Possible overheating damage?

[Stenliivanov]

Dear Friends,

I read a lot but in general I find information concerning other cars, engines and usually a bit older than mine therefore I decided to start this topic here and I hope that I will get some clarification on the issue. My car is 2012 Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI 115 hp.

The story begun with the change of my camshaft belt, water pump, coolant, oil and filter etc. last week. When I took my car from the shop I noticed that the coolant looks light green. I know that the coolant should be red-pink therefore I asked the shop if they had put the correct coolant type and the answer was - we use only one type of coolant and it is suitable for your engine. 

I decided to buy a bottle of the same coolant to compare it with the one in the system. I mixed the coolant from the bottle 50/50 with water and went to the car. The car was hot but it hasn't been on the move for more than an hour. Then  i opened the expansion tank and the system decompressed but no coolant escaped outside the tank. The level went above max. mark but I assumed that because it is not stone cold it should be normal the coolant to be above max. Then I took a sample and compared it with the coolant from the bottle. They were the same - in dark light red in bright sun lite fluorescent green on the top. So I was convinced that the coolant is OK.

I closed the expansion tank cap and went in the house.

Few hours later I had to go to do few things around I got in the car directly - it warmed up to the normal temp but I heard the radiator fan running - I thought that should be normal in hot summer day.

Then I stopped for 5-10 minutes and then again I started driving. Few hundred 500-600 meters after that I again heard the fan running so I decided to turn on the heating in the car and I was surprised that despite that the temp gauge showed normal operating temperature (the needle was in the middle of the scale) the heaters blew cold air. Few seconds after that I noticed that the temp gauge needle started to climb up fast and I stopped and turned off the engine immediately and a moment before the needle to reach red area marked with 120 degrees Celsius and on the first beep for engine too hot warning.

Then I opened the hood and saw that the coolant is still above max. mark where I left it before when I took the samples.  So I decided that there should be airlock somewhere. Carefully I unscrewed the bleeding screw located at the thermostat and after some air went out pure coolant started to pour and I fastened the screw. Then I started the car the temp gauged showed the middle and no fan was blowing. So I started the car and it cooled down to the the middle between the initial needle position marked with 60 degrees Celsius and the middle of the scale. So I turned on the heater and hot air started right away.

Between stopping the car / engine hot warning and starting back at normal temperature passed only 5 minutes

The next morning on stone cold car I topped up the coolant and bleed the system.

Since then the temp hasn't gone above normal and  I check the oil and the coolant every morning. 

The oil cap and dipstick do not have any strange milky goo on it. No loss of coolant, No smoke - any color from the exhaust, No loss of coolant. 

I went for test drive with dashboard service menu on and I've monitored the temp. It was steady between 90-91 degrees Celsius when I stopped and idled for 10 min. it went to 95-96 degrees and the radiator fan turned on then the temp went back to 92 degrees. In the same time the temp gauge was sitting in the middle since the engine temp reached 75-75 and did not move at all even when the engine temp became 95-96.

My questions are:

1. Did I overheat my engine badly?

2. If "yes" is it possible the engine to be damaged (head gasket, cracks in head and/ or block) at this temperature and for such short time time?

3. If damages are possible what should I expect most likely?

4. Is it early the symptoms for any possible damage to be visible (I've driven about 50 kilometer since then) or I would already notice something in the oil, engine temp or coolant?

5. Is 90 degrees Celsius a normal operating temperature taking into consideration that the thermostat (it was changed few months ago because slow warm up) opens at 83 C and it is a diesel engine?

6. This morning I again checked the oil and coolant and noticed a few black tiny spots on the surface of the coolant in the expansion tank half mm in diameter. Tried to put my finger at but when I got it out the black/grey spot was not in the tank and I couldn't see it on the finger. Does it sounds like head gasket or the oil cooler  should be more if it is blown gasket?

I'm thinking for oil cooler gasket possible failure as well.

I'm very anxious about this issue - I wake up in the middle of the night to think about therefore I hope that I'll get some answers to now if I have to worry and prepare for big repairs or not. Thanks in advance!

 

 

[Stenliivanov]

Some update... 

Still there are no signs of coolant in the oil, still no excess temp during driving and idling, no drivability issues and the number of tiny spots of oil in the coolant haven't increased. 

Hope that uit will stay that way 

[JONATHAN_11_80]

Your car has the wrong coolant it should be red/pink oat coolant.