2014 Ford Explorer Owner Manual Printing 1 - Page 323

322 Maintenance If you notice any of the following: • the engine coolant temperature gauge moves fully into the red (hot) area • the coolant temperature warning light illuminates • the service engine soon indicator illuminates 1. Pull off the road as soon as safely possible and place the vehicle in P (Park). 2. Leave the engine running until the coolant temperature gauge needle moves away from the H range. After several minutes, if this does not happen, follow the remaining steps. 3. Turn the engine off and wait for it to cool before checking the coolant level. WARNING: Never remove the coolant reservoir cap while the engine is running or hot. 4. If the coolant level is normal, you may restart your engine and continue on. 5. If the coolant is low, add coolant, restart the engine and take your vehicle to an authorized dealer. See Adding engine coolant in this chapter for more information. Refer to fail-safe cooling for additional information. What You Should Know About Fail-Safe Cooling If the engine coolant supply is depleted, this feature allows the vehicle to be driven temporarily before incremental component damage is incurred. The fail-safe distance depends on ambient temperatures, vehicle load and terrain. How Fail-Safe Cooling Works If the engine begins to overheat, the engine coolant temperature gauge will move to the red (hot) area and: The coolant temperature warning light will illuminate. The service engine soon indicator will illuminate. If the engine reaches a preset over-temperature condition, the engine will automatically switch to alternating cylinder operation. Each disabled cylinder acts as an air pump and cools the engine. 2014 Explorer (exp) Owners Guide gf, 1st Printing, April 2013 USA (fus)