Rick's Free Auto Repair Advice

Using the correct coolant matters

Using the correct coolant matters

There are many different types and colors of antifreeze. But only one is right for your particular engine and using the correct coolant matters. Using the wrong antifreeze or mixing different types of antifreeze can damage your engine and cooling system.

The correct coolant does three jobs

• It lowers the freezing point of the cooling system in winter
• It raises the boiling point of the cooling system in summer
• It protects the engine and cooling system from rust and corrosion year round.

The cooling systems in older cast iron engine contained brass, copper, and rubber hoses, so engine coolants were all pretty much the same. These days, aluminum engines and cooling systems have parts made from copper, silicon, nylon, steel, and magnesium and aluminum alloys. The type of coolant required by your vehicle can now vary by year, make, model, engine and even the country where the car was made. With so many factors in play, car owners need to know which type of engine coolant is right for their vehicle.

What happens if you use the wrong coolant?

The anti-corrosion additives in the factory recommended coolant are designed to be compatible with the different metals, plastics, rubber and gasket materials in your engine/cooling system. If you use the wrong coolant, it can degrade and even destroy some plastics, rubber and gasket materials.

The correct coolant is easy to find

Most auto parts stores now sell coolants that match the carmaker’s specifications. So there’s no reason to buy the wrong coolant or a “universal” coolant.

You can always buy coolant at the dealer

Ok, it’s more expensive. But at most you only need two gallons. That’s a pretty small price to pay to prevent cooling system corrosion and component part failure. Think about how much a heater core replacement will cost—or a radiator, water pump, heater tube. Getting the point. It just ain’t worth the price to try to save $20 by buying supposedly “universal” coolant. So go to the dealer and give them the year, model, and engine size and they’ll give you the right stuff. And don’t assume that all years or engines within a particular make use the same coolant. They don’t.

What about universal coolants?

There’s really no such thing as a universal coolant. No single coolant can possibly meet all carmakers specifications. If there was, there would be no need for the coolant manufacturers and carmakers to offer multiple types and colors. The truth is, only the carmaker knows which metals, plastics, rubber and gaskets are used in their engines. A universal coolant can’t possibly be compatible with all those materials.

Here’s an example: Prestone makes an “all makes, all models” coolant. But they also make brand specific coolants. Why? If their all makes, all models coolant is so good and actually works with all vehicles, there’s no need to make brand specific coolants. See this post to see all the different coolants Prestone makes

Every vehicle is made with different metals. Late model engines are usually made with aluminum alloys, but sometimes the heater tubes are steel, while the water pump is usually made from magnesium. You’ll often find copper in the heater core in older vehicles. So you’ve got the makings of galvanic battery action in every vehicle and the coolant is the electrolyte. Use the wrong coolant and metal components will literally dissolve.

Worse yet, the anti-corrosive additives used in universal coolants can actually cause corrosion to some metals.

© 2012 Rick Muscoplat

Posted on by Rick Muscoplat



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