler Cap

Your fuel tank filler cap has an indexed design with a 1/4 turn on/off feature.

When fueling your vehicle:

1. Turn the engine off.

2. Carefully turn the filler cap counterclockwise 1/4 of a turn until it stops.

3. Pull to remove the cap from the fuel filler pipe.

4. To install the cap, align the tabs on the cap with the notches on the

filler pipe.

5. Turn the filler cap clockwise 1/4 of a turn until at least one click is heard.

If the CHECK FUEL CAP indicator comes on, the fuel filler cap may not

be properly installed. Turn off the engine, remove the fuel filler cap,

align the cap properly and reinstall it.

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If you must replace the fuel filler cap, replace it with a fuel filler

cap that is designed for your vehicle. The customer warranty may

be void for any damage to the fuel tank or fuel system if the

correct genuine Ford or Motorcraft fuel filler cap is not used.

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.

If you do not use the proper fuel filler cap, excessive vacuum in

the fuel tank may damage the fuel system or cause the fuel cap

to disengage in a collision, which may result in possible personal injury.

Choosing the right fuel

Use only UNLEADED fuel or UNLEADED fuel blended with a maximum

of 10% ethanol. Your vehicle was not designed to run on E85 fuels that

are blended with a maximum of 85% ethanol. The use of leaded fuel is

prohibited by law and could damage your vehicle. Do not use fuel

containing methanol. It can damage critical fuel system components.

Your vehicle was not designed to use fuel or fuel additives with metallic

compounds, including manganese-based additives. Studies indicate that

these additives can cause your vehicle’s emission control system to

deteriorate more rapidly.

Repairs to correct the effects of using a fuel for which your vehicle was

not designed may not be covered by your warranty.

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Octane recommendations

Your vehicle is designed to use

“Regular” unleaded gasoline with

pump (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87.

We do not recommend the use of

gasolines labeled as “Regular” that

87

(R+M)/2 METHOD

are sold with octane ratings of 86 or lower in high altitude areas.

Do not be concerned if your engine sometimes knocks lightly. However, if

it knocks heavily under most driving conditions while you are using fuel

with the recommended octane rating, see your authorized dealer to

prevent any engine damage.

Fuel quality

If you are experiencing starting, rough idle or hesitation driveability

problems, try a different brand of unleaded gasoline. “Premium” unleaded

gasoline is not recommended for vehicles designed to use “Regular”

unleaded gasoline because it may cause these problems to become more

pronounced. If the problems persist, see your authorized dealer.

Do not add aftermarket fuel additive products to your fuel tank. It

should not be necessary to add any aftermarket products to your fuel

tank if you continue to use high quality fuel of the recommended octane

rating. These products have not been approved for your engine and

could cause damage to the fuel system. Repairs to correct the effects of

using an aftermarket product in your fuel may not be covered by your

warranty.

Many of the world’s automakers approved the World-wide Fuel Charter

that recommends gasoline specifications to provide improved

performance and emission control system protection for your vehicle.

Gasolines that meet the World-wide Fuel Charter should be used when

available. Ask your fuel supplier about gasolines that meet the

World-wide Fuel Charter.

Cleaner air

Ford endorses the use of reformulated “cleaner-burning” gasolines to

improve air quality, per the recommendations in the Choosing the Right

Fuel section.

Running out of fuel

Avoid running out of fuel because this situation may have an adverse

effect on powertrain components.

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If you have run out of fuel:

• You may need to cycle the ignition from OFF to ON several times after

refueling to allow the fuel system to pump the fuel from the tank to

the engine. On restarting, cranking time will take a few seconds longer

than normal.

• Normally, adding one gallon of fuel is enough to restart the engine. If

the vehicle is out of fuel and on a steep grade, more than one gallon

may be required.

• The

indicator may come on. For more information on the “check

engine” or the “service engine soon” indicator, refer to Warning lights

and chimes in the Instrument Cluster chapter.

ESSENTIALS OF GOOD FUEL ECONOMY

Measuring techniques

Your best source of information about actual fuel economy is you, the

driver. You must gather information as accurately and consistently as

possible. Fuel expense, frequency of fill-ups or fuel gauge readings are

NOT accurate as a measure of fuel economy. We do not recommend

taking fuel economy measurements during the first 1,000 miles

(1,600 km) of driving (engine break-in period). You will get a more

accurate measurement after 2,000 miles-3,000 miles

(3,000 km–5,000 km).

Filling the tank

The advertised fuel capacity of the fuel tank on your vehicle is equal to

the rated refill capacity of the fuel tank as listed in the Maintenance

product specifications and capacities section of this chapter.

The advertised capacity is the amount of the indicated capacity and the

empty reserve combined. Indicated capacity is the difference in the

amount of fuel in a full tank and a tank when the fuel gauge indicates

empty. Empty reserve is the small amount of fuel remaining in the fuel

tank after the fuel gauge indicates empty.

The amount of usable fuel in the empty reserve varies and should

not be relied upon to increase driving range. When refueling your

vehicle after the fuel gauge indicates empty, you might not be

able to refuel the full amount of the advertised capacity of the

fuel tank due to the empty reserve still present in the tank.

For consistent results when filling the fuel tank:

• Turn the engine/ignition switch to the off position prior to refueling,

an error in the reading will result if the engine is left running.

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• Use the same filling rate setting (low — medium — high) each time

the tank is filled.

• Allow no more than two automatic click-offs when filling.

• Always use fuel with the recommended octane rating.

• Use a known quality gasoline, preferably a national brand.

• Use the same side of the same pump and have the vehicle facing the

same direction each time you fill up.

• Have the vehicle loading and distribution the same every time.

Your results will be most accurate if your filling method is consistent.

Calculating fuel economy

1. Fill the fuel tank completely and record the initial odometer reading

(in miles or kilometers).

2. Each time you fill the tank, record the amount of fuel added (in

gallons or liters).

3. After at least three to five tank fill-ups, fill the fuel tank and record

the current odometer reading.

4. Subtract your initial odometer reading from the current odometer

reading.

5. Follow one of the simple calculations in order to determine fuel

economy:

Calculation 1: Divide total miles traveled by total gallons used.

Calculation 2: Multiply liters used by 100, then divide by total

kilometers traveled.

Keep a record for at least one month and record the type of driving (city

or highway). This will provide an accurate estimate of the vehicle’s fuel

economy under current driving conditions. Additionally, keeping records

during summer and winter will show how temperature impacts fuel

economy. In general, lower temperatures give lower fuel economy.

Driving style — good driving and fuel economy habits

Give consideration to the lists that follow and you may be able to change

a number of variables and improve your fuel economy.

Habits

• Smooth, moderate operation can yield up to 10% savings in fuel.

• Steady speeds without stopping will usually give the best fuel

economy.

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• Idling for long periods of time (greater than one minute) may waste

fuel.

• Anticipate stopping; slowing down may eliminate the need to stop.

• Sudden or hard accelerations may reduce fuel economy.

• Slow down gradually.

• Driving at reasonable speeds (traveling at 55 mph [88 km/h] uses 15%

less fuel than traveling at 65 mph [105 km/h]).

• Revving the engine before turning it off may reduce fuel economy.

• Using the air conditioner or defroster may reduce fuel economy.

• You may want to turn off the speed control in hilly terrain if

unnecessary shifting between the top gears occurs. Unnecessary

shifting of this type could result in reduced fuel economy.

• Warming up a vehicle on cold mornings is not required and may

reduce fuel economy.

• Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driving may reduce fuel

economy.

• Combine errands and minimize stop-and-go driving.

Maintenance

• Keep tires properly inflated and use only recommended size.

• Operating a vehicle with the wheels out of alignment will reduce fuel

economy.

• Use recommended engine oil. Refer to Maintenance product

specifications and capacities in this chapter.

• Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance items. Follow the

recommended maintenance schedule and owner maintenance checks

found in scheduled maintenance information.

Conditions

• Heavily loading a vehicle or towing a trailer may reduce fuel economy

at any speed.

• Carrying unnecessary weight may reduce fuel economy (approximately

1 mpg [0.4 km/L] is lost for every 400 lb [180 kg] of weight carried).

• Adding certain accessories to your vehicle (for example bug

deflectors, rollbars/light bars, running boards, ski/luggage racks) may

reduce fuel economy.

• Using fuel blended with alcohol may lower fuel economy.

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• Fuel economy may decrease with lower temperatures during the first

8–10 miles (12–16 km) of driving.

• Driving on flat terrain offers improved fuel economy as compared to

driving on hilly terrain.

• Transaxles give their best fuel economy when operated in the top

cruise gear and with steady pressure on the gas pedal.

• Close windows for high speed driving.

EPA window sticker

Every new vehicle should have the EPA window sticker. Contact your

authorized dealer if the window sticker is not supplied with your vehicle.

The EPA window sticker should be your guide for the fuel economy

comparisons with other vehicles.

It is important to note the box in the lower left corner of the window

sticker. These numbers represent the Range of MPG (L/100 km)

expected on the vehicle under optimum conditions. Your fuel economy

may vary depending upon the method of operation and conditions.

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:

• Use only the specified fuel listed.

• 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 scheduled maintenance information

performed according to the specified schedule.

The scheduled maintenance items listed in scheduled maintenance

information are 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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Maintenance and Specifications -> FUEL INFORMATION for Your Ford Focus 4 Door Second Generation (2004-2010)

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