Can You Drive When the Car Shows High Water Temperature?
2 Answers
It is not advisable to continue driving when the car shows an excessively high water temperature. The reasons are as follows: 1. Driving with high water temperature can lead to increased wear and tear, reduced power output, and other issues. Particularly, prolonged operation under high temperatures can easily damage the engine, and may even cause the engine to be scrapped. 2. If the engine water temperature is too high, stopping the car in a panic and immediately turning off the engine is the wrong approach. This is because the water cooling system relies on the engine to operate. Once the engine is turned off, the cooling system can no longer circulate, while the engine components remain in a high-temperature working environment. This not only fails to cool the engine down but may also damage engine parts.
When the temperature gauge rises, I stop the car immediately because continuing to drive poses too great a risk. Engine overheating can melt castings and warp cylinder heads, and in severe cases, it can lead to complete engine failure, with repair costs running into tens of thousands. I recall one time when I ignored the warning and drove a few hundred meters before smoke started pouring out, resulting in a major repair that cost me thousands. Safety advice is to pull over immediately and turn on the hazard lights. Turn off the air conditioning to reduce the engine load, then carefully open the hood to check the coolant level. If it's low, wait for the engine to cool down before adding distilled water or coolant. Once the temperature has dropped, drive slowly to a repair shop or call for roadside assistance and a tow truck. Make it a habit to check the coolant level before setting off to avoid such incidents.
