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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.
How fail-safe cooling works
If the engine begins to overheat:
•The engine coolant temperature
gauge will move to the red (hot)
area.
•The “engine coolant temperature”
indicator will illuminate.
•TheService engine soonindicator light 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:
•The engine will completely shut down.
•Steering and braking effort will 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.
When fail-safe mode is activated
You have limited engine power when in the fail-safe mode, so drive the
vehicle with caution. The vehicle will not be able to maintain high speed
operation and the engine will run rough. Remember that the engine is
capable of completely shutting down automatically to prevent engine
damage, therefore:
1. Pull off the road as soon as safely possible and turn off the engine.
2. Arrange for the vehicle to be taken to an authorized dealer.
3. If this is not possible, wait a short period for the engine to cool.
2009 05+ Mustang(197)
Owners Guide
USA(fus)
Maintenance and Specifications
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Your vehicle was not designed to use fuel or fuel additives with metallic
compounds, including manganese-based additives.
Note:Use of any fuel other than those recommended may cause
powertrain damage, a loss of vehicle performance, and repairs may not
be covered under warranty.
Octane recommendations
Your vehicle is designed to use
“Regular” unleaded gasoline with a
pump (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87.
We do not recommend the use of
gasolines labeled as “Regular” in
high altitude areas that are sold with octane ratings less than 87.
Do not be concerned if your engine sometimes knocks lightly. However, if
it knocks heavily under most driving conditions while you are using fuel
with the recommended octane rating, see your authorized dealer to
prevent any engine damage.
Octane recommendations (Bullitt™* Mustang only)
Your vehicle will run normally on 87 octane regular fuel without
damaging the engine, but premium fuel with an octane rating of 91
(R+M)/2 or higher is recommended for best overall performance.
*™&Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s07)
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
87(R+M)/2 METHOD
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Owners Guide
USA(fus)
Maintenance and Specifications
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Keep a record for at least one month and record the type of driving (city
or highway). This will provide an accurate estimate of the vehicle’s fuel
economy under current driving conditions. Additionally, keeping records
during summer and winter will show how temperature impacts fuel
economy. In general, lower temperatures give lower fuel economy.
Driving style — good driving and fuel economy habits
Give consideration to the lists that follow and you may be able to change
a number of variables and improve your fuel economy.
Habits
•Smooth, moderate operation can yield up to 10% savings in fuel.
•Steady speeds without stopping will usually give the best fuel
economy.
•Idling for long periods of time (greater than one minute) may waste
fuel.
•Anticipate stopping; slowing down may eliminate the need to stop.
•Sudden or hard accelerations may reduce fuel economy.
•Slow down gradually.
•Driving at reasonable speeds (traveling at 55 mph [88 km/h] uses 15%
less fuel than traveling at 65 mph [105 km/h]).
•Revving the engine before turning it off may reduce fuel economy.
•Using the air conditioner or defroster may reduce fuel economy.
•You may want to turn off the speed control in hilly terrain if
unnecessary shifting between the top gears occurs. Unnecessary
shifting of this type could result in reduced fuel economy.
•Warming up a vehicle on cold mornings is not required and may
reduce fuel economy.
•Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driving may reduce fuel
economy.
•Combine errands and minimize stop-and-go driving.
Maintenance
•Keep tires properly inflated and use only recommended size.
•Operating a vehicle with the wheels out of alignment will reduce fuel
economy.
•Use recommended engine oil. Refer toMaintenance product
specifications and capacitiesin this chapter.
2009 05+ Mustang(197)
Owners Guide
USA(fus)
Maintenance and Specifications
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F
Fail safe cooling ........................261
Floor mats ...................................82
Fluid capacities .........................279
Foglamps .....................................48
Fuel ............................................262
calculating fuel
economy ............................78, 267
cap ...........................................264
capacity ...................................279
choosing the right fuel ...........265
comparisons with EPA fuel
economy estimates .................270
detergent in fuel .....................267
filling your vehicle with
fuel ...........................262, 264, 267
filter, specifications ........262, 278
fuel pump shut-off switch .....197
improving fuel economy ........267
octane rating ...................266, 282
quality ......................................266
running out of fuel .................267
safety information relating to
automotive fuels .....................262
Fuel pump shut-off switch .......197
Fuses ..................................197–198
G
Gas cap (see Fuel cap) ............264
Gas mileage
(see Fuel economy) .................267
Gauges .........................................15
H
Hazard flashers .........................196
Head restraints ...........................97Headlamps ...................................48
aiming ........................................50
bulb specifications ....................53
daytime running lights .............49
flash to pass ..............................49
high beam .................................48
replacing bulbs .........................53
turning on and off ....................48
Heating
heating and air conditioning
system .......................................44
Hood ..........................................245
How to get going ........................19
I
Ignition ...............................178, 282
Infant seats
(see Safety seats) .....................134
Inspection/maintenance (I/M)
testing ........................................272
Instrument panel
cleaning ...................................240
cluster ........................................10
lighting up panel and
interior .......................................49
J
Jump-starting your vehicle ......220
K
Keyless entry system
autolock .....................................85
Keys .............................................93
positions of the ignition .........178
2009 05+ Mustang(197)
Owners Guide
USA(fus)
Index
289
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