A Solution for All Seasons
What removes combustion heat from the block and cylinder head, maintains ideal engine operating temperatures, removes heat from engine oil and automatic transmission fluid, prevents corrosion and erosion within the cooling system, provides adequate freezing and boiling protection and lubricates water pump seals?
Hint: It often has a slimy, gooey and greenish-yellow texture.
If you guessed coolant solution - congratulations!
Coolant (most often called antifreeze - but that name only tells one half of the fluid's usefulness) is absolutely crucial to your vehicle's maintenance. The diagram to the right represents a typical cooling system. As the name implies, the cooling system removes excess heat from your vehicle by circulating coolant past the hot engine parts and back again to the radiator, where the excess heat can be dissipated. The whole coolant circuit normally operates under pressure to reduce the chance of the coolant "boiling".
What Does Engine Coolant Really Do?
What follows is a rundown of the tasks your engine coolant must perform for your happy motoring.
- Remove combustion heat from the block and cylinder head
- Maintain the ideal engine operating temperature
- Remove heat from the engine oil
- Remove heat from the automatic transmission fluid
- Prevent corrosion and erosion within the cooling system
- Provide freeze/boil protection
- Lubricate the water pump seals
- Keeps the whole cooling system clean and free from sludge, solids, gels and corrosive compounds
As you can see, engine coolant solution really is a solution for all seasons
Fresh New Coolant Does All These Things
…and without any difficulties which is a good thing, because if any one of the previous jobs is neglected, your engine and its components are subject to breakdown. When coolant is neglected and ages in a vehicle's system, it reverses its positive traits. Old coolant actually takes on harmful characteristics that damage the engine badly if left in the system too long.
Oops! Old Coolant Actually Attacks Engines
If the old coolant is left in too long, the engine's cooling system becomes plugged with slimy, gooey solids and gels. Sometimes old coolant even attacks the engine's cooling system components with engine-eating corrosive compounds. By changing the coolant at the recommended intervals, all this can be prevented (as long as the cooling system itself is in good shape).
How to Choose the Right Mixture
Engine coolant is simply a solution of ethylene glycol (EG) and water. EG is normally bright green in colour, but not all EG formulas are the same.
For normal use in most engines, a 50/50 mixture of EG to water is fine. (For example, you would mix one liter of EG to one liter of water). A 50/50 mix protects your engine cooling system from -37*C to 120*C. For very cold climates, you may want to change the ratio to 65/35 EG to water. A 65/35 ratio widens the range of protection from -66*C to 127*C. But please note, the ratio of EG to water must never go above 65/35, or below 30/70. Engine damage can result from lopsided ratios of EG and water. With diesel engines, the coolant rules are simple: always use a 65/35 EG to water mixture.
A high silicate formula can generally be used in place of the low silicate one but low silicate can never be used in place of a high silicate. Otherwise, serious damage will result to aluminum cooling-system components. High silicate coolant gives protection to all cooling-system metals, including heat-rejecting aluminum surfaces like cylinder heads, blocks and intake manifolds. Without this protection, aluminum surfaces would gradually deteriorate to the point of engine failure.
Today's computer-controlled engines are especially sensitive to temperatures that are too high or too low. If the right temperature isn't maintained, everything from performance to fuel economy to emissions are affected. At Superior Tire & Auto Centres, our master technicians will ensure you the maximum protection on the coldest of nights and the hottest of days - by providing the finest of products, the proper type of all-season engine coolant and the correct ratio of product mix to ensure your safe and happy motoring throughout summer and long winter driving.
