Can a Car Still Run if the Exhaust Pipe is Flooded?
2 Answers
After being flooded, a car can still run with water in the exhaust pipe. Below are precautions for driving in rainy weather: Check the wipers: Especially important for nighttime driving during heavy rain. Maintain distance: Control your speed. Roads become slippery when wet, reducing tire traction. If driving too fast, inertia increases, and braking effectiveness significantly decreases in emergencies, raising the risk of accidents. Avoid sudden maneuvers when encountering water: If you see water and immediately swerve or brake sharply, the vehicle behind may not react in time, increasing the chance of an accident. Estimate the water depth; normally, if it's under 15 cm, you can drive at regular speed. When crossing water, control the throttle and avoid stomping on it suddenly, which could overload the engine or cause tire slippage.
I've been driving for decades and always take extra caution on rainy days. A couple of summers ago during a heavy downpour, my young neighbor drove through deep water with his exhaust pipe submerged, stubbornly pushing forward until his engine stalled on the spot. When towed to the repair shop and opened up, all three connecting rods in the cylinders were bent. Think about it - when water enters the exhaust pipe, the engine trying to expel exhaust is like someone covering its mouth and nose. Forcing it to run causes water to backflow into the cylinders. When pistons try to compress water (which is incompressible), it directly damages internal engine components. So whenever you see the exhaust pipe submerged, the wisest move is to immediately turn off the engine and stop. Don't hesitate to call for a tow truck - that's the right thing to do.
