How Long Will It Take for an Engine to Suffer Cylinder Scoring After Running Out of Coolant?
1 Answers
Running out of coolant will cause immediate cylinder scoring. When the engine's coolant reservoir is empty, the temperature inside the cylinders will rise rapidly. If the excess heat is not dissipated in time and high-load driving continues, the engine will overheat, damaging internal components. In mild cases, this leads to cylinder scoring; in severe cases, it can cause complete engine failure. Cylinder scoring refers to deep grooves being formed on the cylinder walls, causing the piston, piston rings, and cylinder wall friction pair to lose their sealing capability. This results in reduced cylinder compression pressure and loss of power, allowing the combustible mixture to leak into the crankcase and increase its pressure. In extreme cases, it may even cause a crankcase explosion.