Antifreeze what type
Over time, coolant becomes less effective. It can also protect your engine from corrosive elements and improve its performance. What ingredients go into high-performing engine coolant? One anti-corrosive is not necessarily superior to another. Different ingredients are used to solve different issues. For example, cars made in Asia have had issues with poor heat transfer. As a result, engine coolant for cars manufactured in Asia does not use coolants with silicates. Instead, phosphates and carboxylates fill the anti-corrosive role.
In Europe, engine coolant had to solve a different problem. Hard water, containing the minerals calcium and magnesium, had a reaction with phosphate inhibitors in engine coolant, causing scale to form on car engines. So, engine coolant for cars made in Europe does not contain phosphates. Instead, coolant designed for European cars uses silicates and carboxylates. While antifreeze is a common ingredient in engine coolant, it is not always present. You can use coolant additives without antifreeze to improve heat transfer efficiency within your engine.
Some additives can be an effective option in straight water applications. Plus, an additive like Hy-per Cool Super Coolant is compatible with nearly any type of antifreeze you are already using for your vehicle. Different types of engine coolants are specifically engineered for different types of vehicles. Coolant varieties are categorized by name and color. You should always use the variety recommended for your car.
Six types of engine coolant are:. IAT engine coolant is green. It is made with ethylene glycol with silicate and phosphates added to prevent corrosion. As an older formula, it is not as efficient as some newer types of engine coolant. If your car requires IAT coolant, you will need to flush it and replace it approximately every two years or every 24, miles.
OAT engine coolant is made with a propylene glycol base. Organic acid technology OAT engine coolant is usually orange in color, but it can come in other colors like dark green.
Always double-check the label to ensure you do not accidentally grab a color that is a different coolant type. OAT uses organic acid to help protect your engine from corrosion. As a more modern formulation, OAT coolant only needs to be drained and changed every five years or every 50, miles. Hybrid organic acid technology is one of the three main categories of engine coolant, and it has several subcategories. HOAT coolant was traditionally yellow.
You can find HOAT coolant in yellow, orange, green, pink and blue. HOAT uses both silicates and organic acid to protect your engine and combat corrosion.
It should be swapped out at the same interval as OAT coolant: every five years of every 50, miles. Phosphate-free HOAT is usually turquoise in color.
This NAP-free formula, made with ethylene glycol, contains organic and inorganic corrosion inhibitors to protect your engine.
It does not contain phosphates, such as nitrite, nitrate and borate. It is also a low-silicate formula. The coolant is usually either pink or blue. Due to heat transfer issues, Asian car manufacturers require the use of this type of coolant. Silicated HOAT is usually recognizable by its vibrant purple color. It uses silicates and organic acids to inhibit corrosive action in your engine.
Its formula is free of nitrites, nitrates, phosphates, borates, amines and imidazole. Instead, it uses silicate, organic technology. The coolant offers protection for five years or , miles in the case of light application. In the case of heavy applications, this formula protects for three years or , miles.
If you are committed to DIY engine coolant maintenance, make sure you keep track of your miles and your time. Proactive maintenance means a happier car, a happier driver and a happier wallet. Note, if your car has been retrofitted with newer or different parts, this could affect the type of coolant it needs.
Are antifreeze and coolant the same thing? Should engine coolant be orange, green or a different color? This article will help answer these questions and more. Engine coolant, also known as antifreeze, is mixed with water to keep the radiator from freezing in extreme cold and overheating in extreme heat.
Different vehicles require different coolants. There are varieties for every type of vehicle, from diesel engines to American, Asian and European vehicles. The characteristic antifreeze smell you may have noticed occasionally under the hood comes from a common corrosion inhibitor, tolyltriazole. A side benefit with this additive is that antifreeze leaks are often easily detectable with a sensitive nose.
Yes, it absolutely does. Disregarding this direction could conceivably cost you a bundle to fix just a few miles down the road. One popular auto parts store sells 17 different types of antifreeze for cars and trucks.
Additionally you will have to choose from full strength antifreeze or a mix of antifreeze and water. For extreme cold, a blend of antifreeze to water can be used to provide lower temperature freeze protection. Coolants are colored to help identify the coolant in an engine. This can help us avoid adding the wrong coolant. Also the loss of its brilliant color can tell us a coolant is at the end of its service life.
This is the oldest coolant blend and was installed by all domestic car manufacturers through about with some makes such as Ford continuing through Asian and European car builders discontinued using this blend in It contains phosphates and silicates and works reasonably well with cast iron engine blocks and copper or aluminum radiators.
IAT coolants must be flushed out and renewed every 2 years or 36, miles. Heater core blockages were not uncommon with this coolant years back if it was not regularly replaced. This type of coolant contains no phosphates or silicates and is found in most domestic cars built after Extended coolant life of up to 5 years or , miles is a benefit with these coolants. When owners mistakenly added green coolant to systems that contained Dex-Cool system, blockages frequently occurred.
In other respects, Dex-Cool is an acceptable coolant but must never be mixed with other antifreeze types. For your late model car, domestic or foreign, going to the dealer parts counter for antifreeze may be your best bet. Your car came from the manufacturer with the type of coolant it requires. For its lifetime, this same coolant type should be used. Skilled auto parts specialists can also provide this information for you should you need to purchase antifreeze.
To be safe, all you need to do whenever some antifreeze is required is to purchase the type specified for your specific vehicle. What if you are somewhere out in the boondocks and your cooling system springs a slow leak? Should this happen, you can always add distilled water to your cooling system. You could even add clean water from a nearby creek if you are desperate.
But this is a temporary fix until you get back to civilization.
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