1999 Mercury Sable Owner Guide 1st Printing - Page 162

Maintenance and care Running out of fuel Avoid running out fuel because this situation may have an adverse affect on modern powertrain components. If you have run out of fuel: • You may need to crank the engine several times before the system starts to pump fuel from the tank to the engine. • Your "Service Engine Soon" light may come on. For more information on the "Service Engine Soon" light, refer to the Instrumentation chapter. Fuel Filter Your vehicle is equipped with a fuel filter that is mounted on the underbody. For fuel filter replacement, see your dealer or a qualified service technician. Refer to the Scheduled Maintenance Guide for the appropriate intervals for changing the fuel filter. If you replace the fuel filter, replace it 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. 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 fillups or fuel gauge readings are NOT accurate as a measure of fuel economy. We do not recommend taking fuel economy measurements during the first 1 600 km (1 000 miles) of driving (engine break-in period). You will get a more accurate measurement after 3 000 km-5 000 km (2 000 miles-3 000 miles). 162