Engine Temp got to 250F, any damage?

[S20Workstation4]

Hello All,

I replaced the radiator on my 2010 Expedition EL, and refilled the entire system with coolant. Long story short, there was an air bubble trapped above the thermostat, not allowing the coolant to get to it and open it up at 195F. Therefore, the engine had no antifreeze in it, which the radiator did.
As I was driving, the temp got up to 230F, the fans came on high. By the time I got near the house, the Failsafe light came on and the engine temp was 251F. I immediately stopped and shut the engine off.

I fixed the problem, but do any of you guys think that any parts were damaged due to the 251F Engine temp? (ie: Head Gasket). No noticeable signs of damage to any parts.


Thank you,
- Joseph

 

[Dahammer]

Have extra antifreeze on hand in case you need to add additional.

Open the hood, start your vehicle, turn on the heater, set it to hot, and fan on high. Run for about 10 minutes with windows open.

Now, watch to see if the antifreeze disappears in the jug. If it does, shut down the vehicle and let her cool off, then fill the jar to level off at the mark on the jug. Start her up and run for 10 mins again.
Check the jug if you need to add more antifreeze. If not, then air is removed from the core.

The reason for running the heater is to remove air bubbles in the heater core.

 

[Dahammer]

And for good measure, get an LOF.

 

[GaryH]

Possibly the head gasket, but if it drives and runs normally you are probably okay. You would know in short order if it blew the head gasket. Ironically, over heating can be a symptom of a blown head gasket. Look for white smoke at the tail pipe and check for coolant contamination in the oil. Watch the coolant level and if it needs constant refilling, well that's another sign. If you see any visible leaks between the engine block and the cylinder head or the engine misfires or runs poorly, you might want to have a mechanic look at it.

 

[Trainmaster]

We've done that to several in the fleet. Never any permanent problem, and some ran on fail-safe for a half hour.

 

[S20Workstation4]

Thanks for all the replies. I drove it about 40 miles and no loss of coolant, engine runs great. Looks like I'm in the clear.