What You Should Know About Fail-Safe Cooling (If Equipped); How Fail-Safe Cooling Works - Ford Econoline E-250 Owner's Manual

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 (if equipped)

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.
WARNING: If fail-safe cooling activates, pull off the road as
soon as safely possible, and turn the engine off, because the
engine may automatically shut off while driving without further
indication.

How fail-safe cooling works

If the engine begins to overheat:
• The engine coolant temperature gauge will move to the red (hot)
area.
• The service engine soon
• The engine coolant temperature
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.
2012 Econoline (eco)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA (fus)
Maintenance and Specifications
indicator light will illuminate.
indicator light will illuminate.
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