Dakota, when you overheated did the engine power back off or shut off completely? Here's a text copy from the owners regarding overheating and the failsafe cooling:
How fail-safe cooling works
If the engine begins to overheat:
• The engine coolant temperature gauge will move to the red (hot)
area.
• The symbol will illuminate. (thermometer in water)
• The indicator light will illuminate. (engine icon)
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.
4. Check the coolant level and replenish if low.
Never remove the coolant reservoir cap while the engine is
running or hot.
5. Restart the engine and take your vehicle to an authorized dealer.
Does the temperature gauge actually work to warn you before you overheat, or is it like the oil pressure guage (always in the middle). If you know you're getting warm, you can aways turn on the heater (rear too if you have it). Since you're in CO I can't imagine that its all that hot anyway. If your engine got that hot, I hate to think how hot your tranny got
I have the MSD Dashhawk so I can keep an eye on all the temps while towing (engine temp, head temp, and tranny temp)