Tips for escaping when driving through flooded areas.

When driving through flooded areas, drivers should use a low gear and maintain a steady throttle to prevent water from entering the exhaust pipe and causing the engine to stall.

A common problem that vehicles encounter when driving through flooded areas is hydrolock – the phenomenon of water entering the air intake causing the car to suddenly stall. If drivers try to restart the engine after hydrolock, the damage will worsen. Many cars can lose up to 30% of their value due to this fault.

The prolonged rainy weather has caused many roads to be flooded, and cars traveling through deeply flooded areas are at high risk of breaking down.

The primary cause of hydrolock in cars is drivers attempting to start the engine while the vehicle is submerged. This allows water to enter the engine's air intake, causing the engine to stall or damaging other parts of the vehicle.

Another cause of hydrolock in a car is damage to internal engine components, such as the cylinder head gasket. In this case, coolant can leak into the engine if the car happens to drive through flooded areas.

The third cause of hydrolock is a malfunctioning fuel injection system or carburetor.

Therefore, for four-seater cars, when you see a road flooded with water deeper than about thirty centimeters, you shouldn't drive through it. If you want to drive, at least make sure that the water level in that flooded section doesn't exceed the air intake of your car. Furthermore, you must always maintain a steady throttle to ensure water doesn't enter the exhaust pipe.

In particular, some people mistakenly believe that you should speed through flooded areas. Even if the water level isn't as high as the air intake, the waves created by passing vehicles and other cars can still splash water onto your car. Therefore, when driving through flooded areas, you should press the accelerator sufficiently but not too fast.

In the event that water gets into the exhaust pipe, don't panic because while it may cause a blockage and stall the engine, it won't enter the engine itself. Therefore, if the driver remains calm, wades through the water, has enough people to help push the car through the flooded area, and then restarts the engine, the engine can still operate normally.

If your car stalls in the middle of a flooded road, do not attempt to restart it. Trying to start the engine while the car is submerged will only cause more serious damage.

If you notice your engine oil has turned a milky white or other unusual color, it means water has entered the engine. Instead of starting the car, you should push it out of the flooded area and quickly disconnect the battery. Then call a tow truck for assistance.

For cars that have stalled due to flooding, drivers should not attempt to restart the engine because water entering the engine can easily cause it to seize. If the engine is damaged, the repair costs for cars priced between 500-700 million VND are typically around 10-15 million VND.

When driving through flooded areas, the first thing to do is determine the water level (shallow or deep) and whether you are driving an SUV or sedan. Generally, if the water level is not more than 20 cm, the vehicle can safely pass through. When driving through flooded areas, drivers should not open the doors to prevent water from entering the vehicle. With sedans, where the air intake is located low, you can open the hood, remove the air filter, and lift the hood slightly to safely pass through, then reattach it and continue driving. Given the potholes, bumps, and manhole covers on urban roads today, flooding becomes a "trap" for drivers because visibility is reduced. Furthermore, driving in the rain further impairs visibility of road signs and other vehicles.

Walking in the middle of the road helps avoid areas with deep water.

In all road designs, the middle section is the highest and gradually decreases towards the edges. Therefore, the closer a vehicle is to the middle of the road, the less likely it is to be submerged. Conversely, the closer to the edges, the higher the risk of hitting potholes, bumps, or manholes, which could unexpectedly cause the vehicle to be submerged and potentially stall.

When driving through flooded areas, drivers should slow down and observe the vehicles ahead. This will make steering easier and allow them to see the vehicles in front, helping them avoid potholes and bumps. Additionally, drivers should avoid driving too close to large trucks, as they can create sudden, large waves that could flood the intake or exhaust pipes, causing the engine to stall.

When driving through flooded areas, you should turn off all unnecessary electrical devices such as the air conditioning and sound system to reduce the load on the engine and avoid the possibility of sudden engine stalling.

Another thing drivers should keep in mind is to always have a roadside assistance phone number readily available in their contact list for use in necessary situations.

According to VOV