- Overheating: Driving your car without coolant can cause the engine to overheat quickly. This can damage the pistons, cylinder heads, and other engine components.
- Warped cylinder head: The cylinder head is a critical component that forms the combustion chamber. Overheating can cause the cylinder head to warp, which can lead to loss of compression, coolant leaks, and engine failure.
- Blown head gasket: The head gasket seals the cylinder head to the engine block. Overheating can cause the head gasket to fail, which can lead to coolant leaks, oil leaks, and engine failure.
- Cracked engine block: In extreme cases, overheating can cause the engine block to crack, which will result in catastrophic engine failure.
- Seized engine: If the engine overheats severely, the pistons can seize in the cylinder bores, causing the engine to lock up. This will require a complete engine rebuild or replacement.
Additional damage that may occur:
- Damage to the radiator: Driving without coolant can cause the radiator to overheat and crack or rupture.
- Damage to the water pump: The water pump circulates the coolant through the engine. Driving without coolant can cause the water pump to overheat and fail.
- Damage to the thermostat: The thermostat regulates the flow of coolant through the engine. Driving without coolant can cause the thermostat to overheat and fail.
