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Probably, your car stopped functioning after you kept driving it at a high temperature. But it’s not your fault, you either don’t know your engine was overheating or you have no idea of the engine overheating consequences.
Either way, the truth remains that overheating can cause a lot of damage to the various component in the engine bay, especially rubber/plastic components.
One of the common damages caused by overheating is coolant leaks. Although coolant leaks can lead to overheating (if it happened earlier), it can also be part of the aftermath of overheating.
There are other damages your car would suffer due to overheating – and that’s what we’d discuss in this article today.
4 Engine Overheating Consequences
According to some auto manufacturers, overheating is one of the quickest circumstances that can wreck a vehicle.
When you continue to drive an overheating car, you should be getting prepare to get another vehicle because you’re about to total that one you’re driving in extremely hot temperature.
Below are the common damages caused by engine overheating:
1. Warped Cylinder
Most modern cars are coupled with aluminum cylinder heads, which is liable to expand due to severe heat. So, because of the aluminum material used, the cylinders in your engine bay would start to warp when the engine overheats for a longer time.
More so, when the cylinder is warped, it can subsequently lead to oil leaks, blown gasket, and other possible faults. Furthermore, this will cause more burning in the engine bay, as oil may leak into certain heated metals in the engine bay.
Notwithstanding, warped cylinders would trigger low performance as your engine loses pressure/power. In essence, a warped cylinder is one of the aftermaths of overheating.
2. Cracked Engine Block
You will likely face a cracked engine block due to overheating. This is because some superheated corners of the engine block are liable to expand and contract, which can lead to cracks and critical oil leaks, subsequently.
The engine block would cost you a lot of money to fix. It would also take a lot of time before the fix is completed. Sometimes, you may be left with no option other than to install a new engine or even getting a new car.
3. Blown Head Gasket
Your car’s head gasket would definitely suffer huge damage due to excess heat generated by the overheating engine. The head gasket is a crucial component that shouldn’t be tampered with; it costs so much to repair when blown.
The head gasket is situated between the engine block and cylinder(s); once it is affected, many things would go wrong.
This includes oil leaks, coolant leaks, and white smoke coming out from the exhaust pipe. Just like the engine block, a blown gasket would cost a lot of money and time to fix.
4. Exhaust Damage
Yes, overheating can cause damage to the exhaust. When the engine overheats, a much amount of hot gases will be passed out through the exhaust pipe, and this can cause significant damage to the manifold and catalytic converter if continued for a longer time.
Read Also: How To Fix Overheating Car
Conclusion
We have covered a few engine overheating consequences; however, there are quite other damages an overheating engine could cause.
The best advice/practice is to prevent overheating from occurring. Although, sometimes, overheating is almost inevitable, there are steps you could take to avoid such a scenario.
In summary, excess heat is not good for your car. Always check the coolant liquid or antifreeze before driving the car out of the house. Stuff like Welds, sensors, seals, electrical wiring, belts, pumps, etc. can all be affected by overheating.
More so, insurance policies do not cover damage from overheating; thus, you need to be careful and save yourself from spending so much to get things fixed up.