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•Decreased engine coolant concentrations below 40% will
decrease the freeze protection characteristics of the engine
coolant and may cause engine damage.
•Refer to the chart on the coolant container to ensure the
coolant concentration in your vehicle will provide adequate
protection at the temperatures in which you drive.
Vehicles driven year-round in non-extreme climates should use a 50/50
mixture of engine coolant and distilled water for optimum cooling system
and engine protection.
What you should know about fail-safe cooling
(4.6L V8 engine only)
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.
Fail-safe cooling and engine oil overheat mode (4.6L V8 only)
If the engine coolant and/or engine oil overheat, the vehicle’s fail-safe
modes will reduce engine power to limit engine damage, even with a
total loss of coolant. The vehicle’s range and/or speed will be reduced,
depending on vehicle load, terrain, and outside temperatures.
The instrument cluster provides warnings for each mode.
•Fail-Safe Cooling Mode:The
(Service engine
soon),
(Engine oil pressure), and(Engine coolant
temperature) indicators will be on.
Along with these warning indicators, the engine coolant temperature
gauge will read in the Hot (H) area.
If the engine coolant reaches even hotter temperatures, fail-safe
cooling mode limits engine power more and disables air conditioning.
The engine will switch to alternating cylinder operation to help cool
the engine. The engine will run rough in this mode.
If continued operation increases the engine coolant temperature to a
critical range, the engine will shut down. Steering and braking effort
will increase. Once engine coolant temperature cools, the engine can
be restarted.
•Engine Oil Overheat Mode:The
(Engine coolant temperature)
indicator will be on. The instrument cluster has no separate oil
temperature indicator.
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Maintenance and Specifications
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Page 379 of 407

Fuel quality
If you are experiencing starting, rough idle or hesitation driveability
problems, try a different brand of unleaded gasoline. “Premium”
unleaded gasoline is not recommended for vehicles designed to use
“Regular” unleaded gasoline because it may cause these problems to
become more pronounced. If the problems persist, see your authorized
dealer.
Do not add aftermarket fuel additive products to your fuel tank. It
should not be necessary to add any aftermarket products to your fuel
tank if you continue to use high quality fuel of the recommended octane
rating. These products have not been approved for your engine and
could cause damage to the fuel system. Repairs to correct the effects of
using an aftermarket product in your fuel may not be covered by your
warranty.
Many of the world’s automakers approved the World-Wide Fuel Charter
that recommends gasoline specifications to provide improved
performance and emission control system protection for your vehicle.
Gasolines that meet the World-Wide Fuel Charter should be used when
available. Ask your fuel supplier about gasolines that meet the
World-Wide Fuel Charter.
Cleaner air
Ford endorses the use of reformulated “cleaner-burning” gasolines to
improve air quality, per the recommendations in theChoosing the right
fuelsection.
Running out of fuel
Avoid running out of fuel because this situation may have an adverse
effect on powertrain components.
If you have run out of fuel:
•You may need to cycle the ignition from off to on several times after
refueling to allow the fuel system to pump the fuel from the tank to
the engine. On restarting, cranking time will take a few seconds longer
than normal.
•Normally, adding 1 gallon (3.8L) of fuel is enough to restart the
engine. If the vehicle is out of fuel and on a steep grade, more than
1 gallon (3.8L) may be required.
•TheService engine soon
indicator may come on. For more
information on the “service engine soon” indicator, refer toWarning
lights and chimesin theInstrument Clusterchapter.
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Hood ..........................................356
How to get going ........................21
I
Ignition ...............................274, 396
Illuminated visor mirror ...........101
Infant seats
(see Safety seats) .....................223
Inspection/maintenance (I/M)
testing ........................................386
Instrument panel
cleaning ...................................351
cluster ........................................12
J
Jack ....................................321, 324
positioning .......................321, 326
storage .............................321, 324
Jump-starting your vehicle ......331
K
Keyless entry system ...............165
autolock ...........................154, 156
keypad .....................................165
locking and unlocking doors ..166
programming entry code .......165
Keys ...........................................168
positions of the ignition .........274
L
Lamps
bulb replacement
specifications chart ..................94
daytime running light ...............90
fog lamps ...................................90
headlamps .................................89interior lamps ...........................93
LATCH anchors .........................227
Liftgate ......................................151
remote release ........................161
Lights, warning and indicator ....12
anti-lock brakes (ABS) ..........280
Load limits .................................260
Loading instructions .................266
Locks
autolock ...........................154, 156
childproof ................................159
doors ........................................154
Lubricant specifications ...........392
Lug nuts ....................................330
Luggage rack .............................152
Lumbar support, seats .....174, 176
M
Message center .................123, 135
english/metric button .....126, 140
system check button ......125, 139
warning messages ...........131, 146
Mirrors ...............................107–108
automatic dimming rearview
mirror ......................................108
fold away .................................109
heated ......................................109
side view mirrors (power) .....108
Moon roof ..................................116
Motorcraft parts ........353, 374, 391
N
Navigation system .......................81
O
Octane rating ............................378
2009 Explorer(exp)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)
Index
404