Coolant is the fluid that absorbs heat from the engine and then dissipates it through the radiator. It also dissipates it through the heat exchanger in the passenger compartment when you crank up your heat in the winter. Coolant, which is commonly called "antifreeze", is a mixture of ethylene or propylene glycol and water, usually in a 50/50 ratio.
Servicing the coolant involves draining and or flushing your car's cooling system and then replacing the old coolant with fresh coolant.
Because it's operating in a hot, hostile environment, coolant will break down over time. Most importantly, the coolant's rust inhibitors get used up, leaving the small cooling passages in your engine and radiator vulnerable to corrosion. Even with these rust inhibitors, some corrosion will inevitably take place, contaminating the coolant with debris.
If rust inhibitors stop working, the coolant system will rust from the inside out. The biggest source of rust in a car's cooling systems is the engine block.
In time, these bits of rust will also clog the tiny passages within the radiator and heater, causing your engine to overheat. When an engine overheats, the result is a bonus yacht payment to your mechanic that someone else should be making.
Check your coolant level periodically. Your owner's manual will have a recommended interval in which to check the coolant level.
If you check the coolant level when your engine is cold, the coolant should be above the "minimum" or "full" line on the transparent refill container. If you check your coolant when the engine is hot, the coolant should be at or just below the "max" line.
Disappearance of coolant could be caused by either an external or internal leak, the later being the more expensive to fix. Either one should be addressed quickly, since running low or out of coolant can lead to catastrophic engine failure and many boat payments to your mechanic.
If you live where the temperature drops below freezing, we suggest that you ask your mechanic to check the concentration of the coolant. Coolant that's diluted or weak can freeze when the temperature drops below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Check the owner's manual to see if your car uses "long life" coolant, for the first 100,000 miles, it is necessary to check the coolant level simply to be sure you're not burning coolant.
Antifreeze has a sweet aroma and taste which pets find particularly appealing. As little as half a teaspoon of the stuff can kill an average cat; eight ounces will do in a 75-pound dog. There's no substance that you can add to the antifreeze to make it less appealing to animals, but antifreeze made with propylene glycol instead of the usual ethylene glycol is about a third as toxic. Propylene glycol is sold under the brand names Sierra, Prestone Low Tox and Texaco PG.
