2002 XLS 2.0L I4 Maintenance Info - Ford Forums

hurk · 06-29-2009, 19:49

2002 Ford Escape XLS 2.0L I4 5-spd manual

Oil change:
Castrol Syntec 5W-20 (meets the Ford specification)
Mobile 1 Synthetic 5W-20
Mobile 1 Synthetic 5W-30 during Summer.
Motorcraft oil filter: FL-400S (listed in owner's manual)
Motorcraft oil filter: FL-2005
Oil drain plug: 13mm wrench or socket. 18-ft/lbs.
Access is from the front of vehicle - the bolt faces towards the rear of the car.
Fram oil filter wrench: F1102 (74-76mm) Use with a 3/8 ratchet or 1" wrench.
(note: fram oil filters are consistantly rated poor in comparison tests. However, I like their filter wrench. O-Reilly's sells a Pennzoil wrench that's similar)

Manual transmission fluid (gear oil):
Motorcraft 75W-90 GL-4.
Royal Purple 75W-90 GL-4 It is non-corrosive to the yellow/soft metal parts & meets the Ford specification. 2.7L or 2.85 qts.
Filler plug bolt: 23mm socket wrench. 20-ft/lbs
Drain plug bolt: 23mm socket wrench & short extension. 35-ft/lbs
Remove the driver's side lower plastic shroud for easier access. I did not remove one screw that's located in the driver's side wheel well. I was able to squirt the gear oil into the filler hole without using a funnel or anything. I bought a screw-on filler tube, but it gets kinked when being routed. I'll fix that next time, so that the gear oil can be added more easily.
Gear Oil Note: The gear oil needs to meet the GL-4 specification which is non-corrosive to the soft/yellow metal parts (brass bushings, etc). GL-4 gear oil is surprisingly hard to find in Houston. I was hoping to use Valvoline or Pennzoil, but the Royal Purple was the only thing available. I called Pennzoil & was lucky enough to talk to someone there at length, but to no avail. The Royal Purple seems kinda gimmicky, but I got tired of looking: the car was due for a fluid change & I didn't want to waste any more time sourcing a product.

Air filter:
Motorcraft FA-1683
Fram CA8997
Wix 42385 (not positive on fitment - just cross-referenced)
The old filter had been damaged by the previous installer. I had to straighten one of the housing clamps.

Cabin Air Filter:
MicroGard GA20070
Wix 42136 (not positive on fitment - just cross-referenced)
My Escape did not have the filter. A number of other models don't have it either.
Here's a how-to for installing or replacing one: Tribute/Escape Cabin Air Filter.

Fuel Filter:
Motorcraft FG-800-A
Fram G3892A
Wix 33007 (not positive on fitment - just cross-referenced)
The Chilton manual has a procedure for relieving the fuel pressure. simple.
Raising the car a few inches is necessary to access the clips - don't damage them.
To elevate my car, I drive up onto solid concrete blocks - flat pavers from the HomeDepot.
The clips are hard to access & have some tabs that need to be spread open so that they can be removed. There are two sizes - the smaller ones are available at the auto parts store in the miscellaneous car parts/hardware section.

Spark Plugs:
Motorcraft AZFS-32FE. Torque to 132-Inch/lbs (~11-ft/lbs) 0.050" gap (1.30mm).
Autolite APP5364 Double Platinum
Autolite XP5364 Iridium Fine Wire 0.6mm
If a spark plug is removed & reused, it MUST be reinstalled into the same cylinder.
(note: Champions may not be a good choice - the ceramic on them has a tendency to crack)

Cooling System Flush:
Motorcraft Premium Engine Coolant (Green)
System capacity is 5.3 qts (50/50 mix of coolant & distilled water).
Radiator drain valve: 19mm socket or wrench
Radiator drain valve tubing: ~9mm ID or ~3/8" ID
Radiator upper nipple: ~37mm OD (this should be the same as the radiator hose ID).
Engine block coolant drain plug: T40 Torx wrench
Thermostat housing screws: T25 Torx wrench. 89-Inch/lbs
Temporarily remove the thermostat so that the sytem can be flushed.
Reinstall w a new seal (replace the thermostat if necessary).
I fabbed a water hose setup & connected it to the upper radiator nipple to flush the cooling system. I also rigged a swimming pool hose to the disconnected radiator/thermostat-housing hose so that the old coolant could be collected more effectively & so that the clean water could be directed to the lawn. I used two 2.5 gal jugs of distilled water as a final rinse.

Throttle body, air intake duct & MAF sensor service:
Removed the air intake duct to service these parts.
Used CRC MAF sensor cleaner & CRC throttle body cleaner (teflon/coating safe).
Do not use carb cleaner. Use care when cleaning these components. Do not touch the MAF sensor & only use the specific spray cleaner for it. The throttle body & throttle plate have a coating on them: only use a cleaner spray that's coating safe. If necessary, lightly & carefully brush the throttle body w a soft toothbrush.

Wiper blades:
If your wiper blades seem small, measure them w a tape measure & look at the amount of sweep on the windshield, then measure to see if longer blades can be installed.
I got longer blades for much better coverage: 20" (actual size is 19-3/4").

Center console:
Disassembled & cleaned the center console, shifter boot & parking brake boot.
Very easy. Also, lubricated the shifter at the base - it had an audible vibration.
Bare metal is under the console. It might be a good idea to add some sound insulation under there.

Odometer bulb:
Ford bulb F8RZ-13B765-BA (part number from another forum)
Apparently, it's common for the odo bulb to burn out. It's supposed to be an easy fix, but I haven't gotten around to doing it yet. Not sure if a bulb can be purchased at the auto parts store. The bulb might be a #37 or #74.

Repair Manual:
I've been using the Chilton Manual, but it seems to cover the 6-cylinder engine more thoroughly... in regards to the photos anyway. It might be a better idea to get the Ford Shop Manual. Also, I use the Ford Owner's Manual as a reference.

Valve Clearance Check:
See a mechanic or reference the manual.
A Ford valve spring compressor tool is needed to change the shims.
Ford service tool part number: 303-350 (from the Chilton manual).
Use of the tool is recommended. It bolts to the cylinder head.

Headlight Upgrade:
See links in post #2 - Lock up??

Other stuff: replace brake fluid, replace power steering fluid, clean IAC.

**360ci** · 07-01-2009, 20:21

Good info!

hurk · 07-02-2009, 21:01

As I do stuff, I'll keep adding to the list. It'll serve as a backup in the unlikely event that I somehow loose the file on my machine. It's kinda cumbersome at times to find some of the info in the manual, so it's kinda handy to have it organized.

Now, if I can just solve the reduced mpg.

**360ci** · 07-04-2009, 06:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by hurk

As I do stuff, I'll keep adding to the list. It'll serve as a backup in the unlikely event that I somehow loose the file on my machine. It's kinda cumbersome at times to find some of the info in the manual, so it's kinda handy to have it organized.

Now, if I can just solve the reduced mpg.

I'm sure the mileage will improve. On the bright side, at least it's not getting 12.5mpg like my Durango, lol. But, I'll admit, I didn't buy it for fuel economy, as it's my weekend work machine. After I threw on a 52mm TB (stock is 50mm), high mileage improved to 18.8mpg @55mph...not to bad with a larger bore 5.9L V8 and low gearing.

Just curious, but you didn't throw on new(er) tires lately with a more aggressive tread have you? I noticed a large mpg loss when I did that last winter, not much around town, but 2-3mpg highway it dropped undoubtedly due to aerodynamic drag and additional rotational mass. Yee haw.

hurk · 07-04-2009, 08:33

I did not put on new tires. I've been doing stuff individually & there's been lag time between each item. As a side note, I'm only racking up about 100-120 miles a week on the car which was purchased in Oct 2007 - I bought it for the fuel economy. I've put 11,000 miles on the Escape in the 20 months that I've owned it. I drove an 86 Ranger Supercab for 21 yrs, then someone came knocking on my door & offered $3500 for it, which was kinda hard to pass up, so I sold it.

I followed Ford's guidelines to a T to help the car relearn it's fuel trim settings.
I kinda wonder about the last step in the procedure: it says to drive the car for at least ten miles. Does it matter if they're highway miles? And is it even necessary to bother w doing it?

**360ci** · 07-04-2009, 08:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by hurk

I did not put on new tires. I've been doing stuff individually & there's been lag time between each item. As a side note, I'm only racking up about 100-120 miles a week on the car which was purchased in Oct 2007 - I bought it for the fuel economy. I've put 11,000 miles on the Escape in the 20 months that I've owned it. I drove an 86 Ranger Supercab for 21 yrs, then someone came knocking on my door & offered $3500 for it, which was kinda hard to pass up, so I sold it.

I followed Ford's guidelines to a T to help the car relearn it's fuel trim settings.
I kinda wonder about the last step in the procedure: it says to drive the car for at least ten miles. Does it matter if they're highway miles? And is it even necessary to bother w doing it?

Driving it ten miles seems a bit soon for it to relearn. It shouldn't matter if the miles are highway or city. The PCM should relearn eventually, as mentioned within 100miles. You could also let it idle for ten hours and drive it one mile, it doesn't make much difference as long as the vehicle is running. I'll also suggest on replacing the air filter, and for the next oil change, use synthetic oil as it takes away some of the friction and flows smoother, which can increase mileage as well. Inflate the tires to around 34psi; providing max is 35psi as highway driving (heat) will increase pressure. If there is any excess crap in the vehicle, be sure to keep it at the house. 50lbs of added crap in a vehicle will reduce mpg by approx 2%. It's not much but it adds up.

My friend bought a Toyota Yaris, to get to the job sites and to run errands. With 300-400lbs of tools he gets 30% less mileage than he does with just him in the car. This car also has the small 1.5L engine so it struggles more to get up to, and maintain speed. Just a thought.

hurk · 07-04-2009, 16:23

Sorry for the late reply. Somehow I missed your post this morning.
I usually post then check back.

The air filter has been replaced & I've done everthing else in my topic post above. I use a quality synthetic oil as per the manual that meets the Ford spec. The car has been driven 200-300 miles after doing the coolant.

The same stuff is in the vehicle & it doesn't amount to much weight. I haven't checked the tires lately. Thanks for the reminder - although I'm probably not as bad as most folks, I kinda forget about the tires. It seems like they're almost always at 30-32psi. The Ford spec is 30 but I usually air them up to 32psi. I put a gauge on them & they're at or near 30, so I'll put some more in. Any suggestions for new tires? I haven't looked into that yet, since they're not really needed. Primary criteria: fuel economy & road noise.

The 2.0 in this Escape is woefully underpowered. It's fine once it's into the upper end of 3rd gear & it's peppy in 4th, but 1st, 2nd & early 3rd are pathetic. One factor of late is that I have to run the air conditioner almost all the time - Houston has gotten hot once again. But the fuel economy should be better. Last summer it would occasionally be down to 21 mpg which I attributed to the ac. Thanks.

**360ci** · 07-04-2009, 17:56

Even then, A/C shouldn't suck up that much juice. I rarely notice a difference running the A/C on any of my vehicles. Around town I don't always run it, but when it's above 85F outside I will on the highway as the wind noise can get downright annoying.

As for new tires, get the smoothest tread tire you can. As you live down south winter traction won't be necessary which makes shopping a lot easier. I would suggest going with a touring tire. They're generally biased more toward dry performance and have greater road contact. A more aggressive tread of course, will increase rolling resistance and potentially lower fuel economy. Once you get a few tires narrowed down, check online at the manufacturers website for the weight. Passenger tires will weigh a good 20% less than light truck tires, and offer a better ride. LT tires can be had in several smaller sizes that can fit the Escape wheels.

Sticking with a major brand such as Goodyear, Michelin, Pirelli and Kumho are a few of the better brands. There are a LOT out there. Best thing to do is to check out a tire review site and punch in your size and you'll get a list of tires available that will fit your vehicle. Tire Rack - Your performance experts for tires and wheels is a good site to check reviews. As you're in the USA, our tire sponsor here on the site can also steer you into a rather good deal. Check him out.

**jwko** · 07-04-2009, 18:18

The tirerack link will not work from this site. You will have to enter it manually.

**360ci** · 07-04-2009, 19:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwko

The tirerack link will not work from this site. You will have to enter it manually.

STILL! I thought they had fixed that problem...hmph.