P260F: EVAP processor performance is separate from a measured tank leak

P260F identifies EVAP monitoring processor performance in Ford's summary. It appears alongside the engine-off natural-vacuum leak monitor, but it is not itself a measured leak-size result. Replacing that distinction with a generic small-leak diagnosis would change the meaning of the code.

Separate the two timing descriptions

The dedicated processor-performance entry describes continuous monitoring and a five-second duration. The engine-off natural-vacuum section separately describes a key-off monitoring opportunity that can last up to 45 minutes when a fault is present, subject to entry conditions and daily limits.

Those durations concern different monitoring descriptions. The 45-minute leak-test opportunity should not be presented as the P260F processor's failure-confirmation time, and five seconds is not the completion time for every engine-off leak test.

Processor status affects how leak evidence is interpreted

The engine-off section lists the EONV processor among the components that must be acceptable for that monitor. A leak-test result or absence of a result therefore needs the processor's status and the monitor's completion context. The source also warns that default Mode $06 values can appear when phases have not completed; default data should not be treated as a demonstrated pass.

Ford does not publish the internal processor-failure algorithm here or prove a defective module. Preserve the exact code and monitor-status information, then use the applicable EVAP diagnostic procedure to resolve the processor result before assigning a leak or replacement cause.

Source and applicability

Ford 2024–2025 gasoline OBD operation summary, July 16 2024 revision; only the cited monitor and transmission architectures. No individual vehicle fitment or universal calibration is inferred. Ford PDF, page 14. Ford PDF, page 19.