Slide into a ditch and overheated. What temp hurts the engine.

[JohnH55]

Hey guys, I've got a question about my 2001 Explorer sport 4.0. I slide off the road and into the ditch today, we got 6 inches of snow where I live. I was not careful and let the side of the road dragged me in. It was about a 20 ft deep ditch and on the way down tons of snow made it into the engine bay and my radiator. I got out made sure everything was fine, planned my escape and started trying to work my truck out. After a short bit of moving back and forth I noticed my truck was over heating, and shut it down. Them temp gauge did not make it to the H, but it was basically vertical. Ill attach a picture of a gauge cluster with a line drawn on it to help you guys get an idea. After that is when I noticed all the snow in the front end, and I cleared it all out, the temp went back to normal and I was able to crawl out of the ditch in 4WD Low. I got very luck and wasn't hurt (other than my pride) and nothing was physically damaged. Even more luck I was able to get out without help. My question is would that amount of heat have caused serious damage to the engine?

Thanks,
John

 

[XLTrunner]

I think you're fine. Glad things turned out ok. You didn't mention whether you have 4WD, but let this be a lesson to anyone who drives a 4WD or AWD on snow or ice covered roads. Don't develop a false sense of security as it isn't necessarily going to keep you out of the ditch, median, body shop.

 

[JohnH55]

I think you're fine. Glad things turned out ok. You didn't mention whether you have 4WD, but let this be a lesson to anyone who drives a 4WD or AWD on snow or ice covered roads. Don't develop a false sense of security as it isn't necessarily going to keep you out of the ditch, median, body shop.

Yeah, I've always thought of it as 4 wheel DRIVE, not 4 wheel stop or 4 wheel unlimited traction.

 

[BKennedy]

It's probably fine. You would know right away if you melted anything.

 

[joney]

Glad that apparently you weren't hurt! And impressed on your getting out of a 20 foot ditch unassisted. Good tires I assume?

Yeah, I've always thought of it as 4 wheel DRIVE, not 4 wheel stop or 4 wheel unlimited traction.

 

[JohnH55]

Glad that apparently you weren't hurt! And impressed on your getting out of a 20 foot ditch unassisted. Good tires I assume?

Yeah good tires at 40psi since I did some towing the week before and where I ended up was right by a Culvert that was for a small dirt road that ran perpendicular to the highway for a corn field. So I only had to work my way up that, then getting back on the highway was fairly easy. The only issue was a trench in the center line of the ditch formed by running water. My rear passenger tire was floating 6 inches above the ground, making my driver side front barely touch the ground. But once I got enough moment to back over it and level out, I just bolted up the slope to the right right of the culvert. Definitely not easy, and if not for that Culvert embankment I would not have made it without help.

 

[Mbrooks420]

It’s most likely fine. Keep an eye on your coolant tank for the next week or two and see if you start consuming coolant.

 

[CJYoung]

I think you're fine. Glad things turned out ok. You didn't mention whether you have 4WD, but let this be a lesson to anyone who drives a 4WD or AWD on snow or ice covered roads. Don't develop a false sense of security as it isn't necessarily going to keep you out of the ditch, median, body shop.

Glad all is well, almost all of us have learned the hard way about slippery conditions.
Every snowstorm I see More SUV's wrecked then regular cars.

 

[RangerNutt]

Ok, I'll bite. Lots of "you'll likely be ok" posts -- and I agree -- but no offers of what may have caused the disturbing overheat. If you know what really (or most likely) happened and it's NBD, then any lingering doubts or fears can be dismissed.

So here's the shot I'll take:

Snow packed in so hard around the front of the engine, the water pump pulley was temporarily prevented from turning. Lots of cool coolant was available, but it couldn't reach the engine interior to carry away the heat, which caused the temperature to spike. No squealing was heard because just enough tension was removed from the idler to keep the belt from moving, but not enough to displace or remove the belt on thaw out. Also, the snow acted as a crude lubricant to squelch the screech.​

​

In the end, no harm was done because you killed the engine before it reached anywhere near critical temps so, when the snow melted, everything returned to normal.​

Any who offer better suggestions...are probably right.

 

[CDW6212R]

It’s most likely fine. Keep an eye on your coolant tank for the next week or two and see if you start consuming coolant.

Ditto, the possible overheat damage would show up as a coolant leak or contamination of the coolant or oil. I have seen high temps twice in my 99 SOHC, once at about 230* and the next time it hit 270*, both monitored by a Scangauge that shows highest temps of the day. Neither time hurt the engine, the head gasket, I was relieved.

As said just keep a close eye on the coolant for a week or so, remove the radiator cap when it's not hot, and be sure the coolant is up to that with no air in it.

Check your anti-freeze rating with a tester, it's a good thing to know before each Winter, as I didn't that last time in 2008.

 

[CJYoung]

Seems like its time to get Columbo, Mannix, and Paul Drake on this Episode!!

 

[Mbrooks420]

Ok, I'll bite. Lots of "you'll likely be ok" posts -- and I agree -- but no offers of what may have caused the disturbing overheat. If you know what really (or most likely) happened and it's NBD, then any lingering doubts or fears can be dismissed.

So here's the shot I'll take:

Snow packed in so hard around the front of the engine, the water pump pulley was temporarily prevented from turning. Lots of cool coolant was available, but it couldn't reach the engine interior to carry away the heat, which caused the temperature to spike. No squealing was heard because just enough tension was removed from the idler to keep the belt from moving, but not enough to displace or remove the belt on thaw out. Also, the snow acted as a crude lubricant to squelch the screech.​

​

In the end, no harm was done because you killed the engine before it reached anywhere near critical temps so, when the snow melted, everything returned to normal.​

Any who offer better suggestions...are probably right.

I thought the cause of the overheat was so obvious no one needed to bring it up.

 

[410Fortune]

Coolant temp Still within “normal operating temp” according to the gauge
I would say your water temp approached 230-240 with the needle in that position
235-240 is hot!! Prolonged running at that temp can cause issues, but just to have it “ “spike” during your snow event is no biggie

 

[JohnH55]

Thanks everyone for the input, I'm definitely going to monitor the coolant level. I haven't noticed any issues with the Explorer since my blunder. Other than my few remaining body bushings fully retiring.

 

[CDW6212R]

Most important is that you ended up on four wheels and didn't lose the truck. I'm happy you have it in one piece and can keep going.