Tell Your Technician
IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it.
Only the cover is different for Ford & Mercury.
http://www.fleet.ford.com/partsandservice/owner-manuals/Before Starting
Efficient diagnosis must take place in an organized manner with a plan or procedure which starts with the obvious and goes on to the more difficult. Eliminate all the obvious and easy-to-do items first. Do not start by jumping to conclusions. The job worked on last week might have been caused by an entirely different problem than the one today.
Get All The Information Available
Check out all sources of information. Talk to the operator. Sometimes asking a question will cause the operator to remember something that is useful. The following list is a set of basic questions. Get the answers to these in order to learn what the true complaint is, and what the basic problem is.
Operating Conditions:
1. Did the problem occur suddenly or over a long period of time?
2. Were there any abnormal noises before the failure?
3. Was the engine under heavy or light load? Decelerating or accelerating?
4. Did the water temperature or oil pressure vary?
5. Were weather conditions a factor?
6. What type of road grade was the vehicle on when the trouble was first noticed?
7. How was the trouble first noticed (felt, heard, etc.)?
8. What was the amount of oil consumption? Fuel? Coolant? Had there been a recent change?
9. What was the exhaust smoke like? Light or dense? Color?
10. Does the engine have good throttle response?
11. Is deceleration normal?
12. Does the engine shut off properly?
13. Does the engine start correctly when cold?
14. Does the engine ever miss?
15. What kind of fuel is being used? Grade and source?
16. Does the engine surge at idle or wide-open throttle?
17. Is the engine subjected to periods of extended idling?
18. Has the vehicle or equipment been in an accident or collision?
Maintenance History:
1. Has the engine been serviced recently? What was done?
2. Has this complaint occurred before? If so, what was done then?
3. When were the oil and fuel filters last changed?
4. Who normally performs the maintenance and adjustments?
5. Is the maintenance schedule followed closely?
6. How is fuel obtained and stored?
7. What type service designation (SG/CE) and what grade oil is used?
8. How many miles or hours has the engine operated since the last service?
Observed Information:
1. Is the engine clean or dirty?
2. Are the belts in good condition? Loose?
3. Is there evidence of external oil, coolant or fuel leaks?
4. Does the engine appear to have overheated?
5. Are there any make-shift repairs on the engine (loose parts, wired-on parts, etc.)?
6. How does the engine sound at idle?
7. Are any pulleys wobbling?
8. Do any parts appear to have been altered or serviced recently?
9. Are there any aftermarket or unapproved parts on the engine?
10. Have any of the lines been altered or re-routed?
11. Are oil level, coolant level and fuel level satisfactory? (If the problem concerns bearings, notice the condition of the oil.)
12. During disassembly, does the engine have unusual odors, carbon accumulations, dirt or other conditions under the rocker cover?
