•
Never wash or rinse the engine while it
is hot or running; water in the running
engine may cause internal damage.
• Never wash or rinse any ignition coil,
spark plug wire or spark plug well, or
the area in and around these locations.
• Cover the battery, power distribution
box, and air filter assembly to prevent
water damage when cleaning the
engine.
CLEANING THE WINDOWS AND
WIPER BLADES
Car wash chemicals and environmental
fallout can result in windshield and wiper
blade contamination. Dirty windshield and
wipers will result in poor windshield wiper
operation. Keep the windshield and wiper
blades clean to maintain windshield wiper
performance.
To clean the windshield and wiper blades:
• Clean the windshield with a
non-abrasive glass cleaner. When
cleaning the interior of the windshield,
avoid getting any glass cleaner on the
instrument panel or door panels. Wipe
any glass cleaner off these surfaces
immediately.
• For windshields contaminated with
tree sap, chemicals, wax or bugs, clean
the entire windshield using steel wool
(no greater than 0000 grade) in a
circular motion and rinse with water.
• Clean the wiper blades with isopropyl
rubbing alcohol or windshield washer
concentrate.
Note: Do not use razor blades or other
sharp objects to clean or remove decals
from the inside of the heated rear window.
The vehicle warranty does not cover
damage caused to the heated rear window
grid lines. CLEANING THE INTERIOR WARNING: Do not use cleaning
solvents, bleach or dye on the vehicle's
seatbelts, as these actions may weaken
the belt webbing. WARNING:
On vehicles equipped
with seat-mounted airbags, do not use
chemical solvents or strong detergents.
Such products could contaminate the
side airbag system and affect
performance of the side airbag in a crash.
For fabric, carpets, cloth seats and seats
equipped with side airbags:
• Remove dust and loose dirt with a
vacuum cleaner.
• Remove light stains and soil with
Motorcraft Professional Strength
Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner.
• If grease or tar is present on the
material, spot-clean the area first with
Motorcraft Spot and Stain Remover. In
Canada, use Motorcraft Multi-Purpose
Cleaner.
• If a ring forms on the fabric after spot
cleaning, clean the entire area
immediately (but do not oversaturate)
or the ring will set.
• Do not use household cleaning
products or glass cleaners, which can
stain and discolor the fabric and affect
the flame retardant abilities of the seat
materials.
Mirrors
Do not clean the housing or glass of any
mirror with harsh abrasives, fuel or other
petroleum or ammonia-based cleaning
products.
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Body
•
Wash your vehicle thoroughly to
remove dirt, grease, oil, tar or mud from
exterior surfaces, rear-wheel housing
and the underside of front fenders.
• Periodically wash your vehicle if it is
stored in exposed locations.
• Touch-up exposed or primed metal to
prevent rust.
• Cover chrome and stainless steel parts
with a thick coat of auto wax to prevent
discoloration. Re-wax as necessary
when you wash your vehicle.
• Lubricate all hood, door and luggage
compartment hinges and latches with
a light grade oil.
• Cover interior trim to prevent fading.
• Keep all rubber parts free from oil and
solvents.
Engine
• Change the engine oil and filter prior to
storage because used engine oil
contains contaminates which may
cause engine damage.
• Start the engine every 15 days for a
minimum of 15 minutes. Run at fast
idle with the climate controls set to
defrost until the engine reaches normal
operating temperature.
• With your foot on the brake, shift
through all the gears while the engine
is running.
• We recommend that you change the
engine oil before you use your vehicle
again.
Fuel system
• Fill the fuel tank with high-quality fuel
until the first automatic shutoff of the
fuel pump nozzle. Cooling system
•
Protect against freezing temperatures.
• When removing your vehicle from
storage, check coolant fluid level.
Confirm that there are no cooling
system leaks and that fluid is at the
recommended level.
Disconnecting Your 12 Volt Battery
• Check and recharge as necessary. Keep
connections clean.
• If storing your vehicle for more than 30
days without recharging the battery,
we recommend that you disconnect
the battery cables to maintain battery
charge for quick starting.
Note: It is necessary to reset memory
features if you disconnect the battery
cables.
Plugging in Your HYBRID
We recommend the following options for
your plug-in vehicle (PHEV) :
• Leave your vehicle plugged in. The 12
volt battery maintains power if left
plugged in. However, this periodically
uses electricity from the household
outlet.
• Connect a battery charger to your 12
volt battery and leave it on a
continuous, slow charge.
• Disconnect the 12 volt battery. If your
12 volt battery is located in the luggage
compartment, do not fully shut the
luggage compartment after
disconnecting the 12 volt battery. Only
leave the luggage compartment open
if your vehicle is stored in a locked
location.
Brakes
• Make sure the brakes and parking brake
release fully.
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Explorer (CTW), enUSA, Edition date: 202007, Second-Printing Vehicle Care
to require a fluid change if the vehicle has
experienced extended periods of extreme
or severe duty cycle driving. Changing or
checking the transfer case, front and/or
rear axle lubricant is not necessary unless
the unit has been submerged in water,
shows signs of leakage, a message
indicating required service displays.
Contact your authorized dealer for service.
California Fuel Filter Replacement
If you register your vehicle in California, the
California Air Resources Board has
determined that the failure to perform this
maintenance item does not nullify the
emission warranty or limit recall liability
before the completion of your vehicle's
useful life. Ford Motor Company, however,
urges you to have all recommended
maintenance services performed at the
specified intervals and to record all vehicle
service.
Hot Climate Oil Change Intervals
Vehicles operating in the Middle East,
North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa or
locations with similar climates using an
American Petroleum Institute (API)
Certified for Gasoline Engines (Certification
mark) oil of SM or SN quality, the normal
oil change interval is 5,000 mi (8,000 km).
If the available API SM or SN oils are not
available, then the oil change interval is
3,000 mi (4,800 km)
.
Engine Air Filter and Cabin Air Filter
Replacement
The life of the engine air filter and cabin air
filter is dependent on exposure to dusty
and dirty conditions. Vehicles operated in
these conditions require frequent
inspection and replacement of the engine
air filter and cabin air filter.
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Explorer (CTW), enUSA, Edition date: 202007, Second-Printing Scheduled Maintenance
Trailer Lamps.......................................................
292
When Towing a Trailer..................................... 293
Event Data.........................................................16
Export Unique Options.................................14
Exterior Mirrors - Excluding: ST.................97 360-Degree Camera.......................................... 98
Auto-dimming Feature...................................... 98
Auto-Folding Mirrors .......................................... 97
Blind Spot Information System...................... 98
Direction Indicator Mirrors ............................... 98
Fold-Away Exterior Mirrors............................... 97
Heated Exterior Mirrors ..................................... 98
Memory Mirrors ................................................... 98
Power Exterior Mirrors......................................... 97
Puddle Lamps....................................................... 98
Exterior Mirrors - ST......................................98 Auto-dimming Feature.................................... 100
Auto-Folding Mirrors........................................... 99
Blind Spot Information System.................... 100
Direction Indicator Mirrors.............................. 100
Fold-Away Exterior Mirrors............................... 99
Heated Exterior Mirrors.................................... 100
Memory Mirrors................................................... 100
Power Exterior Mirrors........................................ 98
Puddle Lamps..................................................... 100
F
Fastening the Seatbelts..............................39
Seatbelt Locking Modes................................... 40
Using Seatbelts During Pregnancy................39
Flat Tire See: Changing a Road Wheel........................ 374
Floor Mats.......................................................297
Fog Lamps - Front See: Front Fog Lamps........................................ 89
Ford Credit
..........................................................11
US Only...................................................................... 11
Ford Protect..................................................480 Ford Protect Extended Service Plan
(CANADA ONLY)........................................... 481
Ford Protect Extended Service Plans (U.S. Only)................................................................. 480
Four-Wheel Drive.........................................207 Principle of Operation...................................... 207
Front Fog Lamps
............................................89
Front Fog Lamp Indicator................................. 90Switching the Front Fog Lamps On or
Off........................................................................\
. 89
Front Parking Aid
..........................................232
Object Distance Indicator............................... 233
Front Passenger Sensing System
............48
Front Wiper Blades See: Changing the Front Wiper Blades......340
Fuel and Refueling.......................................185
Fuel Consumption.......................................194 Advertised Capacity.......................................... 194
Calculating Fuel Economy.............................. 195
Fuel Filler Funnel Location........................187
Fuel Filter........................................................340
Fuel Quality - E85........................................185 Choosing the Right Fuel - Flex Fuel
Vehicles............................................................. 185
Switching Between E85 and Gasoline............................................................ 186
Fuel Quality - Gasoline...............................187 Choosing the Right Fuel................................... 187
Fuel Shutoff
..................................................299
Fuses..................................................................312
Fuse Specification Chart............................312 Engine Compartment Fuse Box.................... 312
Passenger Compartment Fuse Panel.........317
G
Garage Door Opener...................................162
Garage Door Opener See: Universal Garage Door Opener............162
Gauges - Vehicles With: 12.3 Inch Instrument Cluster Display
Screen...........................................................104
Distance to Empty............................................. 106
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge..........106
Fuel Gauge............................................................ 105
Gauge Display...................................................... 105
Information Bar................................................... 105
Information Display........................................... 105
Low Fuel Reminder............................................ 105
Gauges - Vehicles With: 4.2 Inch Instrument Cluster Display
Screen...........................................................106
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge...........107
Fuel Gauge............................................................ 107
Information Display............................................ 107
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Explorer (CTW), enUSA, Edition date: 202007, Second-Printing Index