About Engine Coolant?

 (note: coolant and antifreeze refer to the same product, in below freezing, coolant lowers the freeze point hence the name anti-freeze and in warm weather coolant helps raise the boiling point, "coolant")

There are many types of engine coolant, colors range from the old standard, green to blue coolant in the new Mercedes and BMW cars.  All engine coolants help guard against corrosion and over heating if maintained properly. Some of the main differences between the old green coolant and the newer mixes is the chemicals made to create the coolant. The new Red, Blue and Yellow coolants are more environmentally friendly and are designed to last longer between services. All engine coolants are highly toxic and should be kept away from animals. You should not mix the different coolant types, if your car came with red coolant then you should add red coolant only. Studies show if a different coolant type is desired it will not have an adverse effect on the vehicle engine if all of the old coolant has been completely flushed out.

The manufacturers of Dexcool (red) have had a problem with the coolant lasting as long as it should, depending on the climate and driving conditions the coolant can decompose causing coolant passage blockage in the radiator and engine block. See Below:

To avoid this problem simply change your coolant more often then the recommended 100,000 miles. Change your coolant every 40,000 miles and you should be ok. All engine coolants must be replaced on a normal schedule to avoid the coolant changing its chemical base composition to a acid. This condition will cause the coolant to eat away at internal engine parts, seals and gaskets, causing premature engine failure. The coolant mixture to water should be about 60% coolant and 40% water. Always add and check coolant level in the coolant reservoir when the vehicle is cold. Be careful of harsh chemical flushes because they can cause more damage then good, especially to aluminum heads, intake manifolds, and the engine block, read the warning carefully on the label.

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