CAR experts have revealed what it means when water drips out of your car’s engine and how to take action.
The motor whizzes at the RAC shared a list of the top issues that can occur in hot weather and advised drivers on how to solve them.
GettyCar experts have revealed what causes water to drip out of your car in hot weather[/caption]
It can be concerning when you see liquid coming out of your car’s exhaust pipe and the cause is often a mystery.
Drivers may wonder if they have some kind of engine leak that could be costly to fix or even dangerous.
However, the RAC reassured motorists that, as long as the liquid is water, it is likely to be harmless.
As the summer months roll on, Brits are more likely to crank up the aircon while on the road and this can lead to water coming out of the engine.
The AC both cools and dehumidifies air from outside, leading to a lot of condensed water building up in the evaporator.
This has to go somewhere and so it is released into the exhaust system and comes out at the back of the car.
A small amount of water dripping out of the pipe is no cause for concern.
If the liquid is not colourless or has an unusual odour, then you should take your car to a mechanic and get it checked.
This could be caused by some form of leak and should be assessed as soon as possible.
For reference, coolant tends to be a very light green colour, while engine oil is dark and viscous and transmission fluid has a distinctive (often unpleasant) smell.
Likewise, if large amounts of water are pouring out of the exhaust then you should get it checked.
And if you really want to cut out the drip then you can use a little-known button to reduce the amount of air your AC sucks in from the outside.
The RAC experts also told drivers that the hot weather can cause white ‘smoke’ to pour out of your air vents inside the car.
Again, unless the smoke has an acrid smell, this is nothing to worry about.
It’s just water vapour from the condenser escaping through the other end of the system rather than going out via the exhaust.
Running the system for a short time should stop the smoke.
However, if the smoke is dark in colour and smells unpleasant, stop the car immediately, get out and call a mechanic.
It comes after an expert mechanic revealed how much you should fill up your fuel tank in hot weather to make it more economical.
Meanwhile, drivers were issued a warning amid fears of a rapid rise in breakdowns related to the heatwave.