2012 Ford Explorer Owner Guide 2nd Printing - Page 380

Maintenance and Specifications 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. • The coolant temperature warning light • The service engine soon will illuminate. 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. When this occurs the vehicle will still operate. However: • The engine power will be limited. • The air conditioning system will be disabled. Continued operation will increase the engine temperature and the engine will completely shut down, causing steering and braking effort to increase. Once the engine temperature cools, the engine can be re-started. Take your vehicle to an authorized dealer as soon as possible to minimize engine damage. 380 2012 Explorer (exp) Owners Guide, 2nd Printing USA (fus)