Clunk clunk, knock knock, smoke

[warden]

Lots of black smoke that is.
Left work yesterday to go to Bruins game. Sitting in boston traffic (major bumper to bumper while pouring) and the temp light and chime came on. Ok, hopefully just a bad sensor I can make it the half mile to parking garage. Nope! After about 5 more minutes of barely moving in traffic I started hearing a loud knocking sound. I was on the phone and really didn't hear it for a few then it was obvious the noise was not from other vehicles next to me but from my new 2011 SHO with 6200 miles on it. I start pulling over to side of the road and major amounts of black smoke came out. I shut the engine off but it continued to clunk and knock for atleast a minute if not more. The smoke stayed for much longer.
Thinking I lost my coolant. Oil level was fine but the oil definately was cooked. So now it is at the dealer. Have to wait and see what they say.

 

[Ishodu]

Sounds like you cooked it.

 

[warden]

Sounds like you cooked it.

I prefer to think it cooked itself since I dont beat on it. Hadn't even made it to its first maintenance yet. 3 months of highway driving; and some bumper to bumper. But yeah, it's cooked.

 

[frosho]

Damn. Did you at least make it to the game?

 

[warden]

Damn. Did you at least make it to the game?

I did. And they won. I also made it to the bottom of a Grey Goose bottle.

 

[Ishodu]

I prefer to think it cooked itself since I dont beat on it. Hadn't even made it to its first maintenance yet. 3 months of highway driving; and some bumper to bumper. But yeah, it's cooked.

Well you got the warnings and continued to drive it, so some of it is the drivers fault. "Always believe your instruments until you can prove them wrong"

 

[zach44102]

Well you got the warnings and continued to drive it, so some of it is the drivers fault. "Always believe your instruments until you can prove them wrong"

Or until the light bulb burns out.

 

[warden]

Well you got the warnings and continued to drive it, so some of it is the drivers fault. "Always believe your instruments until you can prove them wrong"

There was no place to pull over. 4 lanes in one direction, four in another with 2 on/off ramps and i'm all the way in the 4th lane. I made it over to the right lane and stopped, had a line of idiots behind me trying to get me to go. We're all massholes up here. Every one of us.
And yes the light came on but the damage was done at that point. Ok light is on, I better pull over at next gas station and see whats wrong; not in the middle of a major roadway during rush hour during a monsoon. But I do agree with you somewhat. They need to leave in a longer safety measure to get the car off the road safely.

 

[itguy08]

Well you got the warnings and continued to drive it, so some of it is the drivers fault. "Always believe your instruments until you can prove them wrong"

Should have been fine - from the Owner's Manual:

Engine coolant temperature(RTT): Displays when the engine
coolant temperature is high. Stop the vehicle as soon as safely possible, switch off the engine and let it cool. Refer to Engine coolant in the Maintenance and Specifications chapter.

We've also got Fail Safe cooling

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 service engine soon 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 a service facility 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 a service facility.
3. If this is not possible, wait a short period for the engine to cool.
4. Check the coolant level and replenish if low.

The OP did the right things and it does suck but I bet Ford will take care of him.

 

[warden]

Electric Fan Motor Failure.

The elec fan stopped operating. Car went into safe mode and made a lot of nasty noise like bearings with no grease. Radiator boiled over sending coolant onto exhaust and created the smoke. It was dark and rainy and the smoke(Steam) was thick and appeared really dark. They replaced the fans, filled the system and car operates like normal. Guess I thought reading that part of the owners manual was too 'Boring' so I didn't bother. Karma just catching me again.

 

[Showgun]

Thanks for sharing. It's made me read that part of the O/Manual again.
Glad to hear everything turned out ok.
C.

 

[Crash712us]

Wow! Sounded all like bad news for sure. Luckily all is well again, from the sound of your story I would bet my pay check your motor was toast.

 

[EcoBrick Bob]

This happened to a EB Flex guy in Ft. McMurray Alberta.... He had to wait a week for the fans.. (and his dealer is the largest pickup dealer in N.A.)

 

[steve142857]

That is your punishment for being a Bruins' fan! lol! Just kidding you (you guys beat us last playoffs... Montreal Habs).

I am seriously glad it turned out ok for you. Thanks for sharing, and good luck with your Bruins this year! After all, maybe they partied too much when they won the Stanley cup! ; )
Cheers!

 

[dbulldog]

Yep, another TSB on that failure.

11-7-21:

Some 2011 Explorer, MKT, Flex, Taurus and MKS vehicles built from 9/1/2010 to 5/15/2011 and equipped with dual engine cooling fans may exhibit a noise as the cooling fans wind down to a stop, lack of air conditioner performance while the vehicle is stationary or moving at slow speeds, and/or overheat condition. Possible diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P0217, P1299 and P1285 may be present.

I'm glad everything is ok!

Brian (Go Hawks)