Coolant helps your engine run smoothly and carries away excess heat, preventing the engine from overheating and stopping. An engine only actually uses around a third of the energy produced to run the engine and move the vehicle, the rest of the energy is converted into heat which is removed in part through the exhaust, therefore the remaining heat needs to be removed, providing the necessity of coolant.
3 Key Reasons to use Coolant:
1. Because cooling system failure is the No.1 reason for vehicle failure.
2. Because a coolant can avoid unnecessary expenses.
The No.1 reason for vehicle failure can be avoided by taking care of your cooling system and using the right coolant. The estimated cost of a coolant replacement is about €80 (the cost of 5L of coolant and labour). Typically, the replacement of the cooling system components which could be required are way more expensive, as outlined in the graph:
3. Because without coolant, an engine could be destroyed.
A coolant is necessary to:
- Protect all cooling system parts against:
- Guarantee that excessive heat from combustion is transferred
Composition
Coolants/Antifreeze are composed of 3 parts: Water, MEG/MPG & an Inhibitor package.
WATER is still used today in coolants as it is the best heat transfer fluid and is cheap & available. The water used today however is demineralized water to reduce any impact of any minerals that would be contained in water direct from source which could cause harm to the cooling system.
MEG or MPG is added as these help the coolant perform in the different climates that the engine may be active in, such as freezing cold weather or extreme heat. In climates such as our own here in Ireland, our coolants need to be able to remain liquid in freezing conditions. Also the coolant must be able to remain fluid not only in the hotter temps of our climate but also in the extreme temps that can develop while the engine is running. MEG/MPG helps the coolant mix resist boiling and forming vapours, which would reduce its effectiveness in transferring the heat to the radiator.
As coolant is composed mainly of water, there is a risk of corrosion in the metal parts of the cooling system. It is for this reason that coolants have chemical additives (inhibitor package) with properties which reduces these risks and protects the engine added. This inhibitor package is only a small part of the coolant, but it has a strong influence on the coolant quality. There are two types of inhibitors been used today:
Mineral inhibitor technology – Also referred to as ‘traditional’ inhibitors.
Organic Additive Technology (OAT) – used in modern systems and also called ‘carboxylates’
What is the difference in these packages?
Different behaviour – Mineral inhibitors are typically forming a protective layer on the insides of the cooling system, whereas organic inhibitors are selectively protecting inherent weak spots of alloys.
- Different consumption – Organic inhibitors are less depleted and have a longer life.
These coolants typically come in 3 formats: Super Concentrate, Antifreeze (Concentrate) & Ready-Mix (Coolant). You can see the different make ups in the diagram below
Choosing the right quality coolants
Freezing point alone does not determine a coolant quality. A good quality coolant should:
Many people believe that simply matching the colour of coolant currently in their system will work when it comes to choosing which coolant product to use in their vehicle. This however is wrong, the colour is just a dye added by the manufacturer to distinguish their different products, and depending on the manufacturer the colours of different types of products may vary. The colour of the Coolant has no impact at all on the coolants technical make up at all.
“TOP-UPS AND MIXES WITH DIFFERENT COOLANTS ARE NOT ALLOWED”
Choosing the wrong coolant can end up causing you serious problems as many coolants cannot mix and will react in different harmful ways when mixed:
- Inhibitors equilibrium is strongly disturbed
- Protection against corrosion is no longer provided
- Risk of deposits in the system which reduce its effectiveness. (Just 0.6MM of deposits can reduce the heat dissipation by 40%)
Also in older cooling systems where a coolant with mineral inhibitor technology is required, adding a coolant with organic inhibitor technology could have expensive consequences for the engine as older systems cannot handle the makeup of the organic products as:
- Organic inhibitors have detergent properties which could scour the protective layer formed by mineral inhibitors.
- The metallic surfaces stripped bare can highlight micro cracks already there and leaks can appear.
If you do not know what coolant is in your system or you cannot get the product that is in the system anymore, you should get your supplier to provide you with a top quality product that is recommended for your system. However before adding in this new product you should follow this rinse procedure.
While there are many products on the market under different brands and names, all these products are manufactured in the same plants as there is only a small amount of plants in the world manufacturing coolant/antifreeze products as the specific testing for manufacturing is very intensive and extremely expensive.
TOTAL is one of the very few brands that are involved in the manufacturing of quality coolants/antifreezes and it is here that TOTAL’s labs are constantly working to achieve the best results in their products for their customers. TOTAL’s COOLELF & GLACELF coolant/antifreeze ranges are among the leading products on the market as they answer the highest industry standards & are the most tested coolant range in the market.
TOTAL work closely with the engine manufacturers to ensure their product exceed the OEM requirements to achieve their full approvals. Indeed TOTAL can boast to the fact that their range carry the most OEM approvals in the market. So for a worry free drive we recommend using TOTAL coolants as they provide the most suitable protection against overheating & corrosion, and can save you on maintenance costs caused by using inferior products.
You can view TOTAL’s full range of Coolants & Antifreeze here, or contact Finol Oils in Dublin. To find the right coolant for your engine you can use Finol’s Which Oil? app which also recommends the right coolants and the quantities you will require. Visit www.whichoil.ie to avail of this app.
