If you own a car or a truck, even if you do not do much of your own vehicle maintenance, you have probably at least heard of antifreeze or coolant. It sounds as if they serve very similar purposes in a vehicle's engine. So what is the difference?
Different colours of coolant
The Difference Between Antifreeze and Coolant
Antifreeze, usually ethylene glycol, does not freeze easily. It also does not boil easily. When it is added to water, it becomes coolant.
You can buy antifreeze separately and add it to the water in your radiator—usually aiming for a 50 percent antifreeze to 50 percent water ratio. Or you can buy it premixed (coolant), generally in that same ratio. It is usually green or red.
In addition to regulating the engine's temperature, antifreeze naturally protects it against corrosion, such as rust, and It lubricates all the moving parts that it comes into contact with—the water pump, for example.
In summary; Coolant = Antifreeze + Water (usually in a 50/50 ratio)
Antifreeze liquid
Engine coolant
How Does It Work?
Mixed correctly, it can keep your radiator fluid from freezing even if the temperature is less than 0 degrees Celsius, the normal freezing point of water. It works by lowering the freezing temperature of the fluid in your radiator. This isn't very important in our temperate climate.
The same mixture can keep that fluid from boiling up to as high as 135 degrees Celsius, far above water's normal boiling point of 100 degrees Celsius, by raising the boiling point of the fluid.
Maintaining Your Cooling System
Modern engines have many fairly narrow passages through which the coolant must flow to keep your engine cool. Not only does coolant keep your engine temperature under control, but coolant in these smaller passages also keeps the heat in the engine balanced. You don't want a cracked engine block.
When you start your engine in the morning, especially on a cold day, it is important to the engine management system that the engine gets warm as quickly as possible. Today's emission control systems rely on your car's engine being at the proper operating temperature for the pollution-stopping devices to function at their best. So not only does your coolant system keep the engine from getting too hot or too cold, but it also raises it to the proper operating temperature as quickly as possible to support the anti-pollution devices. This is why you should not alter the connections of your fan aka. connect it directly to the battery. We don't care about this in Nigeria.
Among the numerous passageways in today's engine's, some are large radiator hoses, while others are small passages that serve devices such as the heater core, which provides warm air inside the car, and the sensors for engine management. There is also the radiator itself and the water pump.
Over time, your engine's coolant can become contaminated as it picks up the gunk that has settled in your cooling system, possibly causing clogged subsystems. Using clean fluids and flushing your cooling system can keep that potential build-up at bay and help your coolant to flow freely. Ignoring the build-up for too long can result in dirty parts and unnecessary repairs to your vehicle.
Check up more information on the cooling system at The Cooling System; What you should know.
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