Can you add water to the cooling system of a bus engine?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
A. Yes, but only in emergency situations and when ambient temperature is above zero.
Explanation
In the photo, you can see the open engine compartment at the rear of a bus, with the engine and the coolant expansion tank at the top. You may add water to the cooling system only in an emergency and when temperatures are above zero - answer A.
The Road Traffic Act requires a vehicle to be maintained so that using it does not endanger safety. The cooling system is filled with coolant, which does not freeze in winter and protects the engine from corrosion. Water may top it up only in an emergency, when the coolant has run out and driving on would risk overheating the engine. At temperatures below zero (answer B), the diluted coolant can freeze and crack the radiator or the engine block. Answer C is too absolute - in an exceptional situation, water will save the engine from overheating. After adding water in this way, you replace or top up the coolant with the right concentrate as soon as possible and check where the loss came from.
Legal basis: Art. 66 para. 1 point 1 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)